Hosting a sleuth of Grizzlies
By Ray Popkess
As the network of global sports gradually enlarges, the world for athletes becomes smaller and smaller. Travel is often an afterthought behind cheering for our favorite team or players, since there’s always some kind of travel involved from a fan perspective. But athletes will always get the short end of the straw here; traveling sometimes across oceans to play the game they love, having to live in unfamiliar lands and amid strange cultures. However, there’s something about the families that host athletes of the Gateway Grizzlies that emits that ‘midwest charm.’
Kay and Ken Jones, along with an incredible network of families living throughout Madison and St. Clair counties, committed themselves long ago to caring for young men chasing their childhood dreams of playing baseball at the professional level.
The Jones have been hosting Gateway Grizzlie players since the organization’s inception in 2001. The couple has seen many talented ballplayers come and go, one even going on to become a Savannah Banana, but hold each of them within a special place in their hearts.
They’ve created a network of host families and players both from the States and countries like Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and more. Players will move in with their host families in May and usually stay until the end of the season in September. Occasionally, heartbreak occurs and players will be moved in for say, a week. Then the next week they’ll be traded to another Frontier League team, another professional league entirely or even cut from the team.
One family shared with me while I attended the Grizzlies’ win against the Lake Erie Crushers on Aug. 14 that they are currently hosting four players in their home. The host parents are Belleville natives, but the players they care for were all native Spanish speakers. Luckily, one of the players is able to translate for them if need be, but otherwise the co-inhabitance is civil and respectful.
It’s obvious to see not only the intense level of comradery between the players on the team, but also the sense of community that host families provide to the players. Before every road trip, which is exclusively taken by bus, host families will orchestrate a ‘send-off’ dinner for the team after concluding their last home game of the series.
Players have great reputations with fans of all ages, and even have enough left in the tank at the end of a series to entertain children of host parents. Of course, all players get to fill out a preference sheet to determine if certain host families are the right fit for their lifestyle.
But don’t get it twisted—every family has its up and down moments. Without naming any names, there are accounts from host parents having to deliver forgotten equipment to players on gameday. This is another testament to how closely reciprocated the ties between players and host families are.
Kay and Ken Jones say they are always accepting applications for host families. Information for becoming a host family can be found on the Grizzlie’s website: www.gatewaygrizzlies.com/Community/HostFamilyProgram. A few host family testimonies can also be found at that link.
I also would like to thank Kay and Ken Jones for hosting me at the game and would encourage everyone to attend a game (before the season is up) and say hello to Kay and Ken if you see them.
