Braves refueled with funds from sponsor

The next generation of baseball players has been busy using local ball fields and back yards to train for the upcoming season of the Saipan Major Little League, and their hard work has been recognized by team officials and their sponsors alike.

Yesterday afternoon, team manager George Lieto and the Tanapag Braves received a donation of $500 from the president of AA Enterprises Kun Choi to help them improve upon their third-place finish last season.

“We really appreciate the donation from Mr. Choi. He really has had an impression on the kids. It would be great for the kids of the other teams in the league if more businesses contributed like him,” said Lieto.

To do so, the Braves have been practicing since October, but they have been receiving a helping hand from their sponsor since he started supporting youth baseball in 1992. Choi was recently recognized by a resolution from the CNMI government for his generosity, and even though he enjoyed playing the game of baseball when he was younger, his motivation stems from the thrill he gets from supporting the kids.

“They are our dreams—the future dreams of the CNMI. My kids were born here, but now they’re grown up. When I think about my kids, I just look at those kids,” he said.

The Braves showed up at Choi’s Mobil station in Tanapag with their new white and red uniforms to thank Choi in person, and in return offered them the same advice that he has been dispensing to local kids since he opened his business on Saipan 24 years ago.
“When they come over here for some candy and cookies, I give them some advice. I tell them that when they graduate from elementary school, that they ask their parents to go to the States, and when they finish with college, they must come back and do something for their island,” he said.
Choi said that he was one of the first non-local business owners in the Tanapag area, and that over the years he has made many friends in the area. Now he has a vision of bringing a team from Korea to Saipan to play against the local boys.
He hopes that the visiting players would be hosted by the families of the local players, and that the favor would be returned if the Saipan team makes the trip to the Korean peninsula.
“It would help build a relationship between the kids and their cultures,” added Choi.