Letzing: Out of baseball options? There’s always Zurich

From John Letzing at the Wall Street Journal on October 10, 2016:

In 1980, a group of Swiss kids fixated on rockabilly music, muscle cars and other Americana. That’s when a couple of them thought it would be a great idea to start playing baseball in a country famous mostly for utility knives and yodeling.

One of these youngsters, Donato Resta, who grew up in Zurich, stole his dad’s hockey pads to serve as catcher’s gear. Two other Zurich locals had gloves. A pair of bats were also mustered, recalled Mr. Resta, but only one was serviceable.

The other “was a Little League bat,” Mr. Resta said recently. “So we couldn’t use it.”

More than three decades later, despite a stubbornly low level of local talent, Switzerland has now concluded its 35th year of organized baseball. Along the way, it has grown into a welcome option for unproven amateurs from abroad and fading veterans in search of one last season of glory.

Read the full article here (subscription required): http://www.wsj.com/articles/out-of-baseball-options-theres-always-zurich-1475594613



Originally published: October 10, 2016. Last Updated: October 10, 2016.