Buddy Baseball December 2019 Newsletter

Hello Buddy Baseball Fans,

2019 was another great year for Buddy Baseball. Our league has grown to 20 teams! This past fall we celebrated 10 years of playing Buddy Baseball!

Two key highlights of the year were the Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Magic Clinic at Tropicana Field and the ground breaking of our new all accessible baseball field. The new field will be ready for play for our spring season.

I am very grateful to all of our fantastic buddies, coaches, volunteers and sponsors that make Buddy Baseball the premier league that it is.

Our 22nd season will start on Saturday, February 22, 2020 and go until April 4, 2020. Registration is now open on our website.

Have a great holiday season and we will see you in the spring!

Russ Oberbroeckling

Executive Director

Link to our website

Registration is open!

Don't forget to register for our next season. Space is limited for our players with special needs, so sign up now if you haven't already. The season will start on February 22, 2020 and end on April 4, 2020. The Meet and Greet will be on Saturday, February 15th. The registration deadline is Monday, January 6th at 5:00pm. We need more buddies! Please spread the word.

Here is the link to register.

Registration

Spring 2020 Flyer

Sponsorship Opportunities

Since 2009, hundreds of players with special needs and our buddies have benefited from the generosity of our sponsors. That equates to hundreds of home runs, countless smiles and immeasurable friendships sponsors have brought to the players, their families and all our buddies, coaches and volunteers. Help keep our league running successfully. Consider the business that you work for to become a sponsor today!

Sponsorship Information

End of Season Party

We had over 350 people attend our end of season party at Pin Chasers. Thanks to Busch Gardens, McDonalds, Chick Fil A in Temple Terrace and Pin Chasers for donating prizes for our drawing!

Player Spotlight

Gabriel Whiting

This past season was Gabe's fifth season of Buddy Baseball. He attends Powell Middle School and is 14 years old. He can sculpt animals without even looking at the clay. Gabe knows just about everything there is to know about dinosaurs. His favorite music group is Aerosmith. When Gabe grows up he wants to be a race car driver.

Buddy Spotlight

Brandon Restrepo

Brandon is 13 years old and attends Farnell Middle School. He loves fighting at the UFC Gym in Clearwater. His favorite subject in school is Math. Chocolate Mint is his favorite ice cream and chicken is his favorite food. When he grows up he wants to be an Orthopedic Surgeon.

Rookie Spotlight

Jasmine Claudio

Jasmine is 10 years old and attends Livingstone Academy. She has two younger brothers and loves to play at the beach and the pool. Her favorite breakfast is pound cake. If she had a $1000, she would buy a new iPad. Her favorite restaurant is Olive Garden and she would like to meet Taylor Swift.

C oach Spotlight

Megan Perusse

Megan Perusse

Megan is originally from Northwest Indiana and moved to Florida 12 years ago to attend college. She is a dental hygienist at a family practice in Lakeland. Megan has been with Buddy Baseball a total of three seasons and looks forward to her upcoming fourth season! Megan has been blessed with the opportunity to work with Special Olympics and Night to Shine. She recently got married to Doug on April 26, 2019!

She is very involved in her local church group and also enjoys traveling, mission work, cooking, camping, and photography. Megan loves to go on hikes and be outdoors. She once hiked the Grand Canyon from the rim to the Colorado river and back in eight hours! "It was not easy, but worth it!"

Parent Spotlight

Randol and Layesha Walton

Layesha and Randol are both from Miami and have been married for 16 years. They have two boys and a girl. Randol is a Musician, Music Producer, and the Performing Arts & Media Technology Director at Walton Academy for the Performing Arts. Layesha is an author, mentor, dancer, choreographer, and founder of Divine Inspiration Ministries, and Anointed to Dance. They love going to the movies, trying new restaurants, and spending time with the family! Fun fact: Randol really loves ice cream! Layesha could eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! A favorite Buddy Baseball moment is when Makai was able to celebrate his birthday after a game. All of his team mates and buddies joined him, ate cake with him, and sang to him. It was a special moment. "We love Buddy Baseball! It's been a blessing to Makai, and our entire family!"

Volunteer Spotlight

Congregation Beth Am

Thanks to members of Congregation Beth Am who stuffed the goody bags for the 200 plus runners at the 9th Annual Buddy Run.

Buddy Run

It was a little cool, but we had a great turnout for our 9th Annual Buddy Run. Thanks to Congregation Beth Am for letting us partner with them.

Sponsor Spotlight

Tampa Pulmonary & Sleep Specialists

Tampa Pulmonary & Sleep Specialists has been a sponsor for a number of years. They have grown to be Tampa's largest and most respected private pulmonary, sleep medicine, and critical care practice. The physicians in their practice have been providing the most advanced and comprehensive medical care with a dose of old-fashioned caring and personal attention to the community for 30 years.

They have two offices to serve you and their physicians are on staff at Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital - Main Campus, and St. Joseph's Hospital - North Campus. Thanks for your continued support of Buddy Baseball.

Tampa Pulmonary & Sleep Specialists

Where are they now?

Ed Guthman

Ed was an original Buddy Baseball coach and coached the Ravens for 13 seasons, until his son and daughter aged out of the league. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has two older brothers and five younger sisters. He met Phyllis in California and they were married on the Queen Mary in 1988. Ed and Phyllis have two children, Matthew and Patricia. They moved to Florida in 1995.

Ed works at Citigroup in Tampa. He enjoys coaching his son's soccer team for Top Soccer although he cherishes the great fun they shared with Buddy Baseball for so many years.

Ed used to play the drums and sing for the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir in his twenties. He is a Jazz buff and has met artists like Earth Wind and Fire, Kenny G and Chuck Loeb. Ed is a diehard New York Yankees and New York Giants fan but enjoys watching other teams perform at a professional level.

Amazon Smile

When shopping on-line, consider using Amazon Smile. A portion of the sale will be donated back to Buddy Baseball, at no extra cost to you. Just use https://smile.amazon.com/ , and select Buddy Baseball Inc. as the organization that you are supporting the next time you are shopping on Amazon. Thanks for your support.

Amazon Smile