Baltimore's Northwood Baseball League hosts annual family fun game
BALTIMORE -- Northwood children line up on the pitcher's mound for a family fun game of baseball after grabbing their gloves and bats.
Every year, the Northwood Baseball League hosts a game to attract hundreds in the neighborhood for some summer cheer.
But the league does more than just shape young athletes, it molds them into young adults.
Since 1959, children in the Northwood and surrounding neighborhoods get a chance to pick up a bat or a glove and put their skills to the test.
"I get to practice," 10-year-old KJ said. "I get to go to Orioles games. We get to have fun days like this."
While teaching the balance of getting good grades and helping out in the community, Northwood Baseball League Board Chairman Marques Dent helps teach young athletes life skills such as integrity, a sense of responsibility, and accountability.
"Baseball is a slower sport and an intellectual sport," Dent said. "It's not about being the biggest or the strongest. So, we really have to infuse those things to move as one in a team."
For 12-year-old Otto, it's about building trust with his teammates and having good chemistry.
"Cause if you're throwing a ball and you don't have good chemistry, then you can't really know when he is throwing the ball," he said.
Khonas, 12, said it's the camaraderie that fuels his spirit.
"It gives me a lot of confidence because they're cheering me on, and it gives me confidence that I'm going to do good out on the field," Khonas said. "And that I'm either going to score or make a good play."
Also, the league is dedicating the field to Tony Soares, otherwise known as Coach Tony, for his more than 50-year legacy with the team.
"He's coached all of us, and the fact that he's still here yelling and fussing that we run the bases the correct way, it's just a beautiful thing," Dent said.
Dent, along with other coaches, say they will continue to honor Coach Tony's legacy with every run around the base.