Baseball Anyone???

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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Those of you that are trying to decide, "What can I do to help?", I have another great idea. I know that I have posted for Fundacion Patria, and they certainly need our help, but I know of another group that needs us as well.

SR. David Sanchez, bellman at Fun Royale/Tropicale (located in Playa Dorada) is the coach of a local Dominican youth baseball team. David has about 90 players on the team that range in age from 8-20. David's team needs baseball equipment e.g. balls, gloves, bats, spikes, bases, etc.

If you would like to help, bring an extra bag of equipment to David. You can call him at 809 320 4054 to make arrangements for the donation. If you are so inclined, you could also probably assist David in his coaching duties. The kids love baseball and anyone who is willing to help them improve their game.

Thanks for your interest.

Enjoy your Dominican experience :)

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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A Spring Idea

For any of you living in or traveling to Florida/Arizona, this would be a great opportunity to speak with the baseball team training in your area to see if they would donate equipment to David's team. You might even be able to speak with a Dominican player and ask him for a personal request. It never hurts to ask.

Play Ball!!

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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From David Sanchez To You

David wanted me to convey his thanks and gratitude to those who have brought gloves, balls, and other equipment to donate to his team. The young men really appreciate your desire to help.

Now my .02, I would like to remind you that baseball is now in full swing, and David can still use your kind/generous donations.

Remember, you can contact David at Fun Royale-Fun Tropicale. 809-320-4054.

Thanks for your sharing.

Enjoy your Dominican experience :)

SB
 

daddy1

Member
Feb 27, 2004
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I will do my best in Orlando Florida...

I will make contact with our local Dominican Softball leagues here, to see if they can contribute, I will also see if I can get some Dominican businesses to sponsor and pay for uniforms, I will sponsor a team or two myself - I will also send him three aluminum bats for the youth level per month and several dozen baseballs on a monthly bases as well.. I support and help fund a flag football league in the Capital and one which is growing big time in Puerto Plata we will be hosting the U.S. national tournament team in July
so my budget is pretty tight, but I will call this gentlemen to see what his motivation is with these children, and then I'll take it from there so if he is legitament and not another one of those child exploiting buscones :tired: (money hungry scout), I can help them out.
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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A Straight Arrow

daddy1,
Trust me, David is as honest and sincere as a person can be. My wife and I have been traveling to Playa Dorada for the past 10 years. It was in 2004 when we stayed for an extra week or two, that I learned about David and his team. In fact, I had the good fortune of being able to help coach David's team on 3-4 seperate occasions. The final event was pretty dramatic, because Davis's team won the league championship on that night. The look of joy and excitement on the faces of the players was a real thrill to experience.

As I mentioned above, David has about 80-90 players on his team, ages 8-20. He has one other gentleman who is helping with this large group.

If you would like to pm me, please do so and we can get into more details on this matter.

Thanks for your willingness to get involved in such a positive manner. Looking forward to your pm.

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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Thanks

Malibrook,
Thanks for your efforts. Please try to contact David at the "bell station" when you arrive. David is a tall, thin gentleman who wears glasses. In addtion to taking care of the guests baggage, he often drives the shuttle to/from the beach.

Please tell him that Norm from the USA says hello.

SB
 

Snowbird

Member
Jan 17, 2002
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Equipment Needed Update

I have a request from Sr. David Sanchez, the youth coach in Playa Dorada. David has said that his team needs gloves, and uniforms. His players range in age from 6-20, and he has about 80 players that he works with.

If you are interested in helping David's team with your donations, please used the above information as you see fit. If you want additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks for all you do.

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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Thank You One and All

From David Sanchez...Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo!!!

Thank you everyone for your gifts of baseball equipment to the young players on David's team. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

SB
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
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daddy1 said:
...so my budget is pretty tight, but I will call this gentlemen to see what his motivation is with these children, and then I'll take it from there so if he is legitament and not another one of those child exploiting buscones :tired: (money hungry scout), I can help them out.
Did he turn out to be legit?
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
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48
Snowbird, I was addressing the question to Daddy1 who brought up, in a roundabout way, the issue of David's legitimacy. I was hoping to hear Daddy1's reply (which I'm sure will be positive) since he said he would call David to "see what his motivation is with these children".
 

Snowbird

Member
Jan 17, 2002
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Hello Again

Hello All,

I haven't stopped supporting David Sanchez, it's just that travel is in the slow stage at this point, and I haven't had many inquiries to date.

If you are headed to Puerto Plata, and want to do whatever you can to help the young children, David is still available to receive your donation.

Thanks for your interest.

Enjoy your Dominican experience :)

SB
 

Snowbird

Member
Jan 17, 2002
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As we now enter the "high" season for travel to the Domincian Republic, I would like to ask once again if our readers might be able to find some space in their checked luggage for some baseball equipment for David's team. Because the game is played year round, the supplies diminsh very quickly, and David's team can always use any donated equipment you may be able to bring for them. As in the past, David can use baseballs, bats, gloves, uniforms, bases, etc. He especially needs help to provide items for his younger players ages 8-14.

If you have any specific questions, please email me, and I will answer as best I can. If you would like David's email, I can provide that as well.

Thanks for your interest and caring.

Enjoy your Dominican experience :)

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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A Message From David

From David Sanchez...Many THANKS for all of your generous donations this past year. Secundo and I, and the players appreciate very much your gift of equipment.

Feliz Navidad y Dios Le Bendiga!
==============================================

The same goes for me.

SB
 

Snowbird

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Jan 17, 2002
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Good News

Thanks to DR1 for moving us to this forum from our former location in the Travel Questions forum. I am confident that we can reach more interested readers now that we have arrived here. If any readers have questions, please ask and I will answer as best I can asap.

SB
 

Snowbird

Member
Jan 17, 2002
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An Eye Opener

Friends of Dominican Youth Baseball,
An article by Peter Cary in U.S. News & World Report is now on the newsstands. Its date is March 26-April 2, 2007. The cover reads, Making America Better. There is a big American flag on the cover. The article is on page 44. Read and enjoy.

SB
 

Snowbird

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Here It Is...Enjoy

Where Ballplayers Are Born and Made
By Peter Cary
Posted 3/18/07
Sammy Sosa. Albert Pujols. Pedro Martinez. Juan Marichal. Felipe Alou. The names of the great players that the Dominican Republic has supplied to Major League Baseball just roll, with a trill, off the tongue. Since 1958, this tiny Caribbean nation, with a population of about 9 million, has sent 440 players to the majors, and it produces about a fourth of all players in the U.S. minor leagues.

How do they do it? The answer is partly historical, partly cultural, partly economic. American sailors taught Cubans the game, and in the 1870s the Cubans brought beisbol to the Dominican Republic. The sport quickly became the national pastime, and soon the national passion. By the 1950s, the U.S. major leagues had established formal relationships with Dominican teams to flow the most talented players to America. And by the 1970s, U.S. teams were setting up academies in the D.R., enrolling the best players and providing them with food, healthcare, and schooling. Chosen trainees get a salary and a signing bonus-the bonus alone can be many times the average annual Dominican wage. The best of them, maybe 2 percent, make it to the American minor leagues.

First glove. It doesn't hurt that many Dominicans are dirt poor. Says David Sanchez, who runs a league for penniless young players in Puerto Plata, "I tell them if you practice every day ... maybe you can go to the U.S. and make some money." But what helps even more is the Dominicans' unparalleled love for the sport. "When a child is in the womb, that's when the father buys him a baseball glove," says Francisco "Frank" Cruz, a Dominican youth coach.

American coaches who visit the D.R. are intrigued by how these young players are made. For starters, they note, most Dominican kids don't have video games-they have beisbol. They may practice three hours a day, two or three days a week. Then, after dinner, they run outside and play more baseball. Children hone their skills with street games like vitilla, in which the batter tries to hit a water bottle cap with a broomstick. Good pitchers can make the cap dive like a curveball. By age 9, kids are trying to hit tossed kernels of corn.

The lesson for Americans here is play, play, play. Baseball is a game that is only learned through repetition. And there is nothing like a simple game of street ball-where home plate is a paving stone and first base is a car fender-for getting swings of the bat. In a pickup game, a child will see scores of pitches and will get to field dozens of flies and grounders. Brendan Sullivan III, who runs Headfirst baseball in Washington, D.C., came back from his visits to the Dominican Republic with a firm resolution: "In every practice, set aside some time for kids to just be kids."

Dominican players are marked by their relaxed and fluid style of play. One reason, perhaps, is that in the republic, there are no moms hanging over the fence during practice, no dads tracking batting averages, no red-faced coaches. Tension, the fear of making a mistake, is missing. "They play that game with so much joy," says Sullivan. "They are just playing to play."

This story appears in the March 26, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.