Several hundred members of the Red Sox Nation took over Lake Sumter Landing Market Square on Sunday afternoon where they were treated to a panel discussion by baseball celebrities including Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.
Martinez’s flight was delayed so the panel discussion scheduled for noon was delayed until almost 3 p.m. The crowd was entertained by Dick Flavin, poet laureate of the Red Sox, and Joe West, veteran Major League Baseball umpire and president of the umpires’ union.
Martinez arrived about 3:20 and regaled the crowd with stories from his 18-year career in Major League Baseball as well as stories of his growing up in the Dominican Republic. The crowd was moved by Martinez’s tales of growing up in a poor family.
When he was 12, he was selected to represent his country on the country’s Little League team. He ran home with the award letter to show his mother. His travel expense would cost his parents 400 pesos, almost a month’s income for the family of eight. He understood when his mother explained that he could not attend. The next year he was also selected to the national team. He kept the letter in his pocket and did not tell his parents of the honor. He never forgot the poverty of his home country. Once he became wealthy from playing big league ball, he started the Pedro Martinez Foundation to provide educational and athletic opportunities for children in his home nation. It was clear by his presentation that while being inducted into the Hall of Fame was important to him, the use of his fame to help others gave him greater joy.
In addition to helping the Pedro Martinez Foundation, Red Sox Nation also supports local school programs, area Little Leagues, and the Helping Hands Food Pantry of Sumterville. The food pantry director is Nancy Fox Canaday, who has a special relationship with the Red Sox Nation as she is the daughter of Hall of Fame Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx.
Red Sox Nation is the largest Red Sox club in the world with more than 1,400 members. The club is open to all Villagers and has a variety of events for members to attend. For more information on the club, visit http://www.redsox-villages.com/
