|
Baseball,
As It's Meant to Be
Washington
has not had Major League Baseball since our team, the Senators,
skipped town to become the Texas Rangers almost 30 years ago. But
you still can catch some great baseball here.
The Washington area is home to one of the coolest leagues in the
country--the Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League.
Never heard of the Clark Griffith League? Well, it has been around
for more than 60 years and the players use wooden bats, even today.
Just
like the pros, aluminum bats are not allowed.
The league is named after a former owner of the Washington Senators
and used to play its games in a park near the White House.
Now the teams play in ballparks all around the D.C. area. This
weekend, the Vienna Mustangs, Arlington Senators, Bethesda Big Train,
Reston Hawks and the Silver Spring-Takoma Park Thunderbolts start
their
40-game, two-month season.
The teams are stacked with college stars who dream of making it
to
the big leagues. And it's not that crazy a dream. More than 30 Clark
Griffith League players have gone on to play in the majors, including
Pete Schourek (Boston Red Sox) and Chad Ogea (Philadelphia Phillies).
But the best thing about the league is that the games are perfect
for kids.
First, the parks are small. Shirley Povich Field at Cabin John Park
in Bethesda, where the Big Train plays, is the sweetest little ballyard
south of Fenway Park in Boston. Kids can sit so close, they can
see the
curve of the pitch and hear the crack of the bat.
Second, tickets are cheap. Maybe a couple of bucks. And some teams
let kids in free if they are wearing their baseball-team shirts.
Finally, the players are nice. Want an autograph? No problem. These
players are thrilled to sign your program, your hat, anything. And,
who
knows? It may be a future Major Leaguer you are talking to.
For schedules, rosters and other neat stuff, see the Web site:
www.clarkgriffithbaseball.org.
|
