Who’s on first? For a local charity, it’s kids. What’s on second? Helping them play America’s pastime.
In Petersburg, the Kids on First Foundation strives to provide cost-free access to youth baseball, particularly for minority players and those in urban areas.
Sean Edwards talks to Kids on First founder and CEO Sherry Cerny in the dugout during practice on Aug. 5 in Petersburg.
“It’s good because some people don’t really have the funds to do these types of things,” said Christian Johnson, 16, who plays for the foundation’s River City Giants team. “Baseball is very expensive, so this is very good.”
Kids on First is a nonprofit that partners with the Backyard Baseball Lab in Chesterfield to provide free training, equipment and coaching at all levels.
“It’s cool because they give more kids opportunities to play ball,” said Julius Turner, one of the team leaders with the Kids on First Foundation.
“It’s cool because they give more kids opportunities to play ball,” said Julius Turner, one of the team leaders with the Kids on First Foundation.
The Giants practice and play home games at the Petersburg Sports Complex, but the team is made up of kids from all over Central Virginia, including Mechanicsville, Varina, Midlothian, Colonial Heights, Prince George and Fort Gregg-Adams.
People are also reading…
“The fact that these kids want to play baseball and they want to be on the field is something that is really special and important,” Kids on First founder and CEO Sherry Cerny said. “They are the best thing minus my own son that has ever happened to me.”
Baseball for all
Cerny, 43, is a longtime baseball fan who hails from St. Cloud, Minnesota. She became a writer for Twins Daily, which provides independent coverage of the Minnesota Twins, and continued writing for the site after moving to Petersburg.
During Black History Month in 2022, Cerny interviewed former Twins pitchers LaTroy Hawkins and Pat Mahomes Sr. At one point, the decreasing number of Black baseball players came up, with the main issue being that they lacked access to the sport growing up.
Sean Edwards gets a piece of pizza after Kids on First Foundation practice on Aug. 5 in Petersburg.
Sean Edwards gets a piece of pizza after Kids on First Foundation practice on Aug. 5 in Petersburg.
A microcosm of that issue was the rise of travel baseball and the decline of Little Leagues, with the former typically requiring bigger commitments in terms of time and cost.
“Travel ball’s a $35 billion industry and it leaves a lot of kids out socioeconomically in the grand scheme of things,” Cerny said. “So, for me, I was like ‘OK, time to be part of the solution.”
Kids on First started in July 2022. Cerny said it was difficult learning how things worked at first, but this year, the foundation was able to create a team, work with the city of Petersburg and secure sponsors and vendors.
MLB connections
Kids on First puts on several events, including home run derbies, baseball clinics and tournaments. Last week, the foundation hosted the free entry Minority Dream Diamond Tournament for different age groups, with the championship games taking place at The Diamond in Richmond.
The event had college coaches and former Major League Baseball players in attendance, as well as a Tampa Bay Rays scout who helped run the tournament.
The foundation works with The Players Alliance, a collection of current and retired Black baseball and softball players dedicated to diversity in their respective sports.
The players received their River City Giants uniforms courtesy of The Players Alliance, with the Giants team name serving as a nod to the Chicago American Giants, one of the winningest and longest-running clubs in the Negro Leagues. New equipment was provided to the players from the MLB.
A small, tight-knit club
The foundation currently has 35 players who have the chance to receive training that they may not have had access to otherwise.
Jamal Haynes, who has coached the Giants since day one, looks to the outfield during Kids on First Foundation practice on Aug. 5 in Petersburg.
“It’s been good,” said Jamal Haynes, the Giants’ coach since day one. “I’ve been learning about different players, different characters, different attitudes, and I get to see the kids’ different talents.”
A host of coaches help Haynes out at practices and games, including Petersburg High School baseball coach J’Mal Morgan, Cerny’s husband Keith and Cerny herself.
“The fact that these kids want to play baseball and they want to be on the field is something that is really special and important,” Kids on First founder and CEO Sherry Cerny, left, said.
Julius Turner, 18, has enjoyed his time with Kids on First as one of the team’s leaders.
“It’s cool because they give more kids opportunities to play ball,” Turner said. “You get a lot of reps, and it’s just good vibes. This helps kids in small areas get their name out there.”
Julius Turner makes a catch in the outfield during a Kids on First Foundation practice in Petersburg.
Turner is heading to Virginia State University in the fall and plans to play baseball there. As he prepares for college, he is taking lessons from the foundation that apply off the field in addition to on the field.
“It’s just teaching us when we go in the real world to always be on your best behavior,” Turner said. “Kids are watching, teammates are watching, and it might just take that one kid who might see you being great, and he might want to be great.”
Isaiah Cook, 14, said he has fun playing for the Giants and likes how open the foundation is.
“I love baseball,” Cook said. “I do whatever I can to get involved with it.”
Isaiah Cook, left, and Braylon Kimble talk to coach Jamal Haynes during a Kids on First Foundation practice on Aug. 5 in Petersburg. Cook, 14, said he has fun playing for the Giants and likes how open the foundation is.
Isaiah’s father Jevon Cook said Kids on First has provided a “beautiful experience” for his son.
“If he’s not here playing baseball, he’ll be somewhere else where I don’t want him to be,” Cook said. “Baseball is about life; it gives you a lot of life learning skills that I think a lot of us can use.”
From the Archives: Professional baseball in Richmond, 1953-1990
Brooklyn Dodgers (from left) Junior Gilliam, Roy Campanella, Joe Black and Don Newcombe talk before an exhibition game at Mooers Field on Oct. 9, 1953.
New York Yankee star Mickey Mantle (center) had breakfast with teammates Bill Miller (left) and Jerry Coleman at the Hotel John Marshall before the team played the Richmond Virginians on April 8, 1954, to open Parker Field. The Virginians, a new triple-A team in the International League, were managed by Luke Appling. The Yankees were led by Casey Stengel.
Roy Campanella’s All Stars came to Richmond in the fall of 1954 to play the Birmingham Black Barons. In addition to Campanella (center), major-league stars (left) Henry Thompson, Al Smith, Larry Doby and Minnie Minoso took part in the exhibition game at Mooers Field.
A scene from the first International League game at Parker Field, played April 21, 1954.
A March 7, 1954 aerial view of the site of the city's proposed sports center as it takes shape at Parker Field, where Greater Richmond Civic Recreation, Inc., handled construction of a multi-purpose outdoor facility and home for Richmond's International League baseball entry. At upper right on the Old Fair Grounds property is the city garage, which the Citizens' Committee hopes to convert to a multiuse indoor arena.
In April 1955, the New York Yankees beat the Richmond Virginians 17-4 in an exhibition game before a crowd of 7,000 at Parker Field. Richmond pitcher Bob Habenicht (right) chatted with New York slugger Mickey Mantle during warm-ups. The Yankee starters, including Mantle, left for their hotel as soon as they were replaced. Mantle was walking along Grace Street wearing slacks and a sport jacket while the eighth inning was being played.
On April 9, 1955, the Boston Red Sox topped the New York Giants, 5-2, in an exhibition game seen by more than 12,600 spectators at Parker Field in Richmond. Pictured are center fielders Jimmy Piersall from Boston and Willie Mays of New York. (To that point, only a 1954 exhibition between the New York Yankees and Richmond Virginians drew a larger crowd.) Willie Mays (right) and Jim Piersall April 9, 1955
You can county the empty seats on both hands in this April 10, 1955 photo of the right-field stands taken at Parker Field during the exhibition between the Giants and Red Sox.
In July 1956 at Parker Field, Havana manager Nap Reyes (center) enjoyed a moment with two Cuban Sugar Canes standouts, Owen Friend (left) and Forest Smith.
In April 1956, members of the Richmond Virginians engaged in a pre-practice bull session in their locker room. The International League baseball team held spring training in Haines City, Fla., before returning to their local base of Parker Field.
Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams works on his bat while a group of schoolboys watch his every move before the Red Sox played the New York Giants in a 1958 exhibition game at Parker Field.
06-22-1959 (cutline): This was the parking lot at Parker field yesterday as 6,448 persons paid to see the Richmond Virginians split a double header with the Buffalo Bisons and retain the lead of the International League. IT was the highest paid attendance figure here since opening day, when 7,100 paid admissions were recorded. Total attendance for Friday and Saturday single games and yesterday's doubleheader was 18,546.
In April 1960, members of the Richmond Virginians lined up ahead of their International League season opener at Parker Field against Toronto. The Vees played in Richmond from 1954 to 1964 and were the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees for much of that span.
New York Yankees manager Yogi Berra (left) and Mickey Mantle before a game against the Richmond Virginians at Parker Field in April 1964.
In April 1966, an announced crowd of 7,400 watched the Richmond Braves’ International League season opener at Parker Field. R-Brave Dick Kelley delivered the first pitch to Dave May of the Rochester Wings, who won 3-2. The R-Braves came to town that year as the AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.
Last of regular games at Parker Field on Labor Day, Sept. 5, 1967.
04-09-1968: Three Richmond Braves ready for season. From left, Gil Garrido, Ed Pacheco and Angel Hermosa at West Palm Beach Fl., Camp.
This June 1970 image shows Bob Powell at his keyboard, high in the grandstand at Parker Field in Richmond. Powell was the organist for the Richmond Braves baseball team from 1964 to 1971. He made special efforts to get to know all the players and come up with a special melody to suit them.
In April 1976, Jack McKeon, the new manager of the Richmond Braves, surveyed the baseball team’s home at Parker Field on the eve of the International League opener. McKeon managed the team for one year, leaving in 1977 to become manger of Oakland Athletics. In 2003, at age 72, he won a World Series as manager of the Florida Marlins.
07-03-1981: Ernie Johnson (left), Darrell Chaney are down on the farm this week. 'I must confess ... If it wasn't for this, there wouldn't be much to do.' This was during the 1981 baseball strike.
Hank Aaron accepts an award on behalf of his late brother Tommy during ceremonies before the final game at Parker Field in in 1984. Aaron worked in the Atlanta Braves' front office that season.
08-21-1984 (cutline): Closing ceremonies at Parker Field.
Five area officials — from left, Henrico County Supervisor John A. Waldrop Jr.; Dick Hollander; former Mayor Edward E. Haddock; Richmond Mayor Roy A. West; and Chesterfield County Supervisor Harry G. Daniel — throw the ceremonial first pitch before the final game at Parker Field.
In September 1984, a crowd of almost 6,000 watched the Richmond Braves play their final Triple-A baseball game at Parker Field on the Boulevard. Days later, the stadium was leveled to make way for the Diamond, which debuted the following year and is now home to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Steve Curnutt and his sister Pam, on September 1, 1984, look at empty spaces where seats were removed the previous night by fans at Parker Field.
10-01-1984: Early stages of construction of The Diamond.
12-15-1984: The Diamond under construction.
10-15-1984: Construction of The Diamond begins.
The Diamond under construction.
04-17-1985: Worker in a sea of stands
04-17-1985: View from left field stands toward downtown Richmond.
04-16-1985 Worker on cherry picker during construction of The Diamond.
The Diamond under construction
The Diamond under construction.
07-24-1985 -- No Frills ... Yet -- The Diamond Room restaurant at the Richmond Braves' home park is nearing completion, with an uncarpeted unveiling set for tonight. The facility should be ready for the public by mid-August, according to R-Braves' General Manager Richard Andersen.
7-25-1985: The Diamond, inside.
7-25-1985: The Diamond, inside. Final stages.
04-17-1985: Press box still being worked on.
04-17-1985: Paul Zuvella in the new Braves club house.
04-17-1985 (cutline): Worker supplies some of the last touches before game time: base lines and batter's box.
04-18-1985 (cutline): First-nighters packed The Diamond to see the area take the wraps off its new stadium.
4-18-1985 (cutline): Cammie Joyce, daughter of the late Dr. William Parker for whom old Parker Field was named, wound up and fired first ball last night.
4-18-1985 (cutline): Connie Joyce, daughter of Dr. William Parker, threw out first ball; Larry Owen returns it.
04-18-1985 (cutline): Henry Aaron's words made a big hit with the Richmond Braves fans.
1985: The San Diego Chicken works a 'sight gag;' home umpire Dennis Cregg plays along.
08-07-1987: Problem for Atlanta--Dave Griffith, Richmond's 27-year-old first baseman, will become a free agent this season if Atlanta doesn't protect him on the 40-man winter roster. Despite his impressive statistics, Atlanta isn't sure about what to do with him.
04-02-1989: Gerald Perry of the Atlanta Braces gets a "high five" from the Richmond Braves' mascot as he is introduced in the starting lineup of Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at The Diamond this afternoon.
08-07-1990 (cutline): Members of the Richmond Braves ground crew splashed off the field after downpour--Richmond received 1.1 inches of rain yesterday--which caused officials to call off the Braves' game at The Diamond with the Rochester Red Wings.
