By Adam Andrews

Well, Davis sports fans, the 2011 Davis Youth Softball Association Spring season got under way last Saturday with all the pageantry of opening day at AT&T Park.

Borrowing a page from the Davis Little League playbook, DYSA hosted its first opening day ceremony in several years. With the interest in recreational softball growing throughout the region, DYSA numbers have swelled to more than 250 players.

This year’s pool of talent will range in age from 4 ½  to 15 years old, making up 25 teams, including the 12-U and 14-U Davis Lady Demons “A” Level travel teams.

In an effort to showcase the players, coaches, parents, volunteers and sponsors, the DYSA board — led by President Megan Hupe — put together a great afternoon…

If your weekend to-do list was too long, if you spent Saturday filing your taxes, or if you lost track of time while figuring how your March Madness bracket could still win third place, here’s what you missed:

(Close your eyes and imagine. No, wait, open them and read on.)

Under the solar panels at Community Park coaches gathered their respective candy-color-clad teams while the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh warmed up.

Once everyone checked in, the teams lined up youngest to oldest. With the Band-uh leading the way,  the parade got moving right on time. Around the main Community Park field, up the hill to the roundhouse, and finally down onto Community Field A, where each team was announced as they entered the field.

The excitement grew as the players marched past the grandstand filled with parents, grandparents and a few reluctant siblings. High-pitched squeals arose from the youngest girls at the first sighting of Gunrock and Diablo, the UC Davis and Davis High School mascots.

Smiles erupted from the more seasoned players as they waved to the host of uniformed UCD softball players on hand, many of whom they recognized from past softball skills clinics.  Those smiles widened as the UCD team waved back, calling girls out by name.

“OMG, she remembered my name!”

After the Band-uh led us with an inspirational rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Hupe took to the mike and paid homage to all those who have done so much to make this league possible. Gunrock threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Diablo. UCD starting pitcher Alex Holmes quickly jumped to the rubber, giving the mustang an impromptu lesson in how one is to properly pitch, UNDERHAND, in fast-pitch softball. Silly pony. And with that, the season was under way.

(Reality check.)

I’d like to tell you that the ceremony was followed by a day of softball, sunflower seeds and Steve’s pizza, but it just didn’t happen. NONE of it happened.

Come on, it had been raining since mid-February. Parks were swamped, gutters were overflowing and trees had blown down. Besides, when was the last time any parade started right on time? Truthfully, that was the plan — balloons, bands, all the hoopla of a Broadway play’s opening night. Unfortunately the lead actress came down with a vengeance and Mother Nature has no understudy.

While some shows get canceled, this season wasn’t thwarted, merely set back.

Finally game began this week and, despite the rain, the softball fields look great.

During the off-season, DYSA and the city of Davis negotiated a new co-sponsored field-use agreement. What was decided is a seamless plan that outlines where the Davis Parks Department work ends and where the DYSA volunteer effort begins as it relates to field maintenance.

The result of the collaborative agreement is evidenced by the availability of fields as early as this past Monday. The work to cut out the infield grass and to grade and resurface the fields allowed them to wick away moisture and dry out enough for teams to practice and play only days after serious weather.

Though many people played a part in the preparation, the efforts were spearheaded by two people — call them the two Jims: city parks whiz Jim Newman and DYSA’s Jim Hickerson.

Newman and his team led the way with the heavy equipment, cutting and grading. They found time in their schedules that didn’t exist to get this work done. In the face of continuing cuts, Newman’s shrinking staff still manages to keep all of our city parks in top form. Give them a wave next time you see one of them, they’re among Davis’ hardest workers.

Hickerson is a DYSA parent, coach, board member and all around “git ’er done” kind of guy.

You’ve got to be careful about what you say around Hickerson…  Should you casually mention an idea for a project or improvement, you had better be prepared to start tomorrow.

By the end of the day he’s going to have a list of material costs, a rough sketch drawn and a work detail planned. Hickerson is a force of nature in his own regard. You can see his handiwork on every field: from new red rock, to freshly painted backstops, to new base and pitcher’s mound pegs, to updated hose bibs, to the overhaul of the equipment shed at Community Field B. If it needs fixing or replacing, he does it all.

Despite the rainout of this year’s opening day, the combined efforts of the two Jims — and so many others unnamed here — has not been in vain.

As practice for teams of all ages moved from black tops to the softball diamonds, the first games were recorded. They were followed by games every day this week And so it shall be for the next seven weeks.

Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this early spring weather.

Head out and catch a game or two, they only run about 90 minutes.  Even if your name is not Jim, even if you don’t tuck in any of the players at night, even if you’ve never played softball, you’ll have a good time.

How could you not, rooting for a team with a name like the Loco Monkeys?

Let’s be honest here, you probably haven’t scratched anything off of your to-do list in weeks, you can always file for a tax extension, and you might just be mad if you think your bracket is still alive.

FireW

Pitcher Katie Gibson of the 10-U Monos Locos DYSA squad lets go with a fastball as a brilliant sunset provides background at Community Park. Despite Gibson’s best efforts, her team finished in a 10-10 tie with the Patriettes on Wednesday. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

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