San Benito Babe Ruth Bambinos take on VFW Post 9242

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At Babe Ruth Field in Hollister’s Veterans Park, the crowd’s excitement was palpable as two San Benito Bambino teams came together on April 27 in the third game of their season to play the Warriors, composed of the members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9242. As the loudspeakers blasted her entrance music, Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll,” Bambino Fay Rendon was preparing for her turn at bat, carrying herself with a confidence that any ball player would admire. 

“I think we are going to kill these guys,” said Rendon, 19. “We kick ass every time. I love coming out here—I feel like a superstar.”

The Bambino League, along with its companion program, the Challenger League, is part of a baseball program for players with either intellectual or physical special needs. “They come out and enjoy baseball just like anybody else,” said Coach Daniel Gutierrez. “It’s all part of getting some exercise, hitting the ball and having fun.”

Rendon’s words proved prophetic. The 15 players on the team scored run after run while the Warriors seemed to have forgotten even the simplest fundamentals of the game, consistently throwing the ball too late or in the wrong direction—when they could even manage to catch the ball.

The final score of the two-inning contest was 30-0, echoing the results of a game earlier in the day, a 24-0 win for two other Bambino teams against the VFW post. The Bambinos somehow never suffered a single out, and the Warriors, no matter how many times they crossed the plate, never managed to score a run. 

“These kids do a lot of trash-talking,” said VFW Post Commander Bernie Ramirez. “But we do have a pretty slow group here. We’re getting a little old for this.”

To be fair, the game’s rules were weighted against the veterans. Each of the two innings does not end until every Bambino has batted. The players are pitched up to six balls, and if none are hit, the ball is placed on a tee. Assistance is available for any player who needs help batting or running the bases.

“Every player’s got their own batting stance,” said pitcher Nick Salgado. “Over the years, I’ve gotten to know each player, how they swing and how they hit. I’ve seen the improvement they’ve made—they’ve really flourished and gotten much better.”

Despite the stacked odds, Post 9242 has been happily participating in the games over the last 10 years. 

“Coach Adam Mendolla asked us to come out and play,” Ramirez said, “And anybody who’s ever played with these kids can feel it in their hearts. It’s amazing, just the greatest thing you can do.”

Enrollment in the Bambinos begins at age 15 and includes adults. The Challenger League is for boys and girls between the ages of 4 and 18, though players may stay on the team until they are 22 as long as they are enrolled in high school. Participation in the league is open-ended, and no players are turned away.

“Each of our players pays $35,” said Head Coach Adam Mendolla. “That barely covers their hats and shirts. But we try to keep it at that because a lot of them are on a fixed income.”

With only limited funds available, the league is run on a shoestring. The coaches and assistants are all volunteers, the players provide their own transportation, and the city has made accommodations for the rent at Babe Ruth Field.

“If we could get more donations or funding,” Mendolla said, “we could give them a lot more than we can right now. As far as equipment goes, we have the bare minimum. Most of it is secondhand, but these players deserve firsthand.”

The coaches would like the team members to have more options for activities other than the baseball program, like their semi-regular fishing trips and an annual outing to play golf at Ridgemark. 

“The Bambino league is a great way to get these players out and socialize,” Salgado said. “It’s important because we don’t have many programs in Hollister for our individuals with disabilities. It would be nice to get some more opportunities to learn new skills.”

The Bambinos have three games left in their six-game season. Opponents and dates are posted on the team’s Facebook page.

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