Diamonds in the Rough

With the success of the South Mission Viejo Little League team of 1997 still fresh in their minds, many Orange County Little Leaguers opened their seasons this weekend with even more kids running, throwing and sliding on their field of dreams than ever before.

Nationwide, more than 3 million children ages 6 to 15 are participating in Little League, eager for the chance to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. In Orange County, two district Little League administrators, Bill Beebe and Denny Curran, reported an increase in participants.

Beebe, head of District 55, which includes last year’s national Little League champion South Mission Viejo team, said the World Series experience left a burning impression on kids and parents alike.

“The program is tailored to let kids participate on a worldwide stage and learn from the experience of meeting kids from Canada to Puerto Rico,” he said. “The players learn from the structure we give them through rules and regulations. And because of all the hype the World Series gets, it is a real kicker for parents to see on TV.”

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Curran, who leads District 30, said that last year’s South Mission Viejo team has reinvigorated children in Orange County to pick up the bat and glove.

“It definitely had a very positive effect on the area,” he said. “The team and the parents were marvelous. We met them, got to know them, and we followed them all the way to Williamsport. Now our kids are thinking, ‘We can do it too.’ ”

The games for Olive Little League in Orange started at 8:30 Saturday morning, with the 8-year-old boys looking to dirty their still-fresh uniforms. While the kids played, the parents worked, raking the infield dirt clean of footprints and putting chalk lines in base paths. Behind the backstops, moms prepared the counter of the snack bar as dads kept adding fluid to the barbecue pits.

The league celebrated its 40th anniversary with the addition of four teams this year. To make sure the kids would have special fields to play on, Don Santi, president of the league, pitched in with other volunteers to raise $15,000 over the last year to make improvements to Olive Park.

The field now has the same type of infield dirt the Anaheim Angels play on, and, Santi said, “There is not a single blade of grass out of place.

“If you build the park, the kids will come to play,” he said.

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Some may think of Little League as a haven for over-competitive parents who berate their children and verbally abuse umpires, but Bob Miller, a coach and umpire in Buena Park Little League for more than 11 years, disagrees.

“I’ve never had a serious problem,” he said. “The umpires have to control the situation, and let managers know the team may have to forfeit if they can’t get parents under control. The managers, who usually know the parents, just have to tell them to be quiet, and they calm down.”

The parents have not always remained perfect, but Cathy Sanders of Rancho Niguel Little League, which went from 34 to 43 teams this year, said the spirit of Little League has attracted more and more players.

“[The league has] only six diamonds, so our biggest problem is not enough fields to practice on,” she said. “We have 18 members of the [Little League] board, but we also have volunteers that line the fields, run the snack bar and coach. We never have a real problem selling candy to raise money either. If you tell them you are from Little League, they usually say yes.”

To 8-year-old Patrick McElroy, a shortstop, second baseman and right fielder of the Olive Little League Diamond Backs, there’s one reason he plays:

“It’s fun, and I like it.”