A golden season

Little League prepares for 50th year

By:John Patten
   Bennington Way resident Phil Worby has watched many Hillsborough Little League seasons come and go.
   Mr. Worby’s first season with the Hillsborough Little League was in 1964 — "The very first year I was eligible to play," he said — when the 9-year-old league was barely older than he.
   Despite his participation as a player, a manager and an umpire through the years, Mr. Worby admits to being surprised that Saturday marks the beginning of the league’s 50th season of baseball for Hillsborough youth.
   "It never really even dawned on me that the Little League has been in existence for 50 years," Mr. Worby said.
   Since Mr. Worby’s early days playing in what he called the "farm league" of Hillsborough Little League in rough fields behind schools or fire company buildings, the organization has grown from a handful of kids to a league of more than 1,300 players on 101 teams with state-of-the-game playing fields.
   Celebrations of the anniversary Saturday will include a special postage stamp cancellation from the Hillsborough Post Office, presentations of plaques to three former league presidents, and amusements for younger children.
   Also, the league will dedicate field No. 2 at the Willow Road baseball complex to Philip Monahan, a 9-year-old player who died suddenly on Sept. 2, 2002. The league’s highlight reel has lots to celebrate — including the state championship teams of 1994 and 1996, but ask officials what they’re most proud of and they’ll tell you it’s the league’s commitment to serving Hillsborough kids.
   "We tried to avoid the philosophy of ‘win at all costs’ to keep it fun for the kids," former President Frank Cieri said. "I would hope we encourage kids who love the game to keep on playing."
   Mr. Cieri notes the league functions as the township’s recreational league, where everyone gets to play. Because of that approach, the league has included as many as 1,600 players playing in two leagues.
   During his tenure from 1993-1999, the league also gained a permanent location for most of their games — the Willow Road Complex.
   The seven-field complex, managed by the league since 1999, accommodates most of the league’s games. Other fields used include fields at Woods Road firehouse, Ann Van Middlesworth Park — and the league’s first field behind Hillsborough Fire Company No. 2.
   Mr. Cieri notes in his early days with the league — he started coaching in Hillsborough in 1977 — young baseball players played on everything from school fields to township soccer fields. The completion of three fields at Ann Van Park gave older players regular fields where games could be played at night.
   "That helped our Senior League immensely because before that, we’d use the field behind Hillsborough Elementary School," Mr. Cieri said.
   Mr. Cieri also is proud of the league’s launch of its Challenger League, a program for young players with disabilities.
Managing the teams
   Walk into almost any Hillsborough business, and you’ll see a plaque on the wall showing a Little League team sponsored by the business.
   Current President Tony Malda says the league "hits them all" when it comes to soliciting sponsors for the teams.
   "That is the toughest part of running the league — finding sponsors for the teams," he said.
   But this year will mark one of the few seasons when every team has found a sponsor, which Mr. Malda credits to the addition of several new businesses in town.
   Some businesses — like Hillsborough Pharmacy and the Hillsborough Barber Shop — have been sponsors almost since the league’s beginnings.
   But the sponsors’ donations help defray the $250,000 annual budget for the league.
   The bulk of the leagues’ finances come from player registrations, currently $150 for players above 7 years of age; $100 for 5- and 6-year-olds, a reduced fee possible thanks the additional sponsors, Mr. Malda said.
   The league is also offering discounts for families with more than one player for the first time.
   Of course, before the teams can play in shirts bearing a sponsor’s name, they have to register — a process that used to give many parents nightmares.
   "We used to process 1,000 kids by hand," Mr. Malda said about registrations before the league switched to online registration in 2002. "I think everyone remembers the lines at the middle school.
   "People are so happy not to have to do that anymore," he said.
Looking ahead
   Mr. Malda notes the biggest changes in the game have come from improved equipment — particularly safety equipment that protects young players.
   But other changes have been taking place in the world of youth baseball.
   Both Mr. Cieri and Mr. Maldo note the impact of "private clubs," teams organized outside of the Little League organization.
   Since first appearing about 10 years ago, the teams have drawn about 300 players away from the league’s enrollments, some by offering more games for the players or trying to focus on creating "premiere" teams of young stars.
   "I find that to be a terrific misnomer — the kids on those teams don’t generally tend to be better," Mr. Worby said. "The kids who are going to be stars are going to be good players."
   He added he likes the esprit de corps of Little League players, with better players helping to mentor less experienced players — as well as build solid friendships.
   "That’s the beauty of the Little League — everybody’s welcome and it doesn’t matter how good you are," he said.
   And that’s a philosophy the league won’t be changing as seasons come and go and the league begins to think about future celebrations.