Law school will have to wait for Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz
Feb 20, 2017, 10:20 AM | Updated: Feb 21, 2017, 12:28 pm
Nelson Cruz said he planned to begin online course work for a law degree over the offseason but couldn't find the time while working with his charity, the Boomstick23 Foundation, in the Dominican Republic. (AP)
(AP)
PEORIA, Ariz. – In a pregame interview last August, Mariners slugger Nelson Cruz talked excitedly about his offseason plans.
“I am planning on going home and trying to be a lawyer, starting my education,” he said.
Cruz had started his applications to begin course work online over the winter. While he wasn’t looking to put baseball on the back burner, his passion for continuing his education was clear. But the reality of offseason priorities is a different matter.
“I got home and it was, ‘Really? I was thinking of doing that? I have no time to do it,'” he said Monday, shaking his head. “I was like, ‘How am I going to do it?’ I’m not lying. It might be easier to do it during the season.”
Drayer’s first impression: Felix Hernandez looks new and improved
Education is a passion for Cruz, 36, the son of two teachers who insisted that he continue to attend school after signing with the Mets and playing baseball as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Republic. This winter, however, he put the education of others ahead of his own as he worked to grow the Boomstick23 Foundation.
“Every day there is something new to do,” he said of his new commitment. “Go to the capitol (Santo Domingo) for meetings with the government. Go to Santiago for meetings with other foundations. You have got to be more willing to give of your time.”
Cruz is seeking to promote education in the DR, particularly with those who drop out of school to play baseball, which is a common occurrence in the Caribbean nation. The few who make it to the Major Leagues survive, but of those who don’t, many are left with no skills beyond baseball and no high school diploma.
“A small percent can live through baseball. The big percent, they don’t do anything and they don’t have anything to do,” Cruz said. “It’s hard for them. They are 25 and going to be with 15- to 17-year-old kids in school?”
The aim for Cruz and his foundation is two-fold. One, make it easier for those who don’t make it in baseball to finish their education by providing a facility with computers, where they can go and complete their high school education online, and give them the opportunity to go on to university.
The second goal is to stop the problem before it happens. This has been the focus of Cruz’s trips to Santo Domingo.
“We want to make sure that those kids who are training to be a professional, the buscones (agents), have them, make sure they don’t leave school early,” he said. “We are talking to the government so they can create a program for those kids because the one that they have is not good enough.”
Photos, videos and updates from Mariners spring training
It will take time to get his programs off the ground, but Cruz said his meetings with the government and other foundations have been productive. In the meantime, he has continued his charity work in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz, a town of around 18,000, not far from the Haitian border.
In recent years he has donated emergency vehicles and equipment to the town. This winter, he provided medical care to over 1,500 people, bringing in doctors, dentists and optometrists an event at the local clinic. Those who attended were given thorough checkups, medicine and eyewear where necessary.
“It was really shocking how many people showed up,” Cruz said. “We were thinking maybe a thousand, and we see that many people showing up. It shows how much need for medicine there is. I was really proud to see that happen.”
In addition to the medical care that day, Cruz donated medals and trophies that were awarded to good students and citizens who showed extraordinary dedication to the town. The weekend wrapped up with a baseball clinic attended by several teammates past and present, including second baseman Robinson Cano, new shortstop Jean Segura, and former Mariners pitchers Joel Peralta and Joaquin Benoit.
“It was nice to see the kids enjoy that time and talk to the big-league players,” Cruz said. “It was something I didn’t have a chance to do as a kid, so I know how important it is.”
The offseason good work did not appear to hinder his offseason baseball work, as Cruz reported to camp looking like he spent the winter in his state-of-the-art home gym. While the law school dreams took a hit, as he pointed out, there may actually be more time to pursue them during the season. The Mariners spend plenty of hours on planes. Perhaps he can start his studies in the air.
