D-backs treat Goodyear Little League like big leaguers

Published May. 21, 2015 1:44 a.m. ET

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Chase Field moved west Wednesday evening, to the Estrella Foothills.

Play already was underway on the three Little League baseball fields at Foothills Community Park when the FOX Sports Arizona Fan Express Bus rolled into the parking lot - - horn honking -- and unloaded the Arizona Diamondbacks' Rally Backs and their mascot, Baxter, to the introduction of the MLB team's PA announcer, Chuck Drago.

"They showed up with the big bus making all sorts of racket and all sorts of noise," said Tim Downs, the president of the Goodyear Little League who also has a son, Bradley, in the league. "The team came out with the announcer doing his thing -- felt like they were out at the field. Of course everybody ran out, Baxter ran out, the kids ran up to the bus. It just seemed like pandemonium for a little while. It was fun to watch."

The Diamondbacks vice president of corporate and community impact, Debbie Castaldo, said the game operations department decided to put together the surprise endeavor to celebrate a Little League team a bit outside of the Phoenix metro area that was a "model" for success. The D-backs sponsor the Goodyear Little League and 61 other leagues by providing them with team jerseys, allowing leagues to spend what money they have on other items.

"We actually called the president of the league and said we wanted to do something special to celebrate the fact they were such a good league," Castaldo said.

Downs was sworn to secrecy in the planning of the event, but he did send an email out to the parents of the little-leaguers on Tuesday, telling them something big was going to happen at the fields. That made it a little hard on Judd Norris, the D-backs' vice president of corporate partnerships who lives in the area and has a son playing in the little league.

"So immediately all those folks who know I live in the Estrella community started to text me and email me and ask me what was happening and who was going to be here," Norris said. "I was sworn to secrecy."

While parents were ready with cameras upon the Fan Express's arrival, the kids were genuinely surprised. They mingled with Baxter and the D-backs Legends Racers. Drago called one of the three games, and that field hosted a seventh-inning stretch and a Legends race -- Mark Grace's Legend bobblehead won but it was an unofficially race it won't count as his first ever win.

"It was pretty cool," Bradley Downs said.

Follow Kevin Zimmerman on Twitter

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