Barcroft Park

May 3, 5-9 pm

Parade of young teams

Pitch, Hit & Run

Games and prizes!

Splash your coach!

Food trucks

Memorabilia tent and slideshow

Raffle items

ABR swag

Screech!

Congratulations Pitch, Hit & Run Finalists!

Ages 7/8: 1. Allen Boone; 2. Deacon Sinder; 3. Hart Rizzolo

Ages 9/10: 1. Leo Ward; 2. Kyle Williamson; 3. David Kirimca

Ages 11/12: 1. Preston Busby; 2. Gio Flores; 3. Grayson Sinder

Ages 13/14: 1. Silvey Ward; 2. Anna Rizzolo; 3. Chris Newman.

Special shout out to Leo Ward who had the overall top score of 1,205!

The first place winner in each division will receive a certificate of achievement, and their score will be entered into a pool with all other local event winners. When all local events are completed, the top overall performing winners will be selected to advance to an available Team Championships at an MLB stadium. Team Championships will take place in August, September, & October (final date to be published later).

In a conversation during the 30th anniversary, Mary Evans reminisced about the early meetings they had, as many of them were held in her basement. Walt Gallagher remembered that the pilot program had only four teams and they were highly competitive. He recalled that the Yankees always were the team to beat. From this pilot program, ABR has grown to over 1,600 registrants today, in spring, summer and fall ball programs.

Much has changed over the last 40 years and yet some things are the same. The first Board members hand-wrote and addressed invitations to every 6th grade student in Arlington and Falls Church. Today, ABR continues to make sure that all children in Arlington, enrolled in preschools and elementary and middle schools receive an invitation to play ball through their schools messaging systems.

ABR Presidents

Since 1985 there have been only six presidents of the League.

Earle Thorsen, the first president, presided over many of the early meetings and negotiated consensus in the development of ABR.

Dr. Bob Bonaccorso, a dentist, was the longest-serving president, from 1988 until 1999. Doc, as he was known, loved baseball and loved teaching the game to kids. He enjoyed the program so much that he devoted more time to baseball than to his profession, reducing his time in the dentist office to only three days a week.  He liked to joke that baseball was his full-time commitment and dentistry was his part-time job.  Although he was a controversial figure, many call him the face of ABR and his young players, now grown, remember him fondly.   

One year, Doc planned his wedding during what would become his second Southeast Regional bid. Doc and his very understanding new bride flew from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Atilla, Alabama for the tournament. His wife wore a t-shirt that read, “I spent my honeymoon in Atilla, Alabama.”  His wife still claims, “Doc is Babe Ruth!”

Charlie Binns was the third president.  His presidency truly was a family affair, since he had support from his wife and kids in every aspect of the game. He became the coach of the Yankees and they continued to be “the team to beat,” marking a long-lasting competition among the players. The Binns family deserves credit for much of the success of the organization today.

Phil Juliano followed and implemented many new ideas, including growing the Board of Directors and making it more interactive, updating the rules to be more current and increasing the number and divisions of travel and summer teams, including forming a Cooperstown Dreams Park tournament team and creating the opportunity for spontaneous pick-up teams throughout the summer. During Phil's tenure, ABR hosted a baseball league of boys and girls from China. ABR families hosted the visiting players in their homes. MLB great Jim Lefebvre and his staff, with the assistance of ABR coaches and alumni players trained all players for the week. Phil also forged the ongoing uniform partnership with the Washington Nationals.

J.P. Cooney was the first board member to have also played ABR as a young ball player, beginning a new legacy generation. He ushered ABR through a tough Covid season where ABR was the first league to return to play, although not for the normal spring season, by adopting modifications to ensure safety on the diamonds and capitalizing on the inherent social distancing of the sport. J.P. also brought a Babe Ruth Southeast Regional tournament to Arlington in 2023 where the ABR 12u All-Star host team competed in the semi-final round of competition.

ABR's current president is Brett Mikoy. Brett brings energy and fun to his leadership team, along with fresh ideas and deep commitment to preserving recreational baseball in Arlington, while also inspiring and growing the travel program to include developmental players.

Exemplary Volunteers

Although they were not presidents, ABR is fortunately to have grown with two outstanding volunteers and longtime members of the ABR Board of Directors. John Karinshak and Terry Eby. Both have coached and mentored young players long after their own children have passed through the program. They have been remarkably dedicated to the organization and true ambassadors of ABR. You will see that the right and left corners of ABR's signature field at Barcroft #2 have been dedicated to these exemplary volunteers.

Over the years, changes have been made to make sure there are teams to match every skill level of today's young players. Blastball and T-Ball were introduced for the youngest baseball enthusiasts to have a fun experience while learning the game.  Some intermediate divisions have been added to ensure games are fair and challenging for all players.  Summer extended play has proven to be very popular.  All of these are ABR's best efforts to provide young Arlington players with opportunities to develop their baseball skills and enjoy America’s favorite pastime.

Growth of Baseball in the ABR Program

Tournament teams continue to be a highlight for the League.  Arlington teams have won many District and State Babe Ruth All-Star tournaments. They also have played regional tournaments in eight states and Washington, DC. In the past few years, ABR sent two teams to the Babe Ruth World Series, a 9u team in 2021 that finished second, and a 10u team last year that advanced to the championship round.

Ten years ago, ABR added Cooperstown Dreams Park teams to their slate of tournament opportunities. These 12-year-old-teams participate in a week-long tournament in Cooperstown, NY, the birthplace of baseball and the Baseball Hall of Fame.  More than 100 teams from all over the United States compete in weekly tournaments in Cooperstown throughout the summer.  In 2016, the ABR  team advanced to the championship game, where they lost in a heartbreaker. That same team advanced to the Babe Ruth World Series in Arlington Senior Babe Ruth.

ABR is proud to declare that many of its players have advanced to high school, collegiate ball, and even MLB teams.

ABR Sponsors

ABR relies heavily on the support of its sponsors.  In the beginning, the Optimist Club of Arlington, “Friends of Youth,” financed most of the program.  Today, they continue to be the league’s biggest supporter.  Please note the banners around the park at Barcroft #2 that recognize the many sponsors who have donated generously to ABR this year so the league can provide free T-Ball, scholarships, equipment and develop a youth umpire program. ABR continues to share the love of baseball with young people.

ABR has proven to be a very successful program today due to the dedication and service of many people who have contributed over the past 40 years. With gratitude to all!

"Baseball is, I think, the greatest game in the world." -- Babe Ruth