Quote Originally Posted by johng View Post
For those of you in the US and Canada this might be interesting to know. There is a grassroots effort going on to start Baseball Jamaica and introduce the American past time sport there. Cricket has long been popular in JA but baseball has not although Cuba and many other caribbean nations are quite good at it. Jamaican athletes are world class as has been seen with track and field, soccer, and even Bobsled. As is often the case in Jamaica there is a major lack of funds and equipment available for the kids many of whom play barefooted and use rocks as baseballs. Many of you probably at one time or other had your kids play baseball / softball in Little League, Babe Ruth, High school, college. Perhaps you have old equipment no longer needed. How about when headed to Jamaica next time packing a few items to leave on the island. Old cleats, gloves, balls, anything baseball related would be appreciated by the kids (girls softball too). I will contact my friends that are leading the cause and see if there can be a drop off point in Negril as a clearinghouse for equipment. Stuff that your kids have no longer need of would be greatly appreciated. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Funny this post came up......I was just talking to Kingsley James in April about how I've been trying for the last 20 years to get some interest in baseball in JA, especially MoBay and Negril and there has been very very little interest among the youth. Their parents grasp the concept that this could be a bigtime thing for the youth...but the youth don't seem to care.....its all cricket....all the time...happy to help with MORE donations, though....Probably easier for me to send a barrel of gear...I've been playing or coaching baseball for over forty years....literally a ton of gear in the garage...probably twenty aluminum bats of all sizes....youth gloves...youth catcher gear....I have some contacts with Rawlings...but I just haven't been convinced enough of the demand for baseball in JA to call in those favors, yet. If somebody wants to pay the freight, they can have my 1978 Jugs machine....with tripod it weighs over 200 pounds...just sayin...