Community united on league’s opening day

commentary /// Youth sports



Every baseball fan loves opening day. Hearing “play ball” for the first time in months brings joy to the ears.

Baseball is in the Conejo Valley DNA. Numerous Major League players got their start on the local baseball fields from Calabasas to Thousand Oaks— enjoying the first crack of the bat as spring gave way to summer.

Opening day at the youth level is a part of the American dream with families and neighbors coming together; the Stars and Stripes blowing in a light breeze; and parents and grandparents watching their kids on the field as they dream of making the winning catch or hitting a deciding home run.

Opening day ceremonies are an important time for any youth baseball league. They are a time to celebrate past accomplishments and future successes.

This year in Thousand Oaks, the tone on opening day was atypically somber and reflective. On Nov. 7, 2018, thousands of residents received emergency alerts about the mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill. With no time process the events of that tragedy, let alone heal, a fire storm of epic proportions began ravaging the area on the very next day.

Baseball and fires have one thing in common: statistics. More than 1,600 homes were destroyed by the Woolsey Fire. Nearly 97,000 acres burned and three lives were lost. More than 200,000 families needed to evacuate their homes, some for nearly a week.

The freeways remained closed and many families stuck in shelters. Daily routines ground to a halt. Families had no idea what they would even come back to. For days, the stench of smoke hung in the air and permeated homes and businesses.

Yet, less than two months after the fire, some of the black hills in the area actually turned green as a bountiful rain began to fall. By late winter, the rain became almost too much to handle and new challenges were presented to the baseball faithful. The original Thousand Oaks Little League opening day in March had to be cancelled and rescheduled.

But warm and comforting, spring did finally arrive and the fields dried out. Flooded dugouts were swept clean and opening day once again seemed possible.

As the cry of “play ball” loomed on the calendar, volunteer members of the Thousand Oaks Little League board of directors felt there was an opportunity to unite the teams and community in a historic way. They decided to have all the players’ uniforms sport the words Thousand Oaks on the front and T.O. Strong on the sleeve. While the team colors on each uniform remained different, the teams and players became united under the banner of the twin tragedies.

The 2019 Little League season was dedicated to the local community and to all those still feeling the emotional pain brought about by the events of November 2018.

Many in the Conejo Valley affected by the fires still have no permanent home. They shuttle their kids to practice from rental homes and places afar. But no matter what one’s situation in life is—whether they’ve lost a home or a loved one—baseball has a knack of bringing communities together. Families look forward to each new game and to each new milestone that their young baseball player is about to achieve.

Even when they lose and the feeling couldn’t be worse, young players impress adults with their ability to “shake it off” as they look forward to the post-game snacks and the promise of another fun contest tomorrow.

Baseball may be a difficult game to teach and to master, but it’s an easy game to love. It’s because of our experience and connection to the game that we in the community will always be lovers of the sport and “baseball strong.”

Michael Best is an Oak Park author. His most recent book is about the Revolutionary War and is titled,“Great Americans, The Founders.” It is available on Amazon.