Gilroy’s All-Star Softball team is honored as fans turn out in
force for Little League opener
It seems even Mother Nature likes baseball. On Saturday, the rain that has been showering the Garlic City took a break, just long enough for Gilroy Little League to celebrate Opening Day at Christmas Hill Park.
The sun came out and so did many of over 820 Little League players registered to play this year, ready to usher in the 2006 season.
In the morning, players from all levels paraded into the Christmas Hill Park amphitheater wearing their uniforms. Afterward, the players and their families enjoyed the traditional baseball fare: Hot dogs (1,200 of them), cotton candy, Cracker Jack, nachos and popcorn. The first games of the season were played at Christmas Hill and Las Animas Park in the afternoon.
“It was a really good turnout,” said Little League president Christine Drysdale. “It was a nice day and all games were played that were supposed to be played.”
The last to enter the amphitheater were the 11 members of last year’s Little League Softball World Series team, wearing their purple “West” uniforms. The team, the first ever from Gilroy to go to a Little League World Series, was honored with medals. Head Coach Dennis Castro made a speech from the amphitheater stage, the banners the teams earned on the road to last summer’s World Series hanging on the wall behind him.
“That was pretty special. They got a big kick out of it,” said Castro of the ceremony. “Those girls, they’ve got something nobody will ever have like that.”
Castro made a speech about the team, over half of which is too old to play Little League softball this year.
“I feel when I see those girls, those are my girls. That’s my team,” said Castro. “So it’s tough to see it finally kind of come to an end. I got a little choked up during my speech. It was good to see them back.”
Little League sponsor coordinator Dina Lopez, who organized Opening Day with vice president Nancy Sosa, said a new item was a popular attraction. For the first time, Gilroy Little League sweatshirts were sold.
“We never sold sweatshirts before and they did really well,” Lopez said.
The sweatshirts, which come in ash gray or white, feature the new garlic clove Gilroy Little League logo and the saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
Lopez said the sweatshirts can still be ordered by contacting Gilroy Little League at 848-7390.
Several companies sponsored opening day. Wienerschnitzel provided all the hot dogs, condiments and napkins and Nob Hill provided the boxes of Cracker Jack that were thrown into the amphitheater crowd during the ceremony. Community Bank (Division of Rabobank), Nob Hill, Safeway, Smart and Final, Tanglewood Construction and Wal-Mart also contributed.
Drysdale said this was probably the last Opening Day held at Christmas Hill Park. The new Little League complex, which is in the process of being built on Luchessa Ave., is scheduled to be finished in August.
