BASEBALL DIPLOMACY
Leamington builds ties to Mexico
They might not speak a common language, but their passion for the game is the same.
The Mex-Can International Baseball Tournament held this weekend in Leamington brought together a diverse crowd of Mexicans, migrants workers and Canadians bound by a common thread.
A team from Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico, a college in Mexico City, travelled to Leamington for the inaugural tournament.
On the field, they were joined by the Leamington midget team, the Essex junior team and a Leamington senior team made up of migrant workers.
“It’s a first try for hope to make this happen every year,” said Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico team captain Hector Soto.
“To make our two cities into a brotherhood, so we can start working. Not just in the sports manner, but also in the community.”
Leamington’s migrant organizations and Mexican consulate helped arrange the tournament and the cross-cultural exchange it entailed.
“Sports is one of the best things to accomplish that,” Soto said. “We are all joined by one passion; that passion is this sport. But it can be ... soccer, I don’t know, even chess. There’s many sports, many activities ... to make that brotherhood stronger.”
The team flew in on Thursday, said Bruce Peacock, chair of the Migrant Worker Community Program in Leamington.
They’ve visited Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens and Point Pelee National Park. Before heading back to Mexico on Monday, the team will see Niagara Falls and a Toronto Blue Jays game.
Soto said Leamington is a beautiful city — although “it’s hot,” he said, laughing.
“We love the people here. We’ve all been treated nicely by everyone. We’re pleased to be here. It’s been an honour; first to be invited, and then to be here.”
Chris Lamotte, coach of the Leamington midget baseball team, called the games running from Friday to Sunday a “countries tournament.”
“You’ll see as the game goes on, we have baserunners shaking hands with the other team, introducing ourselves,” he said. “And sometimes the communication isn’t there, but a handshake, a smile, just to be good hosts, is all we’re trying to tell the kids.”
Lamotte said the midget team hopes to travel to Mexico for a game in the near future.
“The Mexican and Canadian partnership is really strong,” he said. “We just want to continue that, and show our young guys ... because they’re the next generation.”
Baseball is a sport that everyone can understand, said Terry Misener, another coach of the midget team.
“It’s very basic: you hit the ball, you pitch the ball,” Misener said.
“It’s likely one of the few sports where two teams, where neither one speaks the other’s language, can have a very competitive game.”
When the teams agreed on ground rules before the game, there was no common language spoken.
“I didn’t speak a word of Spanish, he didn’t speak a word of English: no problem,” Misener said.
“You’re playing nine guys, you’re batting nine guys ... it needs no translation.”
Misener said friendships were being made on the field amidst some “good baseball.”
“A couple of the Mexican guys here, their English is poor, but our Spanish is even worse,” he said. “But we seem to be hitting it off.”
The senior team, made up of migrant workers in the Leamington area, also took to the field.
Organized baseball for migrant workers began six years ago with a league of four teams playing Sunday afternoons, after Isaak Giesbrecht noticed the worker’s love for the game.
He’s the manager of the migrant workers’ team and owner of JPI Acres in Leamington.
“As soon as we started playing baseball on Sunday afternoons, I felt that we had more of a relationship with our workers,” Giesbrecht said.
The Sunday league is still going strong, and the senior league team began playing a full schedule in the Essex County League this year.
“We can talk outside of work, at least say hi,” he said. “Because a lot of times ... they think, oh that’s the boss, I gotta respect him. No, we’re no different than those guys are. We can talk and have fun with each other; it’s not all just work.
“You gotta have a little bit of fun ... it made a big difference at our farm.”
We love the people here. We’ve all been treated nicely by everyone. We’re pleased to be here. It’s been an honour; first to be invited, and then to be here.