Curacao Baseball Week started

Yesterday the third Curacao Baseball Week started with a press conference. Attendants were (amongst others) initiators Blue Bay Resort Curacao, Hensley Meulens, Ben Thijssen and Jair Jurrjens.

During the first two days, clinics will be organized for local coaches. Next to Hensley Meulens, Steve Janssen (KNBSB), Ron Wotus (San Francisco Giants), Martijn Nijhoff (KNBSB) and Robert Coffie will give seminars for coaches in the Renaissance Hotel. On Monday November 30th and on Wednesday December 2 the children will be in the center of the attention during the kids clinics in which many Curacaoan players will participate to teach the kids the fundamentals of baseball.

Last night, a fund raising dinner / auction night was organized. The money that has been raised will be donated to local (baseball) charity.

This week would not be possible without the help of many (international) partners and ponsors: Maduro & Curiel’s Bank, Curaçao Tourist Board, Insel Air, Corendon, ENNIA, Bay West  and KNBSB. De Gold sponsors are: Alamo Car Rental, The Trader, de Jongh’s Sporthuis, Peter Reijmer Grafisch Vormgever (PRGV), Amstel Bright, Hendrick’s Gin en Spigt Dutch Caribbean. De Silver sponsoren zijn: KLM, Coca-Cola Curaçao, The Wine Factory, Senal Sign, Event Services, CreativEyez, One Media Group, Deli Nova and de Gouden Ton.

The following big name players have committed to the CBW this year:
Andruw Jones, Wladimir “Coco” Balentien, Didi Gregorius, Jurickson Profar and Jonathan Schoop. Other players that are not big names yet but who do participate in this year’s CBB are: Sharlon Schoop, Shairon Martis, Hainley Statia, Kevin Moesquit, Arshwin Asjes, Diegomar Markwell, Dashenko Ricardo, Carlton Daal, Kalian Sams, Gianison Boekhoudt, Ozhaino Albies, Chris Garia, Sherman Lacrus, Juremi Profar en Randolph Oduber. These are all names that are well known in the Curacaon and Dutch baseball community.

The highlight of the Curacao Baseball Week will be on the night of Friday December 4. On that night it will be Ball Park Night at the Tio Daou Stadium. A softball team of the players that participated in this Curacao Baseball Week will take on a team Curacao. After the softball game, there will also be a homerun derby played. The night will be concluded with fireworks and a performance of the band ERA.

The Curacao Baseball Week all started in 2009 when the Blue Bay Resort Curacao and Jair Jurrjens made plans for a baseball event that would return every year on the island of Curacao. In the following years, talks with former Yankee shorstop Robert Eenhoorn, Hensley Meulens and Ben Thijssen resulted in what is now the Curacao Baseball Week. After the very first edition in 2013, a plan was made that covered three years. Every year the event is getting bigger and more forces in baseball are getting together. Forces like the professional players  and coaches of Curacao, FEBEKO (Curacaoan Baseball Federation), KNBSB, MLB and ISG (International Sports Group).
The plans for the near future are to expand the event even more and to bring other MLB stars, next to those from Curacao, to the island.

Here is a promotional video of the Curacao Baseball Week