The Foorce

WHEN

Challenger division will start playing on Sunday April 17, assuming the weather cooperates.

Will be giving out uniforms that day. If you will not make it to that first day, please let me know your child’s size so we can set aside an appropriate uniform.

WHERE
We will be on the fields in Riverside Park just below the Boat Basin (79th street).

For returning parents, the same fields as in past years.

For new parents, if you enter the park from 79th street, you wind up inside the Boat Basin Cafe.

Walk all the way through it, and head downtown (left, down-river, south).  You will almost immediately come upon a set of two baseball fields.  This is where we play.

You can also enter from 72nd street and walk up (north, up-town, up-river) through the park.  In that case, we are the fields just after the playground.

WHO (AND WHAT TIME)
I will send out team assignments next week, based on my faulty memory of your child’s age, experience, ability.

If you feel that your child has been placed in the wrong group, please let me know.  Even if you do not reach me, you can feel free to show up at the time which you think is the appropriate one for your child.

The middle group of children, our returning Minors (team names Tigers and Mustangs), will play from 1:00 to 2:30 on both fields.  There are a couple of changes this year.  First, we have enough returning players to divide each team in two and occupy both fields.  On one field, for the Minors who are ready for it, we will move closer to the standard rules of the game, with strikes and outs.  On the other field we will continue to play the “swing-til-you-hit” version as in past years.  The coaches on the strikes&outs field will make adjustments on the fly as needed– perhaps starting with five or six strikes at the start of the season.

Last year there was a thirty minute gap between groups.  This year, the Rising Stars start as soon as the Minors finish– which on some Sundays will mean that the Minors have to finish earlier than they want to, or that the Rising Stars have to wait around for a few minutes to finish up a final at-bat.  I am confident we can make this work.

Any Major player who is capable of helping out with the Rising Stars is welcome to show up early and lend a hand.

WHO ELSE?

We have enough uniforms and space for more participants in each sub-division, so please continue to spread the word.

The Majors especially are light this year, with only 11 signed up.  Former majors who are too old to be participants in the league are welcome to come back as buddies (but will not get Riverside Yankee uniform).

Important dates
Sunday April 17:  Challenger season start.
Sunday May 1:  Picture Day.
Sunday May 29:  Memorial Day weekend, league will be playing.
Sunday June 19: Trophy Day and pot-luck picnic.  (Father’s Day)