{"id":793284,"date":"2026-05-13T11:09:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793284\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:09:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:09:28","slug":"after-the-l-a-fires-altadenas-little-league-almost-folded-then-they-had-the-season-of-a-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/793284\/","title":{"rendered":"After the L.A. fires, Altadena’s Little League almost folded. Then, they had the season of a lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Little League baseball wasn\u2019t necessarily top of mind for Altadena after the Eaton fire destroyed<\/a> their town. <\/p>\n

But as springtime rolled around a few weeks after the fire, the idea of a season without baseball felt like another blow the community simply couldn\u2019t take. Another loss their children shouldn\u2019t have to bear. <\/p>\n

\"Fans <\/p>\n

Molly Dodge, left, and Robert Holmquist, right, celebrate a run by the Central Altadena Little League Pirates with other families and friends who lost their homes or were affected by the Eaton fire.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

So the parents and coaches and organizers of Central Altadena Little League took on what would become a herculean task: They had no field, most kids had no gear and families were almost all displaced<\/a>, scattered across the L.A. Basin in temporary rentals or extended family\u2019s homes. <\/p>\n

But by some miracle, hundreds of kids signed up. A flood of donations funded free gloves and bats and balls and neighboring leagues partnered with the program to provide field space. On opening day last year on March 1, almost 20 Altadena-based teams kicked off what would become a historic season no matter the outcome. <\/p>\n

Then, somehow, the league\u2019s Braves team of 10- and 11-year-olds pulled off a string of playoff victories no one thought possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cKind of like when the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl after Katrina, we were like, \u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be awesome if some special moment happened this year?\u2019\u201d said Robert \u201cTrey\u201d Milton, a lifelong Altadenan and former Central Altadena Little League player who helped organize the league\u2019s post-fire comeback. <\/p>\n

\"Brothers <\/p>\n

Brothers Matthew Milton (left) and Robert \u201cTrey\u201d Milton III, lifelong Altadena residents and Central Altadena Little League supporters. <\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then it did,\u201d Milton said, shaking his head, still in disbelief. \u201cIt was exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The highs and lows from the season \u2014 both on the field and off \u2014 are captured in a new documentary that follows the community shaken by immeasurable tragedy<\/a>, and how baseball becomes refuge, providing a space for unbridled joy, unrelenting grit and, perhaps most important, hope. <\/p>\n

\u201cGoing for Home<\/a>\u201d premiered earlier this year at local film festivals, including in Santa Barbara and Pasadena, but will make its community debut at a free, special screening Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Altadena\u2019s Loma Alta Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a story about underdogs,\u201d said Eric Simonson, the Glendale-based filmmaker who shot and directed the documentary. \u201cThis was a really bold step for them to defy the fire, all the effects of the fires, and say we\u2019re going to hold our season anyway. It means that much to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Filmmaker <\/p>\n

Filmmaker Eric Simonson and producer Sue Cremin filmed and produced \u201cGoing for Home,\u201d a documentary about Central Altadena Little League as it existed following the Eaton fire in Altadena.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

That alone would have made it all worth it. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I found out that we were gonna play, I was like \u2018Yay! I get something to take my mind off the fire,\u2019\u201d one young player said in the film\u2019s trailer<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But then the Braves made their unexpected playoff run and \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 won the division title for the first time in league history. It would have been a feat during any season, as Central Altadena Little League is one of the smaller, less resourced programs in the area, but just months after the fire, it felt simply monumental. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just incredible what they were able to pull off,\u201d Simonson said. \u201cAnd we felt lucky to be there. It\u2019s one of those magical moments that a documentary filmmaker prays for, hopes for, to capture those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew Milton, Robert\u2019s brother and an assistant coach for the Braves, said he still can\u2019t believe how the team rallied together, exceeding all expectations and embodying so much of the spirit of Altadena<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"Golden <\/p>\n

Golden Gardner, left, and Louie Holmquist of the AA division Pirates team up to catch a fly ball during practice at Loma Alta Park in Altadena.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey dug deep within themselves,\u201d said Milton, whose son Titus played on the championship-winning team. \u201cThey were able to really just take a deep breath, not think about their home not being there. … They were able to say, \u2018Let\u2019s have fun right here, let\u2019s work hard. … Here\u2019s my joy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That compartmentalizing and focus they learned on the field, he said, \u201cthat gives you opportunity to keep on fighting for the real life stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

At one point early on, high levels of soil contaminants<\/a> become a concern at fields across the region<\/a>, almost derailing the whole season. Still, coaches worked to make the best of unfit practice locations and engage unsettled kids. Parents in the bleachers commiserated about insurance battles <\/a>and issues with landlords and having to relocate again and again and again. <\/p>\n

Throughout it all, baseball remains a constant. <\/p>\n

\""Going <\/p>\n

Filmmaker Eric Simonson and producer Sue Cremin filmed and produced \u201cGoing for Home,\u201d a documentary about Central Altadena Little League following the Eaton fire.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an escape,\u201d said Sue Cremin, the film\u2019s producer and Simonson\u2019s wife. \u201cIt was community.\u201d<\/p>\n

The husband-wife team, who knew the league from when their own son played in it about a decade ago, captured footage from across nine months. The film balances raw, emotional interviews of families still grappling with the fire\u2019s aftermath with silly moments from the dugout, kids tripping over ball buckets or cheering on their teammates. <\/p>\n

In the end, it\u2019s a film about \u201cpeople fighting for joy,\u201d Cremin said. <\/p>\n

And though the film highlights the Braves\u2019 improbable championship, it\u2019s clear there isn\u2019t necessarily an easy, happy ending to this story. <\/p>\n

\"Little <\/p>\n

Central Altadena Little League Pirates head coach Brian Gardner, right, and assistant coach Nick Russo, far left, celebrates a win with the team at Loma Alta Park. Gardner lost his home in the Eaton fire. <\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have that joyous moment for the team because they win, but life still goes on,\u201d said Brian Gardner, a Central Altadena coach for his son\u2019s team, a group slightly younger than the Braves. \u201cWe\u2019re still in Altadena, we\u2019re still trying to put things back together.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a recent spring evening at Loma Alta Park \u2014 spruced up by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation<\/a>, since the league\u2019s former home at Farnsworth Park remains unusable \u2014 Gardner couldn\u2019t help but smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get on the field, you\u2019re not worried about bills and insurance and the banks,\u201d Gardner said, tossing a ball to his son, Golden. \u201cBut it\u2019s still a fight every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Farnsworth <\/p>\n

Farnsworth Park, former home of the Central Altadena Little League, has been closed since the Eaton fire.<\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Little League baseball wasn\u2019t necessarily top of mind for Altadena after the Eaton fire destroyed their town. But…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":793285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[21053,323781,20698,323780,1582,276,718,5810,246,2091,1020,316,2961,2968,224,5337,42465,265802,5950,323782],"class_list":{"0":"post-793284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-altadena","9":"tag-altadena-based-team","10":"tag-ball","11":"tag-braves-team","12":"tag-ca","13":"tag-california","14":"tag-community","15":"tag-eaton-fire","16":"tag-family","17":"tag-field","18":"tag-film","19":"tag-home","20":"tag-la","21":"tag-league","22":"tag-los-angeles","23":"tag-losangeles","24":"tag-milton","25":"tag-most-kid","26":"tag-season","27":"tag-unbridled-joy"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116566962329875113","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}