Rawlings baseball factory
I've always dreamt of visiting the Rawlings baseball factory in Costa Rica, but there are two problems:
1. It's not open to the public.
2. It's in Costa Rica.
Well guess what. I just found out that I'm going to Costa Rica for a week in January!
Unfortunately, however, this doesn't solve problem #2 because:
1. This will be a family vacation, and I'm the only person in the family who's obsessed with baseball.
2. The factory is in the middle of the country, in a small city called Turrialba. We'll be staying over 100 miles away near Puerto Jimenez on the South Pacific Coast.
And then, of course, there's that whole "not open to the public" thing. If I knew I'd have the time and capability to make it to Turrialba, I'd start writing letters to the Rawlings people, but I just don't think it's gonna happen.
So close, and yet so far...
Hey Zack,
I worked in PR not to long ago and this is exactly the kind of thing that a company would love to help you out with. I imagine if you explained what you do, mentioned the books and the Blog they would probably set up a way for you to visit their factory. I would try contacting these people:
James McCusker
John Flanagan
john.flanagan@icrinc.com
Rawlings Media Representatives
203-682-8200
If they knew you were going to give them a nice write-up they might just be willing to make your dreams happen and make sure you got a nice guided tour.
This worked for me a couple of years ago when I wanted to see the reunited Talking Heads play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and I didn't want to wait until it was on VH1 so I used my status as a staff writer on the DePaul newspaper and ended up with all access press passes.
Good luck with making it happen.
-Chris
Report any abuse or spam
Wow. Thanks.
I mean, THANKS!
It's after midnight right now, so I'm not reaching for the phone just yet, but this info will help me out a lot. Even if I can't make it to the factory in January, it would be nice to have a connection at Rawlings. Maybe they'll do something for my 3,000th ball...
Report any abuse or spam
I'm not sure if Rawlings -- or any companies with factories in Latin America -- really want to publicize what the working conditions are like down there.
http://www.mindfully.org/WTO/2004/Baseballs-For-Millionaires25jan04.htm
Report any abuse or spam
Yikes. That's some article. Good point. I'm still not sure how exactly to pursue a visit to the factory, but this is definitely something I'll have to keep in mind.
Report any abuse or spam
Well... I made a post that will explain to you why the Rawlings factory is good for Costa Ricans.
http://reid.mlblogs.com/scoreboard_26_6/2006/03/baseballs_for_m.html
Report any abuse or spam