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PAL Championship Baseball Teams Honored During Closing Ceremony

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Young athletes from around Philadelphia were honored by the Police Athletic League for their performances on the baseball field.

PAL held its Citywide Baseball Championship ceremony on Wednesday recognizing the hard work young players put in over the last few months.

We interact with one another," said Officer Marcus Allen, who runs the Fair Hill PAL center, "and they actually become one big family."

Allen says he's happy to introduce baseball to kids who may not have had a chance to learn the game. He adds that coaching them helps him teach them some important life lessons.

Just to see the development of the young men that started where they started from and where they ended up is just awesome," he said.

Thirteen-year-old Nasir from West Philadelphia says he's happy his team took second place in the league -- and he's looking forward to getting better.

"It was wonderful," he said. "This is my first year. I'm going to play next year and the year after that.

Nasir adds that he's learned a lot on the field that he's been using when he's not playing ball.

"I learned teamwork, respect, and that it's not about you, it's about your whole team," he said. "Ya'll got to work together."

Now that the baseball season is over, many of the young athletes say they'll keep busy by playing in PAL's football league.

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