Undefeated

A victory for the homeless ended in defeat, but the East Harlem Little Leaguers showed plenty of fight.

Playing without a home field didn’t stop them from winning the New York City championship. And it couldn’t stop them from advancing to the New York State championship where they lost in extra innings yesterday.

This city can’t kill baseball no matter how hard it tries. The game is alive in East Harlem because kids refuse to be defeated by an endless line of political schemes.

The Little Leaguers lost their home on East 112th Street because the Mayor of this city thinks luxury buildings are more important than baseball fields.

This Mayor – just like the Mayor before him – knows nothing about this city. New York is not about buildings. It’s about the people that live in the buildings. They are from everywhere and speak every language and represent every idea of what our society should be.

But too many New Yorkers are beaten down by politicians that can’t see beyond the next dollar being slipped under the table. The blackouts and service cuts and brutal cops and peeling paint have taken their toll.

But now everyone has been lifted by some ball players in East Harlem who remain undefeated, but still homeless.