By LILY DOOLIN
Although the all-star tournament has come to a close, lovers of Little League baseball need not fret. The beloved annual Lynn City Series kicks off Monday night at Wyoma Little League’s Reinfuss Field.
The City Series has been a fixture for decades, and has become a fan favorite among North Shore Little League spectators. Five local teams will compete for the title in this tournament-style, double-elimination format series. While each team brings to the table a unique set of skills, all have one thing in common: their eagerness to represent their league.
“There’s a lot of league pride surrounding the tournament,” said District 16 administrator Joe Baglieri. “Everyone feels like they’re going to win.”
Last year’s champion was Wyoma, which now has the honor of hosting this year. In 2014, Paul Hartford’s Lynn Shore won. Hartford is excited to be back behind the bench for Lynn Shore again this year, and is eager for play to begin.
“I look forward to it even more than I do the all-stars,” said Hartford. “It’s really something special.”
Unlike the all-star teams, the City Series teams are all the pennant-winners from their respective leagues. If there are league All-Stars involved, it’s only because they were on the regular-season league championship teams.
“They’re kids who may not get out on the field (in a post-season environment) otherwise,” said Baglieri.
Hartford, who will will be coaching for his ninth time in the City Series, and who wrote a comprehensive book on the history of the City Series two years ago, uses this tournament to prepare his players for future games.
“It gets them ready for (next year’s) season,” said Hartford.
Although Lynn Shore was beat out for the title last year, Hartford said he and his team aren’t out for revenge on any particular league. In fact, all of the participating leagues have some sort of rivalry with each other after having faced off during the regular season.
“There’s only going to be one champion,” said Hartford. “We all go out to represent our league… and fight for the win.”
Hartford’s approach to the City Series is simple: “one game at a time.” This way, his team is focused on having fun and showing off that league pride instead of getting ahead of itself.
“It’s just another game,” said Hartford. “All we have to do is play our game.”
Although the winner is to be determined, it’s a definite that the City Series will continue to be a fun and entertaining event.
“The kids who are here are excited to be playing,” said Baglieri. “They come in thinking, ‘if not this year, then next year.'”
“We’re playing all year to represent,” said Hartford. “But the City Series is something the kids never forget.”