Just when I thought I understood the rules, they were changed. Clinton had an affair; his approval ratings grew. Gary Condit has an affair; he is accused of being a murderer. But nothing has caught me more off-guard than Little League Baseball.

Sports have always played a leading role in American lives, but this summer the country focused on a young man from the Bronx named Danny Almonte. His seemingly innocent disposition captured our heart, not to mention the perfect game he threw — the first in nearly four decades. Unfortunately, with each team he beat came new speculation about the boy's age. During the last days of summer, Sports Illustrated announced that they had uncovered documents to prove the boy was actually 14, two years older than he claimed and a year older than Little League allows. It seems the whole nation was stunned by the announcement that caused the Bronx team to forfeit their season, and several individuals were banned from Little League competition. Everyone from Mayor Giuliani to Joe Torre to President Bush commented on the tragedy of the event and the disgrace of the coaches and parents of this young boy. The question for me is, Who do we blame?

Almonte's parents seem to be the most obvious choice. They knew how old their son was — although only after they were charged with falsifying documents did their memories improve. Another clear choice for Most Likely to Receive Fault is the boy's uncle who lied about the length of time the family had been residing in the United States. In a recent Associated Press report, the uncle said that although he originally said the boy lived in the United Stated for two years, Danny might have actually been in Moca, Dominican Republic, until June of this year. How dumb does this man claim to be and how dumb does he think we are? Can anyone honestly believe that his memory is so bad that he cannot remember the difference between two years and two months? Nothing is more annoying than a bad liar, which leads us to another option for biggest blame holder — the coach.

The Little League season starts between February and June, depending on the weather. The Little League World Series begins July 1. To be eligible for the World Series, the players must have played in half of the team's games by June 15. Reports released within the last week, show that Almonte was in school in the Dominican Republic until June 15, making Almonte ineligible regardless of age. The coach, even without knowing the boy's age, knew he was ineligible because he was not on the team in time to play. If the information about the boy attending school in the Dominican Republic until June is accurate, the coach is not the only one to blame. Was he the only person who was informed about the rules, or did the parents and other players know?

The night the story broke, every national news station covered the story. Most of the networks included segments with parents of the Bronx team who were distraught that their sons' wins were forfeited. Not a single one of these parents realized Danny had not been on the team long enough? I find that hard to believe. They simply recognized, as the coach did, that Danny was going to help them win. Their morality returned only after the team was caught cheating.

Danny Almonte himself bears some responsibility. How much he knew or understood is unclear. We know that the boy has little to no English skills, and now it seems clear that he was not in the country to build any strong relationships with the other players, but I cannot believe he did not know his age. With all the turmoil that surrounded the child from the beginning, someone must have asked him how old he was. Was he told to lie? Did he recognize what was going on? Did he know the rules? These are questions we cannot currently answer. What is clear is that Danny Almonte was manipulated by a system that cared more about success than honesty.

Those directly affiliated with Almonte are not the only ones who bear responsibility for the mistake. The parents of the opposing teams' players were the first to complain about the situation. They were sore losers. They could not believe that this child was so much better than their own, so they spent thousands of dollars to prove their case. Ironically, it was Sports Illustrated, and not the parents, who discovered the information. We have no way of knowing whether Danny at the same age-level as the other players, could have defeated the other teams fairly. We cannot say if he is truly that much better than the other players, but his natural talent is not related to age. If he would never have pitched the perfect game or, earlier, the no-hitter, would these parents have said anything? If he would have struck out seven batters instead of 15, would anyone have noticed?

Unfortunately, we live in a society that pushes athletes to succeed to the point of superhuman status and then criticizes them when they attain it. For example, Major League Baseball. When Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were racing to break Roger Maris's home run record, the country rallied behind the two men. As McGwire got closer to breaking the record, the allegations of steroid use began to surface. Although it was proven that he did not take illegal drugs, but a nutritional supplement, the record was still stained.

Unfortunately for Almonte, he was too good for his age and that made people selfish and petty. He clearly broke the rules, but the parents created the scandal.

There is a problem bigger than baseball at stake. Danny Almonte came from the Dominican Republic, an impoverished country that looks to the United States for hope. Often that hope comes in the form of professional baseball. If a Dominican youngster can sign with a major league team, his signing would be worth more than a lifetime of working in his native country. Is there any surprise that his parents broke the rules to assist him? Can we honestly say that we would have acted differently? Every year there are hundreds of stories about immigrants illegally entering the country. The Almontes did not enter illegally. They just broke some Little League baseball rules.

And it didn't surprise most Americans — after all, they were immigrants. What has been forgotten during this most recent scandal is that the Bronx team was originally being criticized for not being "American" enough. Many believed the team should be treated as an international team. Although some of the players were recent immigrants, many players' parents were born in the Bronx. How American do they need to be?

Why is this a big issue in the first place? Look at the sports heroes we value. Pete Rose was banned for betting on baseball, and now there is a contingent that wants to see him in the Hall of Fame. In NASCAR, beloved Dale Earnhardt Jr. is frequently being penalized for bumping drivers and causing accidents even though his father was killed in a racing collision. Every sports fan could list athletes who play dirty or break the rules; yet, many of these same athletes are revered as heroes. Danny Almonte is no worse than these athletes. In many ways, though, his behavior is more excusable because he is a child.

We watch reality-based television shows where the characters openly admit they are lying, and we love them anyway. We excuse the behavior because it is just a game, but Danny Almonte and those around him are criticized for their behavior. Last time I checked, baseball was still a game. Why is it this child and his parents' manipulative behavior bother us so much? It is time for a reality check. It is unfortunate that this child and his parents manipulated the system so Danny could play baseball. What is more unfortunate, however, is the significance we, as a society, have placed on the event.

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