League:

Continued From Page 1 of youth baseball.

“Due to the growth of our League, we will require three Majors/Minors games being played simultaneously Saturdays and some weeknights. Over the past few years, the original Field served as mostly a practice field, but because of over 560 players playing in the League now, there is a need to host more games on it,” Brick Little League President Mike Desmond said. “Much restoration, investment and volunteer hours were needed to bring the once Jewel of the League back to life to make this happen. We are excited to bring back its past players, coaches, and families from Brick Little League and Brick National Little League to celebrate the history of baseball in Brick.”

Some guest appearances at opening day included Mark Hibbard (son of Edmund Hibbard), Buster from the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Red from Red Robin, NJ Little League District 18 Assistant Administrator Tim LeCras, Brick Police Honor Guard, and elected officials.

The League recognized the 2022 10-year-old District Championship Team managed by Coach Jason Burgess as well as honored the family of Edmund Hibbard - the Park’s namesake.

During the ceremony they gave out a Volunteer Recognition Award to Volunteer Pete Tortorella and raffled away free tickets to the Brick Little League Night out at the BlueClaws on June 24.

Throwing out the ceremonial first pitches were Mark Hibbard, Councilmember Vincent Minichino and Tee Ball Player Bruce Woodruff. In addition, 12-year-old player Michael Bolen read the Little League Oath.

“The 2023 Brick Little League Spring Season will certainly be one to remember as the League celebrates 40-plus years of baseball at Edmund Hibbard Park. Thank you to all the Little League Volunteers, Brick Township Parks & Recreation, and Department of Public Works for all the efforts making Brick Little League a special place for the youth of Brick Township to play baseball,” Brick Recreation Superintendent Dan Santaniello said. The League presented a new throwback alternate logo at Legacy Field, which features a combination of the old Brick National logo with the current Brick Little League colors. Legacy Field will also feature a new backstop, pitcher’s mound, signage and more. Brick Little League will be hosting its 3rd

Kids were ready for another season of fun.

Annual Volunteer Appreciation Day on April 29 which will include a BBQ, Coaches Lunch and ceremony. For more information visit Brick Little League’s website at bricklittleleague.com.

Beach: Continued From Page 1

Their unofficial mascot, a pig named Hamlet, came with Beach Captain Crystal DeCaro and her dog Aurora. “Rain or shine we’re going to make it happen,” she said.

“Clean Ocean Action has a spring sweep and a fall one. It is always in April and always in October and they usually shoot for a Saturday. In the last 10 years we’ve had so many windy days and rain before and other things that might deter volunteers but we always have people come out,” DeCaro added.

Laurie and Keith Huryk of Toms River were there despite the rain. DeCaro said, “they are extreme supporters and they always come in and get a selfie with Hamlet. They come prepared with cleanup items and everything.”

“I started coming when I was on council,” former Councilwoman Laurie Huryk said. “I didn’t know it happened before that. We enjoy it so much. It has been six years now. You help clean up the beach and help the environment.”

She and her husband later found a pair of eyeglasses that were left behind near the dunes.

Hamlet didn’t mind the rain. “He is our unofficial mascot of Clean Ocean Action. He is six years old. He’s been coming since he was a baby. I’ve been doing it for 10 years. He has been a hit ever since so I felt I couldn’t help but bring him out. He’s my pet indoor pig and he loves the beach so that was also a motivation behind it because he pushes around the sand with his snout,” DeCaro said.

“I try to teach people to make sure you know what you leave behind and notice the trash. It isn’t only all about us it is also about the animals and our ecosystem,” she added.

Ortley Beach was just one of several sweep locations that were to be held that day. Other Beach Sweeps in Ocean County were to include Bay Head, Berkeley, Brick, Island Beach State Park, Lavallette, Long Beach Island, Mantoloking, Ocean Gate, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park, Normandy Beach and Tuckerton.

Three volunteers at the Berkeley location – Dudley Park – stayed at the picnic tables to let people know it was cancelled. They still picked up a few things while they were there.

Clean Ocean Action started the Beach Sweeps in 1985. It is one of the longest running cleanups of its kind in the world. The program grew from 75 people at one site in 1985, to over 10,000 volunteers in 2018.

Volunteers gather as groups (community, school, business, and organization), families, or individuals and collect and record valuable data about debris, which is presented in annual reports.

“If you want to change the world, people power is the answer,” COA Ex- ecutive Director Cindy Zipf said. “The Beach Sweeps is proof positive of that fact. We are grateful and inspired by the dedication and true-blue spirit of volunteers.”

Fish, whales, birds, and other animals often mistake litter for food. As a result, animals get entangled in or ingest items, such as plastic bags, cigarette filters, and fishing line, with deadly results. Cigarette filters are made of plastic fibers and trap carcinogenic chemicals that are introduced into animals’ bloodstreams.

Watershed Program Manager Alison Jones said, “last year, over 10,000 volunteers welcomed the opportunity to gather safely, get outside, and give back by participating in the Beach Sweeps. As always, their hard work and diligent data collection provided COA with interesting insights about litter at the Jersey Shore.” boardwalk games and all others as part of either a Jersey Shore game or event.

“From the outset of the pandemic (it cost Jersey Shore its 2020 season), this is something that we have been thinking about, but we first wanted to make sure the best plans and protocols were in place to make this a smooth transition for our fans,” said president-general manager Joe Ricciutti. “We have spoken with numerous peers in the industry and all of our vendors and partners expect this to be a seamless process that makes things even easier for fans as they come to our games.”

The decision to go cashless follows 29 of the 30 major league baseball teams and stadiums, including that of the Philadelphia Phillies, the BlueClaws’ parent club.

“Two-thirds of our food and beverage transactions are already made with credit and debit cards,” Ricciutti said. “Moving to a cashless system will make transactions times faster and fans will be able to get back to doing what they came to the ballpark to do - enjoy a baseball game and take advantage of the boardwalk games, mini golf and everything else we offer.”

Fans can access their tickets at any time on their mobile device by logging into their TicketReturn account, which existing customers already have and new customers create as part of the purchase flow. From there, they can have their tickets scanned at the gates or transfer tickets to either a family member, friend or colleague.

“TicketReturn is one of the premier ticket vendors in the industry and its mobile platform makes accessing and transferring tickets a very simple process for fans,” Ricciutti said.

Inside the ballpark, credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay will be the only form of payment for food and beverage transactions, Claws Cove transactions and at The Boardwalk and the Manasquan Bank Mini Golf Course. Fans will have access to a Reverse ATM inside the ballpark through which they can convert cash into a debit card. The debit card can be used inside and outside the ballpark.

Parking will also be cashless and fans can pay using either a credit card or a debit card as they arrive.

Numerous fan promotions are at bat throughout the regular season.

April 11 was billed as Opening Night at the Jersey Shore. The team is scheduled to play 132 regular-season games, including 66 at ShoreTown, which again figures to be a fun house for of all ages. The calendar includes 11 fireworks nights, beginning April 11 and every Friday beginning June 2 and July 4.

“These nights represent the best fan experiences from across the BlueClaws’ season,” Ricciutti said. “We know these games are going to sell out. We don’t want anyone to miss out.”

Among the new beverage options for fans is the Heavy Reel Brewing Taphouse behind Section 109. The area will include Heavy Reel brewing selections that will rotate throughout the season. The promotion is built off the success of Reel Claw, a BlueClaws-branded IPA launched last year.

Two of Jersey Shore’s 14 sellouts were Marvel Super Hero Nights and this year the team will host three - May 19 with Black Panther, June 24 with Spider-Man and Aug. 5 with Captain Marvel. As part of Minor League Baseball’s partnership with Marvel, Jersey Shore will wear a special Marvel-designed cap with special merchandise also available. The BlueClaws will host Summer Concert Series games June 10 (The Snakes), July 8 (Asbury Fever) and Aug. 19 (Splintered Sunlight).

A large Jumbo Adirondack Chair will be in right field. Everyone is encouraged to take pictures and share, using the hashtag #blueclaws to be entered to win special prizes from Focus Camera, the promotion’s presenter. It’s the second season of the Blue Wave Bar, a second-level full service restaurant open to fans at each game. The menu includes some items, including seafood, that aren’t available anywhere else in the ballpark. Kids will continue to run the bases after every game.

Daily promotions include Thirsty Thursday with $2 Coors Light cans and Sunday FunDays with Kids Eat Free where members of the BlueClaws Kids Club eat free.

The BlueClaws’ latest Player Development Contract with the Phillies began in 2021 and

(BlueClaws - See Page 8)