Just in time for the start of the 2017 baseball season, Good Shepherd parish, Marine Park, held its annual “Baseball Bash” to ring in Opening Day. Pastor Emeritus Father Jim Devlin moderated a discussion among 25 avid baseball fans, ranging from local parishioners to some from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Long Island. The spirited two-hour discussion touched on the lack of black pitchers and catchers in baseball, the new rule changes to speed up the game and how the New York Mets and New York Yankees are looking forward to heading into the new campaign. The event has been held for about 25 years.