TOPPENISH — Jose Godina wants to get the children of Toppenish off the streets and onto the baseball field. Godina along with others with the local Cal Ripken baseball league seek to show attention to the children of Toppenish.
Cal Ripken is a National Baseball League, a franchise of Babe Ruth Baseball. Children ages 7 to 12 can participate.
“Cal Ripken allows children to learn the official rules of baseball, teaches them how to work in teams, and keeps the kids out of trouble,” Godina said.
Godina hopes the league will improve the “poor high school baseball program” in the future as well. 
“If the kids learn the fundamentals early, they can develop skills that will improve our program,”  Godina said. “This is not a mess-around hobby; we want to grow men and women.”
Godina feels a responsibility to act on the passion for baseball and for the youth of Toppenish, his high school coach, Dale Bonfield, passed that on to him.
The 2009 spring season will conclude at the end of May. In response to a large amount of interest though, the league hopes to extend into the summer as inner city teams. 
“We hope to have 3 or 4 inner-city teams that will start practice in May,” Godina said. 
He also said the summer league fee will be minimal, and that for low-income families, “something can be worked out.”
The league is comprised of many volunteers that are working hard to give the children of Toppenish a chance and some needed attention.
The Cal Ripken Official Field began construction on Friday at Valley View Elementary. John Cerna, a volunteer and school district assistant administrator, called the field to be “the field of Dreams.”
Sponsors include Ideal Lumber, Toppenish School District, and Jam Out Entertainment. The league is seeking more volunteers and sponsors. All donations are tax-deductible. “We just got our stamp as a Non-Profit organization,” Godina said.
For more information visit www.toppenishcalripken.org.