Play Ball! East Lyme Little League Season Starts Saturday

Batter up! Saturday, April 27, is East Lyme Little League's opening day but in December, it was far from certain that the ballfield would be ready in time for the season.

On December 1, a homeless man started a fire in the press box that destroyed not only the box, but the backstop and equipment stored in the building too. 

Although East Lyme Parks and Recreation has insurance that would cover much of the cost to rebuild, the League had to come up with thousands of dollars to pay the deductible. Little League President David Perry, however, was optimistic. 

"When the fire happened, I saw it as a blessing in disguise," Perry said. He sent out a global email asking people to help out. The first person to step up to the plate was Jeff Kozlowski of Kozlowski Orthodontics.

"He donated $10,000," said Perry, adding that the offer came "within five minutes" of his email.

The second large donation came from Jamie Chambers of UBS Financial Services, who donated $1,000 which his company matched and then the company kicked in an additional $3,000. That $5,000 covered the entire cost of the deductible. 

Hundreds of other donations poured in from local parents, fans, friends, and businesses. The town's insurance paid out just over $12,000 and local companies donated or discounted their services to help rebuild the facilities. 

Jamco Electric donated the labor to do the electrical work; JMR Builders shaved $500 off the estimate for the press box and New England Concrete took $500 off the price of pouring the concrete. Spencer Beers, Inc. donated labor and material when the company did the excavation. 

Perry said the fence and the backstop were repaired within two weeks. The press box was finished by the end of March. 

"Everything has been replaced," said Perry. And it's better now than ever.

The Little League's new, larger press box has garage storage underneath that houses the new field tarps, tables, chairs, and windscreens that have been purchased to replace those lost in the fire. The backstop is new and there's now an overhang for the backstop and the field. The kids also have a new batting cage and a stop for the balls.

All told, Perry said, it cost the league $20,000 to replace the press box, $7,000 to put in a new batting cage, and $3,500 for the new backstop. And none of that would have been possible without community support, Perry said. 

All of this is going to make Opening Day Ceremonies a real celebration for the 500 kids and 40 teams that participate in East Lyme Little League. 

Here's what's happening: 

• 9 a.m. Teams arrive
  
• 9:45 a.m. there will be a procession of teams
  
• 10 a.m. Opening Ceremonies. Longtime coach Rev. Alan Scott of Flanders Baptist and Community Church will throw the first pitch. State Rep. Ed Jutila, East Lyme First Selectman Paul Formica and the Town of East Lyme Parks and Recreation Director Dave Putnam will be among the honored guests.
• Noon: AAA and Majors games begin; T-ball, A-ball, AA-ball may begin playing prior to their noon start time if the ceremonies end early enough.

• Sunday, April 28th - Pitch, Hit & Run (9:00am to 12pm)
• Sunday, April 28th - Let's Talk Baseball with former major league pitcher Dr. Dave Daniels (2pm to 4pm)  
• May 4th - Picture Day (Managers have times)
• May 27th - Memorial Day Parade 
• June 9th - Fun Day