from The HAVERHILL GAZETTE
published April 21, 2011
The Jungle: Little League's departure hurts community, hits home
Welcome to the Jungle Ross Marrinson The Haverhill Gazette Thu Apr 21, 2011, 03:27 PM EDT
When teams, at whatever level, move to different cities, or when franchises or leagues fold, regardless of popularity, a void is left.
It's a void that captures what that particular team or league meant to a community. It's a void that shows how much it added to the community's history. It's a void that reminds us what that team or league could've meant to future generations.
Haverhill Little League's departure from the community sports scene has left such a void.
The history of the area's youth baseball leagues is as complicated as it is politically-charged. There were multiple leagues with different rules and different formats. Some leagues brought in more middle- to upper-class kids, while some others were more attractive to more urban, inner-city kids.
There was competition.
And baseball was never more popular.
All parties involved are saying the right things. The leaders of Haverhill Little League are praising Riverside-Bradford's organization and marketing, and the leaders of Riverside-Bradford are lamenting the loss of such a historic program. But behind the drapes of praise and positivity hides an ugly truth both leagues have acknowledged as part of the sport's downfall.
Kids just simply aren't as interested in baseball as they used to be. Some estimates claim that participation is down nearly 25 percent this season.
That's the saddest truth of all.
Some of my fondest childhood memories come from baseball and Little League. I remember watching the 1991 World Series with my family, a series that is widely regarded as the greatest seven-game playoff series of all time. I remember my dad kneeling at the end of our driveway, as I woefully attempted to throw a curve ball. I remember going to the now-broken Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with my friends for Tuesday-night "Dollar Dog Night," where the limit was six hot dogs per person. I remember my Little League coach giving me the nickname of "Professor Popup" for my propensity to catch any and all pop-ups in the infield.
I think about how much my dad loves the game he grew up playing, and I remember how much he loved watching me play. He's the one who threw me grounders and pop flies in the cul-de-sac, and he's the one who taught me the rules and minute idiosyncrasies that make baseball America's pastime. He taught me about Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew.
Those memories, that precious father-son time, will last forever.
One of my biggest regrets from that time in my life is leaving the game I loved. One fastball to the shoulder, and I was done. I left because of that one fastball. I left because I couldn't stop thinking about if that fastball had been three inches higher.
I quit the game. And I know how much it hurt my dad to see me leave the game he loved so much growing up. He never said anything, but he didn't have to. Nothing gave him greater joy than to see his son catch one of those fly balls or to hit a laser shot single up the middle. Nothing.
That's what makes Little League baseball so special. And that's what makes the cancellation of Haverhill Little League so disturbingly sad.
This isn't just about a league folding, and it's not that those kids won't have other leagues to join. They will. Riverside-Bradford has picked up the pieces, making room for the Haverhill Little League players, and is moving forward with its 2011 season. That's not the point.
The point is that this season's cancellation of Haverhill Little League is simply another indication that a bridge that once so wonderfully tied past generations to those in the future is splintering.
I suppose Riverside-Bradford is the big winner in all of this, but their enrollment is down, too. And they know they'll be competing with flashier options like lacrosse, spring AAU basketball, theater groups, 3-D video games and the other million activities offered to kids nowadays.
For some reason, baseball, the sport I grew up on, the first sport I fell in love with, the first real, tangible activity that my dad and I did together, doesn't seem to have the allure that it used to.
That's the saddest truth of all.
from The HAVERHILL GAZETTE
published April 14, 2011
Haverhill Little League cancels season
By Ross Marrinson rmarrinson@hgazette.com The Haverhill Gazette Thu Apr 14, 2011, 02:31 PM EDT
Haverhill Little League, a cornerstone of community sports for decades, has been benched for the 2011 season. Due to a lack of enrollment and volunteer support, the league has cancelled its season.
"We had to say to ourselves, do we risk putting out a bad product with the potential to disenfranchise a lot of families, or do we give these kids a chance to play competitive baseball somewhere and not miss tryouts?" said Kevin Clancy, president of Haverhill Little League. "The longer we waited, the riskier it got in giving these kids a chance to try out to be evaluated by another league."
In a letter to the players, parents and fans of the program, Clancy said that his league had sent all of the registration forms to the Riverside-Bradford Little League program, which has grown over the last 10 years.
"The RB program has served the community well over the years and provided kids with a safe and fun environment to play and learn baseball," he said in the letter.
Clancy, who has been president of Haverhill Little League since 2007, said Riverside-Bradford has done an admirable job showcasing its program.
"They've done a good job marketing their league," he said. "If four out of five kids are on the street playing in Riverside-Bradford, where's the kid on the fence going to go?"
One of the major differences between the two leagues is the minimum-playing requirement.
In Haverhill Little League, each player must have two innings in the field, or six defensive outs, and one plate appearance. For Riverside-Bradford, the rule is that no player can sit on the bench for more than two innings in any given game.
Clancy said that while the difference may have contributed to the decline in enrollment in the Haverhill Little League, it wasn't a major factor.
"I don't think that's the reason we were losing kids," he said. "Our rules were the same as theirs up until the major league division. As kids aged, we made the decision that kids need to learn that not everybody plays every inning, and we allowed the coaches the flexibility to manage the playing time based on their own decisions, while maintaining the minimum-playing requirements."
In 2000, Clancy said, Haverhill Little League was boasting numbers close to 1,300 players per season. By 2005, the number had dwindled to between 400 and 800. Last season, the league had roughly 200 players, ranging in age from 5 to 12.
Clancy said that a solid league needs at least four divisions with four teams each and 12 players per team, for a total of 192 players.
With two weeks left in the tryout period this year, the league's numbers weren't close to Clancy's parameters.
"We were at less than 100 kids in mid-March," he said. "It was really about giving the kids a chance to play good, competitive baseball. With the decrease in numbers, you could see the decline in play, from division to division. You might see some really talented kids playing with other kids who might be playing at a level above where they should be. This year, we had to make a decision."
The future of Haverhill Little League is uncertain, Clancy said.
"You need motivated volunteers," he said. "At some point, a parent is going to realize there's a void here in Haverhill. It's going to take a block of parents to volunteer and do all the things necessary to get a league going."
Tom Simes, president of Riverside-Bradford, said his league has brought in about 60 kids who had previously signed up to play for Haverhill Little League.
"It didn't affect us at all," he said.
Enrollment in Little League baseball is down across the Merrimack Valley, Simes said, and the Riverside-Bradford is seeing lower numbers, as well. In 2010, the league boasted 1,027 players on 82 teams in eight divisions. This season, the number has declined almost 7 percent, to 960 players on 82 teams in eight divisions.
Simes said several factors may have caused the decline.
"There's more lacrosse going on, it was a tough winter, so registrations were a little later," he said. "There's spring basketball now. I guess there are more outlets."
Riverside-Bradford adopts Cal Ripken format
The Riverside-Bradford league became affiliated with Cal Ripken baseball, the 4- to 12-year-old division of the nationally recognized Babe Ruth Baseball program in February.
"We decided that Cal Ripken would be a closer model for what we do, as far as having a national resource," said Colin LePage, the former president of Riverside-Bradford Baseball. "It's just to help us become a more structured organization."
One of the benefits of the affiliation, LePage said, is the access to Ripken's coaching manuals.
"He has a ... program, he's written a couple of books, and we'll now have access to Cal Ripken's coaching, which we'd like to have all of our coaches take part in," he said. "That will all be available to us."
Additionally, the league will be able to participate in various tournaments and games across the area.
"There are resources that the league can now use," LePage said. "We can do regional and state tournaments now, and we'll be able to enter the kids in those."
from The HAVERHILL GAZETTE
published January 20, 2010
Youth baseball league wants kids to stick around
By Cara Spilsbury
As the Riverside-Bradford Baseball League begins registering players for the 2010 season, the president of the league hopes recent changes will keep kids playing ball later in life.
Until they are 12 years old, players played on a baseball diamond with 60-foot base paths and a 46-foot pitching distance, the standard dimensions found in youth baseball across the nation.
Then after turning 13, players must adjust to a full-size diamond with 90-foot base paths and a 60-foot, 6-inch pitching distance, the same dimensions found in high school, college and professional baseball.
The Riverside-Bradford League, which has over 1,100 players ages 5 to 14, found that many of their 12-year-old players either never made the jump to the full diamond or floundered after a year in the older league.
"Kids don't get to learn how to play on the bigger diamond until after they're 12 years old," said League President Colin LePage. "Even if they know the rules of the league, they don't get to practice them."
So in 2006, the Riverside-Bradford League decided to experiment. They introduced their RB13 Division. Players ages 13 and 14 play on an intermediate size diamond, with 70-foot base paths and a 50-foot pitching distance. Also introduced are leading off the bases, stealing, balks, and other more advanced baseball skills. The players get used to rules like the Major Leaguers, but on a diamond more suited to their age. Last season, the RB13 Division had five teams.
"I like our progression," LePage said. "They shouldn't have to make such a big jump. Throughout school, kids aren't just doing addition and subtraction every year and are then told, 'okay, we're going to do geometry now.'"
Each year, RB Baseball League graduates about 100 12-year-olds from their program. Since offering the RB13 Division, many of those players have continued in the sport.
"We have found that twice as many of our graduating 12-year-old players continue to play baseball as 13 year olds since we implemented this program, either with us or with Haverhill Senior Baseball," said LePage.
This season, the league has decided to experiment again. LePage said they are now introducing the "50 - 70" diamond for the 11 and 12 year olds in the Major A Division, the top division for players in that age group.
In fact, the intermediate field size is spreading in other places than Haverhill. Little League International, which is not associated with Riverside-Bradford Baseball, just recently announced a new "50 - 70" Pilot Program as well.
Another change will be that the RB League will send two teams this season to the annual summer tournament in Cooperstown. In previous years, just one team of all-stars has made the trip.
The 16 lucky all-stars that are selected for the league's Cooperstown-bound team have played on the "50 - 70" diamond at the tournament each year. They don't play on those dimensions all season, then have just three weeks to prepare for the new dimensions and new rules.
The children fundraise to pay for their trip to Cooperstown.
"We want as many kids as possible to have that experience," said LePage. "It's not all about winning. We play the games to win, but it's inclusive."
from The EAGLE-TRIBUNE
Letter to the Editor printed June 24, 2008
"Little League" is about learning, not winning
To the editor:
Sunday was the first day in about six weeks that I did not have to think about a baseball lineup, what days I needed to leave work early to get to the field on time, or what drills I could come up with to help my players become better fielders.
For me, as a coach of two teams in Haverhill's Riverside Bradford Baseball League, another successful season has ended. I enjoyed coaching the kids on both my teams and hope that I was able to teach them some skills during the course of the season and more importantly, how to be good sports. Unfortunately today, sportsmanship is so underrated.
I failed to mention I also volunteer my time as a commissioner of one of the many divisions in our league and I am on the board. In my first year on the board, I have witnessed many hard working individuals volunteer their time to make a league of over 1,000 youths in our city, one that people want to play in.
The league puts a lot of emphasis on sportsmanship. In fact, during our year-end banquet, more than 70 trophies will be handed out to kids for good sportsmanship. As with any youth sports league, there are incidents that come up during the year, but overall I have witnessed more examples of good sportsmanship than bad.
In Taylor Armerding's column "Fairness rules pervert spirit of Little League" (June 22), he does not focus enough on sportsmanship. In any sport, everyone wants to win. In youth sports, the coach and parents should be more concerned about teaching first.
The kids in our league, ages 5 to 14, are still young and are still learning the game. Every kid should play, because that is the only way they can learn. Also, every family pays the same amount of money to play in these leagues, so they all have the right to play. No one can learn or get better at playing the game by sitting on the bench.
Mr. Armerding may have been fine with sitting on the bench when he was a kid, but the kids I coach today want to play and want to learn. Major League rules should not be followed completely at this level, because these kids are not major league ball players.
In our league, every kid bats. This means that if you have 12 kids, your batting lineup is all 12 kids during the entire game. The batting order is continuous and the same every game during the season, which means the player who hits after the player who makes the last out of the game, will be the first batter in the next game. Every kid will learn how to hit because they will all get plenty of chances to hit during the season. Practice makes perfect!
For defensive purposes, no kid can sit on the bench for more than two innings in a six-inning game. Again, that means every kid gets a chance to make defensive plays in the game. Over the course of the season, some of those kids who are not so good, will make a play. Why? Because the more they play, the more they will learn.
Our league may not be perfect, but it teaches the game, teaches sportsmanship, and gives all kids a chance to confront the realities of whether they are going to be baseball stars only after they have been given a chance. How can you make that decision at 10 or 12 when you haven't even been given a chance to learn.
My son was not a great player at 10, but this year at age 13, he was one of the best players on the team. He developed skills and oh yeah he grew, gained baseball knowledge and got stronger. He will probably not be a major league ball player, but at least he will always have memories of his many years of fun playing (not sitting) in the Riverside Bradford Baseball League.
Joe Belanger
Haverhill
from The EAGLE-TRIBUNE
article printed January 21, 2006
R-B league aims to ease the transition
By J. Tilman Cormier
Correspondent,
Some local youth baseball players should get the full treatment this season.
The Riverside-Bradford Baseball League in Haverhill is adopting a new format for a portion of their season to give players experience with PONY rules. According to the league's player agent, Colin LePage, the primary goal is to acclimate the players to a larger diamond while incorporating significant baseball strategies not currently used.
The RB League is concerned with the large number of players who quit the game for good after age 12. Weaning the players into larger fields is the most difficult aspect of transitioning to the Haverhill Senior League. At that time, players begin competing on regulation fields, the distances of which are 60 feet, 6 inches from the mound to home plate and 90 feet between basepaths. Currently, the 12-year-old players still use the distances of 46 feet for the mound and 60 feet for the basepaths, which is the same field size as the 8-year-olds. The change in the Senior League is so dramatic that it intimidates many players. "Half of the players quit right then and there," said LePage. "They don't play baseball anymore. We don't cut anyone and we want everyone to play."
His proposal is for the pitcher's mound to be increased to 50 feet and the distance between the bases to 70 feet. This expansion allows all facets of the game to exist, including runners leading off bases, pitchers holding runners on, stealing at any time, and catchers forced to be on guard at all times.
There are no city fields currently cut to those dimensions, however. The RB League has been working with Haverhill's recreation director, Vinny Ouellette, regarding that problem.
This might be as good a time as any to rectify that, however. According to Ouellette, since the modified softball leagues are no longer operating, the softball fields should be available more often. These fields appear to be best suited to accommodate the PONY dimensions, and it is feasible. "There doesn't seem to be an issue on the softball fields," said Ouellette. "They have a skinned infield already and a portable mound could be used."
Two afternoons of instruction and scrimmages were held last fall to gather feedback on the program. Although the only concern by the parents was the plausibility of implementing the program, LePage was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the players, including those who called their experience in the scrimmages 'the bomb' and 'sweet'. "We're trying to teach the whole game," LePage added. "Otherwise the kids plateau. On base, they would be in a track meet stance until the ball crossed home plate. This way, the game is live the whole time." The intention is to incorporate the PONY dimensions and rules approximately halfway into the season.
Although only a relative few players in a league that exceeds 900 players aged 5-12 years old travel in July to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the annual penultimate national 12-year-old tournaments, the R-B league's new format will also give the players experience with the same format that is utilized in the Cooperstown Dreams Park games.
These tournament games are played on fields with the larger dimensions, and many other teams from around the country play on these field sizes all season. The Cooperstown tournament is usually flooded with juggernaut teams from such baseball gold mine states as California and Texas. According to LePage, many of those teams are put together strictly for this tournament.
The R-B league insists on maintaining their roster as a regional league team in order to provide their own local players with this unique experience. LePage said that they have been attending this tournament for eight years now. Their players will now have the experience and instruction with regards to the PONY rules.
