BY LAUREN VESPOLI | The Greenwich Village Little League celebrated the spring season’s opening day and the league’s 30th anniversary on Saturday morning. Players from the league’s T-ball through baseball Seniors divisions, as well as parents, coaches and local politicians, gathered at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park for a parade of teams, remarks from G.V.L.L. leadership and local politicians, plus the ceremonial first pitch.
The league, founded in 1984, today serves about 800 players ages 4 to 16 and is run entirely by volunteers. Area businesses, such as The Brass Monkey and Warby Parker, sponsor individual teams.
As coaches assembled their players and distributed uniforms before the parade, Kirk Arrowood, coach of the softball T-ball division’s Coyotes, remarked on the league’s continued growth. The Coyotes’ division doubled from two to four teams this year, he noted.
“Families are moving here and getting involved,” he said.
Some of the league’s players were focused not on the day’s pomp and circumstance, but solely on the game.
“I want to play,” said Jordan Ginsberg, a 5-year-old member of the Cubs T-ball squad, as the teams geared up for the ceremony.
John Economou, the league’s current president, was eager to start the season, which will run through June.
“We’re really excited to kick off the 2014 season,” he said. “The effects of Sandy seem to be behind us. J.J. Walker Field [at Hudson and Clarkson Sts.] is now open again. It’s been 30 great years and we look forward to more years to come.”
Vivian Palacios, whose 10-year-old son has been playing baseball in the league since age 5, praised the program as a means for bringing local youth together.
“It’s a good way to have the kids socialize and be introduced to sports,” she said.
Parents gathered in the center of the field to watch the players march in with their teams, before hearing remarks from Economou, league founder John Bennett and local politicians.
“I’m proud to say that the founders’ dreams that began on a glass-ridden field on Leroy and Hudson Sts. — really a sandlot — have come true,” Economou said.
In addition to paying tribute to the league’s history, many of the speakers referenced uncertainty around sources of funding for Pier 40 renovations, a centerpiece of the league’s facilities, and promised to continue working to keep the pier’s fields open for play. Last June, the New York State Assembly and Senate passed a bill to fund repairs to the pier through the sale of the Hudson River Park’s air rights.
Among the politicians giving remarks was Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
“We’re all fighting for more open space in Manhattan,” she told the crowd. “Thank you for fighting for Pier 40.”
David Gruber, chairperson of Community Board 2, said, “This community board’s members will protect this field. We will do everything we can to make sure this field is open to you forever.”
Senator Brad Hoylman and City Councilmember Corey Johnson also addressed parents and players.
“Opening day is the most optimistic day of the year,” Hoylman said, gazing out at the upbeat scene.
“You’re lucky to have such a dedicated community,” Johnson added. “We’re going to make sure that the future of Pier 40 is secure for you and generations to come.”
In response to questions regarding the park’s future funding, Economou stressed the importance of cooperation.
“We’re very excited about working with elected officials and community leaders to impress how important it is to keep the spaces we have,” he said. “Our league services thousands of families. Preservation is important not just to the league, but to the community.”
The ceremony’s speeches — punctuated by G.V.L.L. T-shirt tosses to screaming players — were followed by the national anthem, a recitation of the Little League Pledge and the ceremonial first pitch. A group photo of all players and coaches in attendance concluded the morning’s festivities before games resumed at 1 p.m.
As families attempted to escape the biting wind, Economou organized the picture from the speakers’ podium.
“Get together like a big family,” he told the crowd.
