Archive
Former MLB Manager Trains Chinese Players In Indio
Indio, CA
Sports have an incredible way of bridging divides, and one local man, Jim Lefebvre, former MLB player and manager, saw this as he became the ambassador of baseball to the nation of China. And this week he’s training a group of Chinese baseball players here in the Coachella Valley.
But in order to understand how it began, we have to go back more than a decade, when Lefebvre had an inspired conversation with the Sports Minister of China.
"He said something that was so beautiful," Lefebvre tells KMIR Sports of the initial conversation with the Chinese Sports Minister. "As we sat there enjoying one another, he said, ‘if we just got to know each other, the world would be a better and safer place for everybody…And that’s what resonated with me… How sport brought two cultures, diametrically opposed, some people say, but we came together as a team… And it was a beautiful thing to see and it just kept growing and growing and these kids are here because of that."
Jim Lefebvre is not only a 2-time World Series champion and the 1965 Rookie of the Year, he’s also the man Major League Baseball called upon to deliver the American past time to China.
After years of successful cultural development through the game of baseball in the world’s most populous nation, Lefebvre took on the roll of manager for the Chinese national team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
And today, he’s teaching baseball to a traveling group of Chinese players and helping them experience much more.
"They come here to play the sport, go to the universities, the national parks so they can get an idea of what our culture is," Lefebvre says. "And they found out that the United States is a mixture of cultures."
The coach of the Chinese players, Kang Kang agreed. "Baseball is just like a part of life, so they know some people, know some countries, through baseball," he says.
This is the 3rd year this team has made this overseas trip and Kang says it’s created an incredible opportunity for his young athletes.
"The first year, it was like, where’s my mom, where’s my father, it’s completely changed their method," he says. "Their thinking, the way and how they see the world."
13-year old Steven Zhao agrees.
"We have very hard training and it’s very helpful for our skill development," he says.
And as though seeing Dodgers Stadium, the USC campus and much more weren’t enough, pitching icon Tommy John is coached them Wednesday night in Indio as well.
By: News Staff
February 8, 2017
Latest Instagram Posts
⚡️ TOP STORY: A man is recovering after he was struck by lightning. Firefighters battled a brush fire along Snow Creek Road, while another lightning strike in Chino Canyon sent a man to the hospital. If you hear thunder, stay indoors for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble. #PalmSprings #Lightning #FireSafety
🚨 Chasing that year-round “summer glow”? A social media tanning trend involving the unapproved peptide melanotan-2 is raising serious safety concerns. Dermatologists say safer sunless tanning options are available. ☀️ #YourHealthToday #SkinHealth #Melanotan2 #TanningSafety
Palm Springs firefighters responded Thursday to a report of a person struck by lightning in the Chino Canyon area. The person was transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Firefighters also responded to a palm tree fire in Chino Canyon that officials say was caused by an apparent lightning strike. NBC Palm Springs News Director David Reese is in the neighborhood tonight knocking on doors and trying to learn more about what happened. Did you see the lightning strike? Did you hear or see anything unusual? Do you know who was struck or have information that could help us understand what happened? We’d like to hear from you. Send us a DM here or contact NBC Palm Springs if you witnessed the incident or have information to share. #PalmSprings #ChinoCanyon #Lightning #PalmSpringsNews #NBCPalmSprings CoachellaValley BreakingNews
Fred Roggin’s response? Show us the receipts! #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
A $557k budget shortfall … so why do they need $11.3 million in new taxes? Are you voting Yes or No on Measure P? #therogginreport #measurep #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
School board trustee wears “FAFO” shirt to court deposition. Drop your thoughts in the comments 👇🏽 #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #explore #nbcpalmsprings
Estevan Figueroa of King’s Club Barbershop is giving back across the Coachella Valley — one haircut at a time. He and his team recently gave dozens of free haircuts to kids at the Boys and Girls Club in Cathedral City. Figueroa also provides clothing, essentials and encouragement to people in need. Inspired by lessons from his father, he’s now started a nonprofit to help even more people in the community. “Look good, feel good.” @barbercipactli Read the full story at NBCPalmSprings.com.
9 months. 5 deposition notices. 1 no-show. What is this official hiding under oath? Let us know what you think in the comments 👇 #therogginreport #jesusgonzalez #localnews #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry
Tim O’Brien at the Coachella Valley Firebirds training camp!!