Baseball Between Us

Baseball is a game of wins, losses and…good deeds. Two Bay Area brothers formed Baseball Buddies to provide leftover equipment to kids in need. Jordan Leffler, age 15, and his 14-year-old brother Matthew discovered a treasure trove of used baseball cleats — still in good condition, while cleaning out their garage in San Jose.

The boys wanted to donate the goods to youth baseball teams that couldn’t afford equipment. So with the help of Barryessa Little League, the boys started Baseball Buddies and began collecting donated bats, gloves, helmets and cleats from the community.

Soon they had enough equipment to help fill a plane at Travis Air Force Base, where the baseball goods were shipped to young ballplayers in Honduras. Their donated items have also helped kids in Haiti and to the Boys and Girls Clubs in San Jose.

In today’s world, it’s nice to hear about kids doing something positive to make a difference.

Here’s a link to the Baseball Buddies web site:

Baseball Buddies



The Giants and the Dodgers are arch rivals but that didn’t stop LA’s Matt Kemp from performing a very classy gesture in SF. After his team had just gotten swept in the series, Kemp spotted a kid in the audience. The Dodger outfielder approached the boy, who happened to be terminally ill. Overcome by emotion, Kemp literally gave him the shirt off his back, before also volunteering his hat and then his shoes.

The boy, Joshua Jones has inoperable cancer and is expected to live only 90 days,  was awed by the generous gesture. Kemp did it spontaneously and was unaware a fan’s camera phone was recording his every action.

See for yourself in this clip, the joy that baseball can bring:

Matt Kemp FANtastic

Say it ain’t so, but the Chicago Cubs are threatening to leave the sacred confines of Wrigley Field. Owner Tom Ricketts wants to build a big 6,000 square foot video screen over left field, but he’s got an insurrection on his hands from the neighbors.

His problem specifically is with the rooftop bleacher people — the ones who pay good money to join private clubs that offer unrestricted views of the ballpark. The owners of those clubs are yelling foul, because they don’t want anything blocking their sightlines — and they do share 17 percent of their revenue with the ballclub.

But Ricketts, who wants to renovate the stadium built in 1914,  says, “The fact is that if we don’t have the ability to generate revenue in our own outfield, we’ll have to take a look at moving — no question.” Ricketts adds that without the signage, the Cubbies are missing out on $20 million a year in ad revenue — money he needs to modernize the park.

Cubs owner speaks out

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is supportive of the signs, but there’s no consensus yet on their size or shape. Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball — right behind Fenway Park in Boston, which opened in 1912.

It’s a story with a Hollywood-like ending, but it really happened. In Cincinnati. That’s where Ted Kremer is an honorary bat boy for the Cincinnati Reds. Teddy has Down syndrome but his energy and passion for the game have made him a fixture in the Reds dugout.

Last week, Teddy had three wishes…that the Reds would score 11 runs and get 11 Miami Marlins to strike out so fans could get free pizza. Oh and one more thing. A home run from Todd Fraser. The Reds 3rd baseman promised Teddy he would do just that, then proceeded to knock the ball over the center field fence. Teddy’s reaction is pure joy and captures the magic of baseball.

See it here: Hit One for Teddy

On April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, every Major League Baseball player will wear a jersey sporting the number 42, to honor the player who broke the color barrier back in 1947. The movie “42” is now on the big screen and it’s already a big hit with baseball fans — and movie fans everywhere. In fact, early box office receipts show “42” had the highest grossing weekend debut of any baseball film ever.

But Jackie Robinson would be disappointed to see how few African American players are in the game today. Baseball is of course, a game of numbers and the numbers show African Americans comprised just 8.5% of all players on Opening Day rosters this year. The numbers used to be double that in the 1980’s. In fact, nearly one out every five ballplayers was African American in 1986 (19% to be exact), according to the Society for American Baseball Research. And yet ironically in 2013, the World Champion San Francisco Giants do not have one black player on their roster. Ten teams have no more than one African American player.

So what has happened to Jackie Robinson’s legacy? To help answer that question, I interviewed former baseball manager Jerry Manuel in Elverta, California, where he runs the  Jerry Manuel Foundation which is dedicated to bringing more African American kids into the great game of baseball. Manuel managed the Chicago White Sox from 1998 – 2003 and the New York Mets from 2008 – 2010. Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig just selected Manuel to a task force designed to increase diversity — and especially the number of African Americans in the game.

Manuel and his son Anthony have teamed up to educate several dozen African American kids at Alpha Middle School in Elverta — where they also learn the fundamentals of baseball, using Jackie Robinson’s values of integrity, commitment and persistence as their guide.

Jerry Manuel teaches Jackie Robinson's values

Jerry and Anthony recently took ten of their kids to the premier of “42” is Los Angeles. Jerry told me the students are wide-eyed and filled with questions. “Yes they were very surprised,” he said. “There were still questions, ‘Were there really different drinking fountains? Were there really different bathrooms?'”

Then Manuel addressed the anemic modern-day numbers of African American ballplayers. “We have dropped the ball,” Manuel stated. “My generation has pretty much dropped the ball in promoting this great game of baseball. Our culture has given so much to the game. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson…” Manuel said as his voice trailed off.

I asked him why Jackie’s legacy has faded so fast.

“We really haven’t had that one athlete that transcends the sport like LeBron transcends basketball,” he told me. “All our youth identify with LeBron. We’re trying to identify that athlete, say a Matt Kemp, CC Sabathia, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, even Derrek Lee here in Sacramento, to get them to understand that these guys played the game of baseball and they can help you to have longevity in this beautiful game.”

Another key factor is the cost of playing baseball. It’s expensive to buy bats, mitts, balls and baseball cleats. Plus, you need a wide open grassy space to play ball. By contrast, to play basketball, all you need is a hoop and a pair of sneakers. You can even sharpen your skills by yourself against a backboard, whereas baseball requires at least two to have a catch.

“All the sports now, kids are choosing early what they’re going to do,” Manuel explained. “When I came about it was three sports. You played baseball, you played basketball, you played football. Now they’re choosing the one sport.”

Jackie Robinson played four sports at UCLA, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, football and track in 1939 and 1940.  Ironically, Robinson considered baseball to be his “worst” sport. Also attending UCLA at that time was my cousin Hal Auerbach, who grew up in Michigan with my dad. They remained close friends throughout their lives.

But back to baseball, where Jerry Manuel explained that the great expense of travel ball is prohibitive for many inner city kids. Major League Baseball is trying to address that with a program called RBI, which in this case stands for Reviving Baseball in the Inner cities.

But the game of baseball has changed. It’s become an international game, with roughly 30% of all players hailing from foreign lands — Japan, Korea, and the baseball hot bed of Latin America, where players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela now dominate MLB.  In fact, today’s SF Giants roster consists of six players from Venezuela, six from the Dominican Republic and one from Puerto Rico.

“Is Major League Baseball deliberately recruiting Latin American kids because it’s cheaper than recruiting inner city American kids?” I asked Manuel.

“No I don’t think so,” he said. “Well at the beginning, yes. But as you play with the basic agreement, regardless of who you are, it depends on how many years you have, but you’re going to get paid X amount of dollars.”

It’s also possible the fields are not exactly level. Latin American players can sign with major league clubs at age 15, whereas American kids must wait until 17 or 18, when their class graduates from high school. Scouts say that can put American kids at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to developing their skills at the baseball academies established by the big leagues.

Anthony Manuel cited another big reason today’s rosters are so devoid of African American players. “I think other sports target the inner city a little more,” he said. “You see more African Americans in the NFL, in the NBA. Major League Baseball is not something that the kids really look forward to. A lot of our kids are very athletic and sometime baseball can be a slower game, standing around and it’s more mental. So they’re not always able to use their tools.” he stated.

Anthony Manuel, Mike Luery and Jerry Manuel

“It also goes to colleges. There are not as many scholarships for baseball. I think it’s only about 11% right now in the NCAA, when other sports can give full rides to basketball and football players,” Anthony Manuel said.

The Jerry Manuel Foundation is dedicated to changing the face of Major League Baseball. “The Jackie Robinson movie drives home what needs to be done,” Jerry Manuel told me.

“That’s what we’re all about. We’re trying to bring the kids in, teach them baseball,” Manuel said. “It’s baseball year round. And then at the same time, send them back to their Little League programs to enhance the Little League programs around Sacramento. What I’m hoping is that Major League Baseball adopts this program and then we can replicate it throughout the country. But what they’re going to be adopting, they’re not going to be adopting just the Jerry Manuel Foundation, they’re going to be adopting Sacramento. Because we’re going to go and try and fix up the fields, do everything we can to bring the kids out and play baseball.”

And watching those kids succeed would be a fitting tribute to Jackie Robinson’s legacy.

It’s Opening Day in Major League Baseball, where tens of thousands of fans will flock to the ballpark on April 1, for the start of a new season.They’ll enjoy grilled hot dogs and cold beer from the comfort of their stadium seats.

But in Nicaragua, it’s a very different story, where baseball is played on fields that look like this one:

My son Matt snapped this picture and sent it to me from Nicaragua, where he is currently living and building nature preserves for the town of Matagalpa. He saw these kids playing baseball and wrote this letter via e-mail:

“Hey Dad…I think you’ll be happy to know I finally was able to get in on a pick-up baseball game this last weekend. I went with a couple friends to a field in a place called Apante and played for about 3 hours.  It was super fun and I’ll tell you more about it later but I think it’s fair to say that playing a spontaneous game on a makeshift field in the middle of a Central American jungle with 17 other Nicaraguans is one of the more memorable experiences of my life.

I didn’t get any hits unfortunately but drew one walk. I was playing center field and made a play or two, including catching a deep, high fly ball.  We have tentative plans to go back again next Sunday and maybe play every weekend if possible.”

“How fast was the pitching?” I asked him. “Did you see curveballs and sliders or just fastballs?”

“Nothing too intense.” Matt said. “Maybe 60mph.  But it’s plenty fast for me.  I think the pitcher was throwing a bit of everything but I wasn’t too concerned with identifying the pitches so much as just trying to hit the ball.”

“Who did you play?” I wanted to know.

“The group of people was pretty hodgepodge,” he said. “It was some older guys, a few athletic guys in their 20s, some younger kids.  We played 8 vs. 8 with no right fielder because there is a giant mound and some boulders in right field.  We used some old wooden bats which was cool.  I think I fit in pretty decently, although I’m definitely out of practice.   Aside from my little stint with your softball team, I haven’t really played in over ten years.”

“We are talking about real baseball,” I asked. “Not softball right?”

“It was hardball,” he assured me. “And yes I brought my mitt with me.”

Have mitt, will travel. And you never know where a baseball game might break out. Especially in Nicaragua where Dennis Martinez is still idolized as a baseball god.

It was a sea of balloons, pageantry and color at Arden Little League on Saturday, as more than 300 ballplayers and their parents gathered for Opening Day Ceremonies.

Founded in 1953, Arden Little League is located on Eastern Avenue in Sacramento’s Arden Park neighborhood. It’s a popular league with more than 30 teams ranging from Tee ball to hard ball. My son Matt, played in Arden Little League from ages 5 -10, learning the fundamental lessons of hitting, pitching and fielding – but even more importantly the value of teamwork.

It was a thrill to do a book signing on Saturday and because the league is a vital part of the community and helped my son develop friends for life, I was honored to donate half of my book sales to Arden Little League.

It was so much fun to see the kids run around the field in their colorful uniforms, reminding me of days long ago, when I was a coach. But the traditions have continued and it was inspirational to see the older kids greeting the younger ones with High Fives as they rounded the bases to take their place on Arden’s field of dreams.

Best of luck to all the teams this year. Wishing all of you a very successful season!

The Washington Nationals have an awesome lineup for 2013. Outfielders Bryce Harper and Jason Werth will combine with Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Danny Haren on the mound, with Rafael Soriano warming up in the bullpen.

And now they’ve just added another heavy hitter. He’s 350 pound “Big Chief” Bill Taft, perhaps better known as William Howard Taft, our 27th and heaviest president. Taft will be joining George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt, as the fifth member of the running presidential mascots: The Big Five

Hopefully he’ll have better luck that TR, who lost a record 525 races in a row, until the Nats made the postseason last year, when he then won consecutive races:

Teddy Wins

Why add Taft, or “Big Lub”, as he was known in college, when he weighed 240 pounds? Because Taft is the father of the 7th Inning Stretch. He threw out the first ball at the Washington Senators 1910 home opener — and then in the 7th inning, stood up to stretch his legs. Out of deference to the president, all the fans stood on their feet and a new tradition was born.

Taft was the largest U.S. president ever, weighing in at 1,120 baseballs (each ball weighs 5 ounces), so if you do the math it comes to more than 350 pounds. The ceremonial first ball is now a part of American presidential history– with every president throwing out a first pitch, with the exception of Jimmy Carter.

Speaking of firsts, next Saturday, March 16 is Opening Day for Arden Park Little League in

Sacramento. I’ll be doing a book signing there starting at 10 a.m. and will be donating 50% of all sales to Arden Little League, 1100 Eastern Avenue, in Sacramento:

Arden Little League

Hope to see you there!

It’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year. And it’s almost here: 42

42 is the number and the story of the great Jackie Robinson, which is now coming to the silver screen in April. The movie chronicles the life and impact of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 and changed the game and complexion of baseball forever. Jackie was the 1947 Rookie of the Year and played 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, helping them win a World Series in 1955 against the crosstown New York Yankees.

Robinson was a lifetime .311 hitter and All Star second baseman who was electrifying on the basepaths.  He averaged 23 stolen bases and 87 walks a year. He was the baseball MVP in 1949, with a .342 batting average and .432 on base percentage.

Always a terrific player, Robinson’s greatest contributions were his passion for the game, his character and above all, his courage.  Players from opposing teams would go out of their way to spike Robinson and throw deliberately at his head while batting, but Robinson beat them on the field. As Brooklyn Dodger GM Branch Rickey said, ” I want a man who has the guts not to fight back.”

In the movie, Jackie Robinson is played by Brooklyn born Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed NFL running back Floyd little in the 2008 movie,”The Express”, the story of Syracuse star Ernie Davis. Branch Rickey, who searched everywhere for the right player to integrate Major League Baseball,  is portrayed by Harrison Ford.

Major League Baseball has declared April 15 to be Jackie Robinson day, in which players on every team will honor the legendary player by wearing number 42 on their jerseys.

MLB Tribute to Jackie Robinson

I can’t wait to see the movie!

In the meantime, Spring Training is here to keep us occupied and Little League will be starting soon. I’ll be doing a book signing for Baseball Between Us, Baseball Between Us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 16 at Arden Little League on Eastern Avenue in Sacramento. Arden Little League Opening Day

It’s Opening Day and I’ll be donating 50% of all my book sales to Arden Little League, to help support today’s young players – and who knows, maybe one of them will grow up to be a Major Leaguer. Hope to see you there!

I was in San Francisco on Wednesday to experience the Giants victory parade, along with one million of my closest friends. Ha!

It was an honor to be there on Market Street and cover the celebration for KCRA-TV. Here’s the video story, in case you missed it:

KCRA 3 Reports

Fans cheered pitchers Tim Lincecum and Sergio Romo, outfielder Hunter Pence (partially obscured in the picture below)

Hunter Pence

and all their favorite Giants players.

There was plenty of pageantry in the Giants’ parade — and even an upside-down toy tiger mounted on a broom, carried by Stacy Hunt of Auburn. She was celebrating San Francisco’s four-game sweep of Detroit.

Tiger on a broom after SF sweep

“This is our dead Tiger. Detroit Tiger. We swept them, we’re number one,” Hunt told me along the parade route on Market Street.

Two dozen cannons along Market Street pumped out one and a half tons of orange and black confetti, showering fans with paper.

1.5 tons of confetti

More confetti

The parade brought Giants fans from near and far — and scores from the Sacramento Valley, including Jamie and Scott Johnston of Antelope, who played hooky from work.

“Yeah, we’ve got World Series fever,” Scott Johnston said.

“This is just the culmination,” explained Jamie Johnston. “We started the year in spring training in Arizona. We followed them, went to opening day, so we had to go to the last parade, had to end the year on a good note.”

The Giants’ journey this year has been historic. The team won six straight elimination games in the playoffs, only to humiliate the Tigers in the World Series with four consecutive victories. Or as the Warfield Theatre put it on their billboard: “How Sweep It Is”:

The Message from Market Street

The Giants’ title is their second since 2010, tying them with the Boston Red Sox for the most championships this century.