Baseball stars lend support to Little League auction

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The South Riverdale Little League (SRLL) held its annual auction at P.S. 24 on Friday night to raise funds for equipment, field maintenance, scholarships and other critical items.

Mike Farber, the president of SRLL, started the evening by recapping the league’s history and current status.  

“SRLL was started in 1980, and over the years it has grown into a league of over 36 teams competing in recreational baseball and softball during the spring season,” he said. “In addition, we have travel programs that play through the summer and fall seasons.”

He added that, “we have a winter workout program, which this year will include softball, and this year, we have also initiated a fall season for softball, pee wee and t-ball. This has been met with great enthusiasm and we hope to expand the fall program next year.”

President-elect Peter Gauss then spoke, followed by state Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Councilman Andrew Cohen, all of whom made brief remarks. Klein announced a $2.4 million fund to help renovate the ball fields at Seton Park. The crowd enthusiastically applauded the senator’s news.

Then it was time to begin the evening’s main festivities — the auctions.

Fierce bidding broke out for tickets to Rangers, Knicks, Mets and Nets games. 

The evening was spiced by three special guests — Yankees reliever Adam Warren, Mets outfielder Matt den Dekker and former softball All-American Cassie Reilly-Boccia, who won the 2012 softball College World Series with the University of Alabama.

Warren spoke about being on the academic honor roll in consecutive seasons at the University of North Carolina, while den Dekker talked about the dedication it takes to get through the minor leagues and into Major League Baseball.

Reilly-Boccia, who grew up nearby in Yorktown Heights, discussed her passion for playing a variety of sports.

South Riverdale Little League, auction, Ken Katzman, P.S. 24, Mike Farber
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