Sammy Rodriguez thought his time with the Los Niños players and families had come to an end in 2011, when his youngest son aged out of Little League.
Rodriguez had spent the past four years serving as president of the league, and even more years before that as a Los Niños parent, helping out with various tasks while his sons worked their way up from the minors to the majors and finally the juniors. The other parents and players became like family.
Several years later, Rodriguez didn't hesitate when asked to return as president of Los Niños in order to save it from closing down. The departing president had let registration numbers drop too low, and on top of that, the league was in financial distress.
Los Niños only had 78 registered players the season before Rodriguez took over at the start of 2019. It took a lot of work, but by the start of the season, Rodriguez had more than doubled that figure.
Now, the Little League — located at Craycroft and Valencia roads — is thriving, thanks in large part to Rodriguez, his wife and two of their grown children.
But after rebuilding Los Niños and weathering a pandemic, this season handed the Rodriguezes their biggest challenge yet. By the time the league was given permission to go forward with a 2021 season, Los Niños no longer had any board members.
So the Rodriguezes split up the positions and did it all themselves.
'We literally started from scratch'
When Sammy Rodriguez took Los Niños back over in 2019, signing players wasn't as easy as it was the decade prior.
"It was a struggle, because we had to get the trust of all the parents to come back. We had to get interviewed by the parents," Rodriguez said. "What was really cool about this whole thing ... kids that I coached (years ago) came with their kids."
Signing new players wasn't Rodriguez's only challenge. When he took over Los Niños, there was just $1,050 in the bank account and even more due in outstanding bills. The remaining equipment was no longer safe for players to use.
"We literally started from scratch," Rodriguez said.
Luckily, Rodriguez was able to secure a sponsorship with the Tucson Conquistadors and a few other sponsors, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Circle K and In-N-Out Burger. Their funds paid for equipment for the league's 10 teams, food and supplies for the snack bar, chalk for the baselines and shade screens for the dugouts. There was even money left over to cover the $100 registration fee for families in need of assistance.
"I was putting myself out there, asking for sponsorships," Rodriguez said. "We stated our case, and told them the potential was here."
In addition to increasing registration and finding a way to pay to keep the league going, Los Niños' home field, Thomas Jay Regional Park, was in need of some serious improvements. Rodriguez learned there was money in the budget to pay for park improvements, but he'd have to prove to supervisors that there was a need. He told Rodriguez he needed to collect 250 signatures of support for improvements, and Rodriguez went to work to make it happen.
Improvements have since been made, but there's still work to be done. The scoreboard was built in 1976 and while it's been reprogrammed at least once, it's once again out of commission.
Having to be smart with their limited funds forced Rodriguez and his family to get creative and put himself out there even more, talking to community members and officials about what they could do to help the cash-strapped league.
J.E. Ramirez lines up a grounder as the Los Niños Little League All-Stars work on infield fielding during practice this week.
They found a contact at Visit Tucson who donated all the balls from exhibition baseball games for Los Niños to use for practice balls. That person connected them with a representative from Pass It On Soccer, who will be providing equipment to the team.
"It's great, because we're little. We're over here, very few people know about us," Brandi Rodriguez said.
They had a great 2019, with the Los Niños name featured on the Diamondbacks marquee, and came into 2020 hot.
"We were so fired up," Rodrigeuz said. "Our registrations were coming in and coming in."
And then the pandemic hit.
A family united
The league was forced to cancel its March 28 opening ceremonies, at which Pima County Supervisor Ramón Valadez was scheduled to dedicate the league's softball field, and the rest of the 2020 season followed suit.
But with Rodriguez' whole family working at Banner-University Medical Center, they had bigger things to worry about than a canceled season.
Rodriguez's wife, Brandi, and daughter, Cassandra, both work at the Cancer Center, while he works as a receiving coordinator in the material supply chain. Rodriguez's youngest son, Christopher, works at Banner's south campus, in material management.
When 2021 rolled around, Rodriguez told Brandi they'd need to just wait and see.
"We have to go by the medical field," Rodriguez said. "But we came up with all these regulations and we got approval to play. We started late, but we got great registrations."
With many Los Niños parents also working in healthcare, Rodriguez said it was an easy sell to get families to buy-in to the safety plan.
"We took all their feedback and input, and we told them we need everybody out there basically policing that they're following all the protocols," Rodriguez said.
This year, there was no more shared equipment, and the only thing Los Niños supplied for players was baseballs and bases. Each player had to handle the rest, and the season went off without a hitch.
Almost.
"But the sad part about it, was we lost all our board members," Rodriguez said. "COVID had a major impact on it. We tried to recruit people."
Those recruiting efforts were not as successful as Rodriguez's player recruitment, so they went it alone.
Rodriguez handled the duties of president, chief umpire and equipment manager. Brandi and Cassandra Rodriguez took care of treasury and registration, with Cassandra also handling public relations and secretary. Christopher Rodriguez rounded out the group, filling in the other necessary board positions, and also coaching the juniors team that's headed to the All-Stars Saturday.
A true family affair, even the Rodrigeuz's oldest son, Sammy, stepped up to help, taking on a coaching position for his daughter's coach pitch team.
"And we're still married," Brandi Rodriguez said with a laugh. "We got through it and we’re happy. Exhausted, but happy."
Luckily, they have some board members signed up for next year, with Sammy Rodriguez hitting parents up during this year's closing ceremonies and telling them they're desperate for assistance. Rodriguez said parents have been great about participating in other areas, including helping with the snack bar and taking on coaching positions, and they couldn't keep Los Niños going without the extra help.
Rodriguez said when he took over the league, his goal was to get 400 kids registered.
"It's doable, and we were so close last year" Rodriguez said. "When the kids that I coached come with their kids, that's a major buildup."
And despite a slightly smaller roster this season, with eight teams to 2019's 10 teams, the season is still going strong. Los Niños is sending two teams to All-Stars this year for the first time since taking over, and fall ball will start in August.
'You want to help them as much as you can'
At practice for the league's 9, 10 and 11-year-old All-Stars Tuesday night, it was all business for the Los Niños players, with the exception of the bursts of laughter erupting between drills. While balls were in play, the field was silent, and the players' small stature was often the only reminder of their young age.
Brandi and Cassandra Rodriguez were posted up on a picnic table with two other women, glued to the practice and huddling together to talk about where players had improved or still needed work.
Aaron Garcia, left, and Andres Castro jog home as the Los Niños Little League All-Stars take laps to end up the night’s practice session at Thomas Jay Regional Park.
Cassandra Rodriguez, 31, was the only Rodriguez child to not play baseball. Instead, she grew up playing volleyball and tennis, playing softball once and calling it quits after taking a ball to the face.
She played tennis through high school, but tagged along to Los Niños games with her brothers and parents, so it was very much also her league.
"When my son came was when it was baseball, so then I started getting into baseball" Cassandra Rodriguez said. "That's why I really got passionate about being out here for all these kids. You look at them and you're like, where would these kids be if you didn't do it?"
That was the draw for Cassandra Rodriguez to join in her parent's efforts this year. And she did more than just join, Sammy Rodriguez said his daughter footed the bill for the league's entire $1,400 insurance bill herself.
"We lived here. We still live here. We're here Monday through Saturday," Cassandra Rodriguez said. "Our whole dedication and devotion has been to Little League."
Cassandra Rodriguez said the looks on their faces when they're out on the field make the extra work more than worth it.
"I want to see more teams," Cassandra Rodriguez said, adding that it's all about the personal touch of knowing each player's name and each parent's child.
The league is more than just competition, though, Sammy Rodriguez said. It's about setting a good example on the field and at home, and there are rules attached.
Players' behavior at home must be in top shape, and maintaining good grades and a good academic record is also important.
The final rule is that if a player shows up to practice, he or she has to smile. On Tuesday night, the field was full of them.
Julian Carbajal sat on the bleachers during practice, watching his son Julian Jr. practice for Saturday's game. Carbajal signed on as a coach this season, saying he enjoyed it more than he thought he would.
"It was really good. You could tell (the kids) needed to get out and be with other kids again," Carbajal said. "My son had a blast."
Carbajal will be back for fall ball and likely beyond, saying he's hooked.
"You say you're not going to coach, but once you see how fun it is and start helping, you say, 'Maybe I will coach," Carbajal said. "Especially when your kids are out there. You want to help them as much as you can."