On February 9th, 2008, we played a terrific game of baseball in Buenos Aires.  We were hosted by some fabulous Argentinians, including Jorge Marcelo Ramia and Lucia Garcia Labat.  The weather cooperated, and about 35 players were present.  We had a spirited game, and you can check it out on our blog. 

This morning (Super Bowl Sunday morning), we had a great time playing baseball with a group of boys and girls in Santiago, Chile.  For more details, check out my blog on the get together.   Like most places in South America, baseball isn’t nearly as popular as soccer, but they have a good up-and-coming program here in Santiago, with a couple of 12 and under Little League teams, a 13-15 year old team, and an adult league.  Our hosts, including Coach Luis Hernandez, were fabulous, and it was great to get out and play baseball in the warm Chilean summer sun!

Under crystal clear blue skies in dry Lima, Peru, we played baseballtoday (January 16th, 2008) with a great group of kids and coaches.  Baseball isn’t a popular
sport in Peru, at least not yet, but these coaches were enthusiastic,
and doing a great job with some really terrific kids from Callao,
Peru.  Their program includes kids from 9 through 15, and they have a
couple of respectable fields to play on.  During their summer, they
practice six times a week, but during the school year they are only
able to practice once a week.

Check out my blog on this great day in Peru!

In late November, we had a great afternoon playing baseball in a scenic town calledRussell, New Zealand, on NZ’s North Island.  Our point people were Ric
and Kitty Martini, who moved to New Zealand 3 1/2 years ago from
Hawaii.  Their son P.K. is an excellent player (barely missing an
out-of-the-park homer!), and more than twenty kids in total turned out
for a fabulous Sunday afternoon practice game.

The "Kiwis" are very athletic, and it was great to see them excited about baseball.  To get a full description of this fun afternoon, go to my baseball blog.

Bhutan is a small country located between India and China.  The country didn’t have a single paved road until 1969, and to this day has no stoplights.  We spent just less than a week there, and while we were in Thimpu, its capital, we went to the elementary school there, addressed the 1,300 student body, met with the principal, and played over two hours of baseball with 30 very talented and energetic sixth graders.  For more information, and for our photos on this fun event, go to my blog.

On October 1st (a national holiday in China), we had a chance to play baseball with a team of college players at the East China Normal University in Shanghai.  Coach Pan Wen (nickname of "Goose") has done a great job of generating enthusiasm there, and there are now four teams actively playing baseball (including a women’s softball team).  We played for a couple of hours and had a blast!  One of the challenges in China in general is the lack of open space for fields.  These players were able to set up a makeshift baseball diamond on a lawn on their campus, and had a bunch of curious people watching.  My son got a chance to pitch and play second base, and the players there were really nice to him and his sister. 

For more on this fun afternoon, go to

http://ted.dintersmith.org/2007/10/04/baseball-in-shanghai/.

On September 18th, we met with a great group of kids and their fabulous coaches from the Feng Tai Experimental School in Beijing for baseball and a great dinner afterwards.  This group couldn’t have been nicer to us.  On the baseball front, their stadium is absolutely gorgeous — better than any I’ve seen in the U.S. (although I haven’t been to Williamsport yet), and the players were serious and very good.  Afterwards, they took us to a local Chinese restaurant, and we had a feast.  It was terrific to see our two children talking to and having fun with these terrific young athletes in Beijing!

My trip blog covers this great experience for us — http://ted.dintersmith.org/2007/09/20/baseball-in-beijing/

We really appreciate the kindness and hospitality of this team, and had a fabulous time.  We wish them all the best going forward, and they made our visit to Beijing very special!

On September 3rd (my very understanding wife’s birthday!), we kicked off our "Baseball Ambassadors" program with a get together with players from an excellent baseball program in Adelaide, Austrailia.  You can read all about it at on my trip blog — http://ted.dintersmith.org/2007/09/05/baseball-in-adelaide/.

But we were really impressed with their facility (they call the field "The Holy Grail" because it is so special, and the talents of their players.  Given the athleticism of the Aussies, it’s clear they could become a big baseball power.  And they are very excited that Little League is now coming to their area this season!

It was really terrific for us to not only play baseball with these great players, but to meet them and their families.  They organized a great dinner after the game for us, and we had a blast.  They gave us some great keepsakes for our time with them, which we will always treasure.  It was a real highlight of our time in Australia!