5,889 Days: By Pat Malone, Alexandria Aces Co-Founder

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Exciting sports history came forward for the City of Alexandria this past Saturday, July 30, as our hometown team, the Alexandria Aces, won the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League's 2022 League Championship Series against the league's defending 2021 champions, Bethesda Big Train, at Shirley Povich Field, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Congratulations to Aces' head coach/manager, Chris Berset, who led his team to some amazing records this season. Chris, his coaching staff, and team had 18 comeback wins out of 30 games played, which is the most in team history. Additionally, eight Aces players were selected to the CRCBL 2022 All-Stars, a franchise record; the team won their first CRCBL regular season title in team history (26-10); their first CRCBL League Championship Series win in franchise history; and a perfect 4-0 in post-season playoffs leading to their first CRCBL championship in franchise history.

Chris is a very loving husband to his wife, former Aces general manager Sara, and a devoted, caring father to their two energetic young sons, Zach and Carson, who joined his mom and dad on the field at Povich on Saturday night to help celebrate the Aces' big win.

Another good friend, fellow Alexandrian, and Living Legend Frank Fannon was on the field Saturday evening celebrating the Aces' win with his young son Jackson. Frank picked up the reins of leadership of the Aces from Don last year, taking over the organization's management of volunteers, interns, and overall ball club operations.

Frank has helped the Aces transition into a new era of community-oriented outreach for fan support and sponsorship investments for the team in Alexandria, which are critically vital for the ball club as a not-for-profit organization. So, if you have a business and would like to support the Aces in 2023, please reach out to Frank and sign up to help the Aces bring another fun summer of collegiate wooden bat baseball to Alexandria.

Also on the field was a close friend, Chris' Primetime Baseball business partner, John Skaggs, his wife Danielle, and young son, Jordan, along with some of their family members. John became the very first Ace when he called me up in the early fall of 2007 to tell me he wanted to play in Alexandria during our inaugural season in 2008.

John and Chris have created and built Primetime Baseball into an organization known for helping to teach local area baseball and softball players how to win on and off the field. Their leadership has been a huge game changer in and around Alexandria as the talent level of many of their Primetime Aces baseball and softball players have increased significantly over the years.

One person who was dearly missed from the on-the-field post-game celebration this past Saturday was my good friend, Don Dinan, who co-founded the Aces with me in 2006, becoming the team's first chairman and CEO. In addition, Don financed the Aces from our inaugural 2008 season and throughout the years up to 2021. Without Don, the Alexandria Aces today would not exist, and I cannot thank him enough for his heartfelt enthusiasm and support of the organization he strongly helped build. So, while Don could not join in the post game celebration in Bethesda this past Saturday, he was with us all in spirit, and I am sure he will see the league championship trophy very soon.

Additional shout-outs to the hundreds of Aces fans from Alexandria for supporting the team in Bethesda. You made a significant presence at Povich, and I am sure the Aces played off your positive energy in the first-base side bleachers.

You might wonder what '5,889 Days' might have meant at the top of this piece.

Around 8:30 p.m. on the evening of Friday, June 16, 2006, heading to Alexandria, I boarded a Metrorail Red Line train at the Bethesda Metro Station, where, as the train departed, I pulled out a yellow legal pad and wrote at the top of the page, 'Alexandria Aces.'

When I got to the King Street/Old Town Station, I had over five pages of notes on what I thought it would take to bring collegiate summer wooden bat baseball to the great City of Alexandria.

Then, precisely 5,889 days later, on Saturday evening, July 30, 2022, that idea, that dream, that team, the inspiration, the Aces, became league champions. So salutes again to Chris Berset, his coaching staff, and the 2022 Aces team this past Saturday in Bethesda. You made Alexandria very proud.

Until we meet again, always be well, be safe, stay strong and "Let's Go, Aces!"

Pat Malone, Co-Founder, Alexandria Aces – Where Legends Begin

AlexandriaAces.org, CalRipkenLeague.org