{"id":143216,"date":"2023-10-30T03:20:08","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T03:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/?p=143216"},"modified":"2023-10-30T03:20:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T03:20:08","slug":"exclusive-a-new-hope-meet-harrison-ford-gbs-new-baseball-talisman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/sport\/exclusive-a-new-hope-meet-harrison-ford-gbs-new-baseball-talisman\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: A new hope? Meet Harrison Ford, GB&apos;s new baseball talisman"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>EXCLUSIVE: A new hope? Meet Harrison Ford, Great Britain&#8217;s talisman looking to lead their first crusade to baseball glory<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Harrison Ford, 20, never saw himself representing Great Britain at the Olympics<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Seattle Mariners star could be heading for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><span>But he thinks his parents are lying about the origin of his Hollywood star name!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8216;My parents say they didn\u2019t name me after him, but I think they are lying,\u2019 laughs Harrison Ford, answering Mail Sport\u2019s obvious opening question about his famous namesake.<\/p>\n<p>The Seattle Mariners and Great Britain baseball star goes on to declare he is a fan of Indiana Jones. But this interview has not been set up to discuss the films of an 81-year-old actor. Rather, we are here to talk about a blockbuster the 20-year-old Ford hopes to star in at the home of Hollywood \u2014 the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It would be an honour to take part,\u2019 says the catcher \u2014 better known as Harry Ford \u2014 about the prospect of playing for Team GB at LA28 now baseball has been added to the programme.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I definitely never saw myself being at an Olympics. It would be really special,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n<p>Special is also a word many would use to describe Ford, one of Major League Baseball\u2019s hottest prospects. Born and raised in Atlanta, he was signed straight from high school by the Mariners for $4.36million in the first round of the 2021 draft.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/30\/00\/77158269-12686683-image-a-130_1698624105660.jpg\" height=\"470\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Harrison Ford, the\u00a0Seattle Mariners and Great Britain baseball star, is an Indiana Jones fan<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/30\/00\/77158271-12686683-image-a-131_1698624139218.jpg\" height=\"778\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ford, 20, never saw himself at the Olympics, but now has his eye on making it to LA2028<\/p>\n<p>And as luck should have it, he is eligible to play for Britain because his mum Deborah was born in London and his father Alan hails from Kidlington, Oxfordshire.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018All my dad\u2019s family still live there,\u2019 says Ford. \u2018So I have been back a few times to stay at my grandma\u2019s house. I like a good fish and chips!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>That Ford has gone on to wear a GB jersey, though, is only because of a chance conversation last year with Mariners hitting coach, Brad Marcelino, a former British international. \u2018We were just talking one day and he asked me where I was from,\u2019 explains Ford.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I told him my parents were English. He said: \u201cAre you joking?\u201d and started talking to me about the GB team and how they had qualifiers for the World Baseball Classic at the end of the year.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He said: \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get you in that\u201d, I was like: \u201cSure, sounds cool\u201d \u2014 and the rest is history. It\u2019s been an awesome ride.\u2019 Ford made his GB debut against France last September, hitting his first of his three home runs in three games to help his country qualify for the World Baseball Classic \u2014 the sport\u2019s World Cup \u2014 for the first time. At the tournament in March, he made his mark with another two homers and his hilarious celebration which saw team-mates dress him in a regal robe and crown. \u2018We just came up with that idea in a meeting one day and then went to Walmart and bought all the stuff,\u2019 grins Ford.<\/p>\n<p>The celebration captured the imagination back in Britain. The day after his home run in the team\u2019s historic win over Colombia, a video emerged from a primary school in Suffolk. It showed a boy being introduced in assembly as \u2018home run hero, Sir Harry Ford\u2019, then receiving a standing ovation from his class-mates as he walked in wearing a Ford face mask, robe and crown.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I remember seeing that after the game,\u2019 says Ford after Mail Sport replays him the clip over Zoom. \u2018That really warmed my heart. It\u2019s cool knowing that all those kids even know I am. That means they are watching the games and that means they are getting into baseball.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/30\/00\/77158457-12686683-image-a-133_1698624405741.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ford got the most runs batted in and the most stolen bases at the European Championships<\/p>\n<p>By beating Colombia, Britain finished in the top four of their pool and qualified for the next World Baseball Classic in 2026. Reaching the 2028 Olympics, though, is more difficult, with only six sides to feature in LA, and likely only one from Europe.<\/p>\n<p>However, Britain\u2019s young side got to the final of this autumn\u2019s European Championship, with Ford finishing the tournament with the most runs batted in and the most stolen bases.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our goal was to get top five, so we surpassed that,\u2019 says Ford. \u2018We faced a really good Spain team in the final, but placing second was really good for GB. We have shown we are not just messing around, we are a good team and we can play with the best. The Olympics aren\u2019t until 2028 so we still have a lot of time. I am very hopeful we will be there.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>By then, Ford could well be an MLB superstar. Playing in the sport\u2019s elite league has been his dream since he first picked up a bat as a three-year-old. And two years ago, that dream moved a giant step closer to coming true when the Mariners picked him as the 12th overall selection in the draft.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Although you dream about it, you never think about it being a reality,\u2019 he says. \u2018When I was 17, I remember there was a mock draft saying who they think teams are going to pick, and I saw my name in the first round. I was blown away. I was like, \u201cOh my god, this might actually happen\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When it did end up happening, it felt amazing. Just hearing your name called on TV, there is nothing like it. I had a lot of family and friends there and we had a really big party. My phone was blowing up. It changed my life.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>So what is it about Ford that meant 20 MLB scouts would come and watch his games at high school? As the player himself puts it: \u2018I am a really good hitter. I catch the ball good. I run good.\u2019 In other words, Ford is the whole package. In the States, he has been described as a \u2018unicorn\u2019 because of his unusual speed for a catcher. \u2018I am a little different for sure,\u2019 he admits.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/30\/00\/77158461-12686683-image-a-132_1698624344504.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ford has been described as a &#8216;unicorn&#8217; in the USA because of his unusual speed for a catcher<\/p>\n<p>Since signing for the Mariners, Ford has been sent out to gain experience with their Minor Leagues affiliates. He is speaking to Mail Sport from the locker room of his current team Peoria Javelinas, who play in the Arizona Fall League. When, then, should we expect to see him make his MLB bow?<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You never 100 per cent know in this business,\u2019 he says. \u2018At the Mariners, we have catchers who are really deserving of their position. So it will be however long it takes. But I just want to see how far I can go with my God-given talent and be the best I can possibly be.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>There clearly is no limit to Ford\u2019s ambition and one of his aims is to play an MLB match in London, where regular-season games have been held since 2019. \u2018I\u2019m hoping the next time they pick, they may pick the Mariners in that one,\u2019 says Ford. \u2018The whole family would be able to go and see it, so that would be dope.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Playing at the former London 2012 Olympic Stadium, though, would be one thing. Playing at the Games itself in Los Angeles would be another. \u2018GB needs to be there,\u2019 he adds. With Ford in their team, they have every chance.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/mlb\/article-12686683\/EXCLUSIVE-INTERVIEW-DAVID-COVERDALE-new-hope-Meet-Harrison-Ford-Great-Britains-talisman-looking-lead-crusade-baseball-glory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE: A new hope? Meet Harrison Ford, Great Britain&#8217;s talisman looking to lead their first crusade to baseball glory Harrison&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>EXCLUSIVE: A new hope? 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