That was a message to local kids last week
Only a kid can get away with asking a professional baseball player what his favorite sport is!
That was indeed one of the questions asked to Rockland Boulders baseball pitcher Alex Fishberg last week when he and several members of the Boulders front office staff visited the Town of Highlands Summer Playground program last week.
The question and answer session between about 75 local children and the 27-year-old former Iona College player and now Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball player was fun. Fishberg is a native of Suffern.
Fishberg was asked why he loves baseball (“I just love the whole atmosphere of being at the ballpark”), how long he has been playing (“since I was five and started in t-ball, I think”), has he ever been on TV (he explained to the campers that Boulders games are televised on some Rockland cable channels), and asked if he’s ever wanted to quit (he said yes, but reminded the youngsters that when you love something you need to work extra hard sometimes to get through obstacles).
Fishberg started his time with the campers reminding them that their summer is drawing to a close and they’ll be heading back to school.
“School is so important,” he said. “If you do well in school it will make everything else in life easier.” He talked to them too about balancing school and sports.
He then wrapped up his visit with an intense game of kickball with about half of the campers — despite being a pitcher, Fishberg chose to play an outfield role in that game. That was, he told the kids, due to the fact that his team was visiting the Jersey Jackals that day and he needed to keep his arm fresh!
Fishberg also took time to talk to some of the teenage Rec counselors — mostly the athletes — during the visit.
This was the second time that the Pomona-based baseball organization has visited Roe Park in the last year, and this year Summer Playground children took a field trip to Palisades Credit Union Park for a game.
Following Fishberg’s visit, every camper at Summer Playground that day was given a voucher for four free tickets to a Boulders game this summer.
By the way …. Fishberg’s favorite sport — other than baseball — is football!
For more on the Boulders, visit www.rocklandboulders.com.