But once inside, the day seemed to brighten as generation gaps melted away and the team met with residents "who are boys and girls at heart". After the visit and over this past spring, the team sponsored by High View, went on to a magical season. The team finished as unofficial Moose Minor League champions with a 12-2 record.
"It was a really special sponsor-team relationship," team manager Bob Sinagra said. "sponsors are usually taken for granted. This was never the case here. They made us feel welcome right from the start. It made this a special season. It was a good learning experience for the boys. They really didn't know what to expect but they got caught up by the enthusiasm shown by the seniors."
The two groups capped off that special season with a barbecue at the Highland Avenue facility last week. The residents honored their favorite Little League team by making a banner with the nicknames of all the players. Resident John Augeri, an avid Yankee fan and baseball enthusiast, said there was no such thing as Little League when he was growing up. Children headed off to local playgrounds or the old sand lot. But the game of baseball itself has remained ageless. Augeri and about a dozen other residents actually went to a game at Crystal Lake Park during the season to cheer on their favorite team. The High View Health team, as it was known blew out the competition as it scored the most runs of the season and had their largest margin of victory. "I sure did a lot of yelling while at the game," Augeri said. "I enjoyed it very much. Just to go out and see a game just like I did at Yankee Stadium as a kid was special. Baseball is quite a game." "We can't walk," added Jacqueline Polio, "but we sure enjoyed watching them play." For minor leaguer Nicholas Moncada, the day the seniors came to the game was special. "It made me really happy," Nick said. "It was like having a real crowd. When we won it felt like winning the World Series."
High View administrator Frank Fiore said the idea of sponsoring a Little League team came from the facility's Better Life Committee. The committee has come up ideas like creating a vegetable garden, going on fishing trips and sitting around the campfire on a moonlit night. "For most of the residents," Fiore said, "this is their home now and we want to make it as close to home as possible. It was a wonderful experience. The team always kept us abreast of the scores and brought pictures. The children were always champions in the minds of the residents no matter how they played. It was great to have the kids around. It puts smiles on the residents faces."
Coach Ken Brostek said he first played Little League forty years ago and now is coach to both his sons. But he said this season "was the best time I've ever had with a Little League team." "The people at High View were our good-luck charm and it's something I'll never forget. These kids wanted to come to practice and wanted to play hard," he said. Members of the committee said they will be sponsoring a team next spring. But this year's team, nicknamed "The Big Blue Wrecking Crew From High View" will always have a special place in their hearts. "We are all so proud of them," Erma Dudley said. "They built us up and gave us courage and made us all feel young again."
MIDDLETOWN - It wasn't exactly baseball weather when members of a Moose Minor League Team visited the residents of High View Health Care Center a few months ago. Fog rolled along the hillside as a cool, light rain fell.
