The Boys of Summer

Add comment July 31st, 2010

Salt Lake Bees Baseball Clinic: August 9th

• UPDATE •

Baseball Camp Still On!

August 20, 2008 —You may have heard by now that Nick Gorneault was assigned to the Arkansas Travelers. Have no fear, however, matters are all neatly in hand. Terry Evans has graciously agreed to take over the role of Camp Director, should our high-flying outfielder be unavailable. Evans is another longtime Bees outfielder, and was a featured Player of the Month in 2009. If you haven’t turned in your registration and medical release forms yet, (and why haven’t you?!?), remember there is a $10 discount for early registration!

I went to last year’s camp last with my 8-year-old baseball pal, and everyone there had an absolute blast. Don’t just take my word for it. . .seeing is believing, right?

•  •  •  •  •

Photo Credit | Brent Asay (c) 2010

July 18, 2010 — Hey young ballplayers! Salt Lake Stingers/Bees ballplayer, Nick Gorneault, is offering an advanced baseball clinic at Spring Mobile Ballpark next month. Click on the flyer below to download a printable flyer and registration form.

A bit of background on our veteran outfielder. In 2005, Gorneault led the Salt Lake Stingers in most offensive categories, including home runs, runs batted in, runs, hits, and slugging percentage. He led the PCL in RBIs for much of the season, finishing the year with 0.293 BA, 108 RBI, 26HR, 179 H (36 for extra bases) and 268 TB.

Upon his return to the Salt Lake Bees this year, Gorneault was voted Team Captain after Ryan Budde was called up to the Angels. It is important to note, unlike football or hockey, in professional baseball, the choosing of a captain is left completely to the discretion of the team. Most baseball teams simply don’t have one. Thus, when the “C” gets sewn onto a player’s uniform, it is truly an emblem of honor and respect, as determined by a his professional peers. …Your friend in baseball.

Add comment July 18th, 2010

Nominate Kenichi Zenimura for the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award

Dear Friend in Baseball:

Lou Gehrig, Kenichi Zenimura, Babe Ruth

I’m writing to ask you a favor regarding our beloved national pastime. My good friend Kerry Yo Nakagawa has nominated Kenichi Zenimura (1900-1968) for the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Attached to this letter is a petition that must be delivered via hard-copy original—no emails, faxes or PDFs—in order to be counted. Also, would you print a few extras and pass them along to professional peers and personal friends?

As with so many aspects of our melting-pot history, American baseball has been shaped by immigrants and their immediate descendants. A glance at the roster of the upcoming All-Star Futures Game is but one proof of this influence.

Zenimura’s tireless efforts on both sides of the Pacific cleared the way for MLB athletes named Sasaki, Matsui, Nomo, Hasegawa, Okajima, Saito, Fukudome, Taguchi, Iguchi, Matsuzaka, Okajima, Shinjo and Iwamura. Not to mention the unique combination of an MLB manager named Wakamatsu and NPB manager named Valentine.

When Ted Williams was inaugurated into the Hall of Fame, he was gracious enough to endorse African-American ballplayers for Hall of Fame recognition:

“I’ve been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren’t given a chance.” (1966)

Buck O’Neill, Kerry Yo Nakagawa

More recently, Buck O’Neill offered the same opinion regarding our Nisei ballplayers:

“(Nisei baseball) is what America is all about. All men and women were created free and equal and (it) shows that when you make up your mind, you can be the best that you can be. Japanese Americans proved that they were the best that they could be.” (2001)

Help give Zenimura his proper place in baseball history by making sure the HOF Committee gets your endorsement no later than July 31, 2010.

Click here to print the petition

My heartfelt thanks for your support.

Anita Y. Tsuchiya — Writer, blogger, thinker

Add comment July 10th, 2010