If Spring is almost here, baseball can't be far behind. Indeed, the Westbury Amateur Baseball Association is gearing up now for the 2000 season.

This year the WABA will be offering teeball and baseball to boys and girls ages five to 15, as well as a new softball league for girls ages eight to 12. If you haven't registered your child yet, you may still do so by coming to the Westbury Recreation Center at the corner of Post and Rockland Avenue (just south of the Northern State Parkway) between 10 and 12 on Saturday, Feb. 19 and 26.

Even if you have already registered your child, it's worth a trip down to the Rec Center as WABA is holding a raffle for tickets to the already sold-out Mets-Yankees series this summer at Shea Stadium. Winners will be announced on Saturday, April 8, the day of the annual Baseball Parade up Post Avenue. (You need not be present to win.) You can also find out how you can sponsor a team for the upcoming season or include your business in the journal that will be distributed to all Little League families.

If your child has already registered, you can expect to hear from one of the coaches in March, who will inform you of the first practices. If you can't register in person, you can register through the mail by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to WABA, PO Box 205, Westbury, NY 11590. The cost of registration, which includes a uniform, is $60. For families registering more than one child, each additional child is only $50.