THE young man is obviously an athlete and he appears ill at ease carrying a rake. His baseball cap is placed jauntily on his head and his posture is powerful and graceful. He would likely be more comfortable carrying a baseball bat and hitting a homerun. This early summer morning, however, he is raking stones from the field, preparing the baseball diamond for the Little League championship, and doing his father’s bidding.

His father is Stephen Guerrero of Dededo, one of the volunteer leaders of the Guam Little League. Guerrero, with the sometimes begrudging assistance of his son, has been supporting youth baseball with hands-on hard work for almost 30 years. When he was still a teenager, Guerrero helped his own father, Jose, support several different youth teams in the Northern Guam Little League.

Stephen Guerrero has been the Guam Little League District Administrator since 2005. Joining other island fathers and mothers, Guerrero led Guam youth baseball to another successful year despite the difficult economic situation facing our community. This year, Guam Little League had approximately 900 players on more than 50 teams around the island.

Little League baseball holds a special place in the hearts of Americans here on Guam and around the nation. The purity of the game, the beauty of sport and fair play coalesce on the baseball field to create memories that fathers and mothers never, ever forget.

Village youth baseball remains strong especially now in the villages of Barrigada, Agaña Heights, Sinajaña and Talofofo, where proud families rally to support their boys and girls who play. The village mayors are tremendously important to the success of village teams. The mayors maintain the baseball fields and often the mayors are the main sponsors for team uniforms and supplies.

Baseball games unite villages and families. The sporting competition becomes a reason for working adults, children and elders to come together and spend an afternoon outside in the sun. Now that alcohol has been banned, these community get-togethers are truly fun, festive, and a great way to bring neighbors together.

Over this past weekend, the Little League major division held its 2012 all-star championship featuring some of the best youth baseball players on the island. The Central All-Stars beat the team from Northern Guam to earn the right to represent our island in the Asia-Pacific (ASPAC) Regional Majors Little League Tournament to be held next month in Taiwan.

The Central All-Stars featured an exceptionally strong group of hitters from Yoña, Sinajaña, Barrigada, and Agaña Heights. In addition, the all-star champions are comprised of 12 experienced pitchers who are prepared to throw on any given day. Coaches Eric Gogue, Robert Cruz and Pete Leon Guerrero have managed to forge a team that seems ready to not only compete, but also conquer the regional ASPAC tournament this coming July.

Last year, Guam hosted the regional tournament that featured teams from Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. A strong team from Taiwan won the 2011 ASPAC title and Taiwan looks to be the favorite to win again this year, especially on their home field.

This year’s Guam team, though, looks like something special and appears built to win in the international arena. If Guam does win in Taiwan then it will represent the region in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. later this summer. Sponsors for the Guam champions are dearly needed, and proud Central Guam Little League father Howard Salas would be glad to get your call at 687-4436.