On Monday, March 25, in Ft. Worth, Texas, I’ll play in my first baseball game this year.
Friendly Baseball plays every Monday night from 7 – 9 at Northside High School. The Sandlot-style league was created by Mark Zubizarreta in 2012 with the goal of removing as many barriers as possible for people of all ages and abilities to come together and simply play the game.
“I posted the idea on Facebook and we had 18 people show up! It felt like a childhood baseball game with your neighbors, just that we didn’t have to yell ‘car’ every 10 minutes or worry about breaking a window,” Mark said.
Baseball brings people together.
One of the strengths of the league is the team of volunteers who make sure the games take place week in and week out, along with all the behind-the-scenes work that has to happen. I asked Mark to teach me about a few of the regulars.
David — A Yankees fan in exile. He helped create the group back in 2012 and shines at reaching out to the players on the outside.
Brandon J — With the league from the beginning. Last year he was sidelined with a leg injury, and he still went above and beyond in helping players feel comfortable.
Joey — He cares for the group as much as he cares for his baseball gloves, which are always kept in the best shape!
Brandon D — New to the Admin team, you can spot Brandon by looking for the player with broad shoulders, American flag socks, and a swing like Babe Ruth.
Shane — Also new to the Admin team. Shane is competitive by nature and has a big heart. He lends out his catching gear so people can experience the position. (No, thank you.)
Zechariah — He welcomes new folks by helping make sure they get signed in and have someone they can warm up with. A real builder in the community.
Friendly Baseball welcomes new players all the time, even if they are just passing through town. Other ballplayers have included retired MLB player Jeff Frye, Team USA gold medalist Anna Kimbrell, and Gabriel Tresk — a tourist from Vienna, Austria!
A few players sporting KC hats have played in the league, but they were from Kansas. It looks like I’ll be the first person from Missouri playing at Friendly Baseball. It’s an honor.
Besides getting on the field and making new friends, I’m also looking forward to seeing Friendly Baseball’s Legacy Number jerseys. The number on the back of a player’s jersey is the year they joined the league. I’m sure there will be a good number of 12s, I’m hoping to see some 24s, too.
Being a new year, I’ll be swinging a new bat, one I plan to use as my gameday bat wherever I play ball this year. Many thanks to Brock and Rueb Bats for this piece of art. (Proceeds from Rueb Bats support no-kill animal shelters across the Ozarks.) I can almost guarantee I’ll swing at the first pitch I’ll see.
At Friendly Baseball’s Opening Day, Mark is going to help me launch a couple of new projects. Rawlings donated two gold baseballs especially for these projects. The baseballs are made from the same leather as their Gold Glove Awards. (The Gold Glove Award gloves are actual gloves. They can be used for a game of catch. That’s on my catch-playing bucket list, too.)
The projects are similar and simple. Play catch with one of these gold baseballs, take a selfie, and pass the ball along to your catch partner. Once you are in possession of a gold baseball, you have 24 hours to play catch with it and pass it along. Repeat.
Each baseball is labeled with a hashtag, to make it possible to track them across social media as well as to provide focus for the purpose of the ball. (Tag me in the post and I’ll gladly share it.)
The first baseball is the #FriendlyBall. This ball is an invitation and opportunity for anyone to play catch. Play catch. Take a selfie. Pass the ball along. Post a picture with the hashtag #FriendlyBall.
The second baseball is the #DadsPlayCatch ball. The US leads the world in fatherlessness. The whole point of this ball is for dads to play catch and encourage one another to be their best as dads. Play Catch. Take a selfie. Pass the ball along. Post a picture with the hashtag #DadsPlayCatch.
Finally, because it’s baseball, and because it’s Opening Day, I’ll be in full uniform, including tall socks. Even benchwarmers need to look good. At this time, I haven’t decided which uniform I’ll be wearing.
Only two weeks until Friendly Baseball’s Opening Day!
