Albanian immigrant meets baseball, and it's love at first sight

Ever since he started watching the Red Sox on television after arriving in North Andover from Albania two years ago, Oresti Cela has dreamed of being just like them. There is no baseball in Albania, and the 10-year-old had never seen or played a game of baseball before.

On Monday night, April 27, just three weeks after holding his first-ever bat and putting on his first-ever glove, the calm and focused youngster played his first Little League game with his team, the Athletics. In his relaxed stance on North Andover’s Aplin Field, wearing his new uniform and chewing gum, Cela looked like a smaller version of a Red Sox player.

Watched by the proud Cela family, including dad Durim, mom Burbuqe, and sister Edrina, Cela did an amazing job for someone who had only learned to play three weeks ago. He surprised his coach Geoff Fulgione by hitting a single, stopping a hard line drive, making a powerful fielding throw, and playing several positions during the game, most notably third base.

“He never picked up a glove before three weeks ago,” said Fulgione Monday night. “He got a base hit today. He did everything on the field. He made every play. He did more than I’ve ever seen a kid do after three weeks.”

Cela’s foray into Little League baseball was made possible by the caring and generosity of others, including North Andover Boosters Club member Bill McCarthy, who bought him a bat, glove and baseball shoes, and ESL teacher Gayle Robinson, who has been teaching Cela English for the last two years. Robinson is really impressed with this youngster.

“It’s been Oresti’s dream to play baseball and sit in with his peers,” said Robinson. “He played soccer in Albania, but there is no baseball there. He is just so excited — he is living for baseball practice, and he appreciates the coach, and everything everyone does for him.

“He came here two years ago without one word of English. He’s a hard worker. He’s very polite, and just a very good-natured boy. He’s very caring and very appreciative of anything anybody does for him. He just wants to have friends, belong and become part of the family. The Thomson School staff has been very supportive of Oresti, as it is of all of Thomson students.”

As Monday night’s game moves toward its final two innings, Fulgione and the other coaches encourage and instruct their young charges in a cheerful and positive way. Cela’s team, the Athletics, is trailing the Orioles but, like the Red Sox, they refuse to give up, and the Athletics put up a fierce late-game rally.

Assigned to third base, Cela stops a hard line drive and makes a powerful throw to first base. The coaches call out encouragement.

All sorts of challenging fielding situations — one right after the other — happen around third base, but Cela keeps his poise.

“Nice work,” say the coaches to each of the players as they return from the field.

“We’re down by 10. We need another run to continue to play the game,” says Fulgione. “Let’s do it. Have some fun. Be aggressive.”

Player J.J. gets on base, steals second base, then third base. Cela is at bat, and as he ducks from a wild pitch, J.J. steals home, scoring a run.

Cela continues batting and hits a single, earning a thumbs up on his way to first base. Fulgione scrambles the lineup after each inning, giving each player a chance to fill various field positions during the game. This time Cela is in center field.

Player Evan is pitching, and gets big applause for a strikeout as Fulgione exhorts him to lift his knee higher during his windup. Evan listens, lifts his knee, and ends up striking out the side to end the inning.

“If you can’t have fun coaching Little League with the kids, you’ve got a problem — right?” says Fulgione.

The Athletics’ bats come alive and the players fill the bases. Player Will is batting and hits a long ball.

“Bases loaded,” clap, clap, clap, clap, “Bases loaded,” chant the Athletics. But the Orioles put the Athletics in the same position during their next at-bat, and chant the same chant.

Pitcher Evan is throwing blazing fastballs over the plate. In the final inning long-ball hitter Will is back up.

Will responds with a double, but then the game is over, and the rally has fallen a little short. Fulgione praises his team for their big rally, and applauds them.

Cela walks over to his family, where his dad Durim is beaming with pride.

“It felt good. I’m happy,” says a contented looking Cela. “I want to keep playing baseball.”

As the contented Cela family leaves the field together, Fulgione notes his team made about six runs in the final two innings of its first game of the 2009 baseball season.

“They made a nice comeback,” says Fulgione, who taught for 10 years in the Lawrence School District and works as an environmental manager for the Mass. Highway Department. He also serves as the Little League Commissioner of Baseball.

Both Fulgione and Robinson are expecting great things of Cela in the future.

“He takes instruction very well,” say both Fulgione and Robinson about the 10-year-old Thomson School fourth-grader.

“Oresti’s got values. He does the right thing,” says Robinson. “I think, being on this team, he feels he’s finally arrived in a place where he can belong.”