Knight has Rochdale Little League looking up

At the end of each spring Saturday, Ray Knight is understandably exhausted. The day starts at 8 a.m., with Knight, the President of the Rochdale Little League, fixing up the fields and setting up the league’s money-maker, their concession stand. Despite giving up his entire Saturday and many Sundays, Knights couldn’t be happier with his second job, although his entire income comes from his position with the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
“I really enjoy this,” he says after another long Saturday. “I get a lot of satisfaction out of our league.”
Originally a coach with the Rochdale Little League, it all changed for Knight one day when he asked the former president why they didn’t have any sponsors for the various teams. “He said ‘why don’t you do it?’ Well, we do now.” Since Knight took over five years ago, each team is now sponsored by a local Rochdale business.
But that isn’t the only upgrade since Knight took over the league. They have an all-star weekend and picnic for the entire family, and picture day and a trip to Shea Stadium for the entire league to see the New York Mets take on Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants. Knight also instituted a softball league when he started; their two teams travel to other leagues for competition. Because the Rochdale Little League has only seven divisions and 340 kids, they play other leagues from western Queens, Cambria Heights and St. Albans.
Knight still looks for ways to improve the organization, like getting more parents to help out and expanding registration, even though they’ve rebounded from a low membership of 150 a few years ago. The sign that the league is successful is when the former little leaguers who grew up in the league and now have jobs and families, come back to coach.
“It’s their way of giving back,” said Knight, who is quick to point out how much help he has, especially from Bob Yates, the league’s director of baseball operations.