Las Mediarojas de Boston

Today, I visited the Boston Red Sox academy. The facility is located about a half hour from Boca Chica, near a town called El Mamon.

The academy is standard. One building houses everything; the eating facilities, clubhouse, gym, and accommodations. Anywhere from 8-16 players share a room full of bunk-beds, and the common area had two pool tables, a small TV, and mattresses to the side, probably used when the academy has extra kids. It's a very modest facility, especially when you take into account Boston's massive budget, but they think it does the trick.

I had a long interview with Jesus "Jay" Alou, a former big leaguer who has been involved in Dominican baseball for over fifty years. He is known as one of the best sources of knowledge on the sport and its evolution in the country, and it truly was a pleasure to be able to speak with him. I could sense how much he continues to love the game, but at the same time, how much he loves his country.

Alou explained that the Red Sox have been very active in the community, but wished they could do more. He reiterated that the Dominican Republic is a very poor country that has many needs, and the Red Sox try to do to their part, but he humbly acknowledged that it is not enough. Alou said that win the Red Sox opened their facility in 2002, the owner, John Henry, stated that the team was coming not just to develop players, but to develop the Dominican community.

The Red Sox facility is next to a small community called El Mamon. A few years ago, Charlene Engelhard, a Boston fan and philanthropist, gave $100,000 to fund a program called "Lindos Suenos" (Pretty dreams). The program involved 12 Dominicans and 12 Americans working together on a community project by day, and playing baseball at the Red Sox facility by night. The first project involved building a field and daycare building in El Mamon, and Jesus said that the program has continued every year since, with many kids applying to participate.

In addition to Lindos Suenos, Alou stated that the Red Sox help out in the community when they can, helping local kids through school and helping families with finanical problems. They have also moved beyond El Mamon, funding an ambulance and hospital in the town of Haina, where Alou and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz were born. This year, Alou explained that the team has begun to work with an orphanage in San Pedro de Macoris, with which they hope to develop a longterm relationship. Indeed, Alou, and the Red Sox, are very passionate about helping out those in the community.

After talking to Alou, I ventured through El Mamon, guided by a few 8-year old kids. I immediately ran into Gloria, who said she used to coordinate the day-care center the Red Sox built through Lindos Suenos. She said she appreciated the Red Sox help, but that they had not done much in a while, and hoped that they would come back. After a long trek into the outskirts of the community, Gloria's daughter showed me the day-care center, noting that it had not been fully operational in three years. Additionally, the field built through Lindos Suenos appeared unused, with weeds growing in the infield. When I arrived there, some men were talking about moving the stands to a nearby public field, where people actually did play baseball.

Apparently, the Red Sox had invested significant time and money in constructing facilities that the town completely disregarded. Some of this may be the result of the team's failure to develop an adequate relationship with the town and keep track of its facilities. But, in a subsequent conversation with Alou, he expressed frustration that the town could not take care of the donated projects, and still wanted more. This demonstrates a basic problem with these community programs; teams may look for quick image fixes, but fail to actually ensure that their projects become sustainable. I'm beginning to see the value in teams setting up relationships with communities, rather than just constructing facilities, getting publicity, and then leaving.

The Red Sox also employed an American law-student intern for the summer. He's been with the team for two months, basically helping the kids with their English classes (the Sox commute 45 minutes 4 times a week for their classes, which is more than most...although Alou admitted that the team used to use a system like that of the Mets, and stopped, because it was too much work for the kids). We had an interesting conversation about the development of the players. He emphatically said that MLB was not exploiting the players; baseball gave them a choice they wouldn't have in any other sector. At the same time, many seemed under-equipped to handle the real world because they had never received a formal education. But much of this is due to the weak Dominican educational infrastructure.

Anyways, the day was very interesting. The Red Sox have certainly accomplished a lot in the community, but may have failed to ensure their efforts remain sustainable. Hopefully, their relationship with the orphanage will develop over time (I may try to visit in the coming week).