hi guys:

last night i edited the following story for tuesday's (june 13th's) people item in the times union's sports section.

reading it, it struck me that maybe we can do something to pitch in? here's the story, followed by two ideas:
_______________________________________________

A chance to bat for Roberto's Kids

Associated Press

COOPERSTOWN ... More than three decades after Roberto Clemente died trying to bring aid to others, an effort to help Latin American children has been launched in his name.

The family of the late Hall of Famer and the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum have created ``Roberto's Kids'' to collect new and lightly used
baseball equipment for delivery to poor children in Latin America.

The goal of Roberto's Kids is to continue the charitable work of Steve Pindar, of Oneonta, and Steve Tremitiere, of Newtown, Pa. Each has collected tons of equipment for children in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in recent years.

Roberto's Kids will give organizations information to run a collection.
Equipment will be sent to a central facility for packing and shipping.

Pindar started the Baseball Equipment Project in 1999 in the Dominican
Republic with a single donation from the Oneonta Little League. In 2005, his
family collected five tons of equipment for Dominican children from organizations across the country.

Clemente was 38 when died in a plane crash off Puerto Rico in 1972 while trying
to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The ex-Pirate had exactly 3,000 hits.

_________________________________________

two ideas, guys:

i contacted the hall of fame today, and through it, called steve pindar in oneonta, who's running roberto's kids. he's 54, a former alderman there, is semi-retired and doesn't play baseball, but his two sons do. he sounds like pleasant, well-meaning, energetic fellow. steve told me that steve tremitiere hooked him up with the clemente foundation in pitttsburgh, which has agreed to back the roberto's kids organization. they've just gotten started, they're working on a web site and setting up a legal charity umbrella (a 501- c3) by which they can accept monetary donations, though those things will take a little time yet.

but right now - and for the immediate future - they're looking for baseball equipment, everything from slightly used bats, balls and gloves to bases, rubbers, batting helmets, the whole shebang. last year, steve pindars and his wife helped send 100,000 pounds of equipment to the dominican republic. this year, their goal under roberto's kids is 5 tons, shipped in sea containers to the dominican, puerto rico and a third latin country, possibly venezuela, panama, nicaragua or mexico. steve makes the excellent point that in sending baseball equipment, people are not only helping kids play ball, but they're also helping to organize communities around the game.

so my ideas:

i thought we might pitch in at season's end, say, at the all-star game and picnic: we could bring equipment we think might not see another season and leave it at the field for pickup.

steve said he'd be happy to come pick up the equipment in his suv.

i also thought we could invite him (and possiibly steve tremitiere, if he's also close by and involved) and have him/them throw out the first ball and then ask him/ them to join the picnic with us where we could give them the official CDMSBL toast, whatever that is.

so what do you think? something we can do? it seems easy enough, and it might boost attendance at the all-star game. i'm open to changes in the idea - and of course, to help. i suspect msbl national may be interested too.


-mike

contact: info@robertos-kids.org