City Kids United On The Baseball Diamond

Walter Pop Smith, the baseball little league that has provided opportunities for New Haven’s children to enjoy the national pastime since 1952, is about to change. 

League officials, board members, coaches and parents are working to ensure that a new partnership with Westville Baseball, Inc., an independent, community league, will translate to a singular, ​“new and improved” league for the hundreds of children that had been served by both leagues.

“Children are living at the same longitude and latitude, just a few blocks away; there’s no reason that in 2015, they are not playing baseball together,” said Pop Smith President Lynair Walker. 

Pop Smith has been a chartered member of Little League International of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, since 1957, with involvement in the Little League Urban Initiative since 2003. Founding members included Dewitt Jones, Joseph Ditta and Louis Whitmire. The city league has been serving mostly African-American children drawing from many urban neighborhoods across New Haven, including some from Westville.

Westville Baseball, Inc., the latest iteration of a league whose roots can be traced to the Westville Youth Association created in 1955, has had several league affiliations over the years since its founding. Westville Baseball has served a diverse population, which includes 60 – 75 percent mainly white, middle to upper-middle class children of varying religious affiliations. Around one third of Westville Baseball players are Orthodox Jews whose observance of Shabbat (Sabbath) precludes playing on Friday evenings and Saturday.

One of the more challenging issues facing the combined league involves crafting a schedule that is sensitive to the needs of the religiously observant — those who observe Shabbat, and those who attend church or mosque. Sunday games, scheduled after religious services, have been added to the playing schedule as one strategy to accommodate the needs of the expanded league.

The idea of building a baseball ​“bridge” that unites New Haven communities of different socioeconomic, racial and religious backgrounds is an altruistic ideal that, many agree, was reason enough to combine the leagues. There were also practical considerations for the collaboration. Both leagues have been experiencing drops in enrollment numbers as competition with other sports has increased. And a shrinking pool of business and retail sponsors suggested that there might be a better way to augment league financing than competing for available sponsors. Combining and broadening geographical areas would also mean more field availability, greater sports competition, and more flexibility in the season schedule.

Rebecca Bombero, the city’s director of parks, recreation and trees, noted that the leagues came together on their own. She said she believes that ​“the synergy will help both organizations structurally and enhance opportunities available for youth.”

“This has been a very complicated, multi-months of meetings process, because both leagues have longstanding traditions and adults’ egos are far more complicated than kids’,” said Westville Baseball board member Marc Wortman. ​“It’s an experiment — if we get the adult problems out of the way, the kids will make good things happen.”

Another challenge facing the league is the perennial need for financing. While the city does provide an annual grant, additional avenues of financing are needed. Business sponsors are solicited with special advertising premiums (field banners) available, according to president Walker. General donations also figure into the annual budget. Annual registration cost for individual players is $65, which can be a monetary challenge for some families. Those who would like to contribute, can forward donations to the Walter Pop Smith Little League, P.O. Box 3322, New Haven CT 06515.

Even as vestiges of the long, rough winter seemed to override any signs of spring, the first meeting of the combined league was held on March 15 inside the Floyd Little Athletic Center at Hillhouse High School. It was billed as a skills development workout or clinic. Around 35 excited children, gloves in tow, participated in warm ups, fielding, batting, and informational discussions aimed at preparing players for the long season ahead.

As the children practiced skills and techniques modeled by attentive coaches, most were oblivious to the social and logistical challenges on the minds of the adults in the room. Team-building, character and leadership development across ethnic, social, religious and geographical divides is about to be enhanced through an old game and bold, new optimism.

“The whole point,” said Steve Itkin, Pop Smith coach and organizer, ​“is to integrate and have a life experience.”

Player parent Jim Storer, who attended the year’s first clinic with his two children Liliena, 11, and Grayson, 8 (pictured), was both confident and optimistic about the the new league partnership: ​“Color me optimistic — what’s not to love? It’s human to fear change, but that attitude doesn’t get you far in life. The common denominator is the nine kids on the field. It’s baseball.”

Pop Smith-Westville Baseball registration sign-ups continue with a skills development workout, that will be held on Saturday, March 28 for from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and with a clinic for the T‑Ball set, on Tuesday, March 24, from 5 – 6 pm, both at King-Robinson School. Additional sign-ups can be made on Mondays from 6 – 8 p.m. at Mitchell Library in Westville.

This year, every league baseball cap will bear the initials ​“JD” as the league honors the memory of New Haven’s first black mayor, John C. Daniels, who passed away last week. ​“We will be tipping our hats to his legacy” said Pop Smith league president Lynair Walker.

April 25 is opening day for the league with a traditional kick-off parade. For more information visit the Pop Smith website or contact Walker at 203 – 676-3782.