What if you had the chance to play on a major league baseball field?
For the Hollis-Bellaire-Queens Village-Bellerose Athletic Association (HBQVB AA), that opportunity has come as the league will play their first 24-hour baseball game at the Brooklyn Cyclones’ MCU Park.
Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, “Extra Innings with HBQVB” will begin at noon on Saturday, May 22 and last until noon the following day. Participants will range in age from five to 18 years old, with each game within the event lasting two hours.
“[We figured] let’s all play a part in making history in New York,” said John Saffian, current Knights of Columbus member and event organizer who contacted HBQVB to participate in this event. “[Instead] of having a couple of people play a 24-hour game, we thought why don’t we give a lot of people an opportunity to play and we will just keep a continuous account and put it on a great field.”
The event will also feature current Cyclones manager and former New York Mets second baseman Wally Backman. Backman, who played for the Mets during their 1986 championship run, is no stranger to historic sporting events.
“I’ve been involved in some great games, even World Series games, and our park in Brooklyn has seen some great baseball, but nothing like this,” said Backman. “This is going to be a lot of fun, and history making at the same time.”
HBQVB vice president Ken Conyers said that the league, established in 1954, has a long history of creating a buzz, but few moments have garnered the attention to match that of the coming 24-hour baseball game.
“[The kids] are very excited,” said HBQVB vice president Ken Conyers who has been involved with the league for 10 years. “There’s a big buzz going around, they are all talking about it [and] people love it.”
Though the Cyclones have staged 24-hour games as an in-house event two years in a row, this will be the first time that an organized youth little league will participate. The game will raise money for a variety of national, regional and local charities, and will also benefit the community at large.
“We want to teach kids that it is important to give back to the community,” said Conyers, 29. “A lot of organizations fund for themselves, but here we are taking the opportunity to fund raise for somebody else.”
