Former Seattle Mariner Dave Valle spent 12 years behind home plate in Major League Baseball. But some of his fondest memories of the game come from his first home growing up in Bayside, N.Y.
“My dad was really involved,” said Valle. “I was the fifth in the family and we always had teams at the house.”
Playing the game with family and friends at “Chicken Coop Stadium,” which his father built in the backyard to facilitate the game, was how he learned the basic skills for his career. Valle knows how important the game can be for families and communities and said that is why he decided to be a part of the Kirkland National Little Leagues’ (KNLL) annual FanFest on Saturday.
“It brings me back to when I was 11 years old,” said Valle, who is also part of the Mariners’ current broadcast team. “It makes me jealous. I wish I could turn the clock back and do it again.”
FanFest played host to 47 KNLL, tee-ball and softball teams and more than 500 people at Big Finn Hill Park. Valle’s participation came courtesy of Frontier Communications’ program “Get Your League in Gear,” along with the Seattle Mariners’ broadcast partner 710 ESPN.
“Our charter is about community building,” said KNLL president Ken McCumber. “We have been doing this as long as I can remember.”
But having Mariner players visit has been a recent thing, with Mariner great Edgar Martinez filling in last year.
Mariners radio pre- and post-game host Matt Pitman helped to MC the event with Valle as the special guest to start the events. Valle threw out the first pitch to a KNLL catcher, who in a twist on conventional events, signed the baseball for Valle. The former major league catcher spent nearly two hours signing autographs for the players and their families.
The KNLL honored the girls majors softball team, which placed third in the Western Region last season, along with a KNLL team that won the City Championship last year. McCumber also honored KNLL volunteer Keith Wilson in front of the 47 teams and player families in attendance.
Following the ceremony, the 13 softball teams and 34 baseball and tee-ball teams took to the fields for skills competitions such as relay races, throwing contests and other events. Winning teams were given buckets of goodies.
“This is all just about having a good time and enjoying the game,” said McCumber.
KNLL was also one of six little league organizations in the state to receive a $1,000 gift certificate to Kimmel Athletic in Redmond as a part of a drawing at last year’s FanFest.
For Valle, FanFest is the third such event he participated in this season.
“This is the age when you fall in love with baseball and it is just fun to be a part of that,” said Valle, who has been involved in the game professionally for 34 years. “It is a part of the fabric of America.”
