South Shore Rebels make their mark in Cooperstown

As the sun beats down on Harris Field on the corner of Hempstead and Lexington avenues in Malverne, the crack of a metal bat pervades the air. Chris McDaniels, assistant coach of the South Shore Rebels, yells “turn two” as the shortstop scrambles to throw a ground ball to second base.

The field is filled with smiling 12-year-olds eager to get their chance at the next ground  ball, pop-fly or line-drive. The practice on a recent Wednesday morning ended with the Rebels, who will be traveling to Cooperstown July 30 to compete in a nationwide tournament at Dreams Park, taking a game situation batting practice and trying to get used to the new rules.

“The fields up at Cooperstown have 70-foot bases and the pitcher’s mound is 50 feet away,” said Tom Porr, who has coached the Rebels every year since the team was started in 2000. The measurements of the field, which differ from the normal 60-foot bases and 46-foot pitcher’s mound found in Little League, are not the only things the 12-year-old ball players have to get used to: the players can use any size metal bat they want, Porr said, adding that all Major League rules, such as leading, are in effect.

The Rebels are made up of kids from Malverne and some of its neighborhood villages, including Lynbrook and Valley Stream. “We hold tryouts for children from all over,” Porr said, “and we end up choosing 12 to come up for the tournament.”

The competition, which hosts more than 100 teams, is a great experience for the young players. “It was a blast,” said 15-year-old Nick Boffardi, who went with the rebels to Cooperstown in 2008 and now assists the coaches in practices. “It was one of the best weeks of my life,” the Kellenberg Memorial freshman added.

Before the Rebels travel to the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the team hopes to have a few games under their belts. “We try to schedule about one or two exhibition games with other teams from the area,” Porr said. “Also, there’s the ‘old timer’s’ game on July 17.”