US, Baseball Tomorrow Academy stage clinic for 60 Nigerian kids

No fewer than 60 kids are participating in a four-day baseball clinic organised by the United States of America in conjunction with Baseball Tomorrow Academy.

The clinic, which is aimed at impacting basic knowledge of the game in the kids, started yesterday and will run till Saturday at the Baseball Pitch of the Abuja National Stadium.

A former US Major Baseball League star Jeremy Guthrie, is leading other Nigerian coaches in conducting the training exercise.

Speaking with Daily Trust, Guthrie said the Major League Football Association invited him to come and groom the Nigerian kids.

“I was very surprised to learn that baseball is played in Nigeria. I have seen some other teams like Kenya, Uganda but not Nigeria.

“Baseball teaches many life lessons and you have to practice a lot to be good at it, you must learn to play defence and offence as well.

“A lot of work is required of baseball players, so I teach the importance of work,” he said.

While assuring that the kids will learn a lot from the camp, he said Nigerians have all it takes to play the game at the highest level.

Russell Brooks, the Information Officer at the US Embassy in Nigeria said the United States had been working with the Baseball Tomorrow Academy for over a year, adding that “we only decided to take the partnership further.”