Hardball 6.0 has arrived, and it’s time to dust off your spikes, find your old glove, pick up your baseball bat, and hit a home run for charity.
Hardball was originated in 2003 by Jared Polis and Josh Metnick, and has been rotated and played annually in either the Chicagoland area or Colorado.
The charity chosen for this year’s event is Community Computer Connection (C3). C3 has been refurbishing computers since 2001 and has distributed over 17,000 computers to more than 130 schools and 470 organizations across Colorado.
“This is a really special event for everybody each year— pulling together a pick-up soccer, basketball or even football game doesn’t require all that much – but after most of us reach eighteen years of age, or even after little league, playing an actual game of baseball requires significant planning to do it right. It is not every day you get to play in a real minor league stadium, with real minor league umpires. And, it is all for a great cause. Many of us who play in the tournament owe much of their career successes to early exposure to computers and programming, and it is good to give back in the same manner,” says Josh Metnick, one of the event co-founders.
This year’s event will be played in the Chicagoland area at the Windy City Thunderbolts stadium in Crestwood, IL (http://windycitythunderbolts.com). It will be a one-day best of three game tournament, held on October 3.
Players interested in registering to play for Hardball 2009 may do so at www.heilio.com/baseball2009. The cost to play is a tax-deductible $125 which includes uniform, lunch, and the amenities provided by the Thunderbolts (umpires, staffed press box, extra equipment, grounds-keeping, etc.)
