[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10836]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


  A TRIBUTE TO JERRY SACHARSKI OF ALBION, MI--THE INVENTOR OF TEE-BALL

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                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise before you today to recognize one of my constituents, Jerry 
Sacharski, the inventor of Tee-ball. It is not everyday that a 
Congressman is given the opportunity to pay tribute to a man who has 
done so much to expand the appeal of America's Pastime of baseball to 
so many children. In 1956, Jerry Sacharski became aware of the 
difficulty children were having when attempting to use hand-eye 
coordination that was necessary for bringing the bat in contact with 
the ball when it was pitched. Because of this lack of coordination in 
younger children, for years baseball opportunities for children had 
consisted only of little league teams for children 11 and 12 years of 
age, and baseball leagues for children over 14. This was not acceptable 
to Jerry. Instead of simply perpetuating the lack of opportunities for 
younger children, Jerry acted and came up with a system that we all 
take for granted today. By using metal piping, pieces of rubber, and 
part of a garden hose he ingeniously created the first batting tee, 
thereby securing up to four extra years of fun and experience with 
baseball's fundamentals for interested children. After all, it can only 
be an advantage for children to be able to practice catching, fielding, 
and throwing in a game environment four or five years before they 
otherwise would.
  Helping children reach their potential is nothing new for Jerry. For 
many years he was a teacher at Albion Public High School. After he 
started teaching, Jerry took it upon himself in 1954 to head up the 
Albion recreation department's summer baseball program. Because of this 
position, he was able to see the lack of opportunity for younger 
children that two years later would drive him to develop one of the 
largest innovations in youth sports.
  Because of Jerry Sacharski, millions of children across the United 
States of America, have participated in Tee-ball leagues for over forty 
years. It is innovators like Jerry, who make life more enjoyable for 
millions of children, who are so important to the social fabric of our 
nation. Michigan is very proud of Jerry Sacharski and children around 
the world appreciate his contribution.

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