On Sunday the World Little League champs from Japan came to Shea Stadium in New York. They were given a rousing ovation. More on why that matters later.

The Little League organization continues to investigate the Danny Almonte age issue. He is the Little Leaguer from the Bronx who garnered front-page accolades for his pitching prowess during the recent Little League World Series. The age limit is 12, Almonte may be 14.

Sports Illustrated went to the Dominican Republic, Almonte’s homeland, and found two birth certificates. One says he was born on April 7, 1987. His father recorded it in 1994.

The other says he was born on April 7, 1989 and it was recorded by his father in March of 2000, just before Danny Almonte moved from his mother’s home in the Dominican to be with his father in the Bronx, New York. His father is separated from Almonte’s mother.

Almonte’s parents both insist he is 12. Not many people are believing that anymore.

Danny moved to New York last year apparently for the purpose of playing baseball on an All-Star team, the one he pitched for this year in the Little League World Series. It is a team run and coached by a Dominican sportswriter in New York. The coach’s success earned him a $50,000 team sponsorship from a national brokerage house.

For many in the Dominican, including Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs, playing professional baseball is the way out of what is often abject poverty. There have long been issues surrounding how major league teams scout and sign players from the Dominican, where ages are tough to discover and birth certificates are often filed long after the actual birth.

To get a player to the majors, lies have increased ages to reach the 16-year-old minimum signing age and have lowered them to get bigger and longer contracts. There is no honor in such acts, just money to be made.

The Almonte age issue is far uglier. This is how the story is shaking down in New York. Most in baseball and the press believe Almonte’s father saw the chance to get his very gifted son to New York and into the headlines.

The father decided to bring his kid to New York to live with him, the mother agreeing, and just before doing so, filed another birth certificate in the Dominican to lower Danny’s age to 12. That would allow him to pitch on the All-Star team headed by the Dominican writer for two years.

With all the publicity being generated by this team in New York, it was inevitable that colleges and the pros would be watching, and the chance for Almonte’s son to be discovered, with all the probable riches to follow.

That is the belief of many now investigating the matter. Time may or may not prove them correct. However, the fact remains that there are two birth certificates.

And just what did Danny think was going on? Did he celebrate birthday’s 8, 9, 10, etc. and then when he got to 14 went back to celebrate his 12th again? Did the candles start disappearing from his birthday cake at age 6 or 7 in preparation for his trip back to the future?

Worse yet, does anyone care? Hey, he has a shot at millions. To hell with other kids he played for and against. The same goes for honesty, integrity and (don’t laugh) sportsmanship.

Danny’s father and others are saying “racism.” Not this time.

That brings us back to the champions from Japan coming to Shea. A standing ovation from a lot of U.S. citizens in New York to the team that beat out teams from the Bronx and Florida to win. These were people applauding kids who happened to be from Japan.

The issues surrounding Almonte are real and important and have nothing to do with race, national origin or religion. There are people asking questions about integrity that just happen to involve parents from the Dominican.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and NBC sportscaster.