Baseball academy on horizon

As Major League Baseball honors the memory of Jackie Robinson today, the City of Philadelphia is moving toward keeping his legacy alive with the establishment of a year-round youth baseball academy.

The academy, which could be operational within a year, would be at the Scanlon Recreation Center at J and Tioga Streets in Kensington and will serve city youngsters who have shown a dedication to baseball and softball.

The city, which has partnered with the Phillies and the Philadelphia Youth Organization, is awaiting final word on the project from Major League Baseball, which would finance a $1.2 million renovation of existing fields and the construction of a 20,000-square-foot indoor training and educational facility.

The indoor facility would allow a player to take batting practice in the winter, then walk across the hall for a class dedicated to preparing for the SAT.

Major League Baseball is ready to support the project.

"From where I sit, absolutely, I expect this will happen," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB's executive vice president of baseball operations. "We would definitely look to make a commitment, financially and in terms of human resources."

Robinson made his historic debut in the majors 60 years ago today. He played frequently in Philadelphia, but it often was not easy. Ben Chapman, the Phillies' manager when Robinson debuted in 1947, publicly insulted Robinson during games in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. The Phillies did not have a good early record on matters of race. They were the last National League team to have an African American player when John Kennedy joined the club in 1957.

All these years later, the team, particularly assistant scouting director Rob Holiday, has worked for the establishment of an academy that would benefit inner-city youngsters as ballplayers and students.

Solomon toured Scanlon several months ago and will soon return for another meeting with city and Phillies officials involved with the project.

"It's a perfect site," Solomon said. "The support from the city of Philadelphia and the Phillies has been great. Everyone is very encouraged."

The baseball academy will be part of the revitalization of the Scanlon Recreation Center. An ice rink on the premises recently received a $1 million renovation. The indoor baseball academy will be built near the rink. The facility is easily accessible from the Tioga stop of the Market-Frankford El. City officials say that existing programs at the center (those not related to baseball) will continue.

The baseball facility would be the third inner-city youth academy that MLB has helped support. MLB, along with the players' association, made a donation to an academy that Atlanta-area YMCAs and the Atlanta Braves partnered to establish in 2005.

In February 2006, MLB opened its long-planned Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. That $10 million academy is completely funded and run by MLB.

In Philadelphia, the city will oversee the academy. It will provide the land and three employees, and pay for utilities and upkeep.

Other funding will come from the nonprofit Philadelphia Youth Organization, which will also provide instruction and educational assistance.

The Phillies plan to help coordinate programs, offer clinics and provide financial assistance through Phillies Charities Inc.

In addition to its financial contribution, MLB will provide personnel for occasional clinics on everything from baseball fundamentals, to umpiring to groundskeeping. Solomon said his staff includes such former players as Frank Robinson, Jim Lefebvre and Bruce Hurst, who help provide instruction.

"It's a perfect partnership," said Steve Bandura, who works for the Recreation Department and has long been active in youth baseball in the city.

Bandura runs a baseball program at Marian Anderson Recreation Center at 17th and Fitzwater Streets. That program and others like it will continue as feeders for the academy.

Bandura praised Pedro Ramos, the city's managing director, and Vic Richard, the Recreation Department commissioner, for making the project happen.

"To have something of this magnitude in Philadelphia will be a tremendous vehicle to enhancing education," Bandura said. "The goal is to educate kids through baseball. Hopefully, the kids who participate will one day be thinking, 'Which college am I going to?' not 'Am I going to college?' "

According to Solomon, academies are in the works in Washington and Miami. He hopes to someday have an academy dedicated to baseball and education in every major-league city.

The move toward establishing these academies has been a result of a nationwide drop in popularity and participation in the sport among African Americans. In 1975, 28 percent of major leaguers were African American. On opening day this year, just 8.4 percent of the players were African American. Baseball is proud of its diversity - 29 percent of players are Latino - but it is concerned about the drop in African American participation in the game Jackie Robinson strove to integrate.

"We've all seen the reports," Solomon said. "Baseball is a societal leader, and we don't want to lose that position. We want to bring urban America back to baseball. We're a very diverse sport. The number of Latinos and Asians in the sport has grown. We don't want to lose the African American population.

"I'm not saying these kids have to grow up to be major-league players. They could make their living in related fields. They could become umpires or groundskeepers or baseball executives. Or they could simply become fans who love the game."

The early reviews on the Compton academy have been positive, "successful beyond my wildest dreams," Solomon said.

He said two of the academy's participants signed professional contracts last summer and two others were drafted by major-league clubs. Also, four participants made it through umpire preparation programs and will work in the low minors this summer.

Baseball's initial efforts at promoting baseball to inner-city youth was with the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program, which was established in 1989. The Phillies, with the help of sponsors Citizens Bank and Turkey Hill, have a strong RBI program, with 6,000 youngsters participating.

"If kids in the inner city don't play baseball, it's for lack of opportunity, not lack of interest," said Holiday, who founded the team's RBI program. "That's why we're so excited about [the Philadelphia academy]. It can provide a centralized location for kids who want to play."

Through programs, clinics, leagues and other activities, the baseball facility could cater to hundreds of Philadelphia youngsters a year, ages 6 to 18, free of charge. Holiday said there would be some type of registration process for those who want to be involved in the academy. Baseball or softball will be only part of the instruction a youngster will receive. Plans call for the indoor facility to include a computer lab and classroom areas.

Can't you see it? Batting practice followed by SAT preparation.

Somewhere, Jackie Robinson is liking this.