I couldn’t wait for the alarm to go off, so I could get up and start the day. I had spent thirteen hours the previous day getting ready for this along with a hundred other people. It would be the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by many volunteers.

My son, at twelve years old, and having grown seven inches taller in less than a year, was just as excited as I. He’d been working hard and practicing every day for about six weeks just to get ready. Where was that alarm? It was still dark outside, but it seemed like it had been hours since I had gone to bed and here I was, wide awake.

My wife stirred beside me, and I strained to see the time on the clock – 4:15 a.m. Still almost two hours until the alarm was set to wake me – I was already awake! I couldn’t show up before the sun came up – there would be nothing I could do, and no one else around. I tried in vain to go back to sleep.

Finally, the alarm woke me from a restless sleep. Into the shower, dress, a quick breakfast, and out the door and off to the ballpark. I was not the first to arrive, but the third – it was 7:30 a.m. The flags were flying and bunting decorated the outfield and the pressbox, which was still not quite completed, but was most impressive with its brand new scoreboard and spectacular view of the field. This was quite a proud day for members of the local Little League.

People rushed around making last minute preparations and soon the smell of fresh coffee came from the concession stand. By 8:15, the parking lot was filling up quickly as the players and their families began arriving. Teams assembled in preparation for their introductions at 9:00, when Opening Ceremonies were scheduled to begin. Over six hundred young ballplayers, along with their coaches and managers, would be introduced to the crowd.

The public address system was set up and the sounds of Motown from the sixties filled the air – officials were paged to report here and there – last minute changes were made to player rosters and speeches to be given during the ceremony. The teams were all assembled and finally, it was 9:00 – time to begin.

Coaches, managers and league officials formed two lines on the field for the players to walk through into the outfield. Teams were introduced from Big League to Tee Ball. Players of all ages shared in the excitement, slapping five with the officials who formed their path to center field. Clean, crisp jerseys and hats, white pants – a colorful sight to behold.

The ROTC color guard presented the American and state flags, and the national anthem was sung, bringing tears to the eyes of many spectators, including myself. After the invocation and keynote address, some special presentations were made and all the league’s administrators were introduced.

Now it was time for each of the over six hundred ball players to have his or her turn in the spotlight. Every player was introduced individually to the crowd. I had my chance to introduce a hundred of them, despite the fact that I don’t like to speak in front of large crowds. I managed to pronounce every name correctly – quite a feat considering I was scared to death!

The players introduced, it was now time to prepare the fields for the first games. Five fields and eight different leagues, baseball and softball players ages five through eighteen, were about to begin their Little League season. The first game I saw was a nine- inning game (Little League games are normally six innings). The next game was a one-run game won on the last pitch of the game. The third game saw the previous season’s worst team look very impressive in a blowout win.

The final game of the day, in which my son played, saw his team win behind a no-hitter by their star pitcher who pitched to the minimum number of eighteen batters in the six-inning game. My son batted in the first two runs of the game in the first inning.

So there we were – a day of excitement for approximately two thousand people was over. Even the weather cooperated as the forecast showers began less than ten minutes before the end of the final game.

South Berkeley County in West Virginia smiled with pride that Saturday. So did many other communities all over the country. Little League baseball, where character is built and friendships that last a lifetime are made, had begun for 1998.

Little League baseball and softball is a great way for a young ball player to spend a few months out of each spring and summer. If you don’t have ballplayers in your family or don’t go to Little League games, try it. You can see the eyes of the players glowing from a distance. These young boys and girls give their all for the love of the game.

Local Little Leagues are non-profit organizations run by volunteers. Support your local league and give a boy or girl a chance to learn about the “team concept” that so many employers utilize today. It doesn’t matter, really, whether they win or lose, because if you ask a former Little League player how many games he won or lost, almost all of them won’t know. What they will remember, is that they had fun.