Happy birthday! MLBPAA celebrates 30th anniversary

There was a time when retirement meant the great beyond to a baseball player, a world full of uncertainty, instead of opportunity. But then, three decades ago, a small group of enterprising ex-players dared to ask the hard questions of what they could do to help their peers.
Their brainstorm, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, will celebrate its 30th birthday Friday, and the anniversary will celebrate the growth of an institution that has raised upwards of $20 million for charities such as Boys & Girls Clubs and the Special Olympics.
Jim Hannan, chairman and a founding member of the organization, said Wednesday that the MLBPAA's 30th birthday is one that allows him to take stock of its growth over the years.
"It's been a tremendous adventure and a very satisfying one at that," Hannan said. "I'm in the brokerage business, securities and stocks. It's like starting a company and seeing it grow. But the most satisfying thing is that we've been able to find out how much people are really fans.
"We're able to keep tradition alive. At the clinics that we host, what you see is the connection between parents and kids. And it's all about baseball on one level or another."
The MLBPAA's main mission is to keep former players in the limelight and to provide free baseball instruction to as many youngsters as possible. The organization held more than 50 free clinics last year, and it had more than 1,700 former players show up at more than 120 events.
Those numbers, impressive as they are, never could've happened without a humble beginning. Hannan said he could recall the initial seed of thought for the MLBPAA, which was based on the pre-existing NFL model and began with vague hopes for a golf tournament.
Hannan can remember attempting to solicit players for their involvement, and he also recalls an early meeting with Edward Bennett Williams, the former owner of the Orioles. Hannan remembers pitching the concept to Williams, as well as the man's anticlimactic response.
"'You're coming to the wrong place,' he said. And my heart sunk," Hannan said. "I think the heart of everyone in the room sunk. But then he said, 'You don't want to come to me. You want to go to the Commissioner.' So we set up a meeting with the Commissioner and the league presidents."
The MLBPAA was started with a modest contribution from the league's owners, an investment that has paid off over the years. Dan Foster, who has served as CEO of the MLBPAA since 1986, said that he never could've imagined the journey his job would lead him on.
"I suppose if you asked me 30 years ago, I'd have said no," Foster said. "It's happened gradually, so it's been easier to accept. But the work is never done and there's still a long way to go.
"It's great to expect success, but like a lot of other jobs, it's 'What have you done for me lately?' Complacency is not acceptable, and if you follow sports, you know you're only as good as your last game. The guy who gets complacent doesn't last long. It's wonderful that we're able to make people happy. But we have to find the people that aren't happy and find a way to make them happy too."
Foster said that the MLBPAA's next step is to improve the career transition program and prepare big league players for their life after baseball. The MLBPAA has made a point to register and try to involve the league's current players in alumni business before the end of their playing days.
And the point, he said, is to make them aware that they're part of an inclusive family. Major League baseball players are an exclusive fraternity, and that doesn't change once they retire.
"We need to strive to be relevant to the current player," Foster said, "Because the current player doesn't know he'll be a former player until the day before it happens. And your support group -- your agent, your coaches, your friends -- might not come with you into retirement.
"Most times, these guys are young, they have money and they ask, 'What do I do now?' And chances are that they'll be a former player a lot longer than they were a current player.
Hannan, now four decades removed from his final big league pitch, can understand that more than most of his peers. He said that players in his day never really fraternized with the opponents, and they found that they had a lot in common with them once they wound up on the banquet circuit.
The MLBPAA, Hannan said, has allowed players to rekindle old friendships and to make new ones, and he said he's been impressed with the diligence they've shown to company business.
"It's amazing to see them show up for team meetings. They think they're playing again," Hannan said. "I think often of Sam Moore, our legal counsel, who began working for us pro bono. He thought we were going to form a little local organization, and he always says, 'I can't believe how much it's grown.' Me? I think it's going to go higher and higher. I think we can do more and more."
The MLBPAA has served free baseball education to more than 35,000 kids in more than 100 different cities over the years, and it's even leaped to other nations like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. People can donate $50 to sponsor a child for the Legends for Youth clinics around the country, and the MLBPAA expects to reach more than 13,000 kids in 2012 alone.
Hannan, a businessman in his life after baseball, isn't sure what's next for the organization he helped birth, but he knows that the creation of the MLBPAA was an idea whose time had come.
"I always say this to my kids," he said. "If you want to be a successful businessman, find a void and fill it. There was a void there. There was no vehicle for former players to get re-involved with the game."

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com