I was covering the Cranston East Little League Opening Day ceremonies last Saturday and something pretty cool happened.

Moments before the league was set to hand the microphone to its board members that were going to give their addresses, they realized that the person that was supposed to be singing the National Anthem was not present.

Without any hesitation, co-president Dave Graziano grabbed the mic and sang the anthem in front of hundreds of people, right on the spot. Most of the crowd was totally unaware that there was even a hiccup, the law enforcement personnel rendered a salute and Graziano actually put on a pretty solid performance. He earned a well-deserved round of applause and it was not until moments later that co-president Andy Barron informed the crowd that it was an impromptu performance.

On the surface, it is not a big deal, but I thought that it encapsulated what Little League Baseball is all about and it should also be an example of the type of people you want running your children’s sports leagues.

In youth sports, it is easy for things to go wrong but takes a big effort for things to go right. In that moment, it would have been easy for the board to punt on the anthem, or scramble trying to find someone capable of singing it or even pulling it up on a phone to play on the PA. Graziano moved swiftly and kept things rolling along and had fun with it. He was smiling the whole time, there were zero signs of discomfort.

Little League Baseball teaches kids not only the sport, but how to be a team player and embrace challenges. It is supposed to provide a fun environment where kids can make friends and enjoy being outside and active. Graziano kept his end of the bargain as a board member, as he stepped up for the team, had fun doing something new, and made sure the kids came first. It was a pretty cool scene.

It’s also a reminder to appreciate what these volunteers do. Guys like Graziano don’t get paid, it is not a full-time job. Well, in a way it is, but it is like having a second job. Board members work tirelessly year-round, especially during the season to provide kids with a league. There really are no days off and these volunteers spend their time thanking the players, families and sponsors when really, they deserve much of that credit. They are the ones making it happen day to day.

It was a fun ceremony on a picture-perfect Saturday. And again, the Cranston East staff deserves much credit for putting the kids first.

The Rhode Island FC finally opened the new Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket in front of a sellout crowd last weekend. It’s an exciting new addition to Rhode Island’s sports scene and a much-needed jolt of energy at the local level.

The talk of pro sports the past few years in the state has been dominated largely by the PawSox leaving for Worcester and McCoy Stadium being demolished to make way for the new high school. RIFC burst on the scene last year and now has a new home in a beautiful stadium. Sure, soccer may not be an A-list sport in Rhode Island, but the state deserves a professional team that it can rally behind.

It will be interesting to see what this new facility will provide to locals beyond just a home stadium for RIFC. It hosted a rugby match the following day and those who run the show have left open the possibility for many other events taking place there. 

There’s nothing wrong with Rhode Island College’s facility, but I’d love to see the high school state championships move to Centreville to give the kids that big stadium atmosphere, but as far as I know, that is not in the plans for the time being.

Either way, it’s great to see another state of the art complex be built in the state and it should provide some opportunities for neat things to happen at all levels, whether it be high school, college or professional. Rhode Island is a sneaky-good soccer state, especially with Cranston sending guys to both the MLS and USL in recent years. RIFC and Centreville Bank Stadium seem to be here to stay.