Eric Clark Peterson | Heritage Tractor regional sales manager

“Always bet on yourself, because you control the odds.”

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A local park district announced that a youth sports league will be starting soon.

The Rockford Park District Jr. NBA leagues are co-ed winter basketball leagues for boys and girls from kindergarten through 5th grade.

Players go to one 60-minute practice on Monday nights between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and one 40-minute game on Friday nights between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Playing time is encouraged for all participants, the park district says.

There are three age groups. Kindergarteners and first graders play at the “Rookies” level, second and third graders at the “Pros” level, and fourth and fifth graders at the “All-Stars” level, according to the Park District’s website.

There is also a “Little Hoopers” league for boys and girls from ages 3 to 4. That league starts on Jan. 31, 2026, at the YMCA SwedishAmerican Riverfront, located at 200 Y Blvd. It runs until March 7.

The Rockford Park District Jr. NBA leagues start Jan. 19, 2026, at the UW Health Sports Factory, located at 305 S. Madison St. It runs until March 6.

To sign up for either league, visit the park district’s website.

Joe Pinto, the Massapequa Herald Post’s Person of the Year Carolyn James /Herald

For 40 years, he has stood at the edge of the diamond, teaching generations of boys and girls not only how to field a grounder or swing through the ball, but how to believe in themselves. Parents trusted him, players looked up to him and the community came to rely on his steady presence in their youth sports programs. For Joe Pinto, coaching was never a hobby, it was a lifelong devotion to the sport he loved. But it was also something deeper.

Pinto’s father died when he was 5. His mother believed it was important for him to play ball and join the Scouts, where he could build relationships with male coaches and Scout leaders. He thought those experiences inspired his future as a baseball coach. What he didn’t realize then was that the path had also been nudged forward by his father — in the form of a worn note tucked inside a manila envelope.

“I was about 27 years old and was going through some of my father’s papers and there was a manila envelope that I picked up and opened,” recalled Pinto. “Inside was a note in my father’s writing that said: ‘Joe, be a manager.’ It was like my father was watching and listening to me.”

Joe Pinto, his wife Janis and sons, Joseph, Matthew and Vincent (center), who died in 2021. Courtesy Joe Pinto

Pinto, a Massapequa Park resident and commissioner of Parks and Recreation in the Town of Oyster Bay, grew up in Brooklyn. He came of age in the post-Dodgers era, when most people — including his family — became Mets fans.

“But secretly I rooted for the Yankees,” he said, laughing, later learning his father had been a Yankees fan, too. “I couldn’t tell anybody; you know, that’s like a mortal sin.”

Pinto’s first coaching assignments came in Brooklyn while he was attending Pace College in Pleasantville.

“I was 18 and it was freshman year,” said Pinto, recalling how parents helped cover the cost of his travel from Pleasantville to Brooklyn to manage the teams. He later coached in Pleasantville, cutting out the long trips.

He earned an accounting degree and joined Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, choosing to work out of the Syosset office rather than in New York City. The commute introduced him to Long Island, and he eventually bought a condo in Hauppauge.

Pinto married Janis, and the couple had three sons: Joseph, Mathew and Vincent, who died in 2021.

The family purchased a home in Massapequa Park and Pinto brought with him his passion for baseball and coaching. By then, he had taken a job with The LiRo Group, a construction engineering firm.

His devotion to youth sports eventually led him into politics. In 1995, while volunteering with the Massapequa International Little League, a fire tore through the Massapequa Park Community Center, destroying $35,000 worth of league equipment and uniforms. At the time, Pinto was serving on the Planning Commission. When efforts to recoup the loss stalled, a frustrated Pinto ran for village trustee — and won. He became deputy mayor in 1999.

“He worked tirelessly as a member of the Village Board and was an important part of many of the changes that have made Massapequa Park a great place to live and raise a family,” said Mayor Danny Pearl. “We are fortunate to have him as part of the Village, in Little League and in the Town of Oyster Bay as Parks Commissioner.”

During his time on the Village Board, Pinto helped revitalize village parks and recreation areas, work noticed by Joseph Saladino, who later became Oyster Bay town supervisor. Pinto eventually ran for Oyster Bay Town Council, where he used his CPA background to help manage budgets for, among other things, town engineering projects.

When the position of commissioner of Parks and Recreation opened, the Town Board quickly appointed him.

“On the board of our Little League, preparing fields, understanding all the complicated intricacies between the needs of our community and the role of our Town Parks Department, he is an expert in that and is the perfect person to head up our parks department and to also assist us in all of the financial matters of this town,” said Saladino in nominating Pinto.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Joe for close to two decades,” said Craig Garland of the Massapequa Coast Little League. “Joe is one of the most respected baseball people on Long Island. His passion for youth baseball and keeping kids in Little League is is second to none and when it comes to youth baseball here in Massapequa, Joe volunteers countless hours for the benefit of our community. That enriches the lives of children and families in Little League.

Garland added that his work as Parks Commissioner also helps enhance the quality and variety of youth programs in Oyster Bay.

Pinto has spent more than four decades coaching baseball. Looking back he says he sometimes thinks of some young, snarky kids who give him trouble when he tells them to run or work out. He says that 40 years from now, he hopes those same kids are together somewhere in Massapequa Park, looking back on those days and laughing.

Elmhurst starts work on new community center

Elmhurst Park District officials were on hand to mark the start of demolition of the community center, which is being torn down to make space for the new Joanne B. Wagner Community Center at 615 N. West Ave., which will have 127,250 square feet and cost nearly $85 million to construct.

Those at the ceremony included Park Board President Kevin Graf, Vice President Claire Kubiesa, Executive Director Jim Rogers and Commissioners Vince Spaeth, Meghan Scarsella, Carolyn Ubriaco and Susan Smentek.

The new center, which will be built by McHugh Construction, will add more recreation and early childhood programming, thanks to being about four times larger than the previous center.

It will feature a full-size gymnasium, indoor artificial turf field, three-lane elevated walking track, expanded gymnastics and dance studios, an indoor play area, early childhood and preschool classrooms with a separate entrance, administrative offices and multipurpose community rooms. It is expected to open in fall 2027.

Leyden Youth Basketball League starts soon

Children in first to eighth grade can participate in the Leyden Youth Basketball League from Jan. 10 to March 27 with the Park District of Franklin Park.

Players can work on their ball skills, exercise teamwork via games and once-weekly 60-minute practices and build confidence. Teams are formed from Franklin Park and nearby communities.

The fee includes a T-shirt uniform. Resident passholders in first and second grade pay $105 and others pay $115. Older grades pay $130 for resident passholders and $140 for others.

A late fee of $15 will be charged for those who register after Jan. 3. Sign up by calling 847-455-2852 or online at fpparks.org.

Learn about winter birds at forest preserve program

The Forest Preserve District of Will County presents Backyard Winter Birds from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Jan. 11 at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook.

Participants can learn which birds migrate through Will County and which stay during the winter, as well as how to attract them to a yard.

The program includes a short guided hike and indoor bird viewing with a warm drink. Register by Jan. 10 by calling 815-722-4121 or online at reconnectwithnature.org. It’s free and open to anyone 10 and older.

Storyteller highlights his new book in La Grange

Master storyteller Nestor Gomez will present stories from his new book, “Rescue Me,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 7 at the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave.

The book explores his four-legged family members and the bonds formed with them. Attendees can buy copies of his book, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to local animal shelters.

The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration is required by visiting lagrange.library.org or calling 708-215-3200.

Women of natural history star at garden club meeting

The Darien Garden Club presents Women of Natural History from 6:0 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 5 at St. John Lutheran Church, 7214 S. Cass Ave. in Darien.

Kim White, a local master naturalist, will talk about some of the women who have contributed to natural history from 1458 BC to the current century, shining a light on women who rarely were given credit for their accomplishments, Dame Jane Goodall and Queen Hatshepsut are among those who will be highlighted.

A general meeting follows the presentation. All are welcome. Learn more at dariengardenclub.com.

Send news to pioneerwest@tribpub.com.

Although we are only at the halfway point of the campaign, Real Madrid have already started planning for the season ahead.

It is widely considered that Nico Paz will be the club’s first signing of the summer, with Los Blancos set to activate the buyback clause embedded in the Argentine’s contract at Como.

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Paz will not just rejoin Real Madrid to fill up the squad numbers. He will be a critical player in the first team, having made a stellar impact in Serie A under Cesc Fabregas.

Paz’s return to the Santiago Bernabeu, however, may have major ramifications in the Real Madrid setup, potentially impacting the roles of existing stars.

Real Madrid set to axe Ceballos

A recent report from Defensa Central has offered key insight into Real Madrid’s plans to accommodate Nico Paz next season.

Dani Ceballos will be axed by Real Madrid next summer. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

With the Argentine set to compete for the first team, it could come at the expense of Dani Ceballos, the report adds.

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It appears Florentino Perez has identified Ceballos as the man to be axed in the wake of Paz’s arrival.

The former Arsenal midfielder has struggled to convince coach Xabi Alonso this season and has fallen behind other midfielders in the pecking order.

Real Madrid, therefore, are ready to sacrifice Ceballos, who has been linked with a move away from Santiago Bernabeu for a while. His current contract at the club expires in 2027.

Recent reports suggest Ceballos himself is contemplating his future after failing to prove himself at Real Madrid. With his contract running in 2027, a move away from the Bernabeu next summer could make sense for all parties involved.

Paz, on the other hand, continues to prove his credentials in Serie A. As a result, Real Madrid have completely ruled out the possibility of selling him permanently.

There aren’t many more indelible memories for members of a small-town championship team than a firetruck ride through the streets of their hometown.

Lights flashing.

Sirens blaring.

Smiles everywhere.

Residents wondering what’s going on.

Just an impromptu heroes’ celebration.

For them.

Like the ones they had in Weatherly in mid-July.

Reya Gregory doubled home the tying and eventual winning runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Weatherly’s 8-10-year-old softball team edged Northwest, 5-4, in the Section 6 Little League Tournament title game at the West End Fairgrounds complex in Gilbert.

Briella Vanblargan starred in the pitching circle for Weatherly, scattering five base hits, striking out 12 batters and walking only two six innings as her team avenged a loss to Northwest from the night before to punch its ticket to the state tournament in Drexel Hill.

Northwest grabbed a 2-0 lead in the rematch on an RBI groundout in the top of the first and a run-scoring single to right in the third.

Back came Weatherly in the bottom of the third as two base runners stole home and a bases-loaded walk to Audrey Wagner forced home another run and gave the District 18 champions their first lead at 3-2.

After Northwest reclaimed the advantage with two runs in the top of the fourth, Weatherly went back on top on Gregory’s clutch two-run double in the bottom half.

Neither team scored again as Weatherly claimed the first sectional title for a local softball team.

Jenna Jones went 2-for-2 with two singles to pace the locals at the plate. Gregory contributed her double and two RBI and Vanblargan and Myah Makowiec chipped in a single apiece. Kenzie Clabia, Aubrey Clabia, Jones and Makowiec each stole multiple bases for the Lady Wreckers, who swiped a total of 14 as a team in the game.

Vanblargan, Jones, Makowiec, Mia Durham and Audrey Clabia scored a run apiece in the win.

Little League team makes run

A few weeks earlier, Weatherly’s 11-12-year-old Little League League all-stars enjoyed their own memoriable run.

They won their first two District 18 tournament games and led defending district champion-Franklin Township, 8-6, late in the district winners’ bracket final before an overflow crowd at their home field on a steamy summer evening. They were oh so close to hosting another game — for the district title.

However, Franklin Township rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth inning, scored more five in the seventh and held off Weatherly’s own comeback bid in the bottom half for a wild 13-10 victory in one of the most entertaining games at any level of the past year.

“We had our chance there at the end,” Weatherly manager Jeremy Witner said. “It just didn’t happen.”

It did happen for Weatherly earlier in the tournament and earlier in the game against Franklin Township.

Showing a ton of heart and guts, the locals twice overcame deficits to put them in position to play for the district championship. They scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 6-3 deficit and get within three outs of advancing to the title game. Silas Zink blooped a two-run single to highlight the rally. Other runs came in on a baes-loaded walk and two wild pitches.

“They answered the bell every time,” Witner said. “They kept getting off the mat and coming for more.”

Weatherly’s dream of a Cinderella district crown died after Franklin Township made its own comeback and Tamaqua avenged an earlier tournament loss a few nights later, eliminating Weatherly.

“We’ve been trying to put Weatherly on the map for a while,” Witner said. “It’s always a couple teams we have to get through. … We’ll get there.”

In 2025, Witner and his team were at least pointed in the right direction.

To the delight of their whole town.