Rabbit's league in dire trouble.

Byline: Paul Jarvey

COLUMN: PAUL JARVEY

Walter "Rabbit" Maranville's Hall of Fame plaque reads: "compensated for lack of size with an overabundance of spunk and determination."

Whether the local Little League that bears his name can marshal those same qualities and survive is another matter.

League leaders are trying, but they admit that saving Maranville is an uphill battle. Problems facing the league that produced Rich Gedman and Keith Reed, a former first-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles, include crime, subpar field conditions, and a lack of money and volunteers.

"There are a lot of frustrations," said league president Eric Mahoney, "a lot of things that haven't been done that could've been done."

John Wronski, a volunteer and coach who is willing to take over as president after Mahoney steps down later this year, says the odds of the league surviving are no better than 60-40.

There isn't one problem, but a series of issues, large and small, that have added up.

The snack shack was broken into again about a month ago, a seemingly annual occurrence at the Camp Street field in South Worcester. Food and equipment were taken. Mahoney estimated that the break-in cost Maranville a minimum of $1,000 in lost revenue - a fortune in an organization in which registration fees are kept at a minimum to get as many kids as possible playing and in which four of the 14 teams don't have sponsors.

There is a plan to add a second floor to the snack shack, creating more secure storage for equipment, but that would cost $2,500, and where would a cash-strapped league find that kind of money?

The city completely overhauled the field three years ago, but Mahoney said the Kentucky bluegrass planted in the infield is wrong for this climate and doesn't grow right. Wronski said maintenance has been spotty at best with outfielders sometimes having to stand in grass over their ankles.

He said there are other issues with the field as well and doesn't believe the city is doing enough to address them.

Right now, the grass is flowering, producing white blooms that can sometimes hide the ball.

Mahoney said there are dedicated volunteers, but not enough of them. So, those who do help out end up dedicating much of their spare time to the league and get worn out. Some leagues complain about too much parental involvement, but at Maranville there isn't enough.

Mahoney has been involved for five or six years, the last two as president, but said it is time to spend more time with the family. He will still umpire in the league.

By all accounts, things have turned around under his reign. Softball returned for the first time in about 15 years, and trophy day was reinstated. He is planning a field day to hand out trophies, coupling the event with a Crime Watch session.

Growth, though, has created what may be Maranville's biggest problem - space. One Little League field isn't enough for 14 teams playing baseball, T-ball and softball.

Mahoney is hoping the solution is just a foul ball away.

He said a meeting will be held after the season between Maranville, South Side Babe Ruth and the city to see if the league can share the adjacent full-sized baseball field.

The infield would have to be skinned to create an all-purpose field, but if that were to happen the softball and T-ball programs could be moved and teams could have a place to practice.

It would also lessen the stress on the Little League field, which would likely improve conditions.

"If we can't turn around and get that second field, we could be in trouble," Mahoney said.

No one wants that. Nearly 150 kids are playing in Maranville this year, coming from neighborhoods ranging from Green Island to Main South.

"It's obviously an inner-city league, low-income neighborhoods," said Jesse Catalonga, one of the volunteers who help run Maranville.

The city has some far more well-off leagues, such as Burkett and Schwartz, but the neighborhoods that feed Maranville have always produced good players. One reason Wronski wants to be president is to nurture that talent.

He played in Maranville and is happy to give back.

"I dedicate my time to where it was dedicated to me," he said.

Keeping the league alive is more than just developing talent, though. It is about giving kids structure and a place to go, showing them that there is an alternative to gangs.

"A lot of these kids are on the fence between being good kids and going the other way," Mahoney said.

It is why the volunteers are hoping the organization can be like Rabbit Maranville - who at 5-foot-5, 155 pounds wasn't much bigger than a Little Leaguer himself - and overcome the odds one more time.

Contact Paul Jarvey by e-mail at [e-mail].