Page 44 - FOP Magazine August 2020

44 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2020
The CPD Finest baseball team played the NYPD team in Dyersville, Iowa, on the field where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed.
A brand-new ballgame Pandemic slows police baseball teams’
return to field, but not charitable efforts
n BY DAN CAMPANA
The line from “Field of Dreams” remains as meaningful to- day as when James Earl Jones first said it on-screen 30 years ago.
“The one constant through all the years, Ray, is baseball.”
Like many things in 2020, baseball at all levels came to a halt, due to COVID-19. For members of the CPD Finest and Chicago Police Knights Baseball Club, the delayed start of the season left a void at a time of high stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic and unrest around the city. Officers who play for the love of the game and a welcome escape from the strains of the job lost out on the action and camaraderie they’ve grown accustomed to.
The disrupted season also shut down each team’s fund- raising efforts, which are a major part of their respective mis- sions. Postponements and cancellations wiped out events and games that have become annual traditions for each team and the organizations they support.
But baseball is a constant and so is the commitment of these players.
“Baseball is always going to be there ... this team is always going to be there, long after I’m done,” CPD Finest Manager Vince Macias said.
Idled by the pandemic just as baseball season would have ramped up, the Finest took a step back to refocus on their personal health and well-being, as well as that of their fam- ilies, according to Macias. As statewide restrictions on gath- erings eased in July, the team started to look toward a return to play and landed an opportunity for their 2020 diamond debut in Dyersville, Iowa, on First Responder Appreciation Day at the famed “Field of Dreams” movie site.
“For us, it was like a dream come true,” Macias said. “[The owners] are big advocates for first responders. They were very interested in putting this game on.”
In front of a socially distanced crowd of 1,200, the Finest emerged from the corn stalks in the outfield to take on their friendly rivals from the New York Police Department, a group Macias described as “probably the best team in the U.S.”
Chicago trailed 2–0 early, but rallied on the strength of three home runs to pick up the win.
“You could tell the guys were excited [and] a little out of shape,” Macias joked, before complimenting his team’s re- siliency. “My guys responded well. All these guys were ready to go.”
Between the perfect weather, the supportive atmosphere, the outcome and a postgame concert, Macias said the ex- perience provided much-needed rest and rejuvenation for everyone on the team. With so many people facing financial difficulties, the Finest and NYPD had few expectations about fundraising, but still collected a total of $6,000 for their re- spective charities, with the Finest providing $3,000 to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation.
While the Finest have resumed competitive league play, Macias remained hopeful that the annual showdown with the CFD Bravest at Guaranteed Rate Field can take place in September under the right health and safety circumstances. In the meantime, Macias has asked players to do their part to bolster personal fundraising, as the team brought back all of its 2019 sponsors at no cost this year.
“This is the time we have to give back,” Macias explained, noting the importance of supporting everyone they can during a challenging time for businesses.
Similarly, the Knights spent the last several months look- ing for ways to boost their morale and charity-first approach. Marco Acevedo, who helped bring the new team togeth- er in 2018, reached out to the Irving Park Community Food Pantry in May to see how his team could assist. It wasn’t too long before Acevedo and Knights players were unloading trucks of food and working side-by-side with other volun- teers to prepare bags and boxes of food destined for those who have lost jobs or are otherwise in need. The pantry is
now serving as many as 200 families.
“I volunteered my team without them knowing it,” Aceve-
do shared. “We thought it was a great idea [because] it comes from the heart. Our program was put together on the prem- ise of giving back.”
The team also kept up its connection to the young ball-