Solomon: Kudos to Crane for Helping Revitalize City’s Youth Baseball

BigBird · Oct 26, 2012

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Solomon: Kudos to Crane for Helping Revitalize City’s Youth Baseball

Had no idea Crane was getting so involved in a revitilization effort such as this. Liking him more and more.

Ultimately, Jim Crane’s legacy, the story of his contribution to Houston’s sports landscape, will be determined by what happens on the plush emerald diamond at Minute Maid Park.

Will the millions he invested in a Major League Baseball franchise result in more victories than defeats, a host of celebratory moments and, dare we dream, the Astros’ first World Series championship?

While not all Crane’s doing — in fact, he had almost nothing to do with it — his first season as Astros owner was the worst in the franchise’s 50-year existence, with the team and the city suffering through 107 losses compared to just 55 wins.

Through the years, the intensity of the discussion over the price of hot dogs and beer and whether there are enough bobblehead promotional nights will depend on the team’s place in the standings.

But don’t let the Astros’ last-place status detract from Crane’s recent victory.

His proposal to refurbish, renovate and revitalize youth baseball and softball fields throughout the city is extraordinary.

His idea. His plan. His legwork to get it done.

It is an ambitious idea born out of a pure love of the game and a desire to see others have the opportunity to fall for it as he once did.

This is a making-a-difference move, not a public-relations move. But he deserves good PR from it.

This isn’t something Crane had to do. It is something he wanted to do. And something the city needed to have done. An $18 million gift in these times? Oh yeah, this is significant.

In parts of Houston, youth baseball is all but dead; in others, the great American pastime seems past its time.

Crane’s grand plan is to provide a boost. One park at a time, 12 in total for this program.

“We have had great team owners in the past. But I don’t know that we have really had someone that has invested in Houston like Jim Crane has and who understands that he’s not just creating a team, not just being a good owner — he’s growing the fan base,” Mayor Annise Parker said Tuesday at a groundbreaking ceremony at Diez Park. “He’s showing a commitment back to the community that’s going to sustain his team.”

Diez Park, home to the East End Little League, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in March, is the first park chosen for Crane’s special project. The East End LL is run by a committed group of parents and community leaders who work to provide neighborhood children a safe place to play.

Boost for East End LL
Jose “Shorty” Sanchez, who first suited up for baseball in the league in 1974, fights off tears when he talks about the Astros’ plans for this “sacred ground.”

“I’ve been around the park forever, and I saw the way it used to look,” Sanchez said. “I’m dreaming of that new park, picturing our kids putting their feet in that dirt in the batter’s box and on the mound and running in well-manicured grounds … it’s going to be so awesome.”

Three seasons ago, the East End LL, which was last renovated in 1995, was down to 155 children on 12 teams. A registration push upped those numbers to 370-plus — with approximately 100 girls on softball teams and 16 special-needs children in a challenger league — on 30 teams this year. Sanchez imagines two years from now some 600 boys and girls, ages 4-18, will be playing there from morning to night, thanks to Crane’s initiative.

If you rebuild it, the children will come.

“I’m a dreamer,” Sanchez said. “Once word gets out and people see they are playing on some fine-looking fields in a wonderful facility, it’s going to take off.

“I believe in this place, and we’re going to take ownership of this. Families in the area do their best to keep the park up. This just elevates our responsibilities. It’s a historic time for East End Little League and an honor to be chosen by the Astros.”

A win-win for all
Crane’s commitment is more than financial, though the program’s $18 million cost over the next five years is money he could have pocketed. And do note: Not a dime will come from the taxpayers.
Like a Girl Scout selling cookies, Crane has basically gone from fancy door to fancy door to some of the city’s top executives to build the “Community Leaders” program. He already has on board Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Calpine Corp., Cham*pion Energy Services, Halliburton, Nabors Industries, National Oilwell Varco and Schlumberger. He is shooting for 12 companies in all, and the monies put in will
not only be for redoing the parks but maintaining them as well — a key point, thus the five-year commitment.

The corporations get signage at the parks and at Minute Maid. The children get first-class facilities to play baseball and softball. Houston wins.

And Crane gets a “W” for this one as well.
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