Little Leaguers Vie for Championship

They were ages 5 and 16 and everything in between. They shagged pop-ups, turned double-plays, and drove liners into the gap. All year; all for this.

Three divisions of the Haddonfield Little League played for their age group titles Thursday night at the municipal athletic fields on Potter Street.

"The playoffs are the culmination of a fun season of good sportsmanship, friendly competition and active participation by all players," said Haddonfield Little League Vice-President of Operations Jim McGarry.

McGarry started helping out the league five years ago, when his now 10-year-old son Finn took up T-ball, volunteering his way up the ladder as Seamus (7) and Aidan (5) followed.

An IBM information security professional during the day, McGarry tests his systems expertise maintaining the 49-team league. But even with the help of 54 coaching volunteers, running a 350-game regular season for 558 kids demands as much logistical excellence as it does goodwill.

McGarry estimates that Haddon Township police officer Jack Powers has umpired 75 percent the of games in the 10 year-old age bracket this season. Having Powers around so often provided a consistently enforced strike zone, which can help children focus better. It also relieved competing teams of assigning parents to field or plate officiating duties.

As a parent and commissioner, McGarry praised Powers' ability to keep the game moving. Moments later, he was pressed into service as Powers spotted him in the bleachers and called out, "Jimmy, we need a field ump."

Manager Jared Colflesh's Marlins (6-8), for whom Finn McGarry plays, were facing down George Pelose's Dodgers (10-3-2) for the Black Minors (10-year-old) championship. 

Meanwhile, three generations of the Maynes family watched the winner-take-all contest between the Mike DiNoia-coached Braves and the Jim Clarke-led Rangers of the Red Minors (9-year-old) division.

Chris, a father of six, including 9-year-old John, reflected on the increasing time commitment required of parents through the years. John Maynes participates in two practices and games apiece weekly. Because he likes baseball so much, John plays seasonally in both spring and fall leagues. It's a lot of hours, but it also allows them to share moments like John's first kid-pitch hit last year.

 "That was exciting," Chris Maynes said. "It was a little while in coming."

Surveying the field, Chris recognized several childhood rivals and teammates among the fathers behind both benches. His own family of eight now occupies the home on nearby Roberts Avenue where he was raised.

His parents, Dave and Mitzie, reflected on 39 years worth of memories of the neighborhood.

"What I remember of Little League," Mitzie Maynes said, "was no fences, no bleachers--splintery wooden bleachers--and a snack bar." 

"I forget what rules there used to be," said Dave Maynes, who coached 14- and 15-year-old teams to back-to-back championships in 1967 and 1968. He recollects fielding drills involving a brush and dustpan that helped establish the fundamental sweeping motions of the infield position, but can't recall any specific advice he gave his kids.

"Ducks on the pond," said Chris Maynes.

"That means runners on second and third," said Dave Maynes. 

"He'd say 'ducks on the pond a lot,' " Chris Maynes put in.

The 11- and 12-year-old Majors division paired Dan Brown's American Legion (5-8) against the Archer-Greiner squad (9-6) led by Haddonfield Little League President Steve Strobel.

"Overall, the season has been a great season," said McGarry.