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USATSI

With the Houston Astros involved in a recent sign-stealing scandal, the Pennsylvania District 16/31 Little League is taking a stand. Going forward, the league is suspending the use of the Astros team name.

District head Bob Bertoni is advising all 23 leagues that he oversees not to use the name or logo. The district's operating area is about 60 miles from Williamsport, Pa., which is the home of the Little League World Series.

"Right now, in our leagues, the Astros are suspended," Bertoni told ESPN. "I think about our Little League pledge; that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Part of the pledge is, 'I will play fair and strive to win.'"

This comes after two Little Leagues in Southern California banned any teams from being named the Astros for the upcoming season, according to a report from the Orange County Register. The decisions were made in response to the Astros employing technology, and trash cans, to cheat their way to success and a World Series victory in 2017.

"Parents are disgusted," Long Beach Little League president Steve Klaus told the OCR. "They are disgusted with the Astros and their lack of ownership and accountability. We know there's more to this scandal. What's coming tomorrow? With the Astros, you've got premeditated cheating."

For Long Beach, this isn't the first time a name has been banned. The Braves and Indians are another pair of team names the league has stopped using, though that's more of a cultural sensitivity thing than a disrespecting-the-integrity-of-the-game thing--they didn't want kids wearing Native American imagery. President Klaus cited honoring the league's mission statement which focuses on character and integrity as a catalyst for the decision. Though, if you ask those who aren't professionally connected to the league, there may be another underlying reason.

"I don't think it's right to represent a team that's been cheating," 11-year-old Mick Peterson told the OCR. "The Dodgers got robbed. It's not fair."

Greg Taylor, president of East Fullerton Little League, said of his league's decision to ban the name that he "received negative feedback from parents who felt Astros name was equated with impropriety."

Oddly enough, the league plans to have families attend an Angels-Astros game in April, but even that decision is getting push-back because adults are concerned their children will be "exposed to inappropriate/unruly behavior."