Despite theft, Lawrence Little League will still hold Opening Day

(Alex Santana)

Empty baseball boxes littered the inside of the storage pod after the crime.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

With Opening Day just a few days off in a struggling Lawrence neighborhood, someone broke into a storage pod that contained Little League equipment, stealing a variety of items, including cleats that were donated for players who couldn't afford them, scores of baseballs, and catcher's equipment.

The theft was a "real big blow," said George Herman, president of the South Lawrence East Little League, who estimated that nearly $1,500 in gear was stolen. But he vowed that the league's first scrimmages would go ahead as planned on Saturday.

"It's unfortunate that they had to take away from the youth of this part of the city," said Herman, adding that the thieves should "take a look back on yourself. You're taking from players that don't have much to begin with."

Police are investigating the theft from the storage pod in the schoolyard of the South Lawrence East elementary school, said Michael Garrihy, a police spokesman. The theft, which was reported Thursday, included 120 baseballs, worth about $480, he said.

"It's going to have an impact on the kids of the community, no doubt," he said. "It's kind of a sad, sad thing to see."

The league, which has just over 300 players ages 5 to 15, is based in one of the poorer sections of the city, with some players coming from nearby public housing, Herman said. Some parents work out payment plans with the league; in other cases, the league simply waives its fee. The items stolen included cleats that New Balance donated for players who couldn't afford them.

"We know they don't have much and we try to get as much as we can for them," said Herman.

Herman said that Opening Day would go ahead, with teams sharing equipment. He also said that the lost equipment would be replaced. After hearing news of the theft, he said, businesses have stepped up to donate money, while other leagues in the city and surrounding towns are donating equipment.

Alex Santana, a coach and a league board member, said, "It's very sad because they're stealing that from the kids."

He said the league struggled to pay its bills, particularly this year, and hadn't even paid yet for the balls that were stolen.

But he also said that there was a good response from the community, with someone bringing in a check for $1,000 and a high school in a neighboring town donating three dozen balls.

Herman said the league was trying to shelter its young players from the event.

"We're basically telling them, 'Opening Day is happening. We're going to make it. Some people aren't very nice, but there's a lot of people in this area that are nice and they're helping us out.'"

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