Pasadena Baseball Celebrates Opening Day Despite Dreary Weather

By Colin Murphy

Despite a steady downpour among occasional heavy showers, the festive mood was hardly dampened as over 500 little league players paraded through the baseball fields across from George Fox Middle School in celebration of Pasadena Baseball Club’s Opening Day on Saturday, April 16. The bad weather caused the cancellation of the first day of games, as well as planned festivities that included a raffle, carnival games and an antique car show.

Club President Dave Jann, along with seemingly every sopping-wet little leaguer in attendance, was still all smiles in anticipation of the upcoming season.

“The kids have so much passion and spirit for baseball,” Jann said of the boys proudly carrying their team banners through the rain. “We’ll save all those activities for closing ceremonies [at the end of the season], and, as you can see, they were all still thrilled to be here, nothing but smiles and cheers.”

While speaking of the excitement among the kids for the coming season, Jann was very grateful for the abundance of local sponsors who have helped Pasadena Baseball Club over the years. “The sponsors play a huge role,” said Jann adding, “Everything you see here — the batting cage, the dugout roofs, Field 4, all the fencing around the outfields, all our travel teams - wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors.”

In addition to thanking parents, volunteers, sponsors, and the entire community for their support of Pasadena Baseball, Jann was also excited to have continued support from County Executive John R. Leopold and new Councilman Derek Fink as Pasadena Baseball Club pursues county funding for the construction of a 90-foot field.

“I want to highlight they need funding for a 90-foot diamond,” said Councilman Fink. “We’re doing great things for Lake Shore Baseball, which I am very supportive of, but we can’t forget the kids [here] on the other side of town.”

The 90-foot field will contribute significantly to the continued evolvement of Pasadena Baseball Club from a collection of area leagues to a single organization with its own philosophy and player development program. Drawing inspiration from Earl Weaver’s 70s-era “Oriole Way,” Jann spoke proudly of what he called “the Pasadena Way,” an approach to baseball that combines the fun of playing little league with a development timeline for individual player skills.

“We’ve been working heavily with Northeast and we want to create that one feeder system that’s known for great baseball,” said Jann, who added, “Boys in the Pasadena Baseball Club learn and practice age-specific fundamentals. When they step on the field at Northeast they’re confident and ready to play.”

In the absence of baseball games and other planned Opening Day festivities, the boys were hardly fazed as they alternated playing games of tag through the wet fields while huddling underneath umbrellas for hot dogs and hot chocolate.

“They smiled, they ran around, they chanted the whole way through the parade, and look, they’re still smiling,” said Ray Mills, manager of the 8U Orioles, as he pointed to his twin seven-year-old sons, Connor and Chris, the latter of whom interjected, “Go Orioles!”

Timmy Rathell, who coaches his nine-year-old son, Trent, on the 9U Pasadena Eagles travel team, spoke of the pride for the Pasadena Baseball Club that he sees in the boys. “I see Kevin [Vasquez, 10] here after games, going around with a trash bag, cleaning up the fields, and he does it all the time without anyone asking him,” said Rathell. “We’re trying to instill in the kids that if they take care of this, they’ll just have better fields and facilities in the long run. It all starts with young gentlemen like [Kevin] who set a good example for all of us.”

As the sun remained hidden behind the rain clouds, the spirit of excitement for baseball shone brightly throughout the morning.

“We’re all working toward the same goal of improving youth baseball and providing the best experience for the kids,” said Jann. “The support all the volunteers provide, all the hours, is nothing short of remarkable, and I’m just really proud and appreciative to be a part of it.”