From the Commissioner's Desk... Vol 3 Issue 2

 

57 degrees and SUNNY on Sunday! 

The Levittown North Baseball family is truly blessed. At the beginning of any season, for any youth league, there are so many details that need to be attended to and this year is no exception. It cannot be done by one, two or even three people.  It truly takes a village. Hands down we have a strong village. 

On the field today: 

By 9:00am - Joey Vargas was helping to remove the faded “Wall of Fame” signs. There will be a re-dedication of the wall during this year’s Alumni Event - details will be announced soon! 

By 9:30am - Coaches Bill Mugno and Mike Clark used leaf blowers to remove what the Canadian Geese had left behind. 

By 10:00am - Rich Ryan began the process of fixing a leak from our dilapidated water heater.  He spent the afternoon (4 hours!) working to restore the functionality of the concession stand so that families will have the option of Hot Dogs, Pretzels, and even Cup of Noodles! 

By 10:30am - Maryann Brown, Lauren Sica, Rosemary Hunter, Cindy Vargas, Lori McKeever, Danielle Pisciotti, Sarah Tamberelli, and Lisa Butler spent a good portion of the day partaking in the herculean task of scrubbing, re-organizing, restocking and preparing our small concession stand so that its ready for all the families.  Throughout the morning several new families and many returning families stopped by to ask questions, purchase sweatshirts, and pay for intramurals in person. Even coach Steve from the 12U Northstars showed up to talk baseball! 

 

By 11:00am - Wind Screens were re-installed! Each year the windscreens need to be installed, making Whelan Field feel more like a ballpark.  When we took the windscreens out of the shed, all North had to say was, “can we get some help” and five parents jumped in to volunteer.  This year Tom McKeever, Gino Tassone, Joe Acquaviva, Scott Butler, and Mike Campagna quickly and expertly made the field look awesome! 

By 11:30am - Our sponsor director, Rosemary Hunter, assisted by the Levittown North Extended family member Lauriana Vanderbeck and the ladies taking a break from the concession stand,  hung the returning sponsor signs and the two Champion Banners the Northstars have claimed for the league over the last 2 years. 

Between the lines, coaches Bill Mugno, Michael Clark, Joey Vargas, and Mike Pisciotti really worked hard with the amazing team they are developing. So many smiles on the faces of the whole family.  So nice to think we are almost out of this Covid mess and games will begin soon!  (I actually got a little choked up writing this part because it was so beautiful today.)

During the practice Travel Director Peter Zirogiannis stopped by the field to say hello to families of both the 7U and 10U teams. 

By 1pm - Coach Bill Mugno had just completed a 3 hour long practice and most dads would have packed it in and called it a day.  Not Billy!  He spent the next 20 minutes putting together a new L-Screen for the league which he received as a donation. 

By 1:10pm - If this were everything that happened for a week in most leagues, this would be enough. Not North. Coaches Scott Butler and Shawn Klotz took the field with our newest Northstars and ran a solid skills-based hour and half practice. 

Behind the scenes today and all weekend directors and volunteer managers have been making calls verifying information and collaborating for a tremendous uniform order to be placed. 

Breaking up teams, soliciting coaches, and making families happy is the thankless job of the division directors.  Directors Billy Harner, Brian Nolin, Tim Dulude, Shawn Klotz, Scott Butler and Jimmy Cordiner have volunteered to make this work for our families.  Additionally, Anthony Macaluso has taken on the role of umpire director for this year. 

As a lifelong resident of Levittown, as someone who watched as parents made youth baseball happen for me as a kid, it is amazing to watch others make this happen for my own boys. While we still have a few days before the season begins, reflecting back on today makes me believe that the Levittown North Baseball family, at 70 years young, is ready to play ball! 

From the Commissioner's Desk, Vol. 3 Issue 1

 

The Levittown North Family is strong and powerful!   We are a community of first responders, teachers, medical professionals, small business owners, and union members.  We are experts in solving any problem that comes our family’s way.  We, as a community, are so much more than baseball. We can make anything, ANYTHING, happen.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out when the time comes.  We are #NorthStrong.

Some of you might have heard that Levittown West Baseball has decided to merge with Island Trees Baseball. This leaves LEVITTOWN NORTH BASEBALL as the ONLY league focused solely on the Levittown School System. 

Our goal is to have students tryout and play on their middle school team, whether that be Wisdom Lane or Salk. We expect to continue to work closely with all stakeholders and bring the most educational and instructional experience we can to our young players.

HELP WANTED!!!!!

THE LEVITTOWN NORTH BOARD is made up of all volunteers but we could use some more help! We are looking for:

Division Directors 

Concessions Director

Social Media Director 

Director of Umpires

Perhaps you are not interested in being a director but would like to take on a more active role in our family? We can use some new ears and voices!

NEXT BOARD MEETING IS THIS SUNDAY 

As always, all are welcome!

Topic: LNBB BOARD MEETING 

Time: Feb 28, 2021 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86895572769?pwd=WnFxM21oOUU3NkpabzRNSXVwRzYwUT09

Meeting ID: 868 9557 2769

Passcode: LNBB

Huge thank you to the coaches and North Family who were able to assist on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, despite the weather, with crowd control at St Bernard’s Church. Fr Ralph was very appreciative and shared his appreciation during his recent educational programs with families over the past month.

Big Shout out to treasurer Chris Purcell for putting together the promotional videos for our registration push. Please share with neighbors and friends who might be on the fence about joining our North Family! 

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Swag Day was a big hit!  Parents sent in pics of players and siblings decked out in their North SWAG and shared them via social media.  Dr. Maurer, Principal of Abbey Lane, even shared his photo!  We need parents to continue to update the schools of our activities and registration information. Thank you to Rosemary Hunter, Jimmy Cordiner, Amanda Klotz ,Pina Campagna, and Audrey Lopinto (and countless others)   for always trying to share via the PTA groups at their schools. North would also like to thank Lauren and Mike Sica for spreading the North love daily on social media. The more we get the word out about our amazing organization, the more fun our kids will have playing with their friends all Spring!

AWESOME OPPORTUNITY FOR A FREE CLINIC TO ALL LEVITTOWN NORTH PLAYERS!
APRIL 3 APRIL 10 APRIL 17	ALL 3 Sessions! FREE TO REGISTERED PLAYERS!	INSTRUCTION BY THE MACARTHUR  HS COACHING STAFF  3pm - 4:30pm

Families that have been hit hard by COVID monetarily please note this in the registration form or reach out to Walter Brown directly (516 840-9330). 

Sponsorships are available for players. No player will be left behind due to family financial hardship.

Own a business and would like to become a sponsor? Email us at registration@LNBaseball.org for more information

The importance of continuing something as planned will go a long way in maintaining the mental health of our players and their families. Our field permits start April 12th, our games will start shortly after.  It is our hope that a dramatic cooling off period will come quickly in the near future and we will be begging for a return to normalcy. LEVITTOWN NORTH BASEBALL will be the normalcy your family needs. We will continue to follow the CDC guidelines for youth sports.

Under the Direction of Peter Zirogiannis, Coaches Jim Cordiner, William Mugno, and Scott Butler have been working in the offseason at SPORTS PERFORMANCE NATION.  They have had the opportunity to work with former commissioner Walter Hetzel, Current Varsity Coach Steve Costello and former NY Yankee Prospect and LI Ducks professional Mariel Checo. Additionally the teams will be working with Oreste Marreo, former Dodger’s player, next month. We are currently in the works to get Oreste to work with our intramural players as well, once the fields become available!

Levittown North has once again partnered with MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 

to host our annual...

Must Register for this event online by clicking here!

APRIL 25th 9am 

Open to anyone ages 7-12

Reach out for anything!

 Questions, text me! “Wally” 

 516 840 9330

Follow Us!

https://www.facebook.com/LNBaseball

https://www.instagram.com/levittownnorth/

From the Commissioner's Desk Vol 2 Issue 3

Games Under The Lights: Thanks to Jeff Biener and his persistence we were able to move some of the Majors games to the 8 o’clock slot at MacLaren.  Nothing says baseball like a game under the lights.  Our fields are constantly used by private teams and travel organizations so making this happen for our families is no easy task.  Thank you Coach!   Levittown North Baseball is dedicated to providing a quality experience for players of all ages and abilities in our town.

Lower Farms takes the field: Under the direction of Tim Dulude,  coaches have been working hard on Rosenberg Field with our youngest players. It's hot, and while our kids and parents learn  the ropes of social distancing and baseball, we are making it work. They will transition from coach pitch to the pitching machine soon and kids will develop into future NorthStars! 

Under the direction of Will Rumaldo, our 7/8s (Upper Farms) have been working hard to bring quality baseball to our town. This year we are interleaguing with Island Trees and our kids play on Jerusalem Ave Field,  MacLaren’s turf field and of course our flagship field, Whelan. It's great so many parents have stepped up to help out these eager players.  Coach Lenny, Coach Mike, Coach Carlos and Coach Will make each and every game a learning experience for our kids.

Scott Butler has taken on a tremendous responsibility of creating three balanced teams in the Minors (9/10s).  Coach Billy and Coach Scott are doing a fantastic job organizing practices for our intramural teams while coaching their 9U NorthStars travel team.  Whelan Field’s opening day ceremony had a performance of the National Anthem by two graduating seniors from MacArthur HS and Division Ave HS. Levittown North Baseball honored Liz and Russ Guerrier, local nurses, who worked in hospitals during our quarantine by having them throw out the first pitch. We also collected over $150 from a 50/50 raffle to help differ some of the cost of umpires for the year.  Awesome work! 

North Players trained with Zach Goldstein! This past Sunday former pro player Zach Goldstein took the field with 40 registered players and worked on fielding and throwing drills.  North has a strong commitment to player development and bringing in pros to help is always something we are open to!

LIGHTS!  Driving down Wantagh Ave you cannot miss Whelan field between the hours of 7:30pm and 9:15pm thanks to Tom McKeever!  Sign looks awesome! 

Our batting cage net needed desperate repairs.  With a combined effort of Tom McKeever, Scott Butler, Mike Pisciotti, Kris Tamberelli, Matt Hartmann and Joey Vargas,  measurements were taken, orders placed and net hung before the start of our SUMMER INTRAMURAL SEASON.  This and the addition of a windscreen at Munson Field have made our North home even more inviting for our kids.

We literally owe much of these improvements to our generous sponsors and our Director of sponsors Roseanne Hunter.  Without her persistence and hard work none of this is possible. 

Billy Mugno, Matt Hartmann and Maryann Brown worked hard at repurposing dugout covers donated to Levittown North from the former Levittown Central Baseball. 

Thank you to Michael Clark for ordering baseballs for the pitching machine at Whelan to help with a more accurate delivery in the cage!

Maryann Brown has used facebook to dig into Levittown North Baseball history and will be restoring the Wall of Fame on Whelan Field. Over the years, names had been lost due to weathering. Maryann, with the help of Greg Bodkin and Mike Pappas, was able to gather all the names.  Next we will remove the old signs, paint the wall, and rededicate a consolidated plaque.  We are proud of the long tradition of Northstars developed within our league. 

Changes in the game due to Covid

What is different ?

1. 5 kids in dugout at a time with masks 

2. Umps behind the pitcher

3. Social distancing of parents

4. No post game handshake 

5. Each team uses their own ball when playing defense

6. No gum / no seeds / no spitting

What is the same?

1. Respecting the volunteer coaches

2. Respecting the youth umpires

3. Cheering for your team

4. Playing Ball

Travel Update:  Both the 9U and 11U teams are off to an amazing start.  If  you want to check out some high quality ball please come down to a game.  9u Northstars Schedule , 11u Northstars Schedule 

Upcoming Events

> Batting Clinic with Zach Goldstein 8/2 

> Board Meeting (all are welcome via Zoom) 8/2 8pm

From the Commissioner's Desk... Vol 2 Issue 2 (A COVID-19 Update)

The Levittown North Family is strong and powerful!   We are a community of first responders, teachers, medical professionals, and union members.  We are experts in solving any problem that comes our family’s way. We as a community are so much more than baseball. We can make anything ANYTHING happen.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out when the time comes. We are #NorthStrong. Next Steps - we are always listening for updates.  Some leagues have cancelled events, we have not yet made any decisions on our spring season.  However having evaluations at this point is not following the guidelines of the CDC. The evaluations scheduled for the 21st and 22nd have been cancelled.  The importance of continuing something as planned will go a long way in maintaining the mental health of our players and their families. Our field permits start April 13th, our games have not been scheduled to start until April 20th.  It is our hope that a dramatic cooling off period will come quickly in the near future and we will be begging for a return to normalcy. LEVITTOWN NORTH BASEBALL will be the normalcy your family needs.    While we have no indoor activities planned, we encourage you and your kids to get out and play! Families have been spotted playing ball together at Whelan and Munson, as well as in their own yards.  THIS IS FANTASTIC!   Maryann Brown has started a LEGO competition through our Facebook page and was already publicized in the Levittown Tribune.   Mike Scully and Tom McKeever have made some field improvements already to Whelan giving new life to the long ignored sign.  Resident artist Mike Scully (Paint by Scully) will also be running a Levittown North online  Art Class.   Coaches Jim Cordiner, William Mugno, and William Rumaldo under the direction of Mike Pisciotti, have held travel tryouts.  They have reported they are still looking for a couple of players for our 8u team and a second 9u team over the summer! Contact Director Pisciotti for more information 516-459-2035.  Registration is still open, and we will order uniforms before April 1st.  Baseball will be here soon enough. We need to do this for our community!   Last minute registration click here Sponsor a team click here Thank You, Walter Brown Commissioner Reach out for anything! Questions text me 516 840 9330

From the Commissioner's Desk... Vol 2 Issue 1

Putting Rumors to rest - When registration numbers drop it becomes impossible to offer a fair experience for the kids in a baseball league. The Board of Levittown Central made the difficult decision to dismantle Levittown Central Baseball because of low numbers.  By doing this the hope is that the numbers in other leagues will increase. Levittown Youth Council’s hopes that McLaren Stadium will still have Levittown Baseball on the fields.  Island Trees Baseball applied for the field permits and has agreed to work with North and West when fields are needed. No youth organizations board ever wants to have to do this but especially since so many put so much effort into making the league viable for so many years. (I personally played t-ball for Central in 1978)

Strong Registration Numbers - Through board members reaching out via phone calls, through Mike Pisciotti and Ed Michalowski copying, approving  and placing fliers, through Maryann Brown and Anthony LoPinto’s updating of Facebook, the North family sharing a couple of gentle reminder memes, and our postcards, we have amazing news to report!  Our registration numbers are up 25% from the same time last year.  Our last registration date will be March 20th, with evaluations 21st and 22nd, drafts for teams on the 23rd and 24th and uniforms ordered immediately after the draft. 

Levittown Uniting - Kids have a lot to do. There are so many choices. Most sports offer year round activities. Baseball is no different.  Gone are the days where every kid in Levittown plays baseball. This is most evident in the lack of registration numbers in the 11/12yr old groups. West North and Island Trees will together pool players in this division, draft combined teams and don Lev-IT uniforms.  Coach Mike Adams (2019 Coach of the Year)  and Mike Sica will take on the responsibility of managing one of these teams. 

Wednesday Winter Workouts - This winter our “open to all and free” Weekly Wednesday Winter Workouts Were Wonderful.  Every week we focused on different skills such as: hitting with Hank Chase, fielding and core strength with Demetrios Zirogiannis and his dad Peter, pitching with Scott Hetzel and his dad, former commissioner, Walter Hetzel,  MacArthur Varsity Baseball Coach Steve Costello joined us for two amazing sessions, and this year we hosted special guest Mariel Checko from the Ducks with trainers Roberto Cabrera and Jose Ramos. This extended family, along with North regulars like Dave Miller, Scott Butler, Billy Mugno, Ed Michalowski, Will Rumaldo, Joey Vargas, Carlos Bonilla, Tom McKeever , Mike Pisciotti, and Matt Hartman made Wednesdays Great Again. Our last session was this past Wednesday.

Our sponsors - Rosemary Hunter has taken on the role of organizing sponsorship of our league.  Besides the incredible $500 sponsorship from Vincenzo’s Pizzeria, she has also secured a $500 sponsorship from The Karate Academy of Bethpage.  Without her relentless pursuit of connecting community members to Levittown North Baseball, we would not be able to create such an attractive on-the-field experience for our kids. If you own a business or know someone who does, consider sponsoring a team! $250 gets the sponsor’s name printed on a team’s jersey.  Click Here and make this happen! 

Parent Night - What day will my kid play? Where are the fields? Can he pitch? How can I get involved? Can we bring snacks? Should my daughter be in t-ball or lower farms? Where do I get an iconic sweatshirt? Do you have a FACEBOOK page? Board Members and families will be on hand to share all the information we currently have available and attempt to answer everyone’s questions on Wednesday Night at Memorial High School Auditorium at 7:30pm. 

Field Upgrades - Rosenberg Field has had extensive work done in the off season, trimming trees, and attempting to level the infield to lessen puddling after rain storms.  The outfield fence cover will need to be repaired or fixed before opening day.

The bushes along the southern edge of Whelan Feld that attracted garbage and beer cans, as well oftentimes being overgrown, have been removed and grass is growing along the fences!  Families will enjoy the more space and aesthetically pleasing environment. 

Moundless Munson -  For anyone who ever played at Munson you’ll agree that the pitching mound was never taken care of.  It was at the wrong distance for our 7/8s and it was never aligned correctly with home plate.  The town removed the mound and North will have a portable mound there for league teams to use during the season.

Kenneys are out? - Anthony and Sarah, who spent years maintaining the concession stand, have started a new life in North Carolina. North will miss their behind the scenes work that brought pretzels and slushies to hundreds of kids. 

North’s Artist Mike Scully has big plans for Whelan Field once again. It will for sure shine a light on the North family.  More to come about this in an upcoming edition of Levittown North News.

Upcoming Events
Sunday, March 8th	Travel Tryouts
Monday, March 9th	North Night at Vincenzos
Wednesday, March 11th	Parent Night
Friday, March 13th	Swag DAY #1
Friday, March 20th	Last Day to Register
Saturday, March 21st	11/12yr old Evaluations
Sunday, March 22nd	Upper Farms Evaluations
March 23rd-24th	Teams Created
Wednesday, March 25th	Uniforms Ordered
Saturday, April 11th	Practices Start
Saturday, April 18th	Opening Day Parade