We are so excited for baseball season! My oldest played for many seasons with Alexandria Little League. What a wonderful experience it was. He will be the first to admit it, but he wasn’t very good. He definitely tried hard and always showed up for his team when they needed him. We were so proud when he won the “Mister Sunshine” award, which was totally made up by his coach pitch coach but that didn’t matter because it was awesome!
Children’s sports are a wonderful learning experience. One that I think most kids benefit from. It gives them the opportunity to get outside and away from screens, make new friends, experience diversity beyond their neighborhoods, move their bodies, and be a team player. Will got to know the thrill of victory (two championship teams!) and the agony of defeat. Learning how to be a gracious loser and an even more gracious winner was very important to us. He also learned that there are mean kids that take it too seriously. That taught him life lessons like how to navigate difficult personalities, how to stick up for yourself and your friends, and how to have hard conversations with others including adults. Empathy for others when they were hurting and forgiving those that take their pain and unleash it on you were two early lessons that will serve him well.
Next Thursday is the Nationals opening day and Alexandria Little League opens the season that Saturday with ceremonies at Little Simpson baseball field in Del Ray. To celebrate, on March 29 we will be handing out the peanuts and our much better version of cracker jacks, streaming games all day, wearing our favorite team’s colors, and hosting Port City Brewing Co. for a tasting of their seasonal sensation ALX IPA from 1pm to 3pm.
To sweeten the deal we will be raffling off a gift basket worth over $400 with all proceeds benefitting Alexandria Little League. The basket includes a Red Barn Mercantile gift card, a MLB gift card, our most popular leather-bound baseball tome, snacks for watching the game, a Nats ornament, and a $200 VIP tasting from Port City Brewing Co. You and 10 of your friends get a private brewery tour, a 6 beer tasting, and a souvenir glass for each of you. Sounds like fun to me!
The first raffle ticket is free if you enter in the store, but anyone anywhere can enter for $5 per ticket through our website or in the store. All the proceeds from the raffle will got to Alexandria Little League so be sure to enter often!
Below are a few of our favorite goodies to get you baseball ready! Here’s to a great season and another chance for learning to be your best!
