DENVER — Rockies manager Bud Black is optimistic there will be baseball in 2020.
“I think we’re going to play," Black said recently during a Zoom call with 9NEWS. “I don’t know when, but there’s too much desire from both the owners, the players and the fans."
The Rockies skipper and his wife Nan have already hit a home run by making a $10,000 donation to provide books for children in need.
“We keep calling them coloring books, but in reality, they’re really an art therapy book," said Nan Black.
The book “My Journey” was created by Morgan Sailer, an 18-year-old Loveland native, who lost her younger sister to leukemia. It’s designed for patients dealing with serious diseases or trauma. With a background in pediatric nursing, Nan knows the impact this book can have.
“They’re simple pages, on the left side is for the kids to express their feelings and the right side is a simple drawing with encouraging words. So, when the child life specialist sits with them they can help them find hope in their life or find courage to survive what they’re going through," said Nan.
Nearly 50,000 copies of the book have been distributed, at no cost, to Children’s Hospitals across the country. It's all thanks to a non-profit based in Fort Collins, which is run by Nan’s sister Christina DiMari.
“Once COVID-19 hit, especially from (New York), I couldn’t keep up with how many (books) we were getting requests for," said DiMari, founder and president of River + Pearls.
“I love my sister, I love the books. So, I told Buddy and he said, ‘let's get on it, what do we need to do?’” said Nan.
This truly is a family affair, not only did the Colorado Rockies match the Black’s donation of $10,000, they contacted former Rockies 2B, now Yankee, DJ LeMahieu, who scooped up 6,500 books for hospitals in New York.
“I think all of us in baseball have some sort of means to help out. Just because of what we do and the impact that we have on families and on children in our profession. And I think that all of us understand that, and we take our responsibility seriously," said Bud.
What a great chapter for the national pastime, and a baseball family that understands the value of giving back.