Mike Marano is a lifelong Throgs Neck resident. He’s played and then coached for the Throgs Neck Little League his whole life, and now serves as a boardmember for it. 

He and 7-year-old Vincent Alfieri went down to the field for a game of catch Sunday. The league means a lot to him.  

"There was nothing more important in Throgs Neck than baseball when I was a kid. We planned our vacations around baseball," Marano said.

What You Need To Know

  • Throgs Neck Little League boardmember Mike Marano is glad to see the season start after last year's was cancelled due to the pandemic

  • Seven-year-old Vincent Alfieri is also excited to hit the field again as well

  • A GoFundMe page was started to help the league with a $75,000 goal
  • There were no sign ups, sponsors or fundraisers last year

“I like being outside a lot, it’s really nice being out here,” said Alfieri, an athlete in Throgs Neck Little League.

Like so many sports leagues last year, the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic. Having the league back on the field means a lot to Marano.

“Oh, it’s outstanding. The neighborhood is alive," Marano said.

Throgs Neck Little League is now struggling financially. There were no signups, sponsors or fundraising events last year.

“Every year we have a series of fundraisers, we have a carnival, a camp that usually rents out the facilities for most of the summer and that was cancelled," Marano said.

Back in January, a GoFundMe page was started. It has raised more than $10,000.

“We set a goal of $75,000 because, as you can see, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to the building. There’s a leak inside,” Marano said. “The wall is literally falling apart. I don’t know if you wanna look at the bathrooms, the drop ceilings have corroded.”

The league also owes thousands to Con Edison.

“We have an outstanding bill of $20,000 to Con Edison for the lights," Marano said.

So far, 400 people have signed up and after a year of being cancelled the league started up again this month. With that number of signups Marano, says things are looking up.

"We’re very happy about that and hope it continues to grow," Marano said.

The league is in its 69th year and counting, with hopes the community will step up and help to keep the tradition alive for baseball stars in the making like Vincent Alfieri.

“It’s really fun, it’s a really fun sport to do," Alfieri said.

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