No matter which teams the parents (family and friends) rooted for, the one resounding fact was that they were there, involved, which is something the mayor credits the Hometown Championship for fostering in the community:
“Anytime that you have something like this, in the community, the community gets engaged. Whenever the community gets engaged, you’re looking at success,” Bing added. “So not only do you have the young people involved, but you have a lot of parents involved and community people involved. It’s important in helping to bring our city back.”
The Detroit Tigers and Youth Development Commission collaborated to organize the awesomeness that was (and is) the Detroit Tigers Hometown Championship; however the unsung partner in this three-headed effort was the City of Detroit Department of Parks and Recreation. Every field in use during the hometown championship was located within the city limits, something which attracted Maheras-Gentry site coordinator Rhonda Adams to join the DTHC team.
“I think it’s actually awesome,” said Adams. “I grew up playing baseball and softball so it’s really cool to start bringing this stuff back into the City of Detroit.”
While the three championship sites were located at Woodbridge Community Center, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State University, the DPR had the honor of hosting every single tournament game. Those three host fields were the previously mentioned Balduck Park, Maheras-Gentry playfield and Stoepel Park, which are the home fields for the Eagle Sports Club, Think Detroit PAL, and Rosedale Grandmont baseball leagues, respectively.
All three of the leagues provided top quality, manicured fields which allowed all the players the opportunity to give their all on the field. Though it may have seemed like just a small task, preparing the field of play was almost as important as organizing the actual tournament.
Nonetheless, the Eagles Sports Club and Think Detroit PAL (as well as Rosedale Grandmont) expressed their gratitude, as well as excitement, for the games that were played on their respective sites:
“It was a great experience to have kids playing at Maheras-Gentry. It was exciting hosting it and having kids from different parts of the city come play on Detroit PAL’s site,” said Greg Hicks from Think Detroit PAL.
“It’s always exciting to see baseball, at its’ best, being played inside of the City of Detroit,” said Terry Brennan of Eagle Sports. “Over the course of four days, Balduck Park saw many exciting games, hundreds of kids and families having fun, all thanks to the Detroit Tigers and YDC.”
In addition to the opening ceremony and community fun day, Balduck Park was also the place for tournament action in the machine-pitch and 10 and under divisions. The machine-pitch tournament took place from Aug. 2-5, featuring 10 teams competing in a double-elimination format, with the championship pitting the American league champion Lac St. Clair Bulldogs up against the National league champs, Lincoln Park North (at Woodbridge Comm. Center). In the Championship game, the Bulldogs were victorious; however, as head coach Chris Ritter put it, “the most important part of the day was getting ice cream.”
“This was actually our first year – we’re just getting involved and what a great tournament. Thank you (Detroit Tigers Hometown Championship) for having us, and we really had a nice time,” said Ritter.
Eleven teams comprised the 10 & under division, which did battle from August 1. to August 5., when the Detroit Bees (American League) defeated the Detroit Dreamers, the champions of the National League, at Woodbridge. The 12 & 14 and under divisional tournaments both lasted August 1-6 and concluded with the Detroit Bees and Southfield Cardinals capturing the crowns in the respective divisions.
At the University of Detroit-Mercy, the 14 & under and 19 & under girls softball tournaments (August 1-6) both closed out in a championship doubleheader on the campus’ softball field. In the 14 & under title game, Love Train bested the Orioles in convincing fashion, which is something 14-year-old Detroiter Brooke Thomas says was a great feeling.
“I feel like I’ve proven myself sort of,” Thomas said. “I think it was really a lot of fun, just coming out here and playing with these girls and having them put their all out there on the field.”
In game two (19 and under), the Butzel Phoenix outlasted Taylor Baseball in a close two-run game; a game which went back and forth, with no lack of competitiveness, as Alexis Powell, a 19-year-old Canton native pointed out.
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