Peachtree League baseball fielded a record 38 teams on opening day, March 19, of its 55th season. Crozet Great Valu owner Jean Wagner, a longtime sponsor of teams, addressed the league and urged players to show good sportsmanship and have fun. She had been asked to throw out the first pitch, too, but passed that honor to her son David, who played in the league in the early 1980s.
This year the league offered a Blastball level, an introduction to the game for kids still too young for T-ball.
All the players and their coaches were introduced, with each boy or girl stepping forward and doffing his or her cap as their name came over the loudspeakers.
Peachtree Baseball — 55 great seasons and counting — YES, play ball !!
The pinnacle of my sports career was Peachtree Little League Baseball in the early-mid 1960s.
I wouldn’t take a million for the memories!
Thank you and God’s rich blessings on you, Mr. Junior Kent, my coach, for teaching me about the great game of baseball. I am forever richer for the experiences.
Hello, Phil. After seeing the Red Sox picture on Facebook, I searched for other Peachtree memories on the web. I found your comment here and thought how true this statement is. Junior Kent, John Massie, Temple Bailey, Mr Toms and Mr Layne (Greenwood Pirates), my Dad, Sammy Roach and a host of other men did shape us through the simple game of Little League baseball. Remember the trips to the big league parks at the end of the season? It is hard to believe the Crozet league was formed over 50 years ago. This article speaks about 38 teams. We started with only 4. Great trip down memory lane for me. Hope to see you soon in one of those famaliar Crozet settings! Mike Hall
Mike,
The coaches (and players!) in that little four team league taught me a love for the game of baseball that still burns today. Thanks for recounting their names and their excellent example of service to community.
And, yes, there are specific sights and sounds that I still vividly recall from those end-of-season trips to a big league ballgame at the Washington Senators or Baltimore Orioles stadiums. I always assumed that it was admission receipts from the annual Peachtree All-Star game that funded the trip on Trailways to the big league game. Those were fun times!
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