Blue Jays inspire new generation of baseball players

LANGLEY (NEWS 1130) – More kids than ever are hitting the ball diamond.

The success of the Toronto Blue Jays is at least partly responsible for the new enthusiasm for baseball.

Registration at Langley Baseball is about nine per cent higher this year than last.

Dan McLaren is the president of the association and says numbers are up all over Metro Vancouver.

“All of the kids are following the Blue Jays. You come down to the park any day and you see a lot of Blue Jays apparel being worn not just by the kids but by parents, too. The team has a great influence on the popularity of the sport.”

And the enthusiasm for the game is not only evident in increased registration.

“They’ll put on a clinic at Nat Bailey Stadium and there will be 250 kids in there. Little league is growing.”

And why is baseball so great for the kids? McLaren says it gets them off of their iPads and learning to work with a team while developing individual skills.

McLaren also likes to point out that the success of former Langley players like Brett Lawrie rubs off on the association. Lawrie now plays for the White Sox. He makes $4-million a year.

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