Bristal All-Stars Relive Glory Days On The Diamond, Teach Kids About Life And Baseball
BALDWIN HARBOR, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It was a field of dreams for everyone in Baldwin Harbor on Wednesday, when seniors from the Bristal All-Stars who have been playing baseball and softball since the 1940s showed children from a Town of Hempstead summer camp how to pitch, catch, and more.
As CBS 2's Dana Tyler explained, players in their seventies shared tips about the game and about life.
The results were instant, even if the kids weren't so sure about what they would learn from ball players from another century.
"I really didn't think old people could play baseball that much," 7-year-old Frederick Sienna-Horowitz said.
There was no doubt about the ball playing pedigree of these seniors, most of them played in college.
Jim Giangrosso, 76, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, but what he cherishes the most is the memory of his first little league home run.
"Having that ball carry over the fence and the home run trot is probably my biggest thrill as a youngster," Giangrosso said.
The camp kids showed the seniors that they can hit even if they weren't always sure which base to run to afterwards, and all of them were determined to learn from the older athletes and role models.
"It tells me I should behave and listen to them so I can be a baseball player," 7-year-old Alexander Gray told CBS 2's Tyler.
The event wasn't just for the kids. For the Bristal All-Stars it was a chance to recapture their youth and share good times.
"What I try to instill in these guys is that we have already won in life if we can be doing this at our age, so let's just have fun," Joe Friedman explained.
The boys of summer, aged 7 to 79, wrapped up the day with an old-fashioned ice cream treat.
The event has become a tradition for the Bristal All-Stars. This was the fifth year in a row that they have shared their expertise with up and coming ball players and they plan to do it again next year.
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