'Cause there's not enough Little League baseball on TV these days

ESPN announced today it will add 14 regional semifinal games to its schedule of Little League Baseball tournaments this summer, including the semifinal games in the Northwest and West Regions beamed from San Bernardino, starting in mid August.

A year ago, ESPN did eight Little League regional tournament games - the championships of the eight regions. Now, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com will have 22 regional games and up to 56 total games of the Little League tournament.

"We're delighted to grow our coverage of the Little League regional semis," said Len DeLuca, ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions, in a press release. "The Little League World Series merits more national attention as one of the leading sports events in the dog days of summer. We can capture more stories from expanding our coverage of the eight regions in the United States."

Stephen Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, adds: "We are pleased ESPN has decided to expand its coverage of the Little League Baseball International Tournament. I think this shows ESPN believes the core values of Little League Baseball and Softball are meaningful to its viewers. There also is an increasing fan interest in tournament play in all eight divisions of Little League tournament play. We are thankful to have ESPN as a media partner to help us promote the benefits of the Little League experience."