Dominican Baseball documentary "El Play" premiers in New York, pelicula de pelota dominicano va a ver en New York

The Dominican Baseball Guy wishes he was in New York to see the premier of "El Play."  The documentary follows the story of Jairo Candelario, a young Dominican baseball player, and his dream to play professional baseball.

El play is a synonym for a baseball or softball game in the Dominican Republic.  If someone asks what you are doing later, an exchange may go like this:

Que te pasa esta noche?
No se, vamos al play. 

And you can be refering to anything from a little league softball game all the way up to a professional Dominican Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) game.

You can see the film on June 21, 2011 at 7 p.m. at the 809 Lounge, 112 Dyckman St., New York, NY.  Here is a preview:

ELPLAY_Trailer by cubanica

The Dominican Sports and Education Academy is presenting the movie.  The academy is an amazing concept of the founder Charles S. Farrell.  The plan is to develop and educate 14-16 year old Dominican baseball players and other athletes, while at the same time giving them a top notch education that would allow them to qualify for college scholarships in the US.  

This is such a great concept because this is the exact age when kids get lost or misled by the dreaded buscones (*disclaimer* all the buscones that the Dominican Baseball Guy has ever met were great guys really looking out for their players).  But, it does happen to varying degrees, even when a players advisers really are looking out for him.  

And a program like this would give kids another option (college), which would allow them to further develop their education, rather than having to put all their eggs in the dream of Major League Baseball and the academies in the Dominican Republic.  If they do not make it to even the minor leagues, and they go the academies route, they more than likely never leave the island, and have no money, and very little education to show for it.  If they make it college in the US, they will at least have continued education, and in some cases a better opportunity at making the big leagues.

So, visit the Dominican Sports and Education Academy website and make a donation.  The Dominican Baseball Guy cannot wait to see the movie.