It’s official. I’m a sponsor.

Two years ago, I blogged about donating some cash to my local town and village’s Little League, so that their organizers can install a brand new outfield scoreboard.

A little league field needs a scoreboard. How can you tell who’s winning without a scoreboard?

Yesterday, as I drove home, I saw two teams of kids playing youth baseball at the Little League field. And it dawned on me. I can see the scoreboard in the outfield, clear as day, from my car.

I gotta check this out. I pulled over and walked among the Little League game’s spectators.

Of course, I’m also feeling a bit peckish, so I can’t just watch a baseball game without some food. A quick trip to the right field concession stand, and one cheeseburger and a diet cola later, I’m sitting in the outfield stands, watching two groups of “farm” players in a 1-1 game.

Okay, that was fun. But let’s see what the new scoreboard looks like.

A quick jaunt toward left field, and …

There it is.

That’s one sweet looking scoreboard. It’s utilitarian, it doesn’t need a Jumbotron or exploding fireworks or anything like that. Just give me the inning, the score, the balls, the strikes and the outs, and I’m okay.

And look – on the fence, right next to the scoreboard … are the sponsors. And there’s my name. I helped invest in the community. Yeah, that warm feeling is a big dose of community pride.

There I am. Listed in the Platinum section, along with Mayor Ellen McNulty Ryan and the local fraternal organization The Vagabond Club (so named after the “Vagabonds” of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison and their friends, who visited Green Island in the 1920’s and conceived of a Ford radiator factory in the Town and Village).

I’m not even going to bring up that the word “Platinum” is missing an N. That’s not the important thing.

The REALLY important thing is that I feel like I’m truly part of the community here. And I’m totally fine with that. Heck, some of my photos of Green Island architecture have even graced the walls of the New York State Fair Art Center, so I’m definitely finding some good source material in this one-square-mile neighborhood. Yeah. I’m liking it here.

And now I’m an official sponsor of something that’s part of the Green Island community.

I’m DEFINITELY good with that.