meet the survivors again...

meet the survivors again…

The last couple weeks the annual national baseball tournaments have been held at Richard’s Complex. These are the same tournaments that were being held when we first flew over here to start filming just over a year ago. The only age group that is important to our story at this point is the Under 12’s and the Survivors team that entered play as the obvious favorite.

A concern moving forward is an unbalanced development of the game. Richard worries (probably rightfully so) that if one team or area becomes too dominate too quickly it will discourage other areas from even wanting to compete. This year the Survivors, who all hail from around the Kampala region, won’t be challenged, but hopefully if other teams see them make a run at the LLWS they’ll realize the great opportunities that will come out of playing the game at their level. The 4 teams that came this year were a team from Tororo who was pretty new to the game, a team from Kyambogo that had a few talented players but seemed undersized, a team from a school called Progressive which lacks a decent field to practice, and of course the Survivors who have been training and playing with George and company for quite some time.

I’m going to start this entry in the city on the way to the tournament. I came in and spent the entire day with Asharaf to follow him to the “Survivor’s first step.” I found him at home where his mom was working. She does hair, sometimes at home and sometimes at a parlor in the ghetto. She was home today with a client sitting on her floor. Asharaf was on the bed watching some music videos. Asharaf sleeps on the floor on a small mattress in the room with his Mom

and his younger sister up on the bed. And not surprisingly at all, Asharaf’s Dad is absent and has 3 other wives and has nothing to do with Asharaf and his family.

Asharaf is in a good mood and in general has been opening up and getting very comfortable with me and the camera for a while now (but that took some time to get to that point). He was the boy who practices pitching in his backyard by pitching against the back wall of a small curio shop (there is a shot of it in the teaser). He told me that they asked him to stop because one of his pitches knocked over a glass in the shop and broke it. Oh well. There is something very cool about this hidden baseball story literally being right behind a little tourist shop that sells african masks, drums, and elephant carvings and other things that usually spring to mind when people think about Africa. This baseball thing is right under their noses… or behind them as it were.

Asharaf’s mom then gives him a little cash to go get his haircut. The Tampa Bay Rays shirt the barber was wearing was a coincidence, but cool. He then packed up his stuff and gave me some nice clear quotes about “nobody will challenge us here but when we get to Poland, that will be the test.”

From there we headed to Sharing to wait for the other players that would be coming with us and for Aaron and Deus to come pick them up and help them find a taxi. While we are waiting an old ragged looking woman walked by begging. Asharaf gave her 50 shillings. She was insisting that he keep some for himself but Asharaf made her take it. Asharaf told me that she is a good lady and when she has some extra she even helps him. He also then told me this: her name is Rose, she used to be a nurse. One time she was injecting a baby with a needle and the needle broke off inside the baby’s leg. The mother of the baby visited a witch doctor and put a curse on Rose and it drove her mad. These stories are common in Africa and they are thoroughly believed, not just by children. Anyway, it was a really sweet moment to film when he gave her the coin and very telling about Asharaf’s good heart. Deus and Aaron show up and we head out to the Complex for the tournament.

The 4 teams entered a double elimination tournament. There was never going to be any drama with the outcome of the games and the Survivors went 3-0 on their way to the title outscoring their opponents 54-1 along the way. Obviously, those teams don’t pose much of a challenge to them at this point. I could breakdown the actual games but it’s really not needed, the teams they played weren’t at their level but for a recap sake Kyambogo finished second with Tororo third and Progressive fourth.

After their win in the finals they were presented with the shirts and hats they will wear in Poland which are these navy blue Trenton Thunder shirts and caps with “Uganda” printed on the right sleeve. Richard is part owner of the Trenton Thunder (the AA Yankees affiliate) hence the shirts and hats that you’ll see sprinkled throughout the film even before they get to Poland.

The filming of the games was always useful for grabbing some pretty slick highlights including a long home run from Tony and plenty of line drives from everyone in the lineup. The uniforms they wore were brought by a school called Reverned John. I saw the same uniforms last year worn by different teams from that school. A very cool (but maybe annoying in the film) aspect of the lack of uniforms here is that players share the few they have and often 2 or more teams just wear the same ones in the same tournament when they play. These particular uniforms were brought over by JIGA (the Japanese version of the Peace Corps) they are quite active here and whether they have a place in the film or not their role in pushing the program here and around the world from what I understand should be commended. The Survivors wore the red jerseys in all their games. They played against teams wearing blue twice which are awesome jerseys that say “Pudge Brothers Pizza” on them. I bet that pizza parlor never expected to be sponsoring a team of Ugandan kids from Tororo when they printed those. If you look closely at this film you’ll be able to spot several t-shirts and hats being shared by players in different games and days, I’ve seen the same shirt on 5 different players in 5 days before.

Some of the best filming from the week was from the hanging in and around the dorms where the Survivors are really becoming a team and are definitely 12 year old boys. They constantly beat the crap out of each other and giggle about it the whole time. There is plenty of other stuff 12 year olds are discovering that gets pretty hilarious to film, like when Frank started telling Regis how attractive his older sister is which resulted in 25 minutes of Regis chasing Frank with a shoe. You get the idea. They stayed up basically all night before the first game cracking jokes and saying that they were too excited to sleep. They are definitely a fun group with personalities that wont have any problem coming out in the film. But when the games start, they flip the switch and they’re all business.

So now that we know the final rosters including coaches that will be traveling to Poland, here is the player by player breakdown which I did a few posts back but what the hey, here it is again a little better. I’ll try to use their full names. As people find out quickly, Africans usually have like 7 names and they use different ones depending on who they are talking to. If the team ends up playing in the LLWS on ESPN I’m betting they’ll go with the “English/Christian” name. But I’ll try to use the ones they use with each other. It’s usually a Lugandan name followed by the English name. I’ll also try to guess the batting order that they will appear.

Matovu Ivan - He is the best athlete on the team, plays the best shortstop, and is probably the strongest pitcher. He will most likely take the mound against the Saudis and is very important to the team’s overall success. He is a tough interview who never gives much. But I’m beginning to realize that he is one of those split sports personality players who is quiet, shy, and timid until he steps onto the field. There he is confident and loud. He may be opening up a bit, but when you get him alone with a camera he shuts it down pretty quickly but I absolutely love watching him play. Pat Doyle compared his persona to Derek Jeter when he was here so I’ll stick with that one. Think: Derek Jeter

Kawanguzi Asharaf - People only use “Asharaf” or “Ash” with him though. I’ve written a bunch about him in this post and previous ones that show some of what he is about. I have a feeling he’ll be a character we get to see a good bit in the film, really just a sweet good hearted kid who knows he is 12. When the boys start talking about girls or other things they really don’t understand he always says he is still young for that. He is also a tremendously hard worker who always wants to please his coaches. He is a sure fielder at second base and is the backup first baseman as well. He handles the bat well enough to bat behind Ivan and keep the line moving. He is the 4th or 5th best pitcher on the team and will probably get some innings against the teams from Dubai or Kuwait. Think: Placido Polanco

Kamoga Arthur - Arthur lost his Dad to illness during the filming of this movie about 6 months ago and definitely will have some of the heavier moments on the team. I don’t like to pick favorites with 12 year olds but it’s tough not to really like Arthur. He is a smart and funny kid who attends one of the better schools I’ve filmed at in Africa. His father was the one with the decent job and making money though, so his family probably wont be able to keep sending him there. I have some filming lined up with his family later this month which will help me get a little deeper in what makes him tick. He plays solid third base and has a power line drive swing, he likes playing under pressure. Think: Evan Longoria

Keffa Tony - Tony is the biggest player on the team. Tall, lean, mature, lefty, first base. He lives in probably the most “ghetto” room of anyone on the team. He lives right across from where Alex lives if you remember any of those old posts. He has a passport and birth certificate from going with the team in 2008 so his age actually wasn’t very difficult to prove. He is a “smooth” character who likes to think he knows how to pick up girls and be cool. He is the best power hitter on the team and is learning to pitch. He probably throws the hardest but is still learning to throw strikes. If George and Benard can get him in the strike zone he might be the most important player as a run producer and stopper. Think: Fred McGriff

Ayoyo Solomon - A tall thin player who thrives in the outfield. He is quiet and tends to get lost in the team but goes about his business on the field and has quietly developed into one of the best offensive players. I was the most impressed with his swings in the tournament of any player. He lives with his large family near Kyambogo in Kampala and tends to get lost in all the brothers and sisters too. He is learning to pitch and may get a few low pressure innings in Poland. He has long fingers that let him throw a pretty nifty little knuckle curve, but he belongs in the outfield and is definitely the most trusted one on the team. Think: Corey Hart

Opio “Kid” Solomon - Everyone calls him “Kid” so don’t worry about the other ones. He lives near and trains with the Kyambogo Buffalo team of older players that have been all over this blog. He’s a fun kid and comes from way up north in Gulu with the usual stories of war and violence that come from that area. He left when he was young but remembers enough to give me an answer of “If we win I will forget my past” when I asked him about this opportunity. He doesn’t wear any of the stress of that history on his sleeve and plays the game easily and confidently as an excellent corner outfielder and one of the better pitchers on the team. He has some pop and good speed too. Think: Alex Rios

Opio Peter - One of the identical twins. This is the one that plays catcher and has one of the better arms you’ll see out of a 12 year old catcher, but could be quicker with his release. Coach Aaron is working with him on that. I’ve written about the twins before and they are sure to be fan favorites in the film as they are both a funny smiling kids who are very popular with the team. There is plenty of off camera stuff they ask me about that cracks me up… they are 12 year old boys, you can guess the content I’m sure. The twins grew up in Gulu just like Kid and lost a father in the war there. Opio is also a very good pitcher who throws sidearm, nearly sub. He could be an important second pitcher against the Saudis if Matovu Ivan has trouble, but mostly he’ll continue to be the vocal leader and rock behind the plate. His bat is coming along and he is actually a fantastic bunter, but his power is less than you’d expect to find given his arm strength. Think: Jason Kendell

Ochen Paul - The other twin. Players have just decided to combine the names Opio and Ochen into “Ochio” since they can’t tell them apart anyway. Ochen can play several positions and depending on who is pitching he may get time in the outfield, shortstop, or second base. You can just read Opio’s again if you want because frankly I have trouble telling them apart too. In the photo he is making the Survivor hand symbol that Asharaf made up. Its an “S”. They flash it when they do something awesome in the field. Feel free to use it when you watch them win. Think: Jason Kendell if he had a twin who played outfield.

Owiny Augustus - He has appeared on this blog a few times too as Babou’s younger brother. He is the cockiest kid on the team even though he is the smallest. The first time I ever met him he told me he was faster than me. Whatever Owiny, I’m taller. He is quick and feisty and likes to get in rundowns. He plays a fearless second base and pitches well. He is still small so his pitching will probably be saved for easier innings and teams but he has excellent mechanics and is also the youngest on the team and should develop into a really good player as he grows. I’ve filmed with Augustus’s parents and family several times and I like that whole family a lot. At home he trains with plastic bags that they roll up and singe on cooking stoves into “baseballs”. If the coaches could convince him to swing less I’m sure he’d draw more walks with his small strike zone and do some damage with his speed. Think: Luis Castilla

Bench:

Kizza Jonah - He pulled his hamstring in the first game of the tournament and had to pull himself out of the second game while warming up because it hurt him too much. I commend him for trying, George had to comfort him on the sidelines when he came out tearing up which really shows how much he loves to play. And then he got sick after the next game with some malaria and spent a night at a clinic recovering. So Jonah had a rough few days, but he is an important part of the team as a reserve outfielder and has one of the funniest personalities on the team when he is feeling like himself. Think: Tomas Perez

Kigenyi Mark - He may be in the starting lineup on some days as a solid outfielder and one of the better pitchers. He is sort of aloof and quiet but is always part of the jokes once they get flowing in the hang out sessions. He goes to the Reverend John School with 3 other players on the team where we will be filming next week so we’ll see how his personality plays in that setting. Think: Mike Cameron

Maseruka Frank - Frank was the one on the bubble and he’ll make the team out of a position scarcity option over Bruno (who was unable to attend this tournament anyway). Frank was a surprise to make the team as a boy I had only seen train a handful of times throughout the year but he worked his butt off in the last month and took all of the coaching advice he was given to heart. He has a strong arm from the outfield and rarely misses fly balls. His swing is decent but with his ability to learn and take coaching seriously George thinks he can develop it even more in the next month.

The two alternates will be Masaba Regis and Origumisiriza Timothy. They are both 11 and will be nice pieces on the team next year. If there are any circumstances (injury, visa problem etc…) with a player on the roster these 2 guys are ready to jump in. “Timo” was a favorite of Pat and Tom during the MLB Envoy Program and they should look out for him to make his big debut next year.

The two coaches going will be Coach George of course, and Coach Aaron who I’ve written plenty about. Washington will also go as a sort of team manager and guardian as he handles a lot of the business.

And before I end this post and enter the next phase of filming I’ll give a quick nod to Benard who as been here training his butt off to get himself ready for the MLB Academy in Italy in August. His changeup is coming along well (he struck out 10 of his last 13 batters against the team from Lugazi last week, 7 of the 10 on swinging strikes on his changeup). He also coached a girls softball team that came last week and one of them did this to his hair… nice Benard. I’m going to have to devote a little time on a blog entry in the future to talk about women/girls and their role (or absence really) in this film. It’s something that I’d like to talk about and share my thoughts on before we dive in all the way with the story lines we are pursuing, but I do want to note that there are girls playing softball here on a smaller scale and some women helping advance their games and I don’t intend to diminish their efforts.

The next big step for everyone is the flight to Poland. The Survivors fly on on July 16th with the games beginning in Kutno on the 20th I believe, if you happen to be passing through Poland stop by and cheer them on. Until then it will be a lot more interviews, training, and a few more details left to fill in about the pioneers’ accident and other important histories that helped get these 12 kids to where they are today.