Latinobaseball.com Teams With Citgo on Hispanic Heritage events
LatinoBaseball.com is holding Hispanic Heritage Days at six major league ballparks and giving baseball equipment to local Latino youth teams in a program supported by Citgo.
Spanish-language R. Paniagua Inc. (RPI) has been directing fans in New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Miami to vote for their favorite Latino baseball players in those respective markets on its Web site.
RPI has posted ads in Spanish-language publications to promote the voting, which culminates in crowning the top Latino ballplayer for each of the participating Major League Teams at Hispanic Heritage Night during September or October.
On the day preceding each event, 50 Latino youth baseball teams, selected by the respective Major League team in four of the cities, will participate in a tournament/training camp. The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins and Houston Astros are participating.
Each team will receive 15 baseball gloves, three wooden bats, one dozen baseballs and an equipment bag. Members of the four tournament teams also get tickets for a Major League game.
“We’ve reached out to the teams in each market and they’ve connected us with programs that need help, on the lowest tier of the community,” said Ralph Paniagua, president of RPI, which publishes Latinobaseball.com, a compendium of current and historical information about Latino baseball.
The first stop for the Urban Youth Baseball Initiative will be Miami, where Miguel Cabrera will be honored before the game as the Florida Marlins top Latino ballplayer on Sept. 1. The winning tourney team will also be honored on the field in the pre-game activities.
Venezuela-based Citgo was interested in getting involved in a grassroots baseball program. The proliferation of Latino stars in the Big League has heightened the sport’s profile among young Hispanics, Paniagua said.
“Baseball is on the rise in our communities,” he said.
But in its initial effort in New York City last year, RPI found that many Hispanic youth baseball coaches were running programs on $500 per season. So, it determined to expand the program this year, and expects to extend it to other markets next season, Paniagua said.
The promotion is timed to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month during September. Next season, Paniagua also plans to add an educational component, with top Latino students from city schools recognized in ballpark ceremonies as well.
