The Red Hook Youth Baseball League enters its 15th Season

The Red Hook Youth Baseball League is recruiting for the Spring Season! All boys and girls ages 10-12 are welcome. Players must be 10 years old by April 1, 2012 and cannot turn 13 until May 1, 2012 or later. To sign-up, come to the Red Hook Community Justice Center Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 9:30 AM-4:45 PM or Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM or sign up at the Red Hook Recreation Center (155 Bay Street) during pre-season practice. Pre-Season practice will be held on Saturday, March 17^th, 24^th and 31^st at the Lorraine Street ballfields at the corner of Lorraine and Henry Streets. The deadline to register is March 31. Opening Day ceremonies will be held on April 14^th at 9:00 AM and Trophy Day celebrations will be held June 29^th immediately following the championship game.

Thanks to generous donations from Councilwoman Sara M. Gonzalez, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and other team sponsors, there is no registration fee to play. The uniform fee is $10 plus two hours of volunteer service on April 7^th with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to help beautify the fields before the start of the season. 

The Red Hook Youth Baseball League is a unique collaboration between the Red Hook Community Justice Center, Kings County District Attorney’s Office, local businesses, and community volunteers. The League was founded in 1996 by AmeriCorps volunteers and staff members from the Red Hook Community Justice Center as an effort to bring organized sports to youth in the neighborhood. Despite Red Hook’s abundance of ballfields, there hadn’t been organized baseball in Red Hook for 18 years before the founding of this League.

Every year since then, on any given Saturday in the springtime, more than 150 boys and girls, dozens of community volunteers and parents fill the baseball diamonds and stands. The Red Hook Youth Baseball League is still about more than balls and strikes; everyone involved works to instill in the young ballplayers the highest standards of sportsmanship, leadership and respect. The philosophy of the league is to provide Red Hook youth with structured, competitive baseball, while at the same time encouraging their continued success in school and supporting them to become contributing members of the community.

The Red Hook Youth Baseball League acknowledges Commissioner of the League, Mr. Pete Morales, for his leadership and dedication to the youth of Red Hook. The League would not be possible without the support of its generous sponsors, including Councilwoman Sara M. Gonzalez, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, The Southern Trucking Co., The Brazen Head, Mr. Romles Gibbs, Mr. Brett Taylor, Ms. Phoebe Washburn, Smart Tax, Fairway Market, The O’Connell Organization, Arizona Iced Tea and other supporters.

For more information about the League, how to sign-up or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact Viviana Gordon at 718-923-8274 or VGORDON@courts.state.ny.us.

 Two young Defenders watch on as their teammate steps up to the plate.

 One BYA batter shows good form while a Defenders' fielder waits ready.

Coaches from Southern Trucking talk pre-game strategy with their team.

 

A number of leaders in the Red Hook community were honored by being invited to throw the "first pitch", including (from left to right): Romles Gibbs from the Criminal Justice Agency, Hon. Judge Alex Calabrese, Captain Jack Lewis of the 76th Precinct, League Commissioner Pete Morales, Court Officer Leroy Davis, Julian Adler Project Director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, Wally Bazemore of the League Board of Directors, James Brodick former Project Director of the Justice Center and League Founder, and Brett Taylor, former Legal Aid attorney and team sponsor of the "Defenders."