Bock steps up to plate

When Boron Little League was in need of having its 2010 season saved, Colby Bock Colby Bock and Newport Beach Little League stepped up to the plate.

Boron was in dire need of securing proper baseball equipment for its upcoming season and without it, Joe Sheridan, umpire and chief for both the league and Little League District 51 (North), said that there would be no organized baseball for youngsters in this Kern County town of a little more than 2,000 residents.

Opening Day for the league is scheduled for April 17.

“It’s been tough around here and we needed all types of baseball equipment, from bats to helmets to catcher’s gear, A-to-Z, in order for us to have a season,” Sheridan said. “The equipment we had wasn’t up to Little League standards. I sent out an e-mail, asking for donated equipment, and that’s when Colby and his dad, Dave, and Newport Beach Little League, stepped in and fulfilled every need on our list.

“We had contributions from other leagues but what Colby and his dad did for us, was over the top. We received, I believe, 14 bags of equipment from them. Ninety-nine percent of what we needed, came from Colby. For that, my hat is off to him. He literally saved the season for Boron. He deserves recognition beyond recognition. He and his dad are two amazing people. I can’t say enough about them.”

Colby Bock, who plays in the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. (Pony Division) and with the Newport Beach Bat Rays travel baseball team, two years ago created a community service project, Colby’s Double Play, a nonprofit organization, he said, that is dedicated to collecting and distributing new and slightly used baseball equipment to Little Leagues in need.

The donations Bock has gathered, through the generosity of Newport Beach Little League and the Newport Beach community, means that Boron Little League will be well-equipped for 2010. Those donations filled 14 bags: 56 helmets, 14 chin guards, 14 chest protectors, 14 catcher’s masks, 84 baseballs and 14 first-aid kits.

Last month, Colby’s Double Play also donated six full bags of equipment to El Dorado Little League of Lancaster.