Redbirds' city match-up a keeper

The U-14 Arlington Redbirds began their post-season travel schedule earlier this month, playing in some local tournaments. But none of those games compared to the one they played Sunday on their home field at Methodist Park in Arlington Heights.

They played a pair of inner city teams from the Near West Side Community Center in Chicago. In doing so, they reprised a tradition started more than 10 years ago by the Arlington Heights Youth Athletic Association, when they invited teams from Cabrini Green to play in Arlington Heights and enjoy a picnic afterward.

"It's the hanging out together afterwards where the really positive stuff goes on," says Bill Spicer, president of the Arlington Heights Youth Athletic Association.

Right from the start, the Redbirds realized that the afternoon was about more than baseball, as they watched their opponents, the Giants, grab a mitt from a common bucket, as they ran out to the field, without baseball caps.

"We provide everything for the team, so it's a free program for the parents," explains LaShunda Gonzalez, of the Near West Side Community Center.

The Near West Side Community Center's baseball initiative started this summer, with an outpouring of support from individuals and corporations, including LaSalle Bank, whose logo appeared on the back of their jerseys.

They play their home games at the newly renovated Touhy-Herbert Park, complete with a resurfaced baseball diamond, lights and an electronic scoreboard. Still, the group was looking for more games, consequently they were eager to play the Redbirds.

"The game turned out to be very competitive, but that wasn't what made it special," says Redbird Manager Paul Petricca of Arlington Heights. "As the game progressed, the interaction between the players and coaches was really neat.

"Our players and their players were encouraging and complimenting one another throughout the game," Petricca adds. "We even had some good laughs together. In the fourth inning, the other team successfully pulled off the 'hidden ball play' after one of my players hit a double." (The hidden ball play has the fielder making the runner believe he threw the ball or dropped it, then tagging the runner out when he steps off the base.)

Players and coaches alike dissected that play after the game, but both camps agreed on this much: They want to play again, and possibly within the next few weeks, at either team's field.

"My players really enjoyed it," says Giants Manager Travis Morgan. "They thought it was one of the best experiences all summer."