Books on the Pond…

 

When it came to baseball, there was a time when my wife Kathy was giddy by association. She was happy, because I was happy. That’s not the case anymore. She actually follows the game, plays fantasy baseball (won the Public Display of Imagination league in 2019) and knows more about baseball than many of my friends who claim to be fans.

Last year, we put our love for baseball and our love for reading in the same mixing bowl and made a genuine effort to do something positive for the players who entertain us when we get a chance to visit the ballpark and enjoy a game.

From February through September, the players are focused on baseball. With the exception of a 5 to 7 hour bus ride between cities, that focus is nearly 24/7. Many of the players enjoy reading and the books give them something to pass the time while they’re cooped up in tight quarters, trying to make the best of the bus ride.

  

Before each game, we would go through our library of paperbacks and pull a selection of great reads (new and old) for each team. We provided 8 to 10 books for each team at games when we knew that both teams would be hitting the road after the final pitch was thrown. 

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We presented the package of books to each team following the game, told them we enjoyed watching them play, and wished them safe travels to their next destination. It didn’t take long to thin our library.

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Shopping for books became the next step in our process. We made a list of authors and titles, then hit some of our favorite outlets. Luckily, we found some good books at affordable prices.

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A number of players on each roster spoke Spanish as their primary language. So, providing books in Spanish became important. This proved to be more difficult than first imagined. Books in Spanish were limited, hard to find, and nearly three times the price. We’re still searching for resources and welcome help in this area.

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For the upcoming 2020 Baseball Season, we have expanded our vision. We’ll be working with the cooperation and backing of the Southern League offices through the direction of Southern League President, Lori Webb. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to do something positive for the entire league. 

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Celebrating Donations from Authors & Publishing Houses –

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A collection of Books in Spanish –
 

Kathy and I are looking forward to the upcoming season and we’d like to invite you to join us for a ballgame. You may not be able to meet us at the park, but you can be a part of what we’re doing this year with the 10 teams of the Southern League.

We’ll work to incorporate donated paperbacks into the packages this spring and summer. If you’d like to send something our way, either new or previously read, but still in very good condition, please use the mailing address below and tell the post office that you’re mailing books. Media Mail takes a couple days longer to get where its going, but it’s much more cost effective. 
Mark DeWayne Combs / Public Display of Imagination
463063 State Road 200 Unit #1473
Yulee, FL 32097

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