By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN anticipation of what is expected to be a hectic season in 2024, the National Sports Authority is giving the general public a prelude with the staging of ‘A Baseball Christmas.”

The newly opened Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium will host a series of events on Friday, December 22, starting with the youth baseball game at noon and culminating with a home run derby featuring all of the power hitters in the country, be they professionals or amateurs.

“We want to have a soft invite to the Bahamian public to come out to the park,” said Martin “Pork” Burrows, the NSA’s general manager of the ARBS. “We want to have a grand time as we go into Christmas and prepare for the new year in 2024.” Burrows noted that the NSA will showcase the hotly contested 10-and-under and 12-and-under divisions in two games as they adjust the field for their youth baseball competition.

“They are the players who will bring the fans in because whenever they play, their parents and family members come out and support them,” Burrows said. “So we want to give them a chance to play in the big stadium and at the same time, allow their family members to come out and watch them perform.”

As the NSA looks forward to the return of a senior baseball league next year, Burrows said they will follow the two youth games with an exhibition 25-and-over division around 5 pm.

“This is an eye opener for us to see how many players are interested in playing,” he said.

“Everybody is nagging us about playing senior league baseball again, so we’re giving them an opportunity to come out.”

Practice sessions are currently being held every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm at the stadium for all players interested in participating in the senior league next year.

“With this game, we will have some of the college guys back, so it’s going to be a mixture of the local guys and the college guys playing with and against each other,” Burows projected.

“We’ve always had the college guys come home for Christmas and they don’t have any league or game to play in and we have the local guys who always wanted to get a chance to p[lay against the college guys, so this is their chance to come out.”

Following all of these games, Burrows said it will be “showtime” when all of the players, who didn’t get a chance to participate in the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise, will get a chance to display their power hitting at 7pm.

Burrows said an invitation is extended to all of the players, who participated in the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise, including the newly crowned king Breyias Dean. He could not confirm who all will participate.

The champion of the NSA Home Run Derby will collect a cash prize, the amount not yet determined, but Burrows lamented that it would be a good Christmas gift.

“So you get to see guys like Sherman Ferguson, who like to hit the ball out of any park he plays in, along with Alcott Forbes, Richard Bain, Martin Burrows Jr,” Burrows said. “This is their time to come out and show what they can do.

“It’s going to be an open home run derby for Bahamians. Once you are a Bahamian, whether you are a pro, collegian or local player, you are eligible to participate.”

Burrows said the whole day is designed to allow Bahamians, who have not had an opportunity as yet to play in or sit in and watch, to come out and be a part of the activities.

“We are trying to reach out to every aspect of baseball in the country,” Burrows said. “We have the youth, the big boys who missed about 15-20 years of not playing senior league baseball and the power hitters.

“This is their opportunity for all of them to come out and stop all the talking and put the talking into action on the field. We are looking forward to having a grand event on Friday, December 22-23 at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium You don’t want to miss it.”

Tickets are priced at $5 per person and suites in the upper deck are available. For those interested in the latter, they can contact Burrows at the NSA for more details.