Former NBA, MLB players coach 280 Panamanian children in clinic series

Sam Perkins , formerly of the NBA ‘s Los Angeles Lakers , and retired Major League Baseball standout Carlos Baerga on Wednesday separately shared their sports experiences with 280 Panamanian children.

Perkins was joined by former Panamanian national basketball team player Enrique Grenald and by Barbara Farris, who played for the WNBa’s Detroit Shock.

The legends spoke under an intense sun to children between 5 and 8 years old, providing them with guidance on how to have a healthy life on and off the court.

Simultaneously, Puerto Rico’s Baerga watched the moves of children at one of the baseball diamonds at MVP Sports City, a complex financed by former Panamanian MLB player Bruce Chen .

The coaching sessions with the Central American children are part of a Youth Baseball Clinic Series organized by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association, which seeks to offer free baseball instruction, drills and life lessons to local young people, said the MLBPAA in a statement.

The training session was rounded out by another Panamanian figure with Major League experience, Olmedo Saenz, who offered his advice from the batter’s box.

The organizers hope that on Thursday Roberto Alomar , who played for the Toronto Blue Jays when they won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, will join the group to complete the baseball instructors corps.

The baseball clinics will conclude on Saturday with a friendly softball game between the invited guests and Chen’s team.