June 14, 2004
Thomasville - "This baseball mitt right here is an old one, I mean, I've been patching on it for two days," says Bob Taylor. He hasn't used his baseball mitt in years, so he decided to get rid of it. "It would have stayed in the closet and finally deteriorated," he says, "but now maybe it'll be used proper."
He's sending the glove, along with bats, baseballs, softballs and some treats to Iraq, care of Corporal Bryan Post.
The two met via the Internet when Taylor was looking for stories about boot camp from fellow Marines. That was five years ago. Now, Post is finished with Boot camp and serving his country in Fallujah, where he's trying to establish relationships with the Iraqis. He's hoping to do that through baseball.
Taylor says, "We may be working with the leaders of Iraq of tomorrow, and if we can befriend them, let them know that we're okay, that we're not this big ogre, that it'll help."
The kids can't wait to learn the new sport and Taylor can't wait to send it. He says, "They're starting to ask, 'Where's the baseball stuff? Where's the baseball stuff?'"
It's on the way, along with what will hopefully be a home run in Iraqi-American relations.
Florida State University and Cairo high school have already offered to donate equipment. If you would like to donate, money or equipment, click here.
posted at 4:47 PM by karen.collier@walb.com
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