Chiefs Players Pitch BASE Program

Students in elementary schools in the Syracuse City School district had the opportunity to spend some time learning about healthy eating, the importance of exercise and being a good teammate when members of the Syracuse Chiefs and representatives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum came to visit classrooms.

Infielder Mark Teahen, along with five other Chiefs, also offered the students advice on what it means to Be A Superior Example (BASE), which is the theme of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s educational program. All of the players emphasized the need for the students to make healthy choices when it comes to eating right, exercising and getting rest.

Teahen told students at McKinley-Brighton that when he was younger his teachers admired his drive to become a professional baseball player but they also told him to have a backup plan in case things did not work out. He told the children he was grateful for the advice.

Corey Brown, who plays centerfield, reminded students at Salem-Hyde that they need to always do things that will help them stay healthy, including eating lots of vegetables. Brown said he doesn’t like many vegetables but, “I do eat salad.’’

Josh Wilkie, who started playing baseball on his older brother’s team when he was just 3, told the students that he learned to speak Spanish when he was sent to Venezuela to play baseball over the winter.

“I learned it so I could communicate with the Latin American players on my team,’’ Wilkie told a classroom full of third-graders at Roberts. He said he reads a lot when he is traveling with his team because “it is a good way to pass the time.’’ He also talked to the students about what it means to be a good teammate.

“You have to respect people and their wishes. You have to treat people the way you would want to be treated,’’ the pitcher said.

At all of the schools, patient Chiefs players answered lots of questions from very excited students who were eager to learn about how the players spend their days, how many games they play in a season and how many homeruns they’ve hit.

Brown said he enjoyed spending time with the students and getting to know them.

“I had fun,’’ he said. Judging from all the smiles in the classrooms, the students did too.