All-Stars in camo

04/17/2009 6:18 AM

U.S. military baseball team steps up to the plate By Eric Yates

Firefights and exploding improvised explosive devices are just some of the many pressure-packed situations Sgt. Isaac Rodriguez faced during his three pumps in Iraq as a Marine Corps machine gunner.

These days, Rodriguez faces a much less daunting kind of pressure: fanning batters as a pitcher on the U.S. Military All-Stars baseball team.

Formed in 1990 and based in San Diego, the U.S. Military All-Stars team is a joint forces team that features active-duty service members, reservists and veterans from all four branches of the armed forces and the Coast Guard. Its mission is “to promote awareness of all Americans in support of the honorable sacrifices our armed forces make at the tip of the spear.”

The team is the brainchild of retired Lt. Cmdr. Terry Allvord, who served 23 years in the Navy before putting together the nonprofit Military All-Stars. He functions as the leader on the field and off, working behind the scenes to fill rosters, schedule games and grow the program. Players show their stuff during the annual Red, White & Blue Tour.

Now in its 20th season, the tour is a nine-month circuit of exhibition games all over the world. The servicemen play against top-caliber competition, including all-star teams from independent baseball leagues, which are commonly seen as pipelines to getting in front of professional scouts. Exposure and awareness

The Military All-Stars are seen by millions of spectators annually, either in person or on ESPN or other television venues, Allvord said.

“The team provides exposure for the players and awareness for us as we travel around and support the troops, but it allows people an opportunity to join the military and serve in a different way,” said Allvord, who is the team’s president and CEO. “It’s just like the Blue Angels or silent drill team or anything else.”

But one aspect sets this team apart: Because of their military commitments, the turnover is constant. The guy you win with on Thursday might not be the guy you win with on Friday.

“Last year we used around 160 players,” said Navy Chief Yeoman Eric Lally. “Guys can be here for a game or two. Very few get to stay the whole season.”

Lally joined the team as a player in 1995 and became head coach of the all active-duty “Fleet Team” in 2002, when he posted a 29-17 overall record. He’s now the team’s general manager.

Lally said the teams are stocked with servicemen in different stages of their careers, from new enlistees to seasoned combat veterans.

Yeoman Seaman Sean Yost enlisted in the Navy after seeing the team play on its 2007 Red, White & Blue Tour. He knew immediately it was something he wanted to be a part of.

“It’s great for the fans. A lot of the places we go to, the fans don’t know who we are,” said Yost, a shortstop. “But it’s not just about baseball. We have ceremonies before the game, we pass the flag, we salute, we have clinics for kids we do before games. It’s great for America because they can still see the military as a good thing.”

Rodriguez agreed and said that — from visiting VA hospitals to YMCAs to children’s hospitals — “just to bring smiles to the faces of some of these veterans, to many of the guys, it’s sometimes better than winning baseball games.”

But these guys can ball, too.

Rodriguez, a pitcher, played at Texas A&M-Kingsville and was roommates with current San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Adams. He also played for a few semipro teams in Mexico before joining the Marine Corps. Yost has had tryouts with several Major League teams, including the Washington Nationals, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Red, White & Blue Tour comprises three groups of players; the first is the Fleet Team, a group of active-duty players from all the armed forces. The program also features a collegiate team, the American Defenders, made up of players who have fulfilled their military commitments and are now attending college.

The top level is a professional team, also called the American Defenders, based out of Nashua, N.H. That team plays in the Can-Am Independent League and is managed by former big leaguer Brian Daubach, who in 2004 helped the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years.

This intertwined military baseball program offers the players a meaningful way to stay in baseball, even after their service time has ended, Allvord said.

“Guys can move up through the system and do other things and continue their baseball careers,” he said. “We can take them from the fleet to ‘the Show.’ ” Getting recognized

And it does happen. In 2007, All-Stars outfielder Navy Ensign Jonathan Johnston was selected in the 42nd round by the Oakland A’s in the annual amateur draft. A year later, Karl Bolt, an Air Force second lieutenant, was selected in the 15th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Of course, the marriage of the national pastime and the U.S. armed forces is nothing new. Stories abound about soldiers on both sides in the Civil War who would play baseball to pass the time between battles. During World War II, hundreds of Major League baseball players quit the game in the primes of their careers to enlist in the armed forces. The list includes Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg and Bob Feller.

Allvord started the team, he said, with a certain nudging from a former commander in chief.

“I met President George H.W. Bush at a dinner and I got to sit with him and talk about baseball,” Allvord said. “Him being a great fan of the game and having played at Yale, he said it was, and is, a great morale booster for civilians and troops alike. We didn’t have a base team at the time, and he said someone should start one, so I did.”

Players pay their own expenses throughout the season while still drawing military salaries. They play during their personal leave time, often for just a week at a time.

Though you might not know some of the names, you’ll certainly recognize the team when you see it. Dressed in all-camo-colored uniforms, the “S” from USA is emblazoned in bright yellow, a not-so-subtle nod to the troop-support yellow ribbon.

Rodriguez, a two-time Purple Heart recipient, says baseball and combat have one thing in common.

“The Corps teaches you that in war, all you have is your buddies to your left and to your right,” he said. “On the baseball field, it’s almost the same thing. The camaraderie is the same. You’re just trying to win.”