“Central Park is this amazing place,” said Andrew Wagner, manager of the Downtown Bulls, one of 12 teams in the Pancho Combrie Central Park Baseball League. Founded in 1959 by Jose Calderon and his wife Candida, the league was named in honor of Negro League great Francisco Luis “Pancho” Combrie, who posted a remarkable .377 batting average—the fifth-best in Negro League history—and struck out only 29 times in 1,915 at-bats. Pancho was known for his positivity, excitement, enthusiasm, and his mentorship towards the game, and this is what the league aspires to do each time a team in the league takes the field according to the Pancho Combrie Baseball league.

“You have people walking through, just there to see the park,” Wagner continued, “and then all of a sudden, they stumble across these very organized games—guys in real uniforms—and they’re not sure what they’re watching. Is it a minor league team? A college team? They have no idea.”         

                                         

Andrew Wagner, has been involved with the league since 2009 and is one of the reasons why the 12-team league is not only successful throughout the summer, but also for the entire year. While some people consider volunteering as another job, Wagner acknowledges that this is a passion of his. “I’ve been around for a long time, so I think people see the commitment, you know, and they want to be a part of that. It is a tough thing, though, because as the league gets better, you know, this was a big moment for me.”

Baseball in Central Park

Baseball in Central Park is more than just a park; it’s the definition of why New York City is like one big family. People come across people that they likely would have never met if it were not for the Pancho Baseball League.

Baseball brought back a new love of the game for a few of the players on the Downtown Bulls, particularly those who were not satisfied with the way their baseball careers ended, until they found themselves playing again in Central Park. “It was realizing that all the pressure was really internal. I was able to come out and have fun and realize that that’s the way I should have been playing baseball the entire time”, said catcher, Felix King. King went on to say, “Baseball has helped me in my greater scope of life to identify, ok, what are the true external pressures and what pressures am I placing on myself? And then when I’m able to, you know, be able to pick apart the difference between the two, I can start removing the internal pressures that I place on myself and live a happier life.”

Wagner said, “I would have never met a New York City sanitation worker had I not gone out and played baseball and managed baseball. I played with lawyers, people in finance, and so it’s this really interesting way to come in contact with people that you would normally never come in contact with, and that to me is probably the most beautiful thing.”

“They call it the melting pot for a reason,” said infielder Quimes Cruz. “You’ve got people from all kinds of backgrounds. Guys from Latin America who can barely speak English, throwing 85 mph at you. It just brings a bunch of different people together.”

No Gear? No Problem 

In the Pancho Combrie baseball league, equipment will never be an issue. When a player does not have a glove, no problem. If a player does not have the proper uniform attire, no problem. There will always be someone on the team or the opposing team who has a player to lend them whatever equipment they are lacking. Cruz said, “Money is not a thing. You don’t have a bat, I’m sharing my bat with you. ​​You don’t have a catcher’s glove, the other team might have a catcher’s glove for you.” 

Growing The Game Around the World

“We play one to two, maybe three games a week. You see how hard Major League players have to work. This is obviously different, but if you want to do well, you have to work at it”, said Wagner. Wagner observed that team chemistry plays a crucial role in creating winning teams. “I think that’s always for every baseball team, right? Baseball is unique that way. Obviously, chemistry is important in any team effort, but baseball seems particularly important, and maybe that’s because it’s slower. There’s more time for people actually to interact with each other and talk to each other.” Wagner went on to say, “teams that don’t have good chemistry fall apart really quickly.”

Recruiting Process

“We start planning for the next season during the current season,” Wagner said. “When someone writes to the league and says, ‘I want to play. Here’s my background,’ all the managers get that email. It’s like the waiver wire—you have to see who gets who, and who’s available. If someone writes in, any team can contact that guy and say, ‘Hey, come out and play with us,’” Wagner explained. “And if they convince him, then he’s their player.”

Love of the Game

For Andrew Wagner, it all comes down to one thing: keeping the love for the game alive.

“I think that’s hugely important because, at the end of the day, it’s much bigger than baseball,” Wagner said. “That’s the difference between this and the minor or major leagues. Those guys are making a living at it. No one’s making a living here. This is purely out of love.”

Sports will always have a competitive feel to them, including the Pancho Combrie Baseball league. At the end of the day, if you play in the Pancho Combrie Baseball league, everyone is given a second opportunity to live out their childhood dream. It might not be at a ballpark with 45,000 fans cheering you on, but it’s at the world’s most famous park, Central Park.