Thanks to the following businesses for support BHAA teams this season:
ABC E-Z Containers
BOS Industrial Sales
Brighton Service
Bulldog Office Products
California Wireless
Cassady Pierce
Coldwell Banker (Rick and Julie Taylor)
Councilwoman Darlene Harris
Dawn’s Designs
Freeport Road Shoppes
Jack & Joe's Barbershop
Kelly's Distributor
Kunsak Funeral Home
Mandy's Pizza
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
MBM Contracting Inc.
Miller's Seafood House
Northwood Realty Services (Mark Nard)
Pittsburgh Firefighters Local No. 1
RP Construction
Royal Office Products
Russ Auto Care
Stetson Convention Services
Three Rivers Scrap Metal
Tom Friday's Market
Triangle Fastener
The Vault Coffeehouse
UPMC Eye Center
Wardogs M.C.
Windsor Place
Young Bros. Bar
Madalyn Schwartzbauer, Ella Fiscus, and Sophia Delduca of the teeball Tornadoes await the start of opening ceremonies.
A Day So Grand It Made the News
Many small victories went into BHAA's 2008 Opening Day Celebration April 26, resulting in a community-wide triumph so big that it even made the news! The day began by welcoming the largest group of teeballers ever, as more than 120 rookieballers slipped into their uniforms, met their teammates, and got their gloves dirty for the first time.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and District 1 Councilwoman Darlene Harris were on hand for the 11 a.m. ceremony to wish each and every one of our more than 400 ballplayers well in their on-field pursuits and to commend the community effort it takes to host the program. Even a crew from WPXI-TV Channel 11 News was on site taking in the sights and sounds for a 20-second clip on the evening news.
As the full schedule of opening day games got under way at 1 p.m., the skies turned threatening. Despite a few brief showers and a pair of lightning delays, all seven games on the day's schedule got played during the scattered bouts of sunshine.
A personal victory also took place, as BHAA's own Randy Davis threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son Jeremy (Padres). The moment brought closure for the Davis Family and the BHAA community that nearly lost Randy to a tragic accident last summer.
Brody Miller, Randy Davis, Ken and Casey Leseman, and Joe Kocay were among many who got muddy up to their kneecaps and then some installing a French drain along Field 4 during BHAA's 2008 Field Day. Before the trench was complete, it already had filled with water draining from left field.
BHAA Community Shines Brightly
The weather didn't look too promising the night before, but BHAA's 2008 Field Day April 5 turned out to be a pretty beautiful day on several levels. Not only did morning clouds give way to mid-day sun, but the show of support and community shone brightly as well.
Every team, every age bracket, and every program was represented, as an army of veteran and new families worked elbow to elbow to prep our field complex for the quickly approaching season.
Many thanks to the Albright Family, the Bees Family, the Bowman Family, the Brophy Family, Randy Davis, the Dean Family, the Delaney Family, Todd Duncan, Steve Dunn and several members of Pony Gold, James Grandstaff, the Green Family, Dave and Nico Gregory, Chad and Leif Edwards, Joe and Nicole Knupsky, Joe and Andrew Kocay, the Koval Family, the Leicher Family, Ken and Casey Leseman, the Liston Family, the Little-Poole Family, Sandy Mastele, Brian and Brody Miller, Kaelin Miller and family, the Murphy Family, Sharon and Evan Orienza, Frank Renner, the Rosemeyer Family, the Rouse Family, John Salamacha, the Schell Family, Jack Shannon, Tim and Emily Sharkey, Bill Sinagra, the Sing Family, Rick and Zachary Taylor, Scott and Connor White, and the Zugai Family for tirelessly donating your day and your elbow grease.A dedicated crew installed a French drain to ease water retention on the third base side of Field 4, finishing mud-covered from head to toe. Many families, including several teeballers, served on the Field Rat crew, sweeping the grounds with gloves and garbage bags and removing plenty of trash and debris. Several wheelbarrows full of leaves were removed from Field 5, while the base plugs were located on Fields 4 and 6. The batting cage building was swept out and organized, while equipment bags were built for all baseball and softball teams. The Concession Stand Committee tackled its turf, all while serving up coffee and donuts for breakfast and pizza and pop for lunch. Fences were repaired, field boxes organized, the garage cleaned, and both sets of bathrooms cleaned. We ended the day with a full dumpster and aching feet, but with a giant jump on the season.