Serbian manager Nikola Vucevic said one of his players’ biggest culture shocks came during a trip to a sports store.
“For some of the guys, it was like, ‘Wow,'” he said. “They saw some things which you cannot see in Europe. Some things are much cheaper in America, like the cleats we bought for 11 bucks.”
Being in a country like the U.S. where baseball is the national pastime instead of an afterthought was an amazing experience for the Serbian national team.
“They can buy the baseball equipment they want,” Vucevic said. “Not just what they (can) get.”
Moments like that stood out during the Serbians’ weeklong visit to the U.S. They played a three-game series last weekend against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, with the Oilmen winning all three.
Serbia was back at it Tuesday night, facing the Midwest Collegiate League All-Stars.
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Daniel Kozjak was Serbia’s starting pitcher and oldest player at 42.
Although his baseball experience was probably much different than his opponent’s background, a similar motivation kept bringing him back to the mound while juggling two jobs and a family which includes a wife and two daughters.
“Only reason I play baseball is love of the game,” he said. “I love to pitch. I love to be on the field and be with the guys.”
He just wishes there were more places for him to play back home.
“We only have one field in Serbia in the whole country,” Kozjak said. “We don’t have enough fields for kids to learn baseball and love baseball.”
His catcher was 20-year-old Danilo Cvijovic, one of the younger Serbian players.
“He’s old enough to be my father,” Cvijovic said of Kozjak through a wide smile.
Both Cvijovic and Kozjak said they learned a lot during the extensive practices the team held in addition to the scheduled games during their trip. But that wasn’t Cvijovic’s favorite part of the week.
“The games,” Cvijovic said. “It’s a high level of baseball. In my country, the baseball is like good high school baseball. This level is very good. It’s very tough to play the games against these guys.”
He’ll get to see an even higher level Friday night, when the Serbian national team heads to Chicago to watch the White Sox play the Seattle Mariners.
Cvijovic has been there before, but the overwhelming majority of his teammates have not. And Vucevic said those first-timers will likely have the same reaction he did when he saw his first major league game in Atlanta.
“I know how I felt the first time,” he said. “It’s like I was walking on clouds.”
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.