File this one under “Those Who Can’t Do, Teach”. And while Danny Graves’ trip to Vietnam has already been mentioned, on behalf of all Mets fans who watched his unique version of throwing batting practice at 9:30pm, here’s yet another account, this time from MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince.
Graves, the son of an American serviceman father and Vietnamese mother who worked in the U.S. Embassy, was born on a military base in Saigon in 1973. The family moved to the States shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975, when Graves was 14 months old, and he hasn’t been back since.
But as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s efforts to promote healing and understanding between the two countries, Graves, his wife, Andrea, and his mother, Thao, will be departing for Vietnam on Sunday and returning Jan. 25.
Graves will be spreading the word about baseball to a country that knows very little about the sport.
“They know absolutely nothing about baseball,” Graves said of the Vietnamese. “I’m supposed to spend a few days with the kids and teach them about baseball, and they’ll use it in their PE classes.”
Graves’ visit will include a baseball demonstration at the National University for Sports and Physical Culture, a baseball clinic he’ll put on at Le Loi High School and a family reunion in Ho Chi Minh City.
Graves said he’s curious to see what his native land is like.
“I was born there, but I know nothing about it, besides what they show on TV,” he said.
Graves is excited about the trip for a lot of reasons, but one particular reason that came to mind is he finally knows what team he’ll be representing overseas.
“Now I know I can bring Indians stuff over there,” he said with another big smile.