Danny Duffy donates $1 million to help his former high school baseball team
Day games in Major League Baseball are a rarity in this era, and that’s fine with Royals left-hander Danny Duffy.
Playing under the lights is a unique experience that Duffy hopes baseball players at his alma mater, Cabrillo High School, in Lompoc, California, can experience.
The Santa Maria Times reported Duffy has committed to donating $1 million for lights at the Cabrillo Conquistadores’ baseball field.
“It’s been something that’s been on my mind for a long time, and a lot of moving parts in that and I’m really excited about the prospect of getting this going,” Duffy said Monday. “I feel like there’s no bad that could come from it, and it’s just really, really cool for the idea that 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids could have that to look forward to every spring.”
The Times said the project likely won’t be finished until later this year in part because of Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Those include ensuring there is enough light in the bleachers, and ”a lighted walkway from the student parking lot will need to be built as well as ADA compliant bathrooms.”
Although he is entering his 11th season with the Royals, Duffy still has strong ties to Lompoc, as The Star’s Vahe Gregorian has eloquently detailed.
Duffy believes the lights at the ballpark will be good for the community.
“I always kind of think about what I get to do out here, I get to come out here and play under the lights and play in front of people, and I think it’s gonna be really beneficial if we get this done,” Duffy said. “So it’ll be really neat, and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time since I was little, so it’ll be cool.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 10:51 AM.
