BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      It was 20 years ago that Boardman Community Baseball was formed through a merger of Boardman Little League and Boardman Youth Baseball.
      It was 60 years ago that the first, organized youth baseball league, Boardman Little League, was formed, thanks to the efforts of several people that included Clarence R. Smith, Del Gutierrez, Joe Connelly and Bill Mitchell. The year was 1955 and teams played on fields at West Blvd. Elementary School. The only dirt on those field were the batters box and pitching mound, the rest was tall grass. Smith served as the first president of Boardman Little League.
      Next weekend, on June 5 and 6, Boardman Community Baseball will celebrate six decades of organized youth baseball. As he was 20 years ago, Jim Tressel, now Youngstown State president, will ‘toss out the first pitch’ for the anniversary celebration, as the featured speaker on June 5 at an anniversary banquet that gets underway at 6:00 p.m. in the social hall at St. Charles Church.
      Back in 1955, there was no developmental leagues or minor league for kids involved in Little League.
      There were just six teams, including the Bears Club, Diamond Steel, Home Savings and Loan, Daugherty-Mitchell, Metal Carbides and the Optimist Club. The league had no more than 70 players---among the standouts were Don Ross, Bill Bonte, Tom LaLumia, John Spencer, Chuck MacLaughlin, Terry VanBrocklin, George Napoli, Jim Andio, Jim Soller, Greg Shasbym George Rousher and Ron Ellis.
      The following year, in cooperation with Boardman Park, Little League moved its operations to two diamonds at the park. It was a big deal because the field (used today for softball) had dirt infields and dugouts! A couple of years later, in order to keep up with the growth of the league, a third field was added at Boardman Park.
      Mr. Smith used to observe that baseball “wasn’t just about baseball. It’s about the families that come together to watch their kids play. Think about that!” The adage holds true today.
      In the late 1960’s, Little League captured the fancy of local architect and Michigan University graduate, Chuck Schafer. As the league continued to grow with participation of eight varsity teams and a dozen junior varsity teams, Schafer led the development of two ‘major league’ fields adjacent to Boardman Park. Players got to play on dirt infields, there was a home run fence at each field, lights, and there were stands. Every summer, about 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Greg Krieger and John Walsh could be found at the Little League Park, mowing grass and readying the fields for play.
      During those days, the ‘big’ rivalry was at the end of the season, against all-star teams from Tallmadge.
      With the new fields, in addition to the fields at Boardman Park, Little League participation grew to some 1200 players on 90 teams, including a softball program for girls that was formed in 1975. The boys’ program expanded as well, with the addition of a Senior League for boys ages 13-15. A Senior League team, under the direction direction of manager Ray Bagdassarian and Coach Ed Moore remains today as the only local team to ever win a World Series title, in 1981.
      But, there was also another youth baseball league playing in Boardman in the 1980s and early 1990s called Boardman Youth Baseball. The league played their games on poorly maintained fields at Market St. and Robinwood Lane Elementary Schools.
      Among the coaches for Boardman Youth Baseball teams was noted local attorney, J. Gerald Ingram, who often wondered by BYB teams couldn’t use the fields at Boardman Park.
      Atty. Ingram approached Mr. Smith and Dr. John York, and from that meeting, a merger between the two leagues was agreed upon andBoardman Community Baseball was formed. The new league opened its inaugural season in 1993, featuring some 1700 youngsters between the ages of 6 and 18-years-old playing on some 130 teams.
      At the same time, youth baseball was crowding the facilities at Boardman Park, and Mr. Smith, Dr. John York, Mr. Schafer, Greg Krieger, John Walsh, Frank Dravecky and John Darnell organized an effort to create the current Fields of Dreams.
      With the strong support of Mr. Smith and Dr. York, a 42-acre site was procured off McClurg Rd. and the Fields of Dreams, featuring 20 baseball diamonds was opened in 1996. The site featured not only the baseball diamonds, but a 3000 sq.-ft. administration building, concession areas, stands for fans, lighted fields, a service building, parking for at least 800 cars and eight press boxes.
      Professional design services were provided by Mr. Schafer, Pete Drescher did the surveying and field engineering, Steel Valley Engineering provided plumbing design, HVAC and electrical system, Mark Fisher headed the design of the drainage systems and A.P. O’Horo graded all the land for the fields.
      Honorary chairman for the entire project were Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Bernie Kosar, Dave Dravecky and ‘Coach’ Tressel.
      What a group that was. DeBartolo Jr. led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl titles, Kosar was the quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, Dravecky was an all-star major League baseball pitcher, and Tressel was on his way to lead the Youngstown State Penguins to four national titles. Tressel threw the ceremonial first pitch to open the new fields.
      Over the past six decades, youth baseball teams in Boardman, either playing under the banner of Boardman Little League or Boardman Community Baseball, local teams have won 25 state championships.
      In 2007, Boardman Community Baseball’s Jr. League girls traveled to the state of Washington and finished fifth in the world. That team was managed by Schafer’s son, Rick, and coaches Joe DeCapita and Joe Gabriele.
      In addition, Boardman Community Baseball formed a Challenger Division in 1992 to provide the diamond experience to handicapped persons. The Challenger Division was the first in Ohio District II and was formed under the guidance of Chuck Billock and Woody Stone.
      Still active today in youth baseball is Mr. Krieger.
      He notes “It has been the hard work of many people, all volunteers, who have made our program a success.”
      Krieger cites the efforts of many, knowing it is impossible to remember everyone.
      A few that come to mind include in the 1950s and 1960s---Del Gutierrez, Joe Ryan, Baylor Patterson, Jim Giannois, Tony DiCarlo, Joe Connelly, Bill Mitchell, C.R. Smith, Scotty Hay, Bill Bonte Sr., Pete Armeni and Sam Morelli.
      In the 1970s and 1980s, Krieger notes that key volunteers included past presidents Chuck Schafer, Dick Agger, Bill Schaffer, Gordon Johnson, Denny Barrett, Louise Smith, Marilyn Vukovich, Gerry Beck, Jack Mayo, Terry VanBrocklin, Bob Cavalier and Leigh Klingensmith.
      Helping to grow youth baseball in the 1990 sand into the 21st Century have been Walsh, Marykaye Carlson, Dr. York, Sean Holmes, Tony Tarantino, Bob Carlson, Dennis Golubic, Rick Fryda, Bill Amero, Dave Matz, Tim Kaple, Joe Dickey, Paul Brock Sr. and Jr., and Ken Franklin.
      Of the original team sponsors, Home Savings and Loan has sponsored a team every year for the past 60 years.
      “Since Boardman Little League’s humble beginnings, the mission of our program has remained unchanged,” Krieger notes, adding “To provide a wholesome, healthy activity for children by using the ball fields as a classroom to help to instill discipline, team work, sportsmanship and fair play and hopefully help to guide all players into adulthood and responsible citizenship.”
      Clarence Smith’s adage that youth base- ball isn’t just about baseball, it’s about bringing families together.”
      Annually, more than 100,000 fans a season flock to the Fields of Dreams, most of them spectators, there to watch their children and grandchildren play baseball.
      Boardman Community Baseball’s 42-acre site is among the largest youth baseball facilities east of the Mississippi River.