“We were overwhelmed, but excited,” said Baker, who teaches special needs at Fairborn schools and runs the RSL in Dayton for the Cincinnati Reds with volunteer coaches. “We filled out 14 teams and we have enough equipment for 16 teams.
“The Reds wanted to revive baseball in the inner city, and a lot of the kids we have here have never even touched a baseball,” Baker added. “Next year, we hope to start another program with older kids.”
The Reds have been running their program in different cities for eight years in Cincinnati, Louisville and Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties. Dayton is new to the lineup, and pleased with the turnout.
Participants — some of whom are bused to the site from other area camps — are drilled not only in baseball and softball skills, but in how to act on and off the field as well. The Dayton program is Monday and Tuesday for four weeks, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with three weeks to go. Participation is free, and the children receive free Reds caps and T-shirts as well as a lunch each day. Subway sandwiches were provided the first day and pizza from the Pizza Factory.
For more information, contact Baker at abaker815@gmail.com or (937) 626-9431.
With more than 20 coaches on hand, boys and girls flocked to two softball and four baseball diamonds at the Kettering Fields complex, just under the shadow of the new I-75 construction north of downtown.
Contact this reporter
at (937) 225-2157 or
mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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