In the economically depressed regions of the Dominican Republic it is the goal of many a youth to follow in the footsteps of the countries notable sportsmen and launch a career in major league baseball. There are 3500 young Domincans currently training in baseball camps throughout the country.

Ninety-eight percent of them will fail to achieve their dream.

“El Play”, a new film presented by the Dominican Republic Sports and Education Academy (DRSEA), chronicles the story of Jairo Candelario, an aspiring big leaguer from the small town of San Pedro de Macoris, hometown to Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano, among others. The movie covers Candelario’s journey and is accompanied by interviews with family members, coaches and other people in the community.

“I believe that people who attend the special screening of ‘El Play’ will come away with a snippet of what everyday life is for these boys who pursue the dream of baseball in the Dominican Republic, and get a sense of both the passion of that pursuit and the pressures as well, understanding that ultimately baseball needs to provide more for these kids,” DRSEA founder Charles S. Farrell told Baseball Ink.

“We believe that baseball has a responsibility to prepare these children for the challenges of life, not just the challenges of playing baseball,” Farrell added.

You can see the film on June 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the 809 Lounge, 112 Dyckman St., New York, NY.

To learn more about supporting the DRSEA and “El Play”, visit www.drsea.org

ELPLAY_Trailer by cubanica

Apparently in the interests of science and the betterment of mankind, MLB has initiated an experiment this year to find out whether it is possible for someone to OD on baseball.

More than 10,000 people applied to inhabit the MLB Fan Cave for the duration of the 2011 season and watch all 2,430 games, and then blog in real time about the experience.

Mike O’Hara and Ryan Wagner emerged as the “lucky” winners of the contest. For the next sixth months they will be ensconced at their new digs – a fairly spacious 15,000-square-foot setup in lower Manhattan (692 Broadway) – along with three big screen TVs and a dozen 33-inch sets.

O’Hara and Wagner are 46 games into the mission, as of this writing, and they seem to be holding up fairly well thus far.

Apropos of nothing, here is a version of Jack Norworth and Albert van Tilzer’s 1908 classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” sung in mama loshen.

For those singing along at home, here are the lyrics in Yiddish.

Nem Mikh Mit Tsu Der Ball Geym

Nem mikh mit tsu der ball geym
Tsum oylem lomir dokh geyn
Koyf mir di nislekh un krekerjek
Vil ikh keyn molfun dort nit avek
Git zey mut, mut, mut, di ball shpiler
Es past nit az men farshpilt
Vayls’iz eyns, tsvey, dray strikes, un oys
Bay der beysball shpil
Shpil Ball!

Originally posted on Chortler.com

Today marks the start the 2011 MLB season. Though baseball geeks can analyze statistics from a myriad of angles, the people in the front office concern themselves with just a few sets of numbers: namely, how many posteriors are filling the seats.

And what better way to attract passive fans than with a unique promotion. Often the domain of the minor leagues – Larry King Suspenders Night, anyone? – there have been some jaw-droppers in “The Show” as well. In honor of opening day we present some of the most outlandish and unforgettable major-league gimmicks.

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The Barry Bonds trial is a week old and the consensus indicates he won’t face any harsh punishment when all is said and done, at least according to our unscientific (and meager) search results for sports columns and Tweets that used the words “Bonds” and “odds”:

“What’s interesting is that even if Bonds is found guilty, the odds are he’s not going to go to jail. The guy who knows about it and won’t testify has spent a lot of time in jail,” Robert Talbot, a law professor at the University of San Francisco, as quoted by The New York Times.

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