There was nothing minor about the minor-league Norfolk Tides’ promise to help out three area Little Leagues by improving their fields. The project, which resulted in a renovation of Bennett’s Creek Little League’s Challenger Field last week, was the result of a Facebook contest in which Tides fans voted for the youth baseball organizations they believed were most worthy of the baseball team’s help. The top two vote-getters were automatically designated for the upgrades; Bennett’s Creek was specifically chosen by the Tides organization.

Tides representatives showed up to the BCLL field in a force rivaling that of a television extreme makeover show last week. They brought a rental truck full of tools and equipment, a trailer with a tractor and volunteers ready and willing to put in a hectic day’s work.

While in Suffolk, the group renovated the dugouts and graded the field to make it more useable for the youth who play on it during the season. Bennett’s Creek’s Challenger Field is specially designed for handicapped children, but it was not easily accessible for some of those players. Thanks to the Tides, that situation has been remedied.

Norfolk’s minor-league baseball team is already a widely popular part of the Hampton Roads community. The team’s generous help for the Bennett’s Creek Little League proves that the Tides are worthy of the fans who support them. And it’s likely to have earned them even more fans here in Suffolk.