Bonds forged through baseball always in season

The gray sky created a chill that made the dark, dreary, dismal day seem even colder than the 40-degree temperature.

This was Sunday afternoon, and no one was walking around Johnston War Memorial Park’s always-bustling track. Even the ducks and seagulls that frequent the area were nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps people were home, keeping warm, and gearing up for the NFL playoff games.

But as far as Joe Domenico was concerned, the chilly temperatures and wet surface in the park’s baseball field didn’t matter. The conditions didn’t dampen his spirits during a father-and-son baseball session.

“Baseball is always in season,” Domenico said, while walking throughout the outfield picking up balls his son, Joseph Jr., had just smacked off a tee he set up at home plate. “This is what you could call pre-pre-season.”

The session was more than a lesson on the techniques of hitting. It showed a bond of love and loyalty between a father and son, who seemed to have as much camaraderie as a team that had just won the World Series.

But Joseph Jr. – a fifth-grader at Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School – is no stranger to baseball prowess.

Last summer, the young pitcher and outfielder clubbed not one but two home runs that helped the Johnston Little League All-Star 10s win the state and regional championship. On Sunday, he clubbed several balls into the deep reaches of the outfield as his father watched and smiled.

“If he’s ever a top draft pick,” Domenico said, “we’re going to build a new field for our league.”

But Sunday, the Domencios made it seem like they were in a brand-new stadium, a field where dreams – and the bonds between a father and son – never end.