In every corner of Queens, there is no rite of spring more wonderful than the Opening Day of Little League.
From 4 to 12, from T-ball to the majors, boys and girls have the opportunity to take part in a game that they will remember for a lifetime.
The ceremonial Opening Day has been a tradition at the Forest Hills Little League for more than a half century. In this league, 700 boys and girls play on five fields kept in pristine condition.
This is no accident. For weeks, dads and moms have been working to get the fields ready. The field that the kids play on was purchased from the city with the help of a loan from the New York Mets. The Mets later forgave the loan for just $1.
At the Opening Day ceremony, state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi called the league the “bedrock of a great community.”
And he’s right. The Little League games mean almost as much to the parents who sit in the stands as they do to the kids on the field. The games bring the community together and teach the children valuable lessons about life.
Similar ceremonies are taking place in every corner of Queens. We salute the men and women, the coaches and the hotdog ladies who work hard each year to keep this tradition alive.
Cops or Pencil Jockeys?
In a move that probably won’t win him any points with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. has called on the NYPD to get 500 cops out from behind the desk and on the street.
With the backing of DC 37 Local 1549, Vallone said the secretarial-type jobs should be turned over to civilian employees.
There is no reason why a highly trained police officer should be doing administrative work. These officers are needed on the street, either walking a beat or riding in patrol cars. Using civilians could save the city $16.5 million annually.
We would think that many of the officers stuck behind a desk would welcome the change. After all, they didn’t join the force to do administrative work.
