Being Pistol Shrimp host family ‘very gratifying’

Last year, when the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp were looking for host families for their inaugural college summer league baseball season in Peru, Mike Bird wanted to volunteer.

“I thought it was a good idea for this team to come to Peru,” Bird said. “I thought it was going to help our town and surrounding towns and be positive for local businesses. The goal [in being a host family] was to help out.”

Still, Bird was unsure how it would turn out and his wife, Nikki Hoffman, initially wasn’t keen on the idea.

“At first, of course, it was extremely nerve-racking,” Bird said. “We had three college kids coming. What was that going to be like? I was very anxious and not sure how it was going to go. We have three complete strangers from different states coming to our house. Is everybody going to mesh well? Are we going to disturb their flow? Are they going to disturb our flow?”

But Bird’s family meshed well with Shrimp players Mike Young, Drake Frize and Will Worthington, and Bird said it was a great summer.

“They weren’t around as much as we thought they’d be, but when they were around, they were always extremely positive and helpful,” Bird said. “They’d play with the kids. We had a lot of fun times.”

So many good times, in fact, that Bird’s family will be hosting three more Pistol Shrimp players this summer.

Even with Bird and a few other returning host families and a few new ones signed up, the Pistol Shrimp are looking for more families to host players and possibly interns this season.

“The families seem to love it,” Pistol Shrimp general manager June Keeley said. “It’s really a unique relationship. I think a lot of people who haven’t done it before are concerned they’re going to have to entertain the players. The reality is, the players are gone a fair amount of the time. They play 60 games in 67 days, so they’re either at the field or on the road. When they are here, they need a warm place to land.”

Keeley said all the players had positive feedback about their Illinois Valley host families last summer.

“They loved it,” Keeley said. “The players all wanted to come back. The players absolutely had the best time. For a few of them, it was their first experience staying with a host family, so they weren’t sure what to expect. They found they were welcomed with arms wide open. The families really embraced them.”

Bird said his family and the players developed a strong bond last summer.

He fondly recalls many nights when Young, Frize and Worthington came home about 10-11 p.m. after a game and Bird would fire up the grill to cook burgers and get the highlights from the game.

Bird said his children enjoyed having the players around so much – having water balloon fights or pillow fights – that he and his wife had to “try to keep the kids away from them so they could do their thing.”

Keeley said it was common for Shrimp players to get involved with their families. She said one family who had two players who helped out and supported their grandsons’ youth baseball team.

The Birds also enjoyed heading to Veterans Park to watch the Shrimp play, and Keeley said the players appreciate having their families at the games since they’re “away from home and don’t have their own family to cheer them on and support them.”

“I didn’t know how many games we were going to go to because we have a busy schedule ourselves, but we ended up enjoying it,” Bird said. “Everybody enjoyed it. None of our kids were complaining about going. They were excited to go. If we were able to see any of our guys playing, that was even more fun. The entire atmosphere was perfect. We’re looking forward to the upcoming season.”

The Bird family’s relationship with the players has lasted well beyond the season.

“They remembered the kids’ birthdays,” Bird said. “They’ve made calls and sent texts. They’d send a random photo and say, ‘Hey Mike, remember all the cookouts?’ For the holidays, some of the families of the players sent us cards or gifts.

“They’ve more or less become a part of the family now.”

For people considering becoming host families, Bird said he would recommend it.

“It’s very gratifying, and it’s fun,” Bird said. “It’s not as demanding as you think it would be. I would absolutely highly suggest it if you have the room.

“We’ll be doing it every year as long as they keep taking us. We look forward to it.”

Families looking to become a host family can get more information or download an application at PistolShrimpBaseball.com.

Keeley said she’d be happy to discuss the experience with prospective host families and can put them in touch with past host families. To contact Keeley, email June@PistolShrimpBaseball.com.