Sports
Richmond hosting Blue Jays
In the 1980s, Jesse Barfield was said to have
the best outfield arm in baseball. Lloyd Moseby, another all-around athlete,
was a teammate on what was to become a dominant Toronto Blue Jays team.
Now in their late 50s, both are retired from
the Major Leagues but still giving back to the game. Joined by two other former
Jays, JP Arencibia and Ricky Romero, the two Silver Slugger Award winners are
participating in the Blue Jays Baseball Academy’s Honda Super Camps in
partnership with Baseball Canada and Little League Canada.
A program that provides young players aged
nine to 16 with a unique experience to learn from former Major Leaguers, camps
are held throughout the country.
“It’s a positive thing for (growing the game
of) baseball,” says John Braaten, president of the Richmond City Baseball
Chuckers, the host association of this week’s camp at Latrace Field.
Seventy-five players from around B.C. are
participating in the camp, covering all skills from hitting, throwing and
fielding to pitching and base running.
There was also a player evaluation for
Tournament 12—a national amateur baseball tournament held at Rogers Centre in
Toronto each September. The goal of T12 is to provide a showcase opportunity
for the best 160 amateur baseball players born in Canada, with college
eligibility. Twenty players, between the ages of 14 and 19, will ultimately
represent B.C. on one of eight teams in the tournament.