JUDGMENT DAY
At Tryouts, Downtown Little Leaguers Show Their Stuff

By Sam Levine
POSTED MARCH 1, 2008

While major leaguers headed off to Florida to report for spring training, Downtown Little Leaguers also dusted off their gloves last month to field their first grounders of the season.

More than 180 players, ages 9 to 12, filed into the Borough of Manhattan Community College gym for tryouts for the Major and Minor Divisions.

According to Kevin Loving, a league coach and board member, choosing who’s going to be on which team is all about fairness. Coaches pick numbers out of a hat to determine first pick. Then they select players based on their ranking from the tryouts, where they are rated on fielding, batting, running and pitching.

“No team is stacked, or gets all the good players,” said Loving.

For the second year, the league brought in Diamond Pros, an organization that teaches young players the fundamentals, to help provide objective ratings.

Ariel Amony, a Diamond Pros “evaluator,” explained that he was “not looking for talent,” but for kids who showed “good fundamentals, and exhibited the most potential to grow.”

There was a buzz of anticipation in the gym about the upcoming season. “The most exciting part of the season is seeing the kids have fun and improve their skills,” said Marilyn Porcaro, a parent in the league for nine years. “The best part is seeing the kids come together to play as a team.”

Watching the players show off their skills, it seemed no time had passed since they last set foot on a field. “My glove never gets stiff. I’m always ready to go,” said 9-year-old Will Best.

Most players said they were anxious to start winning and having fun. Nine-year-old Jonah Weinstein, however, took a different view. “I’m most looking forward to the snacks,” he said.

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