National Beep Baseball Association

Indy Thunder

Beep Baseball on MLB Network, National Fitness Challenge and Greg Gontaryk – Take30 for February 2019

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Tune in, turn up and take note of the buzz around the wide world of beep baseball.

This month’s installment of Take30 takes us to Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania with several stories of success, spirit and strength.

Here’s a taste of what we covered in this month’s episode of Take30. (Don’t forget, we want your feedback on how to make this show the best it can be. Hop over to the Take30 official podcast page and drop us a line on what you want to hear about in future episodes.)

  • justin and Steve give a 30,000-foot view on what Take30 is and why we’re doing it.
  • Kalari Girtley-Jackson with the Chicago Comets shares the excitement of taking part in MLB Network’s first spotlight on beep baseball. If you haven’t seen the piece yet, take a few minutes to watch the MLB Network clip on Kalari and others from around the league.
  • Kyle and Rebecca Lewis talk about the Indy Thunder and the National Fitness Challenge sponsored by the United States Association of Blind Athletes and the Anthem Foundation.
  • Steve talks with Greg Gontaryk of the Philly Fire in this month’s player spotlight.

Big things are happening – and we want you to be along for the ride. Keep tuning in, keep sending feedback and let’s build this thing together! Until next month …

Booker talks Thunder, beep baseball on latest episode of Life After Blindness

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Darnell Booker pitching in an Indy Thunder jersey.It takes talent, dedication and a strong core to win the World Series… But to do it three years in a row takes something special.

Darnell Booker, General manager and coach of the three-time world champion Indy Thunder, talks about what makes this group of players so unique – and what it takes to run a successful beep baseball team in today’s era of the game.

As 2nd Vice President and public relations chair, Booker also discusses the strength of our league and what makes our organization successful.

At 38:30, Tim and Booker talk in-depth on what makes the Thunder such a special group of players…

Tim: Tell me, what’s the heart and soul of this team? What makes this team so special?
Booker: I just think it’s the chemistry, on and off the field, how we gel and connect. We all go out to dinner. We all hang out. We’re all pulling for each other. Like I said, no matter who’s on the field, we have each other’s back. This team is so mentally tough – because we did have to fight the rain and everything. We’re used to practicing in that. I think our team is one of the mentally strongest teams in the league. We put these guys in game situations in practice. We practice how we play.

Don’t miss this episode of Life After Blindness with Tim Schwartz featuring our very own, Darnell Booker.