Announcement

An Opening Day to Remember

Posted by CHAD CORCORAN on May 01 2023 at 06:29PM PDT
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Greetings everyone,

Words cannot describe how amazing it was to see so many come together at St. Mary’s this past weekend for Opening Day. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the uncertainty of the weather so it was truly extra special to see such an incredible number of our players on the field to celebrate the start of the season. I’ve been a part of the league now for 8 years and it was easily one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had on a Little League diamond.

On behalf of the league, I would like to express our gratitude to all of our honored guests for supporting baseball and softball in our community including County Executive Ryan McMahon, County Legislators Rick McCarron and Dave Knapp, DeWitt Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko, the Honorable David Gideon, Town of DeWitt Justice (and former JDLL President), NY State Assemblyman John Lemondes and our most distinguished of guests, Otto the Orange. I think Otto got his steps in on Saturday while running for his life in the outfield after the ceremony. A sincere thank you also to the Southwood Fire Department, Ali Baba Food Truck, and Rick’s Polar Pops for helping to make the day special. Finally, thank you to Tiffany Gratien (Photos by Tiffany, LLC) for helping to capture some of the special moments.

Personally I want recognize and thank the MANY people who have been working hard to plan the day for over a month right up until the soggy morning of. A great deal of credit belongs to Treasurer, Majors Coach, and Opening Day Master of Ceremonies, Matt Doran. Even though the rain got the best of us and second base turned to quicksand, Majors Baseball Coordinator and die-hard Phillies phan, Mike Jordan, worked tirelessly to prepare the field (as he always does). I want to also thank a few members of our AV crew – Damon Bennett, Jeff Stark, and the Millea family – for getting the scoreboard right, setting up canopies, and donating a great deal of your time and energy. If you could, please thank them all the next time you see them. Since there are so many more people who deserve credit for day-to-day operations and getting JD baseball and softball players on the field (our umpire-in-chief, league coordinators, snack shack volunteers et al.), I look forward to doing “a featurette”on many of them throughout the season. Likewise, our sponsors are a critical part of growing the league and making special events like Opening Day possible. I look forward to also recognizing their commitment to our players and the league in the weeks and months to come.

Have a GREAT season! Enjoy every moment because it goes by fast.

Chad Corcoran, JDLL President