Diamond quality

Mike Sciacca

They were rivals on the playing field, these 13 youngsters, but

friends and acquaintances off.

On one recent, overcast evening, within the friendly confines of

Riddle Field, all the rivalries were put aside as they came together

to form one impressive dream of a team.

Whether they conquered the mound, performed with grace in the

field or possessed power at the plate, these 13 players were

standouts during the 2002 Laguna Beach Little League season -- the

50th celebration of the league.

The boys comprise the first Coastline Pilot Little League Dream

Team.

“When you look at them as a whole, it’s quite a group,” Laguna

Beach All-Star coach Cary Hyden said. “They’ve done some pretty

impressive things during the course of the season.”

No-hitters and other outstanding pitching performances, home runs

and spectacular plays in the field could be found among the

statistics of this group, many of whom list their all-time favorite

moment as hitting their first home run at Riddle Field.

The Dream Team members come from the six teams -- VFW, Laguna Surf

& Sport, American Legion, Hobie, Rotary and Sportsworld -- that

comprise the Majors Division of Laguna Beach Little League.

“I think there are a lot of talented players on this team,” said

Dream Team member Dillon Pierce, who played for Hobie.

After watching the Major leaguers fidget, horse around and yes,

some patiently await their turn on photo day for the 2002 Coastline

Pilot Dream Team, you could tell that their was no way to contain

their energy.

Not with the regular season behind them, and the impending

District 55 Tournament of Champions looming on the weekend horizon.

In selecting the Dream Team, players were judged on their overall

performance during the regular season.

Individually, each was a standout. Limiting a select team to 13

was a daunting task considering the talent in the league.

“It’s a tough thing to do because there are a lot of good players

in this league,” said Rich Fair, who managed Laguna Surf & Sport

during the regular season, and served as the Majors Division All-Star

manager during the postseason.

“All of the kids who played Majors Division ball this season

should be proud of how they performed,” he said.

These 13 players also went on to be nominated and represent Laguna

Beach Little League in the District 55 All-Star Tournament of

Champions competition.

“At the end of each season you base criteria for selecting an

All-Star team on performance,” Fair said. “What’s nice about this is

that the kids themselves select nine players whom they feel should

make the All-Star team, and the coaches also select nine. We come up

with a final team from there.”

With the photo shoot complete at just more than an hour, the

players were free to go and enjoy the rest of their summer.

But that would have to wait, though, as they had to get ready for

a late practice that evening.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. He can be reached at 494-4321 or by e-mail at

michael.sciacca@latimes.com.