Donations just a start for Little League’s future

After the all-stars from the Saipan Little League Baseball Association were crowned champions of the CNMI Little League District Tournament held on Rota this past Sunday, they were awarded with medals that will serve as a reminder of their accomplishment for years to come.

While the CNMI’s youngest competitors gave of themselves for their teams in search of the prize, non-profit organizations such as Little League Baseball would not be able to award the children for a job well done were it not for generous donations from the local community.

This year the Saipan players were adorned with the championship medals courtesy of a donation by Sen. Justo S. Quitugua. The good senator said that he made the trip to Rota for the tournament to take in the festivities and to cheer on the local teams.

“It’s for the kids. We try to help out whenever we can,” he said.

Helping the kids takes on a new meaning for the islands of Tinian and Rota who are held to a considerable disadvantage when facing their neighbor to the north in terms of both population and economy.

While the players from all three islands compete to the best of their ability, the talent pool from which the Rota and Tinian managers draw from consists of four teams each, compared to the 12 on Saipan. Neither this year nor last year’s host of the district tournament use their position as a crutch, but rather plays with an additional incentive to do well.

Rota Little League Baseball Association president and Sen. Crispin Ogo emulated the population of the southernmost link in the commonwealth by relishing the positive experience of the island’s visitors, and vowed to return to the district stage with more determination.

“We are very happy that everyone from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota enjoyed themselves. Now we are trying to prepare our team early for the 2006 District Tournament so that they can do their best in Saipan,” said Ogo.

Ogo added that he feels that one of the ways the team could improve is with the addition of a pitching machine to the island, but the approximate cost of the apparatus is in the $3,000 range. Rather than solicit support from local businesses, Ogo said that he had an idea to help the local sluggers improve their swings as soon as possible.

“After the closing ceremonies I approached one of my colleagues to see if we can put our money together to buy one,” he said.

One machine could be the difference that enables the Luta hitters to make strides in the batter’s box in the near future, but it’s just a start.