Little League Opening Day a walk-off success

By Pete Fontaine
Posted 4/27/17

Never before in the storied history of the 55-year-old Johnston Little League has Opening Day been as special as it was Saturday morning at Kennedy Field.

After all, how often does the Governor of …

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Little League Opening Day a walk-off success

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Never before in the storied history of the 55-year-old Johnston Little League has Opening Day been as special as it was Saturday morning at Kennedy Field.

After all, how often does the Governor of Rhode Island show up to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a youth sports opening?

Well, that happened Saturday and it didn’t matter that the gray skies and slight drizzle had blanketed Kennedy Memorial Field or that there was a chill in the air. What mattered most, people like Johnston Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini said, is, “That it’s exciting the Governor is taking time out of her busy schedule to be with us here in Johnston.”

The event stemmed from an invitation to Gov. Gina Raimondo from Mayor Joseph Polisena who opted out of throwing out the first pitch and wanted to make the JLL’s annual rite of spring super special.

“I invited the governor to be with us today,” Polisena said while joining the 300 players, managers, coaches and parents for the annual Opening Day Parade that began in the high school parking lot. “I invited her to be our guest and throw out the first pitch.”

That was okay with Ed Bedrosian, who has served as the JLL’s president the past 12 years and has been involved for 17 seasons, as well as everyone connected with the program. Having the Governor on hand for Opening Day was indeed a historic happening.

That definitely agreed with each and every person connected with the JLL, most especially the defending Town Champion Athletics – formerly sponsored by Louis Press and this season playing under the banner of County View Landscaping – who shook hands with Gov. Raimondo almost as soon as she arrived for the parade.

Gov. Raimondo, in fact, had a smile perhaps even wider than the upstart youth baseball players. After joining the A’s for a picture, she helped lead the parade with Polisena and Mike Knipper, head of property and executive vice president of Citizens Bank, which went from the JHS parking lot, down Atwood Avenue, onto Hartford Avenue and into Johnston War Memorial Park.

When emcee Ken Travlin called upon Gov. Raimondo to speak, she said: “Good morning and thank you for coming” and added, “How many of you kids slept in your uniforms last night?”

A huge roar, complete with applause and cheers, echoed through the park that was in perfect playable condition courtesy of a half-dozen Johnston Recreation Department staffers who even used air blowers to remove puddles from the parade’s path.

“Good luck … have fun … I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy season in the Johnston Little League,” Raimondo added.

Polisena meanwhile, publicly thanked the Governor for “making today special for our great Johnston Little League” and later extended his well-wishes saying: ‘Have a great season: I always have a big smile on my face when I see kids in sports.”

The mayor, as well as the 600 or so onlookers who took in Saturday’s special ceremony, then congratulated Gov. Raimondo on the “great job she did in throwing out the first pitch.

“What an arm,” the mayor said after Gov. Raimondo fired a perfect strike – right down the pipe as the old adage goes – to her Opening Day battery mate Derek Salvatore.

The JLL’s 55th season opening was also made special by Alycia Bedrosian-Zagaglia, daughter of President Bedrosian, who sang yet another beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.

Opening Day also included remarks from Dan Mazzulla, Johnston’s Parks and Recreation Director, and special supporting appearances by Johnston town Councilmen Robert Civetti, former JLL president who manages the Orioles, Robert Russo and Richard DelFino III, who once played for the O’s during his younger years.

Also, School Committee members Gena Bianco and Lauren Garzone lent their support on Opening Day, as did State Rep. Deborah Fellela.

Travlin, who has served as Opening Day master of ceremonies for quite some time, also introduced John Simao, who Bedrosian and others later referred to as “the backbone of the Johnston Little League.”

“The primary objectives of the Johnston Little League,” Travlin said, “and all of its volunteers is to provide a safe environment for our children to play the game of baseball; to learn the fundamentals of the game; to work together as a team and teach good sportsmanship. It is our hope that all players, coaches and parents keep these objectives in mind throughout the 2017 to that this may be an enjoyable season for all.”

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