More than 200 District 32 coaches attended the San Diego Padres' free coaches clinics held January 31-February 2, 2010 at Petco Park.

This season's clinics were put on by BaseballASAP, a locally-based organization that does both coach and player training year-round in the San Diego area. Led by Jared Eichelberger, former minor league pitcher and son of former Padres pitcher Juan Eichelberger, BaseballASAP offered five different clinics during the three-day period.

Instructors in addition to the Eichelbergers included several former minor and major league players, along with area high school and college coaches. More information on BaseballASAP is available on their website: www.BaseballASAP.com. Instruction was broken down into five different stations: Infield Play, Outfield Play, Hitting, Catching, and Pitching & Throwing.

One of the best educational opportunities available for Little League volunteers is coming to town on Saturday, February 27 at Helix High School.

With nearly 7,000 leagues nationwide, it would be impossible for Little League’s professional staff members to conduct league administration, umpire and coaches clinics for each. Nonetheless Little League’s top staff members and volunteers have teamed up to bring truckloads of tips to your backyard. Consider it a live version of the publication “A Year in the Life of Hometown Little League!”

Clinics may vary slightly from site to site, but at every stop local league volunteers just like you will learn how best to implement the Little League program in their town or neighborhood.

All leagues should send a representative. This is great information and it can only benefit all leagues who attend. The cost is only $7.50 a person. Look for more details soon.

Little League Road Show: Helix High School, 7323 University Ave, La Mesa, CA 91941
Saturday, February 27th, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Our annual District 32 Rules Clinic will be held on Wednesday evenings, beginning January 20th, at the Mira Mesa Recreation Center.

This clinic is a great opportunity for anyone involved in the Little League program to gain familiarity with the rules for Little League baseball. New umpires, experienced umpires, managers, coaches, board members, and parents are all invited to attend.

The clinic is run by our District Umpire-in-Chief Paul Smith, and Assistant Umpire-in-Chief Ed West. Both Paul and Ed have been umpiring in District 32 for many years and have a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Clinics will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on January 20th, January 27th and February 3rd. A final clinic may be held on February 10th if needed. Cost is only $5.00, which covers all nights of the clinic, and includes a new 2010 Little League rule book for all participants. Some local leagues cover the cost for attendees from their program, so check with your league to see if that is the case.

Any questions, contact Paul Smith at clockump@gmail.com or (619) 889-9328.

Two key events in November helped all leagues in Distict 32 to better prepare for the 2010 season.

On November 12, District 32 hosted its annual vendor show. More than a dozen vendors set up displays at the Holiday Inn-Miramar, providing a great way for leagues to visit with vendors from a wide variety of categories, all in one place and all in one night. There were uniform suppliers, photographers, equipment companies, snack bar suppliers and a wide variety of fundraising ideas.

This is the only show of its kind within our District, and was well attended by board members and friends from all of our district leagues. Lots of good information was shared and new vendors contacted. Highlight of the evening for many was the great door prizes donated by the participating vendors!

The second big event this fall was our second annual District Roundtable, held Tuesday, November 17. This great event was an opportunity for board members from every league in our District to come together on one evening to share knowledge and experience.

In addition to gaining insights into how each league fits into the "big picture" of our District and Region, each board member had an opportunity to meet with those from the other leagues in our District who hold the same roles as they do. Both new and experienced volunteers benefited from the chance to exchange ideas, successes and concerns, offering the best training possible to prepare for the 2010 season. Discussions were interesting and enlightening, and we had almost 100 board members from our various leagues in attendance!

The Challenger Division of Little League Baseball is a program for mentally and physically disabled youth to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. The program is available to any special needs child between the ages of 5-18, or who is in an ongoing high school program.

More than the skills of baseball are learned through the experience. The value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of participants’ self-esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play which are hallmarks of the Little League program.

The philosophy of the Little League Challenger Division is to provide the framework so that every Little League program may offer a structured, athletic activity for all youth in the community. Challenger Division participants learn not only the fundamentals of baseball, but also how it feels to be just like other children pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earning awards for their achievements.

Currently, District 32 has Challenger Division teams in four of its leagues (Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos and University City), with hopes to expand the program to all of the other leagues in our District as well.

If you know anyone who would benefit from this program for children with special needs, please download the handout at the end of this article and contact District Challenger coordinator Glenn Castan, who will put you in contact with the right program in your area.

Park View's Little Leaguers, from Chula Vista, CA, are champions of the Little League world.

With a come-from-behind 6-3 victory over Chinese Taipei on Sunday, August 29, Park View captured the Little League World Series, becoming only the second team from San Diego County to ever reign as World Champions. This capped a weekend where they won the United States Championship with a dominant 12-2 victory over San Antonio, Texas, the only team to defeat them during the tournament in Williamsport, PA.

Their electrifying 11-10 comeback win over Warner Robbins, GA on August 26 set up the final weekend's achievements, which captivated viewers and fans, not just in Chula Vista, not just in San Diego County, but all over the country.

Park View, from District 42 in Chula Vista, captured the Sub-Division III Tournament hosted by Clairemont Hilltoppers during their tournament run, and went on to win the Southern California Divisional Championship. They then won the ultimate Little League trip... to Williamsport, PA and the Little League World Series, sweeping through the West Regional tournament and winning the final 11-4 over Northern California on August 16.

With wins in all six of their games at the West Regional in San Bernardino, Park View dominated the tournament, scoring double digits in all six games they played. The championship game, televised nationally on ESPN2, was very close for four innings, before Park View erupted for eight runs in the last two innings. Park View broke longstanding records in both the World Series (with 19 homers in six games) and the West Regional (where they clobbered an astounding total of 38 home runs in six games).

Park View becomes the first San Diego County team since El Cajon/La Mesa Northern in 1961 to capture the Little League World Series. 

Park View's road through this tournament season was exciting, but not without a few bumps. They lost a game in their initial District tournament to Sweetwater Valley Little League, before bouncing back to sweep through that tournament, as well as their Section 7 tournament. In the Subdivision tournament at Hilltoppers, they won their first game against Corona National, 14-4, but had to eke out a 5-4 win over Rancho Santa Margarita in the semifinals, before breezing to the championship with a 16-1 win over the same Rancho Santa Margarita team.

That title brought them to Encino for the best-two-of-three divisional final the weekend of August 1-3 against Torrance Little League. On Saturday, August 1, Park View fell behind early, and all of the wheels came off in an 18-0 loss to Torrance. They bounced back, however, posting a nail-biter 7-6 win on Sunday, and followed that with a 19-12 slugfest win on Monday, August 3.

Congratulations to our friends from Parkview and District 42 for bringing the Little League World Series Championship back to San Diego County!

Longtime District 32 umpire Ed West had the honor of working the Little League West Region championship tournament in San Bernardino in August of 2009.

Only a handful of Little League umpires are ever afforded the honor of working a Regional or World Series tournament, and Ed, our Assistant District Umpire-in-Chief, was well-deserving of the honor. With over 20 years of experience, Ed brings knowledge, skill, and even a sense of humor to every game he works.

The 10-day West Region tournament showcased the top teams from the western U.S., who came to San Bernardino as the final step to securing a berth in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. Ed had the opportunity to work several games during the tournament, at numerous positions, including as umpire-in-chief. He was given the additional honor of working second base during the West Region championship game won by eventual Little League World Champion Park View Little League.

Ed was  the fourth District 32 umpire to work a high level tournament in recent years. Former District 32 Umpire-in-Chief and current District ADA Les Fletcher worked the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA in 2005. Former Asst. District Umpire-in-Chief and current District Safety Officer Henry Garnett worked the Little League West Region tournament in 2003 and in Poland at the Europe/Middle East/Africa Region tournament in 2004 and 2005. Current District 32 Umpire-in-Chief Paul Smith worked the Juniors Division West Region Championship in Laguna Niguel in August of 2008.

Congratulations Ed!

Hello, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Lisa LaPage and I am the District Administrator for California District 32. I have two boys, Christopher and Stephen, who both played Little League from T-Ball through the Senior Division. Those of you who know me know I attempted Big League with them… that didn’t get me anywhere!

I first started volunteering for Little League as a scorekeeper for my brother’s team back in the 70’s. (Do not attempt to calculate ages.) My dad was the manager and so, of course, I became the scorekeeper. My dad continued on after my brother and I got out of Little League and became the President of Balboa Little League. He was the President when Balboa introduced their first Challenger Division Team – that program is still strong and now resides at Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

As my children became old enough to play Little League, I started volunteering again. I started out as the Team Mom and moved “up” to Scorekeeper. Then … it happened, “real volunteering.” I became a bonafide board member for Mira Mesa West Little League – Head Scorekeeper was my first title! Then my second title was Player Agent, then Vice President, then finished up a season as President!

In 2003, the District Administrator Jim Gerstenslager, asked me to be on his staff as an auxiliary member. How hard could that be? OH – those of you that “started” as auxiliary members know the answer to that! I served on the District Staff while continuing to serve on my local league board. In 2006, I was elected as the District Administrator by the Presidents of District 32 – that penalty is still pending!!

All kidding aside, I take Little League seriously – I believe 100% in the program and what Little League stands for. Our children in all of our communities deserve to have hard-working volunteers involved in a program that has every child’s interest and well-being at heart. We, through baseball, teach all of the children Character, Courage and Loyalty – not to mention Respect, Discipline, Teamwork and Sportsmanship.

This can not be accomplished without the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who dedicate time (which they don’t have) to a program they all believe in. That, my friend, is what this is all about. The volunteers inside Little League are rare characters (sadly enough) – they unconditionally give their time, knowledge and sometimes money to the youngsters who will one day rule our world!

To all the Presidents, Board Members, Umpires, Managers, Coaches, Team Moms and Team Dads, Scorekeepers, Carpool Drivers, Cheerleaders and just plain Parents, THANK YOU for participating in the best program in the world for our children. My kids wouldn’t have had the experience without you – and for that I am humbly grateful.

Lisa LaPage

Ever wonder how things get done? If you do, then you might just be the person we are looking for. We are always looking for volunteers who love and believe in Little League Baseball . As you should know, things don't just happen, it takes hours and hours of hard work volunteering. Our staff oversees 13 local leagues which add up to be about 5000 Little League players. The players need your help; they can't do it without all of the adult volunteers. We are serious about our role in the Little League organization and have a good time while supporting what we believe in. If you are interested in joining, please let us know. Send an email to llapage@san.rr.com and let us know what you are interested in. Play Ball!

Here are our great league presidents for the 2010 season (from L to R): Kevin Otsuka (Peninsula), Bill Salonius (Clairemont Hilltoppers), Carl Nuffer (Pt. Loma), Ed Kane (Scripps Ranch), Steve Stratton (Clairemont Mesa), Jemma Samala (University City), Bruce Bourdon (Presidio), JC Smith (Coronado), Steve Porter (Mira Mesa), Rob Gonzalez (Rancho Penasquitos). Not pictured: Mary Melton (Mission Bay)