By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher The Atlantic City and Holy Spirit baseball teams have a longstanding rivalry. No doubt members of past teams talk a little trash when they get together these days. Come next May they’ll have the chance to settle the debate on the field. Vikings coach Brent Bean and Spartans skipper Steve Normane are constantly trying to figure out ways to increase excitement around Cape-Atlantic League baseball. Last spring, each team had its own alumni game and both coaches said their individual events were big successes. So that got them thinking, why not combine the events into one alumni game, Atlantic City vs. Holy Spirit? “Steve and I had talked about it during the offseason. I checked back with him (in September) and he got back to me and said it would be a great idea. We felt it would be good for both programs to have the alumni come back and support the programs,” Bean said. “I had my first (alumni game) at Atlantic City last season and Steve had his first and they both went well. I know there are some old scores that need to be settled between Atlantic City and Holy Spirit. A lot of the older gentlemen are looking forward to getting that opportunity again.” “We each did our own thing last year. Ours was a huge success and we’re looking to build off of it,” said Normane, who took over for Bob Soifer as head coach of the Spartans last season. “These guys all know each other, they all played against each other in high school and some of them continue to play against each other now, so we figured it would be a good way to throw a wrinkle into the whole alumni game format.” The game is scheduled for May 9, 2015 at 10 a.m. at the Sandcastle in Atlantic City. Bean said he and Normane are working to try to get something going for after the game, possibly having the alumni meet up at a local restaurant for lunch. “It will be kind of neat to hear them talking and jawing at each other. It should be pretty exciting for that day. We figured we would do it (at the Sandcastle), it’s a nice location,” Bean said. “Hopefully we can get a good amount of people there. A lot of the older guys were saying how cool it is that we get to play our high school games there and they wish they had something like this when they were playing.” Normane said he tossed the idea around to some of the Holy Spirit alumni, and they were on board from the start. “That’s a no-brainer. Everybody wants a chance to play on that field,” Normane said of the former independent league home of the Surf. “When we did our last year it was cool because a lot of those guys hadn’t had a chance to play on Holy Spirit’s field in a long time. We did the batting practice, it went really well. This will be a little different experience, so we’ll see if they like it. The response I’ve gotten so far is that the guys are pretty excited about it. “We have a game against AC right around the same time. It should give (my players) something to look forward to, to be able to come back and play again sometime in the future,” Normane said. “The Sandcastle field is in good shape, so why not put it to good use with something like this?” Both coaches said that what makes the rivalry so unique is the fact that so many former players continue to live and work in the Atlantic City area after they graduate. “Most of the guys who went to Atlantic City and Holy Spirit are still around here. You have a lot of guys who have moved offshore, but for the most part a lot of the guys are still around here,” Bean said. Said Normane, “They were rivals in high school, but a lot of them are friends now. There should be some pretty unique matchups as far as friends, co-workers, relatives. I think it will be really cool, I’m looking forward to it.” If you are an alum of either baseball program and want to participate, contact coach Bean at dbean@acboe.org. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]