In the past the Merillon Little League has held its opening day in torrents of rain or snow and just last year it had to be cancelled because of extreme amounts of both wind and rain. But last Saturday, the league held its 45th opening on a picture perfect day at its field on Marcus Avenue, New Hyde Park. In his opening remarks chairman Tony Camilleri said, "On this beautiful day we are dedicating our 45th Annual Opening Day Parade to the late Senator Michael J. Tully, Jr., and thanks Mike, for giving us such a beautiful day."

Camilleri went on to say that the dedication of the league was just a small gesture. He said, "Mike Tully was a man who did so much for the residents of New Hyde Park and particularly for the Merillon Little League."

Tully became involved with Merillon in 1968 when he registered his son Michael, III to play little league baseball, followed by his sons Chris and Brian. Camilleri said, "No matter how busy Mike was you would see him standing, watching his sons play ball, dressed in a suit and tie, but he was here."

At the same time his political career began when he was appointed to the North Hempstead Town Board and then was elected to town councilman and then Town of North Hempstead Supervisor. He went on to become New York State Senator for the Seventh Senatorial District a position he held from 1982 until his sudden death last year.

Camilleri said, "Through the years Mike Tully never forgot his roots in New Hyde Park and would frequently attend the Merillon Little League Opening Day Parade and ceremonies. As the league grew we could no longer operate out of a small storage garage which was on this site. We approached Mike Tully and discussed with him the possible expansion of the garage and the result was this beautiful facility. None of this would have been possible without his relentless pursuit to provide funds so that this project would become a reality. He continued to help our league by providing us with New York state grants. This enabled us to keep our registration fees low and at the same time upgrade our equipment, all for our children's benefit."

Camilleri went on, "Because of the need for a third field and a general overhaul of all the fields we again approached Senator Tully for help. Through the efforts of both the Town of North Hempstead and Senator Tully we were able to accomplish this endeavor as evidenced by the beautiful field we are standing on today. Many of you have noticed the new scoreboards. These were made possible by the generous contributions of some of our sponsors, whose names appear below the scoreboards and the senator's special grants."

"As I look around this beautiful field I feel the love that the senator had for the children of our community by providing the funds for our program. Through the unselfish efforts of our volunteers and the Town of North Hempstead this was all made possible. I hope that our families appreciate this wonderful park and continue to maintain it in the future," said Camilleri.

He then turned to the Tully family and said, "I would like to thank Mary Tully and sons Chris, Brian and daughter Maura for attending. A memorial plaque will be placed in the lobby of our building so that future generations of Merillon little leaguers will appreciate this great man."

He then presented them with his favorite number 16 Merillon Little League jersey and a memorial plaque with his picture on it to be placed in the Merillon Little League Club House.

Also honored at the opening day ceremonies was Bob Hanover who received the 1997 Joy Roy Coach of the Year Award. Hanover has been with the league as a coach since 1985. He served on the board as Vice President of the Boys Farms and V. P. of the Little League and for the last seven years as equipment manager.

In 1991 and 1993 he coached the Merillon Williamsport teams to District Championships and in 1996 he coached his Connie Williamsport team to a first place title and then he repeated this feat in 1997 with his 15 and 16-year-old team.

In summing up his contributions to the league, president Doug Gerowski said, "Besides serving in various board positions Bob has been the quintessential volunteer doing anything that is asked of him. It is because of his selfless dedication to the children of Merillon that we present this award to him."

In presenting the award Gerowski called on Ruth Roy, wife of the late Joe Roy and they both presented the plaque to Hanover.

Public officials were present and added their warm words of praise for the dedication of Senator Michael J. Tully to the Merillon organization, including New York State Senator Michael Balboni who said that he would continue in the tradition of helping Merillon Little League and then announced that he recently secured a $10,000 grant for the league. New York State Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli also spoke glowingly of Tully as did North Hempstead Town Supervisor May Newburger and trustees Anthony D'Urso and Angelo Ferrara, who was a Merillon Little League coach for 19 years.

Brian Tully, the spokesman for the family said that his father really loved the Merillon League. He then spotted two coaches along with Angelo Ferrara who had coached him in the "old days. " He ended by saying, "Thank you Tony and the Merillon Little League for recognizing my father's love and devotion to this wonderful organization."

Along with the formal presentations the New Hyde Park Memorial Marching Band performed for the audience along with the assistance of the New Hyde Park Twirlers and one member of the Romanette team, Elizabeth Rodriguez, who courageously performed the entire routine by herself.