By Ralph Martignetti
Boys and girls ages 4-21 have broken out the gloves, bats and cleats and begun practicing as they eagerly await the NEAA Baseball Opening Day of April 30th.
This year the North End Program, run by Commissioner Ralph Martignetti and Sports Coordinator John Romano will have approximately 250 children as part of a baseball team. The program starts with the 4 year olds. These children take the field every Sunday from
10am to 12pm under the care of Jim Carey and start with the basics. Whether it’s teaching a child how to put their glove on or how to swing a bat or how to hold a ball when they are throwing it Jim and his team make the experience nothing but fun for our newcomers.
 The next group is the 5 year olds and they play T-Ball every Saturday from 10am to 12pm. This group is led by Jim Carey and Scott Whalen. In T-ball we teach proper swing techniques, running the
bases and where to throw the ball when it is hit to you. The players have two hours of learning and fun every Saturday.
 Our Minor League program is for children ages 6-7. This program plays 7 days per week and consists of six team. The Hooks are led by Scott and Daniel Usechek and Bill Kremer. The Mudcats are
led by Erik Howard. The Muckdogs are led by Charlie Kim, Steven Siciliano and Stephen LaBella. The Raptors coaches are Jon Kelly and Mike Soto. The Grasshopper have Jon Pregmon and Brendan Graf at the helm. Finally, the Tin Caps are led by Jesse Cabarrus and
Greg Ellrodt.
 The next program is our Junior Program consisting of 8-9 year olds. This league has four teams and plays 7 days per week. The Junior Cardinals and coached by Jim Carey, Ralph Martignetti and
Dave Griffin. The Junior Cubs are coached by Ryan Kenny, Dan Shea and Alex Munoz. The Junior Tigers are coached by Steve Martocchio, Luigi Natale and David English. The Junior Indians are led by Kevin English, Tim Griffin, Jon Pregmon and Brendan Graf.
 Our Majors program is made up of 10-12 year olds, with a sprinkle of 9s and plays 7 days a week. The Cardinals are coached by Ralph Martignetti and Vin Sablone. The Cubs are coached by Dan Shea
and Joe Bova. The Tigers are coached by Luigi Natale, Robert Pantaleo and Chris Wells. The Indians are coached by Tim Griffin and Zach Taieb.
 Our Dodgers program covers players age 13-21. This program consists of 4 travelling All-Star teams that play in the Lou Tompkins All-Star baseball league, The Boston Red Sox sponsored RBI league
and The BASE league. The 15U and 16U teams are coached by Ricky Martignetti and Dom DiCenso. The 18U and 21U teams are coached by Michael Martignetti and Ralph Martignetti.
 We kick off the season with 4 games on opening day April 30th starting at 10am. There will be a free BBQ for any involved with our league in any capacity. We will also have a raffle. We look forward to a great season.