Alabama State University to host Baseball Symposium and Classic
June 22, 2007
RICHMOND, VA – The Metropolitan Junior Baseball League, Inc. (MJBL) will sponsor its fourth Annual Bobby Bonds Memorial Symposium for the Survival of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Baseball Programs on July 27 at Davis Theatre in Montgomery AL. The event, which begins at 7 p.m., will be hosted by Alabama State University.
Former Jackson State University and Boston Red Sox standout Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, will be among the panelists.
“There is so much rhetoric concerning the decline of African Americans in the game of baseball. I have to move beyond all the talk and be involved with an action plan. I strongly believe that targeting our HBCU’s is an excellent medium to begin addressing this issue” said Boyd.
MJBL will also sponsor its 17th Annual Inner City Classic that weekend with over 500 youth coming to Alabama State University to showcase their talents. The Classic has been instrumental in providing a talent pool for HBCU baseball coaches. ASU baseball coach Larry Watkins said, “I am real excited that the Classic will be here in Montgomery. It allows me to stay home and recruit some of the best young African American baseball talent. I believe this is an excellent way to introduce youth to the HBCU environment for both academics and athletics”.
Other invited panelists include: Dr. Joe Lee, President of Alabama State University, Nelson Townsend, Athletic Director, Florida A&M; Tanya Forest Hall, Sr. Manager, Multicultural Marketing for the Atlanta Braves; Robert Vowels, Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner; Delino Deshields, former Montreal Expo second baseman, and Mookie Wilson, former New York Mets outfielder. The weekend events will conclude with an exhibition game between the Oil Can Boyd Urban All Stars versus a local adult team from Montgomery. Their mission is to bring baseball back into African American Communities. The game will be used as a fundraiser for Alabama State's baseball program, MJBL and the Oil Can Boyd Urban All Stars.
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Monday, July 2nd 2007 at 9:53AM
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