Santos: We’ve got a bunch of dirtbags

Members of the CNMI National Baseball Team for the Northern Marianas Pacific Games 2022 are hard at work during a recent batting practice session at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Softball Field at the Oleai Sports Complex.(MARK RABAGO)

There’s nothing a very unkempt or unpleasant about the 25 players selected to the CNMI National Baseball Team for the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 this coming June.

But that didn’t stop Saipan Baseball League president Jay Santos to refer to them as dirtbags, which he says actually is a term of endearment among baseball players he grew up with playing the sport in Los Angeles.

“There’s a term I remember growing up in the States and it’s called dirtbags and dirtbags are just a bunch of people that play really tough baseball. Really tough defense and that’s what we’ve got here. We’ve got a bunch of dirtbags,” he said.

Santos hopes that the term doesn’t offend anyone, but he believes it clearly characterizes the 25-man lineup, including five alternates, that the SBL board, manager Manny Sablan and coaches Deron Flores and Gary Cruz picked for the national team.

“I know the term sounds a bit disrespectful but in baseball it’s not. That’s what I told them too. I want a bunch of dirtbags that are gonna come out and be scrappy, mentally tough, never-say-die, and do all for the team. There’s no individuals here. And I’m excited for baseball. We have five months to go and I hope we’ll have a field by that time,” he said.

Santos congratulated the 25 players who made the national team, but also extended his thanks to the nearly 60 who originally showed up for the tryouts.

“These guys too I want to thank them because they’re taking a lot time away from family and work, but we have only one goal in mind and that’s the gold medal for the CNMI in baseball!”

SBL recently named the 25-man national team that includes five alternates and they are the following: Pat Alepuyo, Dennis Cabrera, Jerald Cabrera, Brian Camacho, Diego Camacho, Juan Iguel, Lamarc Iguel, Ben Jones Jr., Darion Jones, Josh Jones, Byron Kaipat, A.J. Lizama, Jose Lizama, Keoni Lizama, Poland Masaharu Jr., Franko Nakamura, Tyrone Omar, John Peter Sablan, Nokki Saralu, Lorenzo Sebaklim, Nate Smith, Jordan Suel, Anthony Tenorio, Patrick Tenorio, and Shane Yamada.

With 136 expected players, baseball will be played at the Francisco “Tan Ko” M. Baseball Field, which has been waiting for a planned facelift for months.

The CNMI is the defending champions as the Commonwealth topped the competition in the 2011 Noumea Pacific Games in New Caledonia, the last time baseball was offered in either the Pacific Games of Mini Games.

Aside from the CNMI, teams that will compete in the baseball competition of the 2022 Mini Games that the islands will be hosting for the first time ever include American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia Fiji, Guam, Palau, and the Solomon Islands. Australia and New Zealand may also send their baseball teams to the quadrennial event, but as of January 2022, both have yet to submit their numeral entries to the Mini Games.

Aside from baseball, the other sports that will see action in next year Mini Games are athletics, badminton, beach volleyball, golf, outrigger canoe or va’a, tennis, triathlon, and weightlifting.