By Maryanne Saxon
Last weekend’s soggy forecast put a damper on many picnics, graduation parties and Little League games. Many party planners and coaches decided to play it safe and preemptively canceled outside activities.
Thankfully, Kelly Cochrane, Morristown Area American Little League volunteer and organizer for this year’s Challenger Day, is a betting woman. She knew what the weatherman was predicting, yet held off canceling the annual event. Mother Nature rewarded her gamble: The washout that never was did not interfere with Sunday’s fun.
With the help of an early morning cleanup crew and a bunch of towel (Saturday night’s rainfall did leave a few puddles), the fields at the Ginty Baseball Complex in Morris Township were dry and ready for MAALL’s 2016 Challenger Day.
A player and fan favorite, Sunday’s event welcomed players from the Morris County Challenger League to buddy up and play ball with MAALL players.
Mike Bertram, president of the Morris County Challenger League (MCCLL), said this was not the first time crummy forecasts tried to mess with game time. Recently, it seems like Mother Nature has gotten much more field time than the MCCLL ballplayers.
“Unfortunately, it has been a slow season because of all the rain. All the leagues are backed up and trying to make up rainouts, which means our schedule is affected and we also lose some of our buddies because they are off playing in their own makeup games,” shared Bertram.
“That being said, Morristown had a great turnout today! Perfect amount of buddies helping our players. Too many buddies make for crowded dugouts and overcrowded infields. What’s nice about today, each player has a buddy and great connections are being made.
“My favorite part of the game is watching the relationships grow between the buddies and players. They learn each other’s names, cheer for their team and by the end of the game new friendships have developed.”
MCCLL Coach Thom Butler managed the Ginty 2 field during Sunday’s event. “It is always so fun. A win-win for everyone involved. Having these guys all play together builds respect and appreciation,” said the smiling coach after he had awarded high fives to each and every player.
Mother Nature may not have been a heavy hitter this weekend, but the same can’t be said about MCCLL players. All of the games produced some powerful slugging.
In fact, word around the field…some fans are encouraging MAALL to expand its player pool to include sluggers from the Challenger league. Playoffs are coming up – could make things a bit more interesting if powerhouse MCCLL players subbed in a few games.
Other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love.~ Bryant Gumbel
THANK YOU to all the MAALL volunteers, coaches, players and umpires who hosted the Challenger League games on Sunday!! You are all wonderful; we had a great afternoon of baseball.