Rays' Baldelli names horse breeding business after Little League team

Tampa Bay Rays first base coach Rocco Baldelli is the latest baseball personality to indulge in the world of horse racing.

Baldelli, who played seven seasons in the majors before turning to coaching, also has a career breeding racehorses. He focuses on the breeding and sales aspects of the industry, and his business is named after his former Little League team in Rhode Island.

Baldelli described Fair-North Thoroughbreds LLC as "a very small commercial operation" in an interview with Digital Racing Form's Mike Hogan. "I try to breed commercially, but I try to breed a nice racehorse as well."

Baldelli, who now owns a handful of horses, says his inspiration for getting into the business can be tracked back to the baseball diamond.

"Lou Piniella was my first manager for the Rays," Baldelli added, "and he is a big racing fan."

Baldelli's interactions with legendary coach Don Zimmer and executive Gerry Hunsicker - two huge racing fans - also piqued his interest in the horse realm. While he hasn't watched one of his own horses race yet, he expects it to be more exciting than his experiences in baseball.

"Playing baseball in front of a lot of people wouldn't affect me," Baldelli said. "But you watch your horse run, and you can't help but get a bit worked up."

Major League Baseball executive Joe Torre and former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner are two baseball personalities known to have also owned or bred horses.