This is the sort of news I love to hear from Iraq:
ALTUN KUPRI, Iraq – Minus the sound of Muslim prayer on a loud speaker from a nearby Mosque, the Iraqi baseball game played here on Sept. 15 was reminiscent of a Little League game back in the states.
Even though baseball games are commonly witnessed throughout America, it was a very rare sight in this soccer-crazed country.
More than 20 Iraqi youth, dressed in complete baseball uniforms, made history when they played in the five-inning baseball game. Because there are no previous records of an official baseball game played during or after Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Altun Kupri youth played the country’s first one in decades.
“Outlaw” Soldiers of Company C, Task Force 2-11 Field Artillery put the game together for the Iraqi youth. All of the coaches and umpires were Outlaws or their interpreters who helped guide the youth in the game.
Throughout the game, there were visual signs that Iraq was still a soccer-dominated country as some of the fielders stopped ground balls with their feet instead of gloves. There was even frustration seen among the faces of players learning the new sport…..