Name of the Game: Cost

“I wanna play Little League, I wanna play Little League.”

Sound familiar? As boys and girls make this request this time of year, they give little if any thought to their parents’ finances. And why should they?

But parents can’t disregard the costs. There are league fees, equipment fees, wear and tear on the family vehicle, ice cream sundaes after tough losses, ice cream sundaes after big wins.

Registration fees are pretty much nonnegotiable, automobile wear and tear is part of the parental job description and ice cream is a bargain at just about any price.

The most flexibility in Little League expense comes in the purchase of equipment.

Organized leagues provide their players with most of their uniforms, so much is already taken care of.

What we looked for were the items unaccounted for and most in demand--long-sleeved T-shirts, mitts, cleats, batting gloves and bats.

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Chain stores, mom-and-pop sporting goods shops and discount stores offer these items. We first checked Lewis Sporting Goods, a Simi Valley source of athletic equipment since the early 1970s.

Long-sleeved T-shirts go for $7.50, and the rubber-cleated shoes range from $28.95 to $32.95. Baseball gloves are priced from $20, topping out at a couple of hundred dollars.

“That’s basically all they need,” said store owner Chuck Lewis.

“Maybe some batting gloves, too.” Lewis charges $10.99 for a pair of children’s gloves.

As for bats, Lewis said he doesn’t sell many, but they are available. The bats, all aluminum, range from $22 for a T-ball version (for the younger children who hit the ball off a tee rather than face a pitcher) up to about $300 for the better-crafted models. Lewis Sporting Goods currently is offering a $120 bat on sale at $78.99.

Among the chain stores, Big 5 is one that generally carries a good stock of sporting goods. We spoke with Pat Horn, manager of the Oxnard store, to see what he had for Little Leaguers.

The children’s long-sleeved T-shirts are $8, rubber cleats range from $20 to $40 and batting gloves are $11.99 to $20. Baseball mitts begin at $8.95 for synthetic, up to $115 for the store’s top leather model. Horn said the average price of a leather baseball mitt there is $30.

As for aluminum bats, the selection suitable for Little League ranges from $24 to $90.

As with all shopping projects, we’re always on the lookout for discounts. And when the goal is cheaper sporting goods, the Play It Again Sports shops are worth a visit. The stores sell mostly used items but also have a stock of new merchandise.

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Ventura County has Play It Again in Ventura, Camarillo and Simi Valley. We tried the Simi Valley outlet, which sponsors four Little Leagues and two softball leagues in town, so it is closely tied to the area’s organized sports scene.

New baseball gloves are $10 (synthetic) to more than $100 (leather), with a minimum of about $25 for a new leather mitt.

Used models are $5.99 (synthetic) on up. Used leather gloves range from about $15 to about $60.

New cleats are $19.99 to $29.99; used are $5.99 to $14.99. Most of the stock is rubber cleats, but some metal spiked cleats are available for leagues that allow them.

Rounding things out, bats are $19.99 to $200 new and start at $5.99 used. Batting gloves, new only, range from $7.99 to $17.99. And long-sleeved T-shirts, again new only, are $9.99.

“Little League people probably buy more new [merchandise],” store manager Jeff O’Brien said.

“But if people traded in more quality used stuff, we’d probably sell more.”