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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: Little League's 61st Season Gets Underway
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| Chaplain Herschberger and Umpire Jim Schilling led the annual parade. |
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| Devin Dineen threw out the ceremonial first pitch as her siblings watched. |
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| The five-year-old Dodgers were ready for some field action. |
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| Lt. Dan Milliken (4th from left) took this photo with his unit in Afghanistan before sending the flag to be used in the Little League ceremony. |
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| The District 19 Major Softball champions presented their banner to the league. |
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| The District 19 11-year-old baseball champions. |
April 09, 2011
Opening day of the Cornwall Little League’s 2011 rose up with a slight chill but by the time many of the 750 young T-ball, softball and baseball players had assembled on the grounds of town hall the sun was shining and everyone was ready to play ball.
A fire truck from Highland Engine truck led the parade from town hall to the Little League complex, followed by chaplain Robert Hershberger and Jim Schilling, the league’s head umpire who served as parade marshall. Behind them, the three girls’s softball and one baseball 2010 District 19 champion teams.
The five-year-old T-ball players showed up in largest number, holding their team banners and bubbling with excitement at their first opportunity to get on the field and play ball. The older players showed their team pride as well as they marched onto the major teams’ field for the opening day ceremony.
A hush fell over the crowd as they stood at attention as firefighters from Highland Engine Company raised an American flag that had been donated for the ceremony by Army Lt. Dan Milliken, a former little leaguer who had taken it with him on assignment in southern Afghanistan. The Cornwall singers, 7th and 8th graders under the director of choral leader Valerie Ransbottom, provided a beautiful performance of The Star Spangled Banner.
Chaplain Herschberger read a prayer that spoke to the young players: “Dear God,” he said,” I’m ready to play ball. I’m glad this day has finally arrived.”
Cornwall Little League president John Carnright welcomed the players, coaches and elected leaders who had come to the ceremony for the start of the league’s 61st season. He introduced all of the league officers who volunteer their time to provide this opportunity to Cornwall youth and turned the microphone over to umpire-in-chief Schilling who talked about the need for more people to become umpires, a position that he said could be fun. “Baseball is a game,” Schilling said, “and if it’s not fun, why are we here?”
Cornwall town supervisor Kevin Quigley encouraged the players to have a tremendous season, then newly-elected Cornwall-on-Hudson mayor Brendan Coyne took advantage of his moment at the podium and led the crowd in singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Orange County legislator Kevin Hines, who also serves as a league umpire, said that he likes to tell people that he is a product of Cornwall Little League. He recognized the service of past league leaders who now have the fields named after them: Ed Doty, Curt Remfrey and Pete Ransome.
New York State Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun appeared wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket and hat from 1955, the year the team won the World Series. “Little League is the only sport where we say ‘whether you win or lose your game, you are all winners because you had the opportunity to work together as a team.”
The four District 19 champion teams were called up to present their banners to the League and it was noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the first time Cornwall softball teams became champions, a tradition that now is a hallmark.
As the final act, 11-year-old Devin Dineen, a member of the champion 9-10 year-old champion softball team who learned last year that she has leukemia, threw out the first ball of the season, joined on the mound by her three siblings, Fionna, 6, Owen, 5, and Brendan, 9, who each threw out a ball as well.
Immediately following the ceremony, teams took to the field for the first games of the 2011 season.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF OPENING DAY.
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