The boys are back in town

Two months ago, the CNMI sent four local baseball players and their coach overseas to improve their baseball skills in the hopes that they would return to Saipan armed with knowledge that would advance the talents of all of the Commonwealth’s players.

The five were selected to attend the academy by professional baseball scout Ray Brown of the San Diego Padres organization in February, and on Thursday, July 22, Matt Kintol, BJ Sablan, Daryl Ada, Herman Kintol, and their coach Jason Gay arrived at the Saipan International Airport. Last week the five of them spoke to a small gathering of family and friends about their experiences during their six-week stay at the Australian Baseball Academy.

The first ever group from the CNMI to attend such an academy, the boys were instructed by coaches from the Australian Olympic team, professional scouts, and retired pros like Chilli Davis, Grahame Lloyd, and Patrick Kelly.

“I’ve never been in a room with that much talent. I mean everybody there was good, there was no so-so. I wish I could’ve done something like that when I was a kid,” said coach Gay.

The boys’ days and nights were filled with nothing but baseball. A basic daily schedule had them waking up early and heading down to the dining area for breakfast. At 8:30am, it was time for “Early Work” down at the ball field, which consisted of about a half-hour of positional work, batting cages, bunting, and fielding ground balls.

From then on their time was spent on the field until they broke for lunch at 11:30am. Once the players and coaches were finished refueling, it was time for the games to begin. Daryl and Matt were put on the same team, BJ on another, and Herman played for Coach Jay’s squad.

When the games were completed, it was time for “Extra Work” until 5:30pm, eat dinner, and either hit the pool, the weight room, or strength and conditioning sessions. The boys would break for dinner, but soon after they would hit the books along with being given presentations on subjects such as nutrition, handling the media, and public speaking before they were finished with their scheduled day.

Now that the boys have returned from six weeks of living a regimented lifestyle, they find themselves wanting to continue their training.

“Everyday I have to do something. I don’t want to get lazy, I want to go hit the batting cages,” said Ada.

While they spent the least amount of time in their rooms, Sablan lamented the differences between the television in Australia and Saipan.

“There was no ESPN, no MTV, but there was a top 50 countdown station called Rage.”

That wasn’t the only difference to which the boys had to adjust, as Coach Jay explained about their first meal at the dining facility.

“ When we got there it was funny because they came up to me and asked ‘Hey coach, where’s the rice?’ and there wasn’t any at the academy.”

Before he left for the training, Daryl hoped that if he made it to the Majors that he would want to catch for Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox, but at the academy he was playing in the outfield.

“It was the first time that I have ever played in the outfield. It was tiring, especially when the Japanese players were batting. All they did was hit the ball down the line. It was hard but it was a good experience.

BJ has been playing ball for six years, and back in June, said that he was looking to improve his hitting skills, his speed, and to become a better overall player. The changes for him happened almost immediately when he got off of the plane as customs agents seized all of this pugua due to agricultural restrictions.

Sablan was the designated hitter for his squad, and had the other teams planning their defense around his bat.

“I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and I made a lot of friends, although I really missed Saipan. ”

Herman said that he had a lot of fun as well, and that he would definitely go back, but that there is a need to expose as many players to this type of training as possible to improve the skill level in the CNMI.

“I improved my hitting and I really enjoyed it over there, and we need to send more boys from Saipan to go there.”

The youngest of the travelers, 16-year-old shortstop Matt Kintol also got a lot out of the trip, and most of it was learned as he played in the outfield and third base. Though he enjoyed the academy, he recognizes the role that he could play in helping teach the local players what he learned in Australia.

“There is just too much to mention about what we did, the fundamentals we learned, and how much fun I had, but it was a good experience and I want to pass it on. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I have plenty of things that I can teach my friends from this.”

As they enjoyed some local food, the boys joked about things that happened at the academy, the trip they took to Dream World theme park, and their ride on the Tower of Terror with new friends Kevin James Selefen, the French speaker from New Caledonia, and Yoshi Aki Hirota, the unofficial snoring champion of Japan.

This may not be the last chapter in the boys’ story as their presence has been requested by Rep. Crispin Ogo to share what they have learned with the players on Rota.

The players finished the night by thanking the association and the local government that made it possible for them to gain a distinct advantage over all of the other players by attending the academy.