Stephen Keener puts his hand on Patrick Wilson’s shoulder.
The moment has a certain symbolism.
On Sunday, Keener, 67, will watch his final Little League World Series game as president and CEO of Little League Baseball Inc. He will be replaced on Jan. 1 by Wilson, 55, the senior vice president of operations.
“First of all, Pat is ready,” said Keener, 67, smiling. “It’s the time in my life where I have to make some decisions about my future, and I just thought this was the right time. Especially because it gives me a great feeling that I’m leaving the organization in really good hands because someone like Pat is ready to take on that position.”
Keener took over the organization in 1994 and led it through its greatest growth. Fueled by growing interest from sports network ESPN, the Little League World Series has surged into the national consciousness. In the year ended Sept. 30, 2022, Little League Baseball Inc. had revenue of $27.8 million, including $11.3 million from broadcast rights and $4.94 million from its World Series tournaments, according to federal tax returns that nonprofits are required to file.
A native of the Williamsport area, Keener never left Little League. As a child, he played Little League for Loyalsock and then Woolrich in Clinton County.
Years later, he returned to Williamsport as an intern for Little League Baseball and began working on their management staff in 1980. This position opened the door to a 44-year career.
He was promoted to vice president in 1991 before becoming president in 1994.
“While I was in the middle of that internship, a full-time position opened up. I was here for about four or five weeks, and the administrators here offered me the job on a full-time basis,” Keener said. “I’ve been here ever since.”
ESPN expressed interest in broadcasting the World Series live on television that same year. The World Series was first broadcast on ABC in 1963 and continued to broadcast the final game on its main program “Wide World of Sports” until 1985.
ESPN began broadcasting two semifinal games in 1982, while ABC continued to broadcast the final game. The popularity of the World Series then grew through live broadcasts.
“We did that for a while because the event was so popular. Because it was very well received by television audiences, it became more and more popular. So media companies like ESPN and ABC wanted to do more, and that benefited us,” Keener said.
Access to live World Series games helped put Williamsport on the map, a tradition that continues today with more fans than ever.
Little League spans the globe
The Little League facility in South Williamsport was built in the late 1950s and funded by the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania. It was funded on one condition – the public would be able to use it. Each year the facility hosts Little League programs, district tournament games and community activities, Keener said.
“To this day, Williamsport has become something of a mecca for Little League baseball. I always find it interesting that a lot of our leagues around the country, when they select their tournament teams to come here, they call them their Williamsport team,” Keener said. “They don’t call it their All-Star team or anything. They call it their Williamsport team, which I think is a really nice testament to the impact and the power of Little League being based in Williamsport.”
Little League goes beyond baseball and softball, boys and girls. It goes beyond the “Mecca” of Williamsport. It is an international program that spans the globe.
“The program runs in 84 countries, in thousands and thousands of neighborhoods and communities. We always talk about how these kids are phenomenal players,” Keener said.
Cuban connection established
Keener recounted key moments that took Little League Baseball to new heights, including establishing contacts with Cuba and enabling the Little League team there to compete internationally.
It all started with a meeting with Fidel Castro’s son.
“I had the opportunity and was actually in Taiwan at a meeting of what was then the International Baseball Association. And I had the opportunity to speak with a gentleman named Antonio Castro, who happens to be the youngest son of Fidel Castro,” Keener said.
The meeting sparked interest in admitting Cuba into Little League International.
When President Barack Obama relaxed embargo restrictions against Cuba in 2016, Little League Baseball was officially allowed to meet with Cuban officials.
“It looked like there might be an opportunity there because we were able to travel to Cuba and have discussions with them. That led to a visit to Havana with Major League Baseball in the spring of 2016,” Keener said.
During spring training, the Tampa Rays played an exhibition game against the Cuban national team in Havana. Keener said he was fortunate to be able to go on the trip because he had the opportunity to meet officials from the Cuban Baseball Federation.
“They said they were interested, but they really didn’t know anything about us. We knew it would be a learning process and that it would take some time,” he said.
Keener and Wilson traveled to Cuba several times in the following years. They also visited Panama for a meeting with the Pan-American Baseball Confederation. Its officials came from countries in Central, North and South America.
He and Wilson met with Ricardo Ferkari, president of the World Baseball/Softball Confederation, and Cuban baseball manager Higinio Vélez.
They worked out an agreement that would allow Cuba to play in Little League International.
“Pat and I came home and he kind of took the lead and worked on drafting the agreement with the Cuban Baseball Association,” Keener said.
They returned to Havana, Cuba, in 2019 to celebrate the signing of the agreement. Cuba participated in the Caribbean Regional tournament the following two years, but lost both times to Curacao. In 2023, Cuba secured a reserved spot as a Caribbean Regional team in the World Series through a so-called direct entry.
Political differences between the United States and Cuba still presented obstacles. Little League was not allowed to fund the team. In order for Cuba to enjoy the same benefits as other teams – transportation, accommodation, etc. – the team had to obtain a license from the Foreign Asset Control Office.
“Pat actually worked on it and worked with our lawyers. We were able to get the necessary licenses from our government so we can pay for everything we want to do,” Keener said.
The big league is coming to town
Keener never imagined the Little League Classic featuring Major League Baseball teams, but he led the effort to bring a special game to the Little League World Series in 2017. The first year featured the Pittsburgh Pirates against the St. Louis Cardinals at Bowman Field.
“I don’t know if any of us ever really imagined the Little League Classic in Major League Baseball,” Keener said.
That year, the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees in the Classic, providing an opportunity for Little League players from around the world to experience a major league game.
“To see it evolve and become a beautiful part of the World Series. The great thing about it is that most of these kids that are here have probably never been to a Major League Baseball game,” Keener said. “To have the opportunity to sit in the front row and watch a Major League Baseball game while they have that experience, I think it’s another memory they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”
Wilson: “I am a child of Williamsport”
Wilson joined Little League International in 1993. Since then, he has served as assistant vice president of operations, director of regional operations and assistant tournament director before becoming senior vice president of operations.
Wilson, another Williamsport native, played a lot of baseball in his youth. He played for Pudgie’s Pizza in the Maynard Little League.
“I was terrible,” he laughed. “But I still went out on the field even when I wasn’t playing because all my friends were there, hanging out in the stands.”
Wilson sees his main goal as continuing to expand Little League.
“Because of my operational responsibilities, I have always been with the volunteer leadership on the ground around the world and have made many trips on behalf of the organization to continue to work with them, grow the program, support them and continue the great work we have always done,” said Wilson.
In the coming months, Wilson plans to work with other members of the leadership team to evaluate new ideas and needs and plan for the future.
Wilson said the people he works with and meets along the way are a big part of why he continues to enjoy his work and continue to travel the world and meet teams.
“I’m a kid from Williamsport, Lycoming County. I never thought I’d make it this far. I’ve been to over 50 countries now. As a kid, I never thought I’d ever leave Lycoming County,” he said. “When I go on these trips, I meet people from all walks of life and all kinds of experiences, but they’re all interested in volunteering and helping out in the Little League program. Sometimes it’s overwhelming how passionate they are about it, not about the World Series, but about serving the kids in their community.”
Keener: “Privileged and honored”
Keener – who earned more than $500,000 a year at his job, according to a 2022 Little League tax return – doesn’t know what his future holds in retirement. But he plans to lower his golf handicap, in particular, he said.
“I’ve really been consciously trying, but I haven’t really thought too much about all of this. Maybe that will come in the next few months. But what I ultimately come back to is that I like to connect with people. I’ve had the privilege and honor of meeting so many people from all walks of life,” Keener said.
“Maybe I’ll look back on Sunday night and think differently. But right now I just want to get us through another tournament, crown a champion and, most importantly, bring him home safely.”
