The Kirkland National Little League (KNLL) held its annual FanFest Saturday at the Finn Hill Park baseball fields and was expecting to have former Mariner Dave Valle as a special guest. They got Seattle Mariner great Edgar Martinez instead.
Martinez visited with the players, gave a speech, signed autographs and threw out the first pitch during an hour-long visit.
“He talked about how he remembered his days playing little league baseball and how special it was to him,” said Kirkland National Little League President Ken McCumber. “He also talked about carrying that feeling of having fun with the game through to his time with the Mariners.”
Martinez, who is a Kirkland resident, was not the scheduled guest and those in attendance were surprised to see one of the greatest designated hitters in the history of baseball walk onto the field.
“There was a collective gasp,” said McCumber. “I was surprised at how many kids knew who he is. They were blown away.”
During the event, Martinez signed baseballs, hats – and even Nick Handfelt’s cast. Nick, who plays on the Kirkland National Reds, had sprained his wrist earlier that morning and was back at the event from the Evergreen Hospital ER by noon to join the swarm of youngsters waiting to meet Martinez.
“He was very gracious and asked Nick all about his injury,” said Catharine Handfelt, Nick’s mother, adding the event “was an all-American scene.”
Frontier Communications and ESPN, along with Valle, who had to cancel his appearance, helped to get Martinez out to the event as a part of the two companies “Get your League into Gear” campaign.
“Really, it was just dumb luck and being in the right place at the right time,” said McCumber.
The event is organized to give younger kids a chance to play at the big baseball fields on Finn Hill. The teams played four full games during the morning and three more after the special events. The kids also participated in skills competitions such as a home-run derby and relay races around the bases.
The KNLL also gave out its annual Presidents Award to Phil Lavery, who is a community volunteer with the KNLL. He is primarily in charge of organizing the fields and field preparation.
“He is a businessman, but every time I see him he has chalk dust all over him (from putting down the foul lines on the fields),” said McCumber. “He is just a stellar person to have around.”
