The adults were as excited as the Wareham Little League players to meet former Cape Cod League (and, incidentally, former Red Sox) player Nomar Garciaparra on Saturday, February 25, during a question and answer session that held both the young and old in delighted attention.

"He was really nice to the kids and the parents," said Ken Spenard, a Wareham Little League coach whose children Patrick and Robert play in the league and got to meet Garciaparra. "[I was surprised] by how down to Earth he was. He wasn't in a rush to get out of here."

The members of the Wareham Little League met Garciaparra as the culmination of their hard work during the first ever "24 Hour Ballgame" fundraiser, held in late May of 2011.

Last year's Ballgame, which organizers hope to continue this year, was a marathon 24 hours of baseball with around 250 little leaguers and nearly 1,000 attendees, according to Chris Thornell who coordinated the event. It featured face painting, a dunk tank, and concerts.

The Ballgame raised just under $30,000 dollars. Part of the money went to the Wareham Little League and is being used to completely renovate out-of-code bleachers at the Little League complex on Charge Pond Road, Thornell said. The Wareham Little League also donated a portion of its proceeds to the Mia Hamm Foundation.

The remainder went to Nomar Garciaparra, the celebrity of the event, and Lucas Sports Inc., the Wrentham-based business which, among other things, developed the fundraising website and helped coordinate Garciaparra's visit on Saturday.

Lucas Sports Inc. develops marathon-based fundraisers with youth sports leagues all around the country, according to owner Jim Lucas who was in attendance at the event.

Only Little League members who raised more than $250 during last year's 24 Hour Ballgame got to meet the Red Sox great, while the top ten fundraisers got to sit at the same table with Garciaparra.

"It's a chance for kids to meet celebrities, [and] bond through this great game of baseball," Lucas said about the fundraisers.

Garciaparra got to Salerno's early and started signing baseball caps, baseballs, and other memorabilia for talkative Little League players who were tight-lipped when they came face-to-face with the star.

"He's cool," said 11-year-old Tyler Noe, a pitcher for the Orioles, a Wareham Little League team in the Minor League division. "I like him … because he played for the Red Sox and I like the Red Sox."

The cool factor might have made the kids work hard during last year's fundraiser to meet Garciaparra, but his wisdom about success and self-confidence and stories of his days with the Red Sox kept the over 70 people in the audience alternating between attentive silence and mirthful laughter.

Thronell was prepared with questions for Garciaparra, written by the players prior to the event. The first asked how Garciaparra liked his time playing baseball in the Cape Cod League.

"I absolutely loved it," Garciaparra said, adding that that he visited Wareham a few times while he played with the Orleans Firebirds in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. "I still keep in touch with the best friends [from there], that's what's so good about it."

Garciaparra answered questions about his experiences with, and his love for, the Red Sox. He also shared tales about how got to be a successful athlete.

"I got straight A's," said Garciaparra who had a greater than 4.0 grade point average in high school. "I believe everybody can get straight A's, it all depends on how hard you want to work at it. I wanted to be the best baseball player, [but I also] wanted to be the best student. I can get injured, but you can't take away my mind."

Garciaparra, who played soccer and football in addition to baseball in high school, gave insider secrets to the Wareham Little League players, telling them that it was the teamwork and supportive attitude he learned playing high school sports that made him into the successful athlete -- not just baseball player -- that he is today.

"Baseball players aren't just good baseball players, they're good athletes," Garciaparra said.

The top fundraisers for last year's 24 Hour Ballgame were: Cooper Thornell, with $923; Riley Thornell, $923; Conor Walsh, $900; Jeremy Griffith, $663; Cameron Breault, $650; Jacob Unick, $585; Adam Weisberg, $545; Nathan Thomas, $515; Jared DeMello, $505; and Isiah Gomes, $500.

Sponsors for the events were Dunkin' Donuts, Morse Lumber, Cape Cod Express, Wareham Ford, New England Family Chiropractic, CSDM Corp, Maloney Plumbing, KM Building, Pontiac Tree, and Salerno's Function Hall.

"It was great. It's a lot of fun," said Garciaparra after the two-hour event ended. "I get to talk to the kids on a personal level. I'm very blessed with life … [and] I've always [thought], you give back to the community."