Here is a  special message from the President of the American Samoa Baseball Association:

Ben Solaita

“The future of baseball for Samoan players is great.  Samoans are great athletes and we have proven that we can play at a very high level.  We have everything it takes to be great in any sport, especially baseball.  There is something about baseball that sets it apart from any other sport.  anyone can play the game…a career in the sport is always possible.  If you are blessed and gifted enough to make it to the major leagues your rewards will be great.  If you have professional baseball in your sights, then you have to work harder than ever to achieve your goals.  However, there are many different routes you can take in baseball, just know that it takes a lot of dedication and hard work.  We can make the most of our opportunities and do the best we can and succeed if we work together and belive in each other.”

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Here is a Special Message from the Baseball Development Officer of the Oceania Region for BCO:

Ray Brown

My name is Ray Brown and I am the Baseball Development Officer for the Baseball Confederation of Oceania which is the Baseball Federation who conducts the baseball business within Oceania of which American Samoa is a member.

I have been traveling to Am. Samoa for over 15 years and have been fortunate to be part of an organization that has been very instrumental in providing opportunities for Am. Samoan athletes who wanted to pursue baseball as not only an educational avenue but also a professional one. To date there have been 10 student athletes who have been able to leave Am. Samoa to pursue a university education in the United States, 8 of the 10 have received their university degree and 2 of those went on to play professional baseball for a few years.

The biggest influence on these young Am. Samoan athletes has been the President of the Am. Samoa Baseball Association, his name is Ben Solaita and it was he and his brother Tony Solaita who started the Little League and High School league baseball programs, Tony was the first and to this day the only Am. Samoan to play Major League Baseball, he did that for over 10 years playing for the Kansas City Royals, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos, Tony also played a few years in the Japan Major League.

The baseball situation today in Am. Samoa is not the same as it was 10 years ago due to the fact that the field is in need of repair and equipment has become quite costly to most Am. Samoans due mostly to the state of the economy within the United States but baseball still goes on with young players sharing gloves, bats and baseballs being guarded like they were gold nuggets. I will be making a visit to Am. Samoa this year and I am sure I will find Vic Langkilde doing its best to get the kids on the field to start the Little League program, Vic is the coordinator for the Little League and in the two years he has been at the helm has done a great job assisting Ben and the rest of the ASBA in keeping baseball alive and well.

Ray Brown
Baseball Development Officer
Oceania Region