Big Vision for Olympic, Local Baseball
Published on July 22, 2009 - 3:52 pm
by Reggie Hayes
Posted on Fri. Aug. 22, 2008 - 10:21 am EDT
Big vision for Olympic, local baseball
By Reggie Hayes
of The News-Sentinel
Darin Van Tassell says he feels like Steve Martin's character in "Father of the Bride."
As competitions director for baseball at the Beijing Olympics, the world is swirling around him at a frantic pace. Unlike Martin's character, Van Tassell is fully in charge. He's running a sport on the world's biggest stage and working to help baseball return as an Olympic sport in 2016.
Van Tassell's international connections are invaluable to Fort Wayne, too.
He's working with Fort Wayne's Caleb Kimmel and Steve Sotir, along with their mutual friend Larry Bryant, to make our city an international hub for youth baseball.
The World Baseball Academy, the brainchild of Kimmel, intends to stage international youth baseball events in Fort Wayne, as soon as 2010. Van Tassell, a professor of international studies at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., agreed to an e-mail Q-and-A about the Olympics and Fort Wayne's international future.
Here are some excerpts:
N-S: Do you have a favorite moment from the Beijing Games so far?
Van Tassell: I cannot overstate the importance of impartiality in my role here, (but) my favorite moment was experiencing China's victory over Chinese Taipei. I wasn't rooting for one team or the other, but when you see a win like that, which is arguably one of the greatest sporting moments in Chinese history, and you see the jubilation that coincides, when you see players throwing their teammates up into the air, when newspapers are literally "stopping the presses" for a front-page story ... just maybe you think baseball has a chance to catch on here.
N-S: What is the fan interest there in baseball?
Van Tassell: Fan interest has exceeded my expectations. I was worried about three-hour affairs in 100-degree weather in front of fans that truly don't yet get a rise out of a well-executed tandem relay or a back-door curveball. Wukesong Stadium has been rocking, as it should be, as the caliber of baseball has been outstanding.
N-S: Is there something unique about baseball in the Olympics that we don't see in baseball in other contexts?
Van Tassell: The most unique element is our new extra-inning rule, whereby, beginning with the 11th inning, each manager is allowed to select any player in the lineup to be the lead-off hitter that inning, and the two previous hitters assume first and second base respectively. It's an excellent method of keeping the games to a reasonable length of time. Since I helped write the new rule, I have some selfish interest in seeing it work. And thus far, I really like it.
N-S: With baseball leaving the Olympic Games, are there specific meetings, conversations and events that you are trying to facilitate to promote the return of baseball to the Games in the future?
Van Tassell: More than you can possibly imagine! We're only a few votes away from turning around this decision, so baseball is taking every opportunity, from George W. Bush's appearance to worldwide lobbying to special influential individuals throwing out the ceremonial opening pitches, to bring baseball back into the Olympic family. With Chicago and Tokyo being the front-runners for the 2016 Olympic Games, I like our chances of succeeding in this critical mission. I say critical because it impacts the funding of so many of the 100-plus national baseball federations that count on their respective Olympic federation to keep them afloat.
N-S: You are a key part of the World Baseball Academy's goal of bringing international youth teams to Fort Wayne. Do you see any parallels between the Olympic Games and the goals of the WBA?
Van Tassell: Absolutely. Think of the industry of baseball as being a pyramid, with the peak representing the elite apex of baseball - professional baseball, Olympic baseball, world championship baseball and the like - and the foundation of the pyramid representing grass-roots baseball. Without a strong foundation, the pyramid doesn't stand, right? Without this pool of players developing fundamentals at the early ages, the guys at the top don't surface. Our WBA in Fort Wayne will serve as one of the means to the ends, a bridge for those who desire to reach the top.
N-S: You helped gain commitments from Australia, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico for the WBA. Any further developments or potential participants?
Van Tassell: We have planted seeds all over the globe. The most difficult phase of our evolution will be the beginning, but then, once teams receive the quality experience and start telling two friends, and then they come and start telling two friends, we quickly run into the pleasant problem of wait-lists down the road. At this point, Germany has committed to being the next in line.
N-S: What has been your biggest challenge with Olympic baseball to this point?
Van Tassell: In my role, the biggest challenge has been to keep everyone on the same page, remembering that their actions can and will have an effect on the future of baseball in the Olympic Games. Any single negative sometimes outweighs a hundred positive moments.
N-S: What has been your biggest reward with your Olympic involvement?
Van Tassell: I have had the privilege of meeting and befriending wonderful people from all over the globe, thanks to baseball. To have witnessed first-hand how baseball can truly serve as a medium to break down the perceived barriers of race, religion, gender, border and language makes me think that perhaps the best place for world summits might be on a sandlot.
N-S: How likely do you feel it is that baseball will return to the Olympics in 2016? Can you envision games being played at Wrigley Field if Chicago lands the Games?
Van Tassell: The idea of Olympic baseball at Wrigley Field literally sends chills up my spine. The unbridled passion would make everybody from the IOC to the moderate baseball fan wonder how the Olympics ever even considered dropping baseball.
This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com.