Baseball Opens Spring Training in Brazil

Armando Rios with young baseball players from Linz

MLB Instructor Armando Rios demonstrates proper swing to young Brazilian baseball players

The baseball season may be over in the U.S. but spring training has just begun in Brazil.  Bouncing along over 3,000 kilometers in a bus to six cities in eight days, the mobile baseball clinic finished its tour in Sao Paulo December 16.  Over 100 aspiring baseball stars joined Major League Baseball coaches Elias Sosa and Armando Rios for a highly interactive three-hour clinic on the fundamentals of hitting, pitching and fielding.

Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo, the Brazilian Confederation of Baseball, and Major League Baseball (MLB), the hands-on clinic took the first swing at generating renewed interest in baseball at the youth level by bringing high level instructions for both players and coaches to cities and communities in the interior of the State of Sao Paulo.  The MLB instructors were impressed by the level of involvement from the local communities in each city and Elias Sosa commented that “just like in the United States, these communities are volunteering their time and efforts to make baseball possible and it is very heartening to see this taking place here in Brazil.  It is a good sign for the future of the game.”

Sosa and Rios conducted clinics for over 600 youngsters, boys and girls aged 6 to 16, in Londrina, Maringa, Pereira Barreto, Linz, Marilia and Ibiuna in greater Sao Paulo, with the support and participation of youth leagues including Little League Brazil and baseball federation programs.  In addition to teaching baseball fundamentals to the young stars, the MLB coaches also talked to the family members and coaches about how vital it was for them to foster a positive attitude and motivate the players to achieve their goals in sports -- and in life.  Baseball has a long tradition among the Japanese community in Brazil but the clinics showed that interest in the game had grown to reach wider audiences, especially since the sport is open to all players of all physical abilities and attributes such as basketball.

For more pictures of the program, click here: http://goo.gl/klKLF