Ah, the wonders of chemistry between young men and women! I had to laugh as I witnessed it on display at our visit to the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy High School, about a half hour outside of San Juan. This time we had more contact with the male students and they had more contact with the long-legged, hair-flowing, shorts and baseball-hat wearing college girls from Southern California (henceforth known as LLHFS&BHW). It was like in the movies when a teenage boy suddenly spots a beautiful girl, gulps and swallows his gum. They were adorable in their deer-in-the-headlight responses. They clearly had no idea the girls were coming. What was even funnier was how quickly they lost interest when the mature (meaning grandparent-age) members of our group - there are 6 of us - entered the room!
This school is older than the one we visited the day before (15 years to its 3) and the school reflects it. The facilities are older but, I think, better suited for classroom use. I wish my good friend, Jeff Wright (Coach Wright as our students knew him), had been with me to assess of the quality of the rehab and training facilities at both academies. That is somewhat lost on me.
This school's greater age means it has more alumni and the results were prominently displayed. One stairway showed team photos of alums who made it to the minor league (I'm guessing 60 or more photos on the wall, out of about 50 graduates per year). Their most impressive poster showed 4 alums who made it to the Majors. Okay - problem here. I took a photo of the poster (if you have read this blog for long you know I am a horrible photographer) and can't read the names on my photo! I think they are: Reynaldo Navarro, Hiram Burgess, C Velasquez - can't read his first name - and Carlos Correa. Apparently Carlos is big right now. I know, give me a break - I AM really late to appreciation of all things baseball.
Two seniors spoke to our group and answered questions. They were charming. As a former high school teacher I was most interested in college placement issues. Their director spoke of the challenge of SAT scores (and difficulties their students face with English as their second language) and how the role community college vs 4-year college can play in opportunities for being spotted by minor league scouts. Both boys have already received college acceptances but, like students everywhere in the US, are waiting to see what the final packages (re tuition etc.) look like.
Word quickly spread around campus that the LLHFS&BHW were here. Boys came out of the woodwork as we wandered down hallways. As we waved goodbye, many were near the doorway for a final look.
We next drove to the ballpark to see our first ball game where the tables were turned. Now the LLHFS&BHW were the ones flirting with the ball players. You gotta love it!
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