Brian Mills arrived 30 minutes early to each baseball practice at Jersey City’s Bayside Park to begin his arduous, time-consuming routine. He’d rake the infield, line the base paths, lug bats and balls from his car and then get to the hard part — chasing homeless people from the dugouts, and sweeping up empty crack vials, hypodermic needles, broken glass and crushed beer cans.

The president of Jersey City Jackie Robinson Little League, Mills has a never-ending list of challenges running through his mind just to keep baseball alive in his inner-city community. Making sure the team’s home ballpark was clean and safe was just the first.

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