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Garibaldi steps to plate to support Northbrook baseball program
Mike Garibaldi of Northbrook (in charge of advertising, sponsorships and promotions for Northbrook Baseball) at the Jan. 12 Village Green Center Saturday registration. | Karie Angell Luc~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 22, 2013 6:25AM
NORTHBROOK — Take me out to the ballgame or take me, please, to Northbrook Baseball evaluations at the Glenbrook North H.S. fieldhouse where Mike Garibaldi and crew welcome third- and fourth-grade players Feb. 23.
Garibaldi, who was raised in Northbrook (moving here when he was age 5), resided in the Charlemagne neighborhood, where his parents Caesar and Peggy Garibaldi, lived until they sold their home last May. The family owned Gsell’s pharmacy in Highland Park. Their son Mike, a financial officer, is one of four Garibaldi sons (John, Chris and Dan). Mike graduated from Loyola Academy in Wilmette in 1982 and is now a Northbrook dad of two and volunteer coach.
For Northbrook Baseball, he is in charge of sponsorships, which means he hopes to fill the Village Green scoreboard with names of advertisers in time for Sat. April 20 opening day. Garibaldi and his wife, Betsy, who is Village of Northbrook assistant finance director, have two children Jack, 13, a Wood Oaks Junior High School seventh grader, and Katie, 16, a Glenbrook North High School junior. We caught up with Garibaldi at the Jan. 12 Village Green Center registration. View the webisode interview with Karie Angell Luc at www.northbrook.suntimes.com. Visit www.northbrookbaseball.org/
Q. What is your role at Northbrook Baseball?
A. I am in charge of sponsorships, advertising and promotions, which means I find the guys who put their names on the back of jerseys. I help sell the advertising space we have on scoreboards. It’s interesting, I mean, I get to meet a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of people because in order to get one guy to say yes I usually need to talk to four or five.
Q. What sparked your interest?
A. It’s a lot of fun. I got involved in it because my son (Jack) wanted me to coach. Your kid always wants you to coach. I don’t know really that much about baseball. I’m the first one to tell you. I’ve coached every year I’ve been in the program and I’ve always had really smart guys help me out. There are 21 guys on here (with Northbrook Baseball) who do everything from run tournaments to just managing umpires.
Q. Why is Northbrook Baseball so unique?
A. Well, you know, I’ve gotta tell you, Northbrook Baseball is kinda cool. Every sport has gone to online registration now. Northbrook Baseball hasn’t. You get people in here (at registration days), there are people you haven’t seen in a year, six months…it’s definitely very community-based. We’re one of those programs that if you want to play travel you have to play in our house league program. It’s boys playing with their friends as opposed to, you know, the best kid playing with the best kid on the best team. We’ve got very competitive travel teams but we also have a tremendous number of house league teams, where, you know, the best kid and the worst kid on the team are probably really good friends with each other. And it’s not about who’s better, who’s worse, it’s just having a great time. And winning a few games along the way is just a side benefit.
