Fundraising campaign targets new scoreboard for Crescenta Valley Little League

It’s not uncommon for a baseball game to be rained out, but a storm in December went one step further and knocked down an entire scoreboard at Montrose Community Park.

The board belonged to the Crescenta Valley Little League, which installed it more than a decade ago. A replacement is on its way.

However, the nonprofit had to dig into its budget for the current season to pay for the new scoreboard, so the little league has turned to fundraising online to help cover costs such as umpires and uniforms.

“Our goal is to try to keep as many kids as possible playing baseball by keeping our registration fees as low as possible,” said Shawn Howard, president of the local little league and a coach.

So far, the “Save Our Scoreboard” campaign on Crowdwise has raised about $3,000 toward a goal of $10,000.

About 375 kids play in the Crescenta Valley Little League.

The current season got underway last week and Howard gave himself the honor of introducing the temporary scoreboard: two small placards that can be flipped over each time a team scores, a tally-keeping device that’s cheaper than a giant scoreboard.

“It’s a little flip thing that I bought on Amazon for $45,” he said.

Myra Goethals is a little league mom who used to man the large scoreboard during her son’s games and said she feels awkward without being in charge of keeping tallies now.

She said the community comes together for the betterment of the league and she appreciates those who have contributed so far.

“When we needed something, the community came through and it’s helping to provide something for our boys that has become a staple of Montrose [Community] Park,” Goethals said.

Although the season is carrying on without a large scoreboard for the time being, there is one bright side to the whole situation, Howard said.

In his role, he said coaches and volunteers focus on helping the youngsters become better players and youngsters and not focus on the end result, which is the final score.

While having a permanent scoreboard back is ideal, the lack of one is helping that message get across, Howard said.

“It’s certainly different for the kids who are out there playing baseball without that big looming ‘We’re behind 15-0’… it’s a different dynamic,” he said.

City of Glendale workers helped move the old scoreboard when it was knocked down and are currently helping with the permitting process to get a new one installed, a process that could take 30 to 45 days, Howard said.