As the Throgs Neck Little League (TNLL) kicks off its baseball season in April, it’s not only celebrating its 70th anniversary, but also paying homage to when the league first began.
This season teams will wear retro uniforms from the league’s inaugural season and will have place sponsors on the back of their jerseys for the first time in 10 years. The league is still soliciting sponsors through the end of the month.
Mike Marano, a board member of the TNLL, who is in charge of fundraising, said this season has added significance for the league.
“We’re doing something we haven’t done in years,” Marano said.
For businesses interested in sponsoring a team, the cost is $1,000 — there are 20 sponsors to date. But the sponsors are not just local businesses, they’re also people who played in the league when they were younger or previously had a business in Throggs Neck.
For example, Dom’s Bakery, which was owned by Marano’s father Dominick Marano, was a staple in the community and sponsored teams for many years. Now, in honor of his late father, Marano is doing the same. Former MLB pitcher and Bronx native Mike Nagy, who was drafted in 1966 by the Boston Red Sox, is also sponsoring a team.
According to Marano, they need all of the sponsors by the end of January because it takes a few months to make the specialty uniforms. With 25 to 30 teams in the league, the hope is everyone will have a sponsor, he said.
“We’ve had a lot of positive reaction from the businesses,” he said.
Looking ahead, the league is always looking to raise money so that it can improve the fields, dugout and even install solar panels.
Reach Jason Cohen at jcohen@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4598. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes.
