Rays to outfit area Little Leaguers, host clinics

PRESS RELEASE -- ST. PETERSBURG, FL.

For the second consecutive spring, the Tampa Bay Rays will provide jerseys and caps to over 5,500 T-ball players and coaches for more than 50 Little Leagues from nine surrounding districts. The program will reach Little League T-ball teams in Charlotte, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties.

The Rays will kick off the initiative the weekend of February 7-8 when the team will distribute the uniforms and conduct clinics for the T-ball players and coaches. Rays manager Kevin Cash, who played on the Northside Little League team that represented Tampa in the 1989 Little League World Series, will address the coaches on Saturday, February 7. Rays players Grant Balfour and Jake Odorrizi will help conduct clinics for the kids on Sunday, February 8.

The uniforms include 18 variations of Rays colors and styles to give the region's young Little Leaguers a big league look. The jerseys are created by Majestic Athletic, the official uniform supplier of Major League Baseball.

The total savings from the project, as reported by the participating leagues, is estimated at approximately $115,000.

As a result of these savings, officials from some of the participating leagues have noted that they now have the ability to repair their scoreboards, provide paint upgrades to dugouts, add fencing for fields, fund new equipment purchases and grounds crew supplies and repair concession stands and other facilities.