The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Todd Isaacs Jr said they’re just waiting on the arrival of the players on Tuesday to set the stage for the return of the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in its setting under the title sponsorship of Atlantis.

After a year’s absence due to the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the fourth edition of the mega event featuring local and international professional baseball players will return but will be moved from Montagu Bay to Atlantis on Paradise Island.

Isaacs Jr and Lucius Fox, whose idea it was to provide this unique opportunity to showcase the talent available in the Bahamas, said when Atlantis decided to come on board, it took the event to the next dimension.

“Lucius and I always believed in the product. Once we execute it properly in terms of what it would look like and how much fun it would bring to the Bahamian public and how much fun it would bring to the Bahamian people, we try to make magic happen,” Isaacs Jr said.

“We hope to make magic again on December 18 as we bring something that the Bahamians came to love for the first three years before the pandemic forced us not to stage the event last year. We’re back and going to be bigger and better.”

With Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm leading the way as the only Bahamian playing in Major League this year with the Miami Marlins, Isaacs Jr said they are hoping that his performance would inspire others in their bid to play in the league, which also features former major leaguer Antoan Richardson as a first base coach with the San Francisco Giants.

“Jazz is our leader of the pack right now,” Isaacs Jr said. “He’s making the world excited about Bahamian baseball with his style of play. So kudos to Jazz for leading the way. He’s doing a really good job for all of us.”

Chisholm and Richardson will be among the 50 local and international players, who will be a part of this year’s festivities, which according to Isaacs Jr, is a blessing in disguise.

“We play with and against or have done so in the past, with these players,” he said. “Outside of the Home Run Derby, we all have a good relationship, so this week just gives us an opportunity to bring all of these stars to put on a show for the Bahamian people.”

Once they arrive and settle in on Tuesday, December 14, the players will be preparing themselves to participate in a celebrity slow-pitch game on Wednesday, December 15 at 7pm on the Atlantis Paradise harbour.

At the same location on Thursday, December 16, the players will entertain a number of young Bahamian enthusiasts in a Don’t Blink Kids Clinic from 10am to 1pm.

On Friday, December 17 at 11am, the players will go after some bragging rights in a celebrity golf tournament among themselves and some other local and international celebrities at the Ocean

Club on Paradise Island. The event will conclude with the much anticipated Don’t Blink Home Run Derby on the Atlantis Paradise Harbour on Saturday, December 18, starting at 1pm.

“The additional activities are something that we always wanted to do from the beginning,” Isaacs Jr said.

“The sponsorship of Atlantis has now allowed us to add those events to the week of activities. “We’re all excited about it. We have even more major league players coming down and there are more top prospects coming down, so it’s really going to be an exciting week for all of us.”

All in all, Isaacs Jr said everything is shaping up to be a fantastic week.

“The inclusion of the softball game will allow us to reach more persons within the community, whom we might not have reached in the past,” said Isaacs Jr.

“And having the golf tournament gives us as players another opportunity to compete against each other and to really enjoy the Bahamas for what it is and what better setting to do that than on Paradise Island.”

Isaacs Jr said all of the players want to be the last man standing as the Home Run Derby champion, so he anticipates that the competition will be intense, especially in the team concept.

The last time the event was held, Isaacs Jr said his Team Isaacs was beaten out by Team Fox, but they hope to reverse that decision this time around as they crown the champions.

“There’s going to be a lot of home runs and a lot of excitement, so we want to urge the public to come out and support the event,” Isaacs Jr stressed.

“It’s going to be a fun-filled week of action.”

All of the events are free.

Persons can follow all of the social media pages @ dbhrderby to obtain information on how to secure their tickets.

And to get their direct information, they can call or text 242-818-3786.