Baseball to honor Stoneman Douglas HS in spring openers
ByReuters
Published 21/02/2018 at 00:35 GMT
All 30 Major League Baseball teams will recognize the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by wearing the school's baseball hats at the opening spring training games Friday and Saturday.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Seventeen people were killed in a mass shooting at the Parkland, Fla., school
on Feb. 14. A former student at the school was arrested and charged with
premeditated murder.
on Feb. 14. A former student at the school was arrested and charged with
premeditated murder.
Baseball's tribute began when the Miami Marlins announced Tuesday that
players, coaches and personnel would wear Stoneman Douglas hats for the
Grapefruit League opener Friday at Jupiter, Fla.
players, coaches and personnel would wear Stoneman Douglas hats for the
Grapefruit League opener Friday at Jupiter, Fla.
Later Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that all team personnel
and umpires would wear the school's hats pregame Friday, with the option to
continue wearing the hats during the games that day.
and umpires would wear the school's hats pregame Friday, with the option to
continue wearing the hats during the games that day.
The two teams that are off Friday, the Kansas City Royals and the Texas
Rangers, will wear the Stoneman Douglas hats Saturday.
Rangers, will wear the Stoneman Douglas hats Saturday.
Players subsequently will sign the hats and donate them to an auction
benefiting the Broward Education Foundation, which will designate the proceeds
to the official Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund, according to MLB.com.
benefiting the Broward Education Foundation, which will designate the proceeds
to the official Stoneman Douglas Victims' Fund, according to MLB.com.
Manfred said of the hat tribute that MLB received "really strong sentiment of
the clubs it was the appropriate thing to do immediately."
the clubs it was the appropriate thing to do immediately."
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who attended the school and still
resides in the area in the offseason, left the team last week to speak at a
candlelight vigil.
resides in the area in the offseason, left the team last week to speak at a
candlelight vigil.
Multiple members of the Marlins have visited shooting survivors and invited
them to be part of spring training sessions.
them to be part of spring training sessions.
Lewis Brinson, a 23-year-old Marlins outfielder who played against Stoneman
Douglas as a rival of his school in Coral Springs, Fla., visited area
hospitals and vowed to return.
Douglas as a rival of his school in Coral Springs, Fla., visited area
hospitals and vowed to return.
"It was a hard moment for me last week just to know something could go on in a
neighborhood I grew up in," Brinson said. "It was a tough pill for me to
swallow. But they'll get through it.
neighborhood I grew up in," Brinson said. "It was a tough pill for me to
swallow. But they'll get through it.
"Those kids are warriors. What they went through, all the wounds they have.
They have battle scars for being in high school. That's unheard of. It needs
to stop at some point."
They have battle scars for being in high school. That's unheard of. It needs
to stop at some point."
--Field Level Media
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement