It’s Sunday morning before the big game and once again our New England Patriots are playing for another championship. I was researching some baseball topics to write about that would have some sort of tie-in with the game and found the perfect solution. The Patriots are the team mascot for Portsmouth High School. So, why not write about a league of some future Patriots, Portsmouth Little League!

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In late September, I visited the home of Portsmouth Little League. Portsmouth plays in District 2 of Rhode Island Little League. The fields I visited, Arthur Sherman Field and Jim Rooney Field, are located off Route 138/East Main Rd which are easy to get to coming from Newport and Middletown from the south as well as Route 24 from the north. There is a school or academy located roadside on the complex and the fields are in the back. There is plenty of parking for the two Little League® size fields with convenient access to either field.

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Both baseball fields were in very good shape, ready to play condition when I visited. There was plenty of bleacher seating at each field as well as room in the outfield areas to watch a game. There were several batting cages and pitching areas for pre-game warm-ups and batting practice. I liked the spacing between the two fields and there was a huge overlap area just outside each field so you could potentially watch both games. Each field was dressed up with plenty of sponsorship signs, scoreboards, and great facility signs.

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When I visit baseball fields, I always look for unique signs, memorials, and interesting baseball “stuff”. Two things caught my eye. First, there was a nice memorial garden at Sherman Field which read “In Memory of Brian Hamilton.”

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The other was a very interesting bullpen hitter who remained still, even after I pitched several strikes to him/her. This batting “dummy” was really cool and a great training tool for kids. Pitchers can have a nice visual when they are working on their accuracy on the mound. And I recorded my first strikeout in almost 20 years.

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If its Sunday in New England, we must be thinking about the Patriots.
Today I will be rooting for the New England Patriots and was so thrilled to visit the baseball fields of Portsmouth Little League, home of some future Patriot players. Their baseball fields, Sherman and Rooney, are an excellent representation of all that is great about Rhode Island youth baseball. They offer plenty of seating, great local business sponsorship recognition, ready to play condition, and were just a joy to walk around and observe. And maybe one day, I will be writing about a Portsmouth Little Leaguer who became a Portsmouth Patriot baseball player. But for now, I will say Go Patriots and thank you for another great Rhode Island Baseball Experience.

Registration for the 2019 season of Portsmouth Little League is now open. You can learn more about signing up, locations of fields, and coaching opportunities at:

Website – Portsmouth Little League

Facebook – Portsmouth LL

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