Robbie Rifkin knows all good things must come to an end, including summer. He can deal with the thought of heading back to school, but the dejected look on his face tells another story. He does not want to put away his baseball bat and mitt until next spring.
“I like having fun, said Robbie, 10, of Palatine. “I miss not having any games.”
But he did get to play a few extra–and unexpected–games this summer. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the traveling 10-year-old team for the Palatine North Little League made it all the way to the state championship. And they were the only team sporting a girl in their starting lineup.
“We’re very proud of the kids,” said Bob Rodonis, the traveling team’s manager. “We knew that they had the capability of doing something like this, and they proved themselves. It’s a big accomplishment.”
The traveling team was made up of 13 players from the 13 Palatine North Little League teams whose season went from the end of April to June. It is like the all-star team of the Little League, with the best players on the field. They are the boys–and a girl–of summer.
To get to the state championship, the team swept three games each at the district and sectional competitions. At the state finals, which were held recently on Chicago’s South Side, they played four games–winning two but losing just as many, which ended their season in the double-elimination tournament.
“We were very excited and wish we had won,” said Robbie, who pitches and plays third base. He has been in the league since he was 6 years old.
“They were a little crushed at losing but took it pretty well,” said Rodonis, whose 10-year-old son, Joe, played on the traveling team. But the youngsters can celebrate the milestone for their team and the Palatine North Little League, which is affiliated with the Salt Creek Park District. The entire league sports 550 boys and girls ages 6 to 12. The teams are based on their ages.
“Our philosophy is that we are a developmental league, said Phil Rifkin, Robbie’s father, who has served on the Palatine North Little League board for the past four years. “We stress the fun of baseball and good sportsmanship. It’s not meant to be a highly competitive league.”‘
