Macon kids learn baseball from MLB players at ‘Play Ball’ event
Kids in Macon got a chance to play baseball and learn from Major League players Thursday as part of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Play Ball Initiative.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Kids in Macon got a chance to play baseball and learn from Major League players Thursday as part of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Play Ball Initiative.
More than 250 kids from L.H. Williams and Matilda Hartley Elementary Schools in Macon came out to play at Mercer University’s Claude Smith Field.
Major League Baseball’s Vice President for Baseball & Softball Development, David James, says the goal of the initiative is to introduce kids to the game of baseball.
“We’ve got these young men and young women from Mercer that are out as clinicians and making sure that the kids have fun and helping the right way to hold the bat, the right way to put their hands to catch,” James said.
Kids practiced their agility, tossing, catching and hitting balls with help from local and Major League baseball players like former Atlanta Braves pitcher, Pete Smith.
“Getting the understanding of what it is to run the bases, what it is to catch a baseball, to catch a ground ball, team atmosphere and what it’s like to do something with others,” Smith said.
Smith says playing baseball helps kids keep their minds and bodies active while connecting with their friends.
The event was organized with the help of Georgia State Representative James Beverly. He says he wanted to bring Play Ball to Macon-Bibb County so kids could have access to more fitness activities.
“We want to get them acclimated to healthcare right now through fun, and so that way we get rid of a lot of conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure,” Representative Beverly said. “We’ve gotta start them now.”
Most importantly, kids got to have fun and learn a valuable life lesson.
“You learn a lot about playing this game and it teaches you how to handle failure,” David James said. “Sometimes failure isn’t the end of the world, but you get another opportunity at it.”
Every kid who participated got to take home a free t-shirt, wristband, ball and baseball bat.
