Baseball in Full Swing in Manalapan With Labor Day Classic

The calendar has turned and September has arrived. For many young athletes this marks the transition from the summer sports season to fall, with attention shifting away from the baseball diamond to football and soccer. But for one final summer weekend in Manalapan, America's past time takes center stage.

The Manalapan Baseball and Softball Association's fourth annual Labor Day Classic commenced last night, beginning a stretch of more than 150 baseball games to be played over the next five days.

The will serve as the hub for the hardball action, with additional games at Holiday Park and the  Nearly ninety teams spanning seven different age groups will compete. Each participating team is guaranteed a minimum of three games, culminating in a single elimination playoff on Monday.

"The program is a fundraiser for our travel program. This helps the kids go to large tournaments when they're eleven and twelve years old," said Jeff Laxer, a director for the Labor Day Classic. "We have teams coming from northern Virginia, Staten Island, Brooklyn, northern and southern New Jersey and Philadelphia."

Since its inception in 2008, the Labor Day Classic has seen participation grow dramatically. "The first tournament was twenty seven teams, and now it's almost ninety," Laxer said.

For additional information and a schedule of events, visit the Manalapan Baseball and Softball Association's Web site.