Spirit of Sean Bell seen in Little League bearing his name
Kin of slain Rockaway bridegroom help usher in second season of baseball at Baisley Pond Park
By Anna Gustafson
Comment
 |
| Sean Bell’s fiancee Nicole Paultre-Bell (l.), niece Italia Bell (c.) and brother William Bell, Jr. attend the opening day of the Sean Bell Little League in South Jamaica Saturday. Photo by Christina Santucci |
His mother wore his high school jersey, his brother raved about the home runs that had seemed as natural as breathing to him, his fiancée laughed while watching dozens of children doing one of the things he loved best: play baseball.
It was a day Sean Bell would have welcomed, Nicole Paultre-Bell said of her slain fiance.
“I know Sean’s looking down at us today and smiling,” Paultre-Bell said.
Friends and family of Rockaway resident Sean Bell and about 80 children from throughout the city congregated at Baisley Pond Park in South Jamaica Saturday afternoon to kick off the Sean Bell Little League’s second season. Baisley Pond is streets away from where Sean Bell grew up, near the intersection of 140th Street and Rockaway Boulevard.
The league includes four teams and has about 80 players ages 5 through 13.
“It would’ve meant so much for Sean to see these kids playing the game he loved,” Paultre-Bell said.
Sean Bell was shot to death by undercover police early on the morning of his wedding day in November 2006 outside Kalua Cabaret, a Jamaica club where he had been celebrating his bachelor party.
Family members Saturday remembered Sean Bell as a talented pitcher who helped the John Adams High School baseball team win the city championship at Yankee Stadium in 1999. Sean Bell was just 6 when he started playing for the Richmond Hill-Wakefield Little League and he played ball throughout high school and for Nassau Community College.
“Even though he died at a young age, he did a lot,” said St. Albans resident Valerie Bell, Sean Bell’s mother, who wore her son’s No. 33 baseball jersey from John Adams. “It’s an honor to know his legacy is being continued so people remember him as he was, a caring person, always giving.”
William Bell Jr., Sean Bell’s brother, said this year’s Little League opening was especially meaningful for him because he is coaching one of the teams, the Mets, for the first time.
“My brother and I both played in the Little League together, but he was better than me,” Bell Jr. said. “He was always known to hit those big home runs. He was always hitting those.”
Courtney Kelley, a 14-year-old player from Jamaica, said being in the Little League “means a lot to me because it keeps Sean Bell’s dream alive.”
Kelley, a pitcher who was last year’s most valuable player, said he and his fellow players always keep Sean Bell in mind while on the field.
“I want to keep playing because it’s the sport Sean loved most,” Kelley said.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 174.
It was a day Sean Bell would have welcomed, Nicole Paultre-Bell said of her slain fiance.
“I know Sean’s looking down at us today and smiling,” Paultre-Bell said.
Friends and family of Rockaway resident Sean Bell and about 80 children from throughout the city congregated at Baisley Pond Park in South Jamaica Saturday afternoon to kick off the Sean Bell Little League’s second season. Baisley Pond is streets away from where Sean Bell grew up, near the intersection of 140th Street and Rockaway Boulevard.
The league includes four teams and has about 80 players ages 5 through 13.
“It would’ve meant so much for Sean to see these kids playing the game he loved,” Paultre-Bell said.
Sean Bell was shot to death by undercover police early on the morning of his wedding day in November 2006 outside Kalua Cabaret, a Jamaica club where he had been celebrating his bachelor party.
Family members Saturday remembered Sean Bell as a talented pitcher who helped the John Adams High School baseball team win the city championship at Yankee Stadium in 1999. Sean Bell was just 6 when he started playing for the Richmond Hill-Wakefield Little League and he played ball throughout high school and for Nassau Community College.
“Even though he died at a young age, he did a lot,” said St. Albans resident Valerie Bell, Sean Bell’s mother, who wore her son’s No. 33 baseball jersey from John Adams. “It’s an honor to know his legacy is being continued so people remember him as he was, a caring person, always giving.”
William Bell Jr., Sean Bell’s brother, said this year’s Little League opening was especially meaningful for him because he is coaching one of the teams, the Mets, for the first time.
ADVERTISEMENT
Courtney Kelley, a 14-year-old player from Jamaica, said being in the Little League “means a lot to me because it keeps Sean Bell’s dream alive.”
Kelley, a pitcher who was last year’s most valuable player, said he and his fellow players always keep Sean Bell in mind while on the field.
“I want to keep playing because it’s the sport Sean loved most,” Kelley said.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 174.
 |
 |
|
| JFK ‘hustlers’ duped tourists: DA | Fresh Meadows cantor takes 9-day Poland tour |
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff after appearing on the Web site.
|
