The Eastview Letters just keep coming in Support..



Dave:

I heard about your situation and as the President of a little league in Woodland Hills, we were actually faced with a similar situation when our property, which we were at for about 35 years, were put up for public bid. After about a year and a half of fear, we thankfully were successful in our bid and continue to operate to date.

I have taken the liberty to forward your petition to members of our league, as we understand the situation and the impossibility of finding comparable space elsewhere in today's society. For what ever it's worth, we leaned on our councilman, Dennis Zine, who was tremendous, and we retained a land use attorney with major connections to help get our word out. They were able to get to state and local officials which we did not have access to, and to get our story to the people that needed to hear it.

I hope that your councilperson will be as helpful and that you can convince Target's parent company that a little league field is more important then another store. If we can be of any help, please let me know.

John ShaikinPresident, Woodland Hills Sunrise Little League

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TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

I AM WRITING TO VOICE MY PROTEST AGAINST YOUR PROPSED NEW STORE IN SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

#1. WHY WOULD TARGET TAKE AWAY EASTVIEW LITTLE LEAGUE FROM THE CHILDREN, AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, OF SAN PEDRO?

#2. WHY DO YOU FIND IT NECESSARY TO DESTROY OUR LITTLE LEAGUE IN FAVOR OF BUILDING YET ANOTHER NEW STORE WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE BEGUN CONSTRUCTION ON A NEW STORE THAT IS LESS THAN THREE MILES AWAY FROM OUR FIELDS?

#3. DO YOU REALLY BELEIVE THAT THE PEOPLE OF SAN PEDRO AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES WILL SUPPORT THIS LITTLE LEAGUE KILLER STORE?

#4. DO YOU CARE, EVEN THE LEAST LITTLE BIT, ABOUT FAMILES AND TRADITIONS?

I HAVE WATCHED MY GRANDSONS PLAY LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND LEARN THE VALUES OF TEAMWORK, HONESTY, DISCIPLINE, CONFIDENCE AND CARING. I HAVE BEEN PROUD TO BE AMONG THE MOMS, DADS, BROTHERS, SISTERS, GRANDPAS, GRANDMAS, AUNTS, UNCLES, COUSINS AND FRIENDS AS WE CHEERED OUR TEAMS ON TO DO THEIR BEST AND BE PROUD TEAM PLAYERS.

I ASK YOU, I BEG YOU, PLEASE, DO NOT TAKE THIS INCREDIBLE EXPERICENCE AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN, AND THE FUTURE EASTVIEW LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYERS.

LONNIE MONTE
LIFELONG RESIDENT OF SAN PEDRO, CALIFORNIA

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My name is Monica Anderson & I've lived in San Pedro since 1961. I work at a nearby container terminal representing Cosco, (China Ocean Shipping Co.) & Target stores is one of our Import customers. It's also ironic that my step-son works at national "Target" in Minneapolis, Minn., as a senior art director. My husband & I have visited your beautiful national headquarters & were amazed to see the many different aspects of what is actually entailed in running a successful retail store of this magnitude. Our entire family has shopped at your two local Torrance, Ca., stores for many years as we all thoroughly enjoy spending our hard earned money at Target. I was also elated to find out that a new retail Target was going to be opening in San Pedro, but not at the expense of giving up our beloved Eastview Little League baseball fields. Now in my 50's, I thoroughly enjoy watching my nephews & their friends play baseball right here at Eastview Little league fields in San Pedro, Ca. & have ever since my nephews played T-Ball. They are now 12 & 15yrs of age. These fields are on the property that was once owned by Di Carlo Bakery & then purchased by Target approx. two yrs ago in the hopes of building a new Target on the corner of Gaffey & Capital Streets in San Pedro, Ca. We were hoping that Target may have some solutions in helping to resolve Eastview Little League's re-location dilemma. Eastview Little League is a highly respected & loved organization of wonderful parents, family members & friends who tirelessly donate their time to ensure that their children have a nice place to play organized & supervised baseball. We are genuinely looking forward to hearing your views & ideas on this matter…...

Thank You & Regards, Monica Anderson Pacific Container Terminal, Yard Office

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It’s Richard DiCarlo writing from Phoenix. I not sure if I can sign the petition on the website because of resident location, but if I can, please email me back and I will be more than happy to do that for you. If I cannot, please accept the following as a testimony to the Joe Gregorio fields (formerly DiCarlo Fields) and if you would like to present this at a hearing or meeting, please do it with my utmost permission:

David, I remember when we played baseball together at Eastview LL and, if I remember correctly, we played later at the Navy field on Western Avenue. (Your fastball was a bit quicker by that time). I have been following the story about the fields from on-line accounts in the Daily Breeze and my father, Lorenzo DiCarlo, has been sending me articles in the mail. I compliment you and fellow participants in your passion to save these fields for the youth in San Pedro in order for them to have a place to begin their baseball careers and continue their life development skills. I have been fortunate over the years to coach my boys, Lawrence and Sammy, here in Phoenix at our local little league when they played there. They are 17 and 14 now and still playing ball. Even though they are too old to play at the LL level anymore, we now volunteer at Shaw Butte LL as umpires.

The benefits of baseball for youth are numerous. More than just the fields will be taken away should the city not acquire some land to develop a sports complex for the youth. (The land along Paseo Del Mar comes to mind but I know its deemed “preserve”). Not only will the youths be deprived of this gift, but the adults and the community as a whole. As you know, I am a police officer here in the City of Phoenix, and I have seen some youth make immature and poor choices. Some of the repercussions have been temporary and others have been, and will be, life-long consequences. Not only for them, but for their families as well.

By having a place to play baseball, it begins to teach youth the very basics of decision-making, adjustment to change, physical skills(development and capabilities), participation in events with peers and adults, and the skill of working as a team. The last concept (team work), in my opinion, encompasses all the entities of the ones mentioned previous to it. As you know, baseball is a very fluid game and many things can change within it. A team can go from being on top to losing in the last inning. This is where the coaches’ guidance comes in for the youth. Teaching them to lose graciously and not allowing the players to engage in finger-pointing is a skill that needs to be exhibited. That is the difference between youth and being an adult. The adult is able to cope and react honorably, where the youth need to be developed in this life skill. Unfortunately, we have all seen adults in life that maybe could have paid more attention to this skill. On the same note, winning can be very rewarding and exciting. It shows the youth how the “little” things in practice and the attention-to-detail can pay off. Accepting praise graciously, too, is a life-learned skill.

It is wonderful to see how the generations developed and maintained the fields for the youth of San Pedro to play on over the years. It was a wonderful gift that my grandfathers and subsequent owners of the bakery property were able to share with the community. And I don’t use the words “community” and “gift” lightly. It takes a community to raise our children. I love the saying (I will paraphrase), “a hundred years from now will it really matter what kind of car I drove or what my house looked like? What is more important is if I made a difference in a child’s life.” I guess the same goes if we ask, “Does it make a difference where we did our shopping?” Can we not drive ten minutes up the Harbor Freeway to another Target. Or better yet, how about just making the store a bit smaller so that our youths can grow? I pray that Target will AT LEAST donate money towards relocation and building of new fields.

These fields hold and carry many memories for those of us that played on them. I implore the political leaders in San Pedro to find some land for the dreams to be carried and continue. David, I remember visiting the field not too long ago when my son and I were in town for one of our frequent visits. I was so proud to show him where I played ball. It was also the same field where my brothers and other relatives were able to coach and begin developing their players in life and playing skills. I cannot tell you the invaluable lessons and relationships I built by coaching here at our local little league in Phoenix when my sons were growing up. Not only with the kids, but with their families as well. This is why it is a community–building sporting event.

Continue to fight this good fight, David, with dignity and passion. Sometimes this journey gets muddled with politics and money. But, know in your heart, that you are doing the right thing. Let’s hope our leaders of the community can work together with our “corporate” world in finding the right thing to do. For every problem, there is a solution.

Kindest regards,

Richard DiCarlo --------------------