Before this summer comes to a close, I want to acknowledge head coach Richard Hess and all of his coaches for the terrific job they did in running the five-week long Manhasset PAL Summer Baseball Clinic. The clinic was promoted as a place where kids could learn baseball and "have fun in a no pressure atmosphere." And it was just as advertised. The kids improved their skills but, even more importantly, they were also allowed to be just a bunch of kids having fun playing baseball on a green field under a blue sky on a warm summer day. It reminded me of the experience I had as a kid when we would get together a bunch of friends and head out to the field and nobody really cared about or remembered the final score. Coach Hess told me that he has been running this clinic for nine years. Here's hoping he continues it for many years to come.

John Kern