|
|
|
 |
Sunday, March 29Mets may cut tix, parade for local Little LeaguesBy Pete Davis
Foul ball!
That’s what some local Little League parents and officials are calling an unfortunate situation that is brewing with the Mets as the home team is set to open its brand new ballpark, Citi Field. For the past four years, Little Leagues throughout the borough have participated in a special day at Shea Stadium where they purchased 1,200 discounted tickets from the Mets and got to lead a parade on the warning track of the field prior to the game. This year, however, the Mets have told league officials including Bayside Little League President Bob Reid, that the teams may only be able purchase 500 (or less) tickets at full price, and they can’t guarantee they will be able to have the parade on the field prior to the game. “The Mets organization is telling me that unfortunately we have 15,000 fewer seats, and we can’t do what we have done in the past,” said Reid, who is a longtime Mets fan that recently had the opportunity to tour Citi Field and thinks it’s great. “I think they are just forgetting the little guy.” This is the first year the Mets will play in Citi Field, which will have a capacity of approximately 42,000 compared to Shea Stadium’s roughly 57,000, so it is more challenging to accommodate large groups for different games. In addition, the club is still working on logistics of the new stadium including field access points, which would factor into the parade that the Little League has each year. “We are in discussion with the parties involved, and we haven’t finalized anything,” said a Mets spokesperson. Although the parade before the game has only taken place during the last four years, Reid said the Little League has been purchasing discount tickets from the Mets for the past 10 years – and the kids used to participate in the dash around the bases after the game. In addition to the Bayside Little League, Reid said players and parents from leagues in Glen Oaks, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck-Douglaston and College Point also participated in the day, and they looked forward to it each year. “The kids are excited because they get to be in their uniforms during the day, and they actually see some of the ball players up close,” said Adrian Elorza, who coaches his six-year-old daughter in a Bayside Peewee League and has participated in the day at Shea Stadium. “It’s like a ‘Field of Dreams’ kind of thing; they’re on a real baseball field.” Reid informed some parents last week that they likely won’t get the volume of tickets or the price reduction they have in the past, and many were upset. “It makes me feel like the Mets are only interested in corporate America not the community baseball league that is in their neighborhood that has supported the Mets forever,” Elorza said. Reid said he was more disappointed for the kids because it’s something they look forward to every year. “It hurts; it’s disturbing because they are almost like locking out the young kids, the youth of the community, the youth of the neighborhoods,” Reid said.
****************************************************************************************************************
Welcome to all the boy's from
Buff Bay, Jamaica
The boy's are in for a busy two weeks. They will be visiting the Statue of Liberty and other sites in the City. They are invited to City Hall and also a game at Shea Stadium. We have also scheduled some games for the boy's against our little league teams. Come out and cheer them on.
THE GAME DATES ARE:Sunday, August 19 - 4pm Crocheron Park (playing Bayside Little League 11 yr olds)Monday, August 20 - 6pm Crocheron Park (playing Bayside Little League 12 yr olds)Tuesday, August 21 - 5:30pm Crocheron Park (playing Bayside Little League 13 yr olds)Friday, August 24 - 5:30pm Crocheron Park (playing bayside Little League 11 yr olds)Saturday, August 25 - 10:00am Crocheron Park (playing Bayside Little League 12 yr olds)Sunday, August 26 - 3:00pm Crocheron Park (playing Bayside Little League 13 yr olds)Players: Demark Carby, Jason White, Odane Kennedy, Jermaine Burgess, Hushayne Hinds, Gregory Phillips, Raheem Moore, Rushane Stewart, Peter Lee Dunbar, Carlton ClarkeCoaches: Wally Mackenzie, Marcel Blagrove, Leon RhoneCHECKOUT THE QUEENS COURIER WRITE UP
Saturdays opening day parade marked the official start of Little League season. A small but vibrant crowd of parents and family members gathered to cheer on the teams as they marched down Bell Blvd. The teams were decked out in full uniform, carrying their team sponsor banners "The parade is a lot of fun because it’s when everyone gets together and you get to see all the teams,” “It’s a great way to start spring because now it feels like we all want to be outside," some parents were overheard saying to one another.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Bayside Little League View Our Guestbook | Sign Our Guestbook 41 visitors have signed our guestbook. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
