Bridgeport, CT
04/23/2008 7:50 AM - Foundation Staff
Today is our last day on the road for about a week before we head up to Philly. Today was a jam-packed day in Bridgeport, playing Quickball at two different schools and a fun stop at the Boys and Girls Club followed by quite possibly the most pizza to-date on the tour. I have to say we had a great day at the schools and learned a lot about the struggles these kids go through every day, drugs (hard-core drugs), knives, fights, and that is in the elementary schools, before these kids even reach their teen years. They certainly are up against a lot, and yet they were all smiles for us during Quickball.
As the day was wrapping up after a few hours of Quickball I was talking to about 50 9-12 year old girls before heading out to the pizza extravaganza. This ten year old just took the cake for most inspired comment of the tour. Her exact words, “life ain’t like no Burger King. You can’t have it your way!” Now imagine that with full head shaking and finger wagging to complete the attitude of a ten year old girl. It was amazing.
These kids are young and have already learned the hard way that most things probably aren’t going to go their way. I hope as they grow they are able to maintain the positivity that they possessed today thinking that even though “you can’t have it your way,” you learn how to adjust and react to life as it comes.
That is all for now, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that I do not have to look at another pizza for at least a week.
Waterbury, CT
04/22/2008 7:49 AM - Foundation Staff
I have to say a nice two hour drive from Boston to Connecticut- not bad. Yea those other drives were interesting and thought provoking but two hours and you are there- awesome. Today’s tour stop at the Waterbury Police Activity League included a visit from Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Waterbury Police Chief Neal O’Leary, both of whom expressed an infectious excitement for our program. Getting that warm a welcome and response from the city and state’s top officials always makes for a good day.
The Waterbury P.A.L. is amazing. The site is right where it needs to be, in the neighborhood where the kids that need a place to go can walk right in after school and know they are safe. Now for the sheer act of trying to maintain some order we try to limit the number of people in any one gym at any time, but in this place they refuse to turn anyone away. I think it is always a sign of a great place when the kids show up every day by the hundreds. The gym was completely packed, and the cops knew all the kids. These guys at the Waterbury Police Department take serious pride in serving their neighborhood and that was so evident in the faces of all the kids. They knew that someone there cared about them and they acted accordingly, allowing us with bursting walls to still maintain a mild sense of order.
We had kids as young as three-years-old all the way up the ladder to cops in uniform and parents and grandparents playing Quickball. It was amazing. Kids screaming, parents cheering, cops and kids laughing and playing together, everything we could possibly ask for in a community, and of course tons and tons of pizza. It is apparently not possible to order too much pizza when you are feeding a gym full of kids and cops. Now down the road to Bridgeport. I thought a two hour drive was nice, so I can’t wait for the 40 minute drive down the road…
Boston, MA
04/20/2008 9:15 AM - Foundation Staff
Two observations:
1. Either the marathon inspires people to a freakish level or the city of Boston is filled with the world’s population of cross country runners.
2. When a cab asks if you mind if he stops to put air in the tires, you’re response should immediately be I’ll walk from here.
Saturday was filled with two clinics in partnership with the Red Sox Foundation set on the beautiful Charles River at a set of newly refurbished youth fields. We held two clinics, one for the Red Sox boys RBI program and another for their softball program. Per usual the kids were great and surprisingly enthusiastic for a Saturday morning. With it being Patriots weekend in the Boston area the city was abuzz with a palpable excitement that translated to our staff. Saturday was one of those days where you couldn’t ask for much more. The weather was perfect, the fields beautiful and the event successful. With the youth clinics complete today (Sunday) we’re set to host a coaching clinic at Northeastern University. Bill Ripken will be flying in to conduct the clinic while Chuck and Jane will be on hand at the Red Sox game to present a check to the Red Sox Foundation as part of our statewide Badges for Baseball initiative.
Nashua, NH
04/18/2008 8:18 PM - Foundation Staff
After a brief stopover in the Nashua we have actually pulled into Boston for a weekend of events. We drove in from Burlington, VT this morning for our Quickball event with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Nashua this afternoon. We’ve had the pleasure of working with the club in Nashua for a few years now which makes our visits even better. We played Quickball with many of the 300 kids the club sees each day followed by….wait for it….a hearty stack of Dominos for the kids. If I go 3 years without seeing a pizza I’ll be better off. Despite my detesting pizza the Nashua event was a success. We’ll bring more this weekend as we complete a big set of events with the Red Sox Foundation.
Burlington, VT
04/17/2008 6:43 PM - Foundation Staff
After two great events in Ohio with the kids from Cincinnati and Cleveland it was time to hit the road again. Quetti hopped on a plane home, and I have to say that driving 12 hours to Burlington was pretty much the very last thing Jeff and I wanted to do that morning. It turns out, as is often the case, that the drive was both not as bad as we anticipated and a thought provoking experience. I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the route through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and up-state New York that takes you into Vermont, I know I wasn’t. The drive was long, yes, and as we followed wise Garmi off the interstate onto some random town roads we were both a little hesitant, but Garmi had yet to lead us astray so we wisely followed her. We drove through little towns that looked like they hadn’t changed in years and through some of the most gorgeous scenery I have every seen as we got into Vermont.
Growing up in and around big east coast cities like DC and New York it is so easy to live in a “bubble world” assuming everything in the country revolves around your city and thinking why on earth would you ever leave the big city that has everything you think you would ever need? These types of road trips allow you to see parts of this country of ours that I would not necessarily ever witness. Driving through the scenic country seems so peaceful and enticing almost as though there are no cares in the world.
Of course, “the grass is always greener” almost always proves to be true and the fascination is with the unknown more than the reality of any particular life or life style, but it was interesting to think about how your life would be different living in a small country town. Perhaps one day I will move away from the big city, but either way it is nice to know that nice small country towns with Main Street and the General Store do still exist, and the city mouse and the country mouse could probably stand to learn a lot from one another.
Upon reaching Vermont we spent some time at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Burlington and their terrific kids. A recurring theme was evident once again today. Whether we spend time in the most urban area of Cleveland or a remote area of Vermont, kids are kids. They want to have fun and enjoy their young lives – the shame is when our society forces them to become adults all too quickly.
Cleveland, OH
04/15/2008 6:49 PM - Foundation Staff
The city of Cleveland really gets a bad rap. The whole mistake by the lake stuff doesn’t fly anymore. Cleveland is a nice city. It actually reminds me a lot of Baltimore with the vibrant downtown located on the water. Our stop on the shores of Lake Erie brought us to our partners in the Cleveland Baseball Federation. Before we get into the details of our stop in Cleveland, I have to admit that I am much more fond of the weather in the Tampa/Naples area. The bad news is that I apparently thought the whole Tour was set to take place in the South so I failed to pack more than a thin pair of wind pants and a jacket. The 40 degree temperatures are, well, swell to use a word you’re all familiar with. And I say you’re all familiar with it because until tonight I thought the only people who read the blog were those friends back in the office. Ahah! Until now. As we left the clinic tonight an enthusiastic coach thanked us for our efforts and asked for a shout out in the blog to which I responded “wait, our blog?” Someone outside the office and not named ma and pa actually read! So here it is: shout out to our new friend in the Cleveland area even though we can’t remember the exact name of your town! I had a bunch of names in my head but I can’t remember the real one so that’s all I’ve got.
As we did in Cincinnati, our partners in Cleveland were a terrific bunch. We were also fortunate to have the help of an amazing coach and five players from Tri-C College in Cleveland. These guys rescheduled a practice the day before a conference game to come out and help us today for the 75 kids from the Cleveland Baseball Federation. Now in college sports especially baseball, rescheduling a practice to accommodate a two-hour clinic is a huge sacrifice when you are dealing with months of class and game schedules to work around. These guys were cheerful and enthusiastic, and open to learning from all aspects of the afternoon. As we ran through the clinic we had kids laughing and showing off and other kids shy and nervous, but overall every young person there was having fun, which is really all we can ask for.
At the end of each clinic, as you may have read in previous blogs, we provide a little bit (or some insane amount) of pizza for all the kids. Almost every day, before today, the kids were just dying to get to the pizza. They may have loved the baseball and the games and drills, but they are kids and they had spent 8 hours in school and at least an hour listening to us, so now they were ready to eat, and eat they did, consuming a record 213 pizzas to date. This day was different. We did the same drill with clinic followed by pizza, and instead of kids rushing up the stairs to consume as much pie as possible, we had kids hanging around on the field. They were asking questions, practicing the stances and drills we taught, throwing with the Tri-C guys, and running around the bubble with baseballs having a great time. Pizza was the last thing on their mind. They were even asking for autographs on their shirts, gloves and balls. This day was a dream come true for youth league and college players alike. One of the guys from Tri-C, let’s call him Josh, even said it to me, “this is the greatest day of baseball.” These guys are local college players, and in all honesty will most likely never make it to a place in the game where they would be signing autographs for anyone, but today they were heroes. They were celebrities to the kids of the Cleveland Baseball Federation who came out to have an afternoon of fun, an afternoon to dream big. As cool as it was to play in Great American Ballpark, today taught me that it doesn’t matter at all where you are, dreams inspire you on a big league field or in a bubble. Plus I signed a couple t-shirts myself, so how could I possibly complain?
Yes folks, one last shout out goes to Kelly Stinnett, a former draft pick of the Tribe and a valiant member of the Reds and Phils.
Cincinnati, OH
04/14/2008 6:11 PM - Foundation Staff
Ok so we had the pleasure of hosting our clinic at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati today while partnering with the Cincinnati Reds Community Fund. For those that have not had the pleasure, the Reds Community Fund staff is by far some of the best in the bigs. As most of you know, one our chief goals is to provide a “one-of-a-kind” experience to all of our participants while inspiring them to be great. Well with that in mind we certainly created an incredible experience for 50 youth and 30 of their coaches. Although, it can’t go without saying that the smile plastered on the face of Quetti cannot be overstated. The guy was giddy to be on a big league field. And to his credit, Quetti only took 23 divots out of the field when he decided to make the outfield station into an Olympic event complete with high jump and long jump. Please feel free to ask the Reds grounds crew how they felt about this event. But that’s just the thing. That is the point. When was the last time you walked on a big league field? When was the last time anyone did that didn’t have on the uniform of a big-leaguer? A divot can be repaired. Yeah, I know. I’m on the bandwagon again, and I’m overstating the importance of a two-hour clinic. But it can’t be overstated. What’s more important than the opportunity to dream? With the incredible help of the Reds, we tried to give kids the chance to dream tonight. Dream of walking out of the dugout. Dream of fielding a fly ball in center in front of 43,600 strong. Dream of making a divot in center.
Divots are a big deal in the bigs. With that in mind, a huge thanks goes out to the entire Reds staff. Your hospitality is forever appreciated. On the way to Cleveland now, can’t say there is much going on for this trip. Good news though – there are gummy bears in the car.
Mississippi Delta, MS
04/12/2008 7:39 AM - Foundation Staff
Well after two invigorating events in Mississippi we’re on our way to the great state of Ohio for our Cincinnati and Cleveland stops. Before musing on our collective enjoyment of 12-hour car rides, allow me to run along a brief tangent of stories from the 2008 Tour thus far being as we’ve seemed to cross the halfway point.
· Mississippi Delta event: Again, the running theme, the kids were great today. They were so happy to be there and just wanted to have a good time. Good event. (Please if you see him, please feel free to ask Kanott how long it takes to get to Mississippi Delta from Jackson).
· Some themes thus far:
1. The weather – it rains a lot in April and it has dawned on us that traveling north now means colder temperatures.
2. Kids – well yes they are the target but we’ve seen a lot of them and they’ve been great
3. Quickball – two main themes here: Kids love the game, and Quetti can’t pitch
4. Is Cal in the car? – No. Honestly, do you ride around in a car with your name in 4x4 letters?
5. More cheese please – 8 events down, 1,500 kids, 175 pizzas. Yeah, 175 pizzas and they never stop asking for more cheese please.
· Cal, Sr: As we were setting up for our event in Tampa Bay, one of the facility directors shared some of his thoughts on the chance of working with Cal, Sr. You can always tell a baseball lifer, someone who lives and breathes the game and this employee named Pete certainly fit that mold. Pete explained the privilege he felt in getting to know Cal, Sr. and the incredible respect he earned among the baseball community. For most of us on staff, these truths are relayed through stories and anecdotes but to hear such genuine admiration was refreshing yet not at all surprising. As we pulled out and relayed our thanks to Pete, he said “anyone who has that logo of that man, I’ll do anything for.”
· The car: While accommodations are less than spacious, the suburban is holding up well. Despite our 40 minute gallivant to find a car wash in Mississippi things are well in Suburban land.
Montgomery, AL
04/10/2008 7:45 PM - Foundation Staff
We’re fortunate that this job is a new adventure everyday (as is most jobs with kids). Today our adventure took us to Montgomery, AL once again. We’ve spent a few days in the past in the Montgomery area as I mentioned the other day. As we pulled up to the club there was an instant impression that we weren’t in the best part of town. We are certainly not judges of what is good and what is bad but a depressed area is a depressed area. Seeing kids get off the bus in a neighborhood filled with graffiti, ply-board clad houses and the sounds of gunshots isn’t something you hear every day. But this is every day. This is every day for many of America’s kids. Please don’t think I’m overstating or taking poetic license on this, I am probably being kind in a way. These areas are tough and unforgiving. But once we walked into the club, as we have in many other situation we come to a great realization. These kids are tough. These kids, in most cases, have known nothing else. Despite living in a world filled with the bleak reality of everyday, these kids are not hardened, not yet. We’ve seen so many young and kind kids that have yet to be robbed of their innocence by their surroundings. I really think there is a common denominator with many of these kids. They’ve still got a sense of hope and opportunity within their minds. They still believe they can accomplish great things. It’s when these thoughts begin to be replaced by thoughts of despair and hopelessness that our communities suffer.
Off to Jackson, MS for an event with Attorney General Hood tomorrow. Check out the pictures in the photo gallery, there’s some good ones.
Naples and Tampa Bay, FL
04/07/2008 6:37 PM - Foundation Staff
Well as I sit here enjoying the warm weather (two days of temperatures in the 80’s) I have some good news to report. Despite driving in well, pardon the repetition, driving rain all day Sunday we have had good weather two days in a row. With that in mind, I’m ready to declare that we have finished the week of rain. Yeah, that was a great idea. The word jinx comes to mind. Oh well. Yesterday was a Quickball demonstration at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collier County with nearly 300 kids at their incredible campus located in southern Florida. I have to admit, not only was the club first rate but the hospitality of the staff sure made life good. It’s so nice to have a great, energetic staff greeting us for our events. We’ve been awfully fortunate thus far at all of our stops with some great staff members. After enjoying the NCAA championship game, we hit the road to the Tampa area. After a brief stop off at the local airport to drop off KaaaNott, we finally hit the hotel early this morning. A quick recharge of the batteries and a big ol’ stack of flapjacks later and we were on our way the spring training home of the Tampa Bay Rays. We were very fortunate to partner with the Rays for our event today to make a great experience for the kids. Honestly, I think if we gave the kids their shirts, a ticket to the Rays game, pizza, and a chance to lay on the grass we could have called it a day. Great group of kids that seemed to genuinely enjoy their experience. One of the cooler experiences of the tour happened at the end of today’s clinic when we were talking about courage. Hearing 10 year olds talk about the courage of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the wisdom of Ghandi was pretty cool. They say kids don’t know enough about history “nowadays”; well these guys and girls did. Back to our ol’ stompin grounds in Alabama tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate.
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