Fort Bliss Monitor

Diablos bring military ‘out to the old ballgame’

MASTER SGT. STEVE MILLER
Public Affairs Chief

Baseball, sunshine and kids (of all ages) – it doesn’t get much better than that.

That’s the combination Team Bliss had going for it Friday night at Cohen Stadium on Military Night at the Diablos, courtesy of the El Paso Diablos and General Mills, which provided 6,000 free tickets to Fort Bliss for the Texas League game between the Diablos and the Midland RockHounds.

The only downer for the 10,096 fans in attendance was the Diablos on the wrong side of the 12-3 final score, the only loss El Paso suffered in the four-game series with Midland.

But to a Little Leaguer attending his first professional baseball game, there are no downers – not when you’re chomping on a hot dog, smacking cotton candy between your lips or sucking down a soda while watching the big boys stretch a double into a triple or getting out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out the side.

“I like it a lot. The best part is when they hit,” said 5-year-old Jacob Hadra, a first baseman with the Fort Bliss Blue Raptors, who defeated the Blue Sox 22-12 Friday afternoon before heading to the ballpark.

“I could be here all day,” chimed in Michael Smith, 5, a pitcher for the Blue Raptors. “I love the Diablos’ game, especially the batting.”

Sgt. 1st Class Walter Carbaugh, an Army Reserve Soldier from the 736th Transportation Company in Bakers-field, Calif., drove a busload of 40 members of Fort Bliss’ 5035th Garrison Support Unit to the game. He has been activated for seven months.

“It’s been a rough start (for the Diablos), but things are looking up now,” Carbaugh said in the bottom of the fifth as the Diablos scored three times to cut into a 9-0 deficit. “I coach Little League and high-school (baseball) in San Jose.”

But Team Bliss did more than attend the game – they had a role in putting it on. The 62nd Army Band entertained the crowd with pre-game music and played the national anthem, the colors were presented by a joint-service color guard featuring Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, and Col. Harry Bloomer, Fort Bliss Chief of Staff, fired a strike while throwing out one of two ceremonial first pitches.

During a break in the eighth inning, Bloomer presented certificates of appreciation to the Diablos and General Mills, both of whom sponsored Military Night, not only for Fort Bliss but also for Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range troops.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	July 22, 2004

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Diablos bring military ‘out to the old ballgame’ MASTER SGT. STEVE MILLER Public Affairs Chief Baseball, sunshine and kids (of all ages) – it doesn’t get much better than that. That’s the combination Team Bliss had going for it Friday night at Cohen Stadium on Military Night at the Diablos, courtesy of the El Paso Diablos and General Mills, which provided 6,000 free tickets to Fort Bliss for the Texas League game between the Diablos and the Midland RockHounds. The only downer for the 10,096 fans in attendance was the Diablos on the wrong side of the 12-3 final score, the only loss El Paso suffered in the four-game series with Midland. But to a Little Leaguer attending his first professional baseball game, there are no downers – not when you’re chomping on a hot dog, smacking cotton candy between your lips or sucking down a soda while watching the big boys stretch a double into a triple or getting out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out the side. “I like it a lot. The best part is when they hit,” said 5-year-old Jacob Hadra, a first baseman with the Fort Bliss Blue Raptors, who defeated the Blue Sox 22-12 Friday afternoon before heading to the ballpark. “I could be here all day,” chimed in Michael Smith, 5, a pitcher for the Blue Raptors. “I love the Diablos’ game, especially the batting.” Sgt. 1st Class Walter Carbaugh, an Army Reserve Soldier from the 736th Transportation Company in Bakers-field, Calif., drove a busload of 40 members of Fort Bliss’ 5035th Garrison Support Unit to the game. He has been activated for seven months. “It’s been a rough start (for the Diablos), but things are looking up now,” Carbaugh said in the bottom of the fifth as the Diablos scored three times to cut into a 9-0 deficit. “I coach Little League and high-school (baseball) in San Jose.” But Team Bliss did more than attend the game – they had a role in putting it on. The 62nd Army Band entertained the crowd with pre-game music and played the national anthem, the colors were presented by a joint-service color guard featuring Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, and Col. Harry Bloomer, Fort Bliss Chief of Staff, fired a strike while throwing out one of two ceremonial first pitches. During a break in the eighth inning, Bloomer presented certificates of appreciation to the Diablos and General Mills, both of whom sponsored Military Night, not only for Fort Bliss but also for Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range troops.