"It seems that baseball connects people and supersedes any language barriers that might exist."

Cal Ripken receives a baseball – up high – from a Nicaraguan participant during cleanup.

American Public Diplomacy Envoy Cal Ripken, Jr. brought goodwill and the Ripken way of playing baseball to young Nicaraguans on his second trip for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  Ripken’s visit took place from November 13 – 18 2008. The program reached out to both baseball coaches and young boys and girls in Granada and Managua through baseball clinics.

Ripken traveled with Dennis Martinez, his Oriole teammate and the first Nicaraguan to play in the U.S. Major Leagues. The first day of baseball clinics took place in Martinez’s hometown, Granada. The envoys taught Quickball, a fast-paced version of baseball with spongy balls, to 50 eight- and nine-year-olds from an impoverished neighborhood, Villa Esperanza. Ripken and Martinez also ran a coaches’ clinic in the morning and, with the help of some of the Nicaraguan coaches, a more advanced clinic for older children in the afternoon. Ripken presented both school supplies donated by Fallston High School and Quickball equipment to Empowerment International, a non-profit organization that operates stay-in-school programs for youth.

The second round of clinics took place in the capital, Managua.  The envoys ran a coaches’ clinic and a youth clinic in Jackie Robinson stadium. Ripken recruited U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Robert Callahan to help teach the participants batting. Following the clinic, baseball equipment purchased by ECA was donated to the Dennis Martinez Little League.

Ripken’s second American Public Diplomacy envoy trip was a huge success as reported by his host, the American embassy in Nicaragua.  Articles about Ripken appeared on the front page of the sports section of both major daily papers for eight days in row, and nearly every national radio and TV station covered the baseball clinics and press conferences. The Embassy estimated that the press about the program reached more than 2.5 million Nicaraguans throughout the country.