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Ron Darling, a former Major League Baseball All-Star starting pitcher who won a World Series Championship with the New York Mets in 1986, will host a free youth baseball clinic in Bermuda later this month.

The clinic will take place on July 16 at the Southside baseball fields from 6pm to 8pm.

The 'Feel the Love Baseball Clinic' is open to boys and girls ages 8 to 15-years-old who have played organized baseball in the past and have at least a fundamental understanding of the game.

Participants are required to bring their own baseball glove. All other baseball equipment will be provided.

Parents are welcome to attend and watch the clinic.

There will be an autograph signing with Ron Darling.

A Hawaiian native, Darling has a lifetime record of 136 wins and 116 loses with a career ERA of 3.87. The righthanders truck out 1,590 batters his 13 years with the Mets, Expos and A's.

The year the Mets won the World Series over the Boston Red Sox, Darling went 15-6 with a 2.81 ERA and 184 strikeouts.

The clinic is a newly added benefit of the Bermuda Department of Tourism's partnership with the New York Mets and SportsNet New York (SNY) - the team's television network.

Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown, said: "Our partnership with the Mets is first and foremost about exposing our Tourism product to Mets fans, but we are constantly looking for ways to make this partnership beneficial to all Bermudians - even those outside the Tourism industry. This is another such example."

Mr. Darling will be in Bermuda during the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Break vacationing with his family. The trip to Bermuda will be a respite from his job as a television analyst for Mets broadcasts on SNY.

Mr. Darling said in a press release: "The fans in New York have been excited about Bermuda's partnership with the Mets and SNY all season, and now I'm looking forward to teaching the future baseball stars on the island."[[In-content Ad]]

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