Tinian on the verge of baseball explosion

Last year the Mayor of Tinian, Francisco Borja, said that he envisions a CNMI that offers tourists a variety of activities in which each of the islands specializes in delivering its own brand of leisure. Mayor Borja said that Rota offers tourists the beauty and serenity of ecotourism and that Saipan offers the lure of shopping, but that he wanted Tinian to be known for its ability to provide gaming. This weekend, the island across the channel will be up to its ears in gaming as baseball teams from across the hemisphere will compete in the Asia-Pacific Regional Tournament.

One group of players and teams would be a challenge enough, but beginning this Saturday and continuing through next Thursday, July 14, Tinian will be hosting the Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions as teams from Guam, Hong Kong, the Philippines and more will vie for a chance to advance to the World Series.

While the task at hand will be enormous to say the least, District Administrator James Ada said that the local Little League and local government are prepared for a week of runs, hits, and errors.

“I’ve done it [often]. To run a tournament is huge, but to coordinate the games is easy. All you need is quality personnel, volunteers, and sponsors like we have in the Tinian Mayor’s Office, the governor and lieutenant governor, Wilson Sports, the Little League World Series, the Tinian volunteers, the Tinian Little League Baseball Association, and Kimberly Hinds (of Northern Marianas College). These people are professional and know what to do. They are superb and they are ready,” said Ada.

Last year the facilities utilized for the Major League District Championship were meticulously cared for, and Ada said that the people of Tinian have out-done themselves in readying the field for the regional stage.

“The field is awesome. It has a Major League Baseball design and has been prepared with the aid of Bernie Palacios and volunteers from the Tinian Mayor’s Office. This is an awesome event and we are prepared for it,” he said.

Another reason to make the tournament memorable is the historic entry of the Hong Kong delegation to the games. Ada said that while the event will have a great deal of importance for the baseball organizations from the former British colony, the impact will be significant for the hosts as well.

“This could be very important to the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, and can be a plus for the local economy and the hotel. [Tinian] is already globally in the program now. When people go onto the internet to look for the results, they will see that the Asia-Pacific Regionals are in Tinian.”

The only thing that could have made the people of Tinian more excited for the event is if one of the teams in the tournament hailed from there. While the CNMI team will represent all three islands of the Commonwealth, the Junior, Senior, and Big League teams are loaded with players from Saipan because Tinian and Rota are without leagues for boys over the age of 12.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this got the Junior League program started in Tinian. I have been trying for years both there and in Rota. It’s different for kids in Tinian and Rota because once they graduate from the program they have nowhere to play, and we have a lot of talented players there.”

The players are departing Saipan three days from now on Thursday, July 7, and with a little luck the CNMI will do last year’s feat of sending three out of four teams to the Little League World Series by booking flights to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Taylor, Michigan, Bangor, Maine, and Easley, South Carolina.