Little League pushing forward with 500 players signed up

Donna West and the rest of the committee pushing for a Little League chapter in Yuma suspected there was a clamoring for the organization.

After a series of meetings Saturday with the community, West - the interim vice president - and the rest of the board are more convinced than ever.

Around 380 people showed up for the meeting Saturday, and 540 boys and girls between the ages of five and 12 have been signed up for Little League, which has one basic hurdle left before taking the field in March 2009 - securing fields.

West said the league will approach the Yuma Parks and Recreation Department by the end of September to request use of fields - which are currently used heavily by the Yuma Boys Baseball League.

If an arrangement to share the fields can't be reached, West said there are plans in place.

"We did not go to the city because we wanted to make sure we had the numbers first," West said. "People are saying 'YBBL has a 100-year lease with city, etc., etc.' But if it comes down to it, and we got to parks and rec, and Becky Chavez (head of the department) says 'No, not going to happen,' we take all of our 500-plus parents and people from Williamsport (Pa., where Little League is headquartered) and whatever and we go before the city council."

Even that won't be the end of it, West said.

"If the city council throws us down, there are people out there, people who came to us at the meeting, talking about land," West said. "We turn around and Little League has programs, and there are people here in town, who will help us develop that land and get it ready for the 2009 season.

"Either way, Little League is going to play."

But even if they are granted use of city fields - which would need to be altered with the placement of a portable pitching mound - that would only be a temporary solution.

"Our main goal, wether it be this year or next year, is to have our own complex," West said. "Little League is all about family. If you can have four fields, you can have all four divisions going at the same time. Mom can go and check out little Billy's game, then go right across and check out Sarah's game. .. Most Little League complexes have four fields, and Yuma doesn't have one."

All that may prove unnecessary if the Little League is granted shared use of the fields with YBBL. The group has had success recruiting from the Crane District, and plan to recruit from School District 1 when it starts this week.

Originally trying to recruit up to age 18, the board has set its sights on going up to age 12. But the older ranks may be filled in by a merger with the Babe Ruth league.

"There's been some talk," West said. "Babe Ruth is kind of undecided. Half of their board is ready to turn their kids over, and the other half is kind of talking about it. They approached us, we didn't approach them. That may be an option for the older children for us."