By Pierre LaBossiere
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — “We are Lefties, we are here to stay, we will rock you any day. We are Lefties, we are here to stay, we will rock you any day…”
This little ditty was made up on the spot by Catie Chance and Ava Fox, cheering on their new home team for the Lefties’ opener Thursday night.
Catie and Ava were among hundreds of kids who came out to Civic Field to catch the inaugural game of the Lefties, a wooden bat collegiate league team in the West Coast League, which features a number of elite college players and prospective future pros.
In fact, it was a huge crowd of kids and adults alike that came out to catch the game. The lines were long and criss-crossed each other as people waited to buy beer, barbecue or Lefties’ t-shirts and hats.
Perhaps they came because of curiosity, drawn by the novelty of a new team or perhaps because Port Angeles is a baseball-crazed town. Their reasons didn’t matter as much as the fact that the grandstands and party deck were jammed with people (an estimated 1,900 tickets were sold), the rain held off, the beer taps were working and the temperatures stayed mild for the Lefties’ first-ever game.
“I love the crowd, they got me running all over the place,” said GM Ryan Hinkey, who was sporting a big bandage on his hand from a gash he received working on the seats at the field.
“The crowd is right about where we hoped we would be,” he said.
“Got lots to do, lots of places to go,” said a very busy co-owner Matt Acker.
“This is awesome for Port Angeles. Port Angeles needs this, this is something positive for the while family” said Darcie Senf, wearing a 1st Security Bank, which is the sponsor of the party deck, jacket.
“This is the All-American game, it brings the community together,” said Lorie Fazio.
“Look at the grandstands,” said Marti Martinez. “It’s awesome to see the community coming together.”
“It’s really fun being here opening night and seeing how well they do,” said 9-year-old Annika Fox, one of countless kids at the games decked out head-to-toe in Lefties gear.
Lindsey Fox (not related to Annika) brought her children and their friends to the game.
“The kids love it. I’m enjoying it. It’s definitely family fun, there’s lots for the kids to do,” she said.
“I haven’t seen the stands full like this for a long time. I’ve been looking forward to this. This is great for the community,” said Todd Negus, who is hosting one of the Lefties’ players, Utah Jones, in his home.
A handful of Victoria fans made the trip across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to attend the game. Even the HarbourCats’ mascot, Harvey the HarbourCat, made the trip and was a hit with kids.
Brian Hayes writes the Victoria HarbourCats Baseball Blog.
“What amazes me is the number of people with Lefties hats, shirts and jerseys. The people here have taken on this team as their own is phenomenal,” said Hayes. “The whole town has embraced this team.”
Hayes said it took at least a couple of years for the HarborCats to generate the kind of enthusiasm that the Lefties already had.
In the end, the Lefties lost 11-2, but it didn’t matter to the fans, nor did some opening game glitches, such as a PA system that wasn’t working well or a lack of programs. Ninety-nine percent of what could have gone wrong went right. There was fun to be had, hot dogs to be eaten and beer to be imbibed. Ball to be played.
Harvey the HarbourCat came over from Victoria, B.C. to welcome HarbourCat and Lefties fans to the inaugural game of the Lefties. (Pierre LaBossiere, Peninsula Daily News)
