Have baseball, will travel for Conant grad Prather

Ben Prather was ready for a change.

The 2003 Conant High School graduate left a good sales job in suburban Milwaukee and was looking to start his career as a teacher. It appeared Prather might return home as he interviewed for a social studies position at Fremd.

Then he got a call from John Vodenlich, who was Prather's baseball coach at Wisconsin-Whitewater.

"Coach 'Vo' asked me, 'Would you be interested in playing ball again?' " said Prather, who graduated with honors and received his degree in Education in 2008.

Although Prather missed the game, answering the question wasn't as easy as it seemed. After all, Prather would be leaving behind an excellent opportunity in a difficult job market.

He would also be leaving the country and going to Croatia.

"Initially, you say, 'You're doing what?' " said Prather's dad, Shawn.

"My answer to (Vodenlich) was an emphatic 'Yes,' " Ben Prather said via e-mail. "Traveling was always something I wanted to do throughout college, but my commitments to baseball made it seem more like a dream than something that could actually happen.

"I thought about traveling after I graduated, but the sobering reality of college loans set in so I shelved the idea. Naturally, I jumped at the idea of playing baseball in Europe.

"It afforded me two experiences that I love - playing ball and traveling."

So, Prather arrived in Varazdin, Croatia, on May 14 for six months of playing and coaching youth baseball for the Vindija Baseball Klub.

It's given him and former Whitewater teammate Greg Harder the chance to see places such as Vienna (Austria), Trnava (Slovakia) and Belgrade (Serbia) and form bonds with people of different cultures.

"I have had great experiences," Prather said. "I'm very thankful for this opportunity. I took a chance and followed my heart and this experience truly has been a blessing."

After graduating from Whitewater, Prather went to work for TAPCO (Traffic and Parking Control Co.) in Brown Deer, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. He was there only six months but said in his last week he won a three-year contract worth between $3 million to $5 million supplying traffic cones to the government.

"He had a nice opportunity, but I knew this was not his passion," Shawn Prather said. "Baseball is in his blood and he'll always be a coach in some way, shape or form.

"I see him always associated with baseball. It's just an extension of his life."

Ben Prather had worked youth camps at Whitewater and was a travel coach in Watertown, Wis. He also hoped he would get a chance to coach baseball if he was hired at Fremd.

At the same time, Vodenlich was contacted about possible candidates to play and coach in Croatia. Vodenlich has family there and in Slovenia, where he was the first American professional baseball player in 1995.

Vodenlich wasn't too optimistic he'd find anyone until he talked to Prather and Harder.

"I said, 'Both of you guys would be perfect,' and asked, 'Are you interested at all?' " said Vodenlich, who took his Whitewater team on a two-week trip to Rome, Austria, Venice, Slovenia and Germany in the summer of 2007.

Prather had the playing credentials as he hit .402 with 45 RBI as a senior and .380 with 6 homers and 38 RBI as a sophomore at Whitewater. Not only could he play outfield or first base but his ability to pitch made him a hot commodity.

Playing skills were just part of the necessary package.

"What they're really looking for is some leadership in developing the game and they need someone capable of playing and teaching the game," Vodenlich said. "You have to have a good enough personality to do some media and be disciplined enough to make sure you represent our country in the right way.

"It's a really unique set of skills you need in order to get it done. Not many people have that kind of arsenal of skills."

Prather also didn't have to worry about a family or children. So, off he went to play for Vindija, which Prather called the Oscar Mayer of Croatia.

All of his living expenses are covered and he receives a weekly stipend of $100. Prather said he's been using that money to help pay for tournaments since the team took a hit in funding because of the tough economy.

But he hasn't had to worry much about where he'll get his next meal.

"The best attribute is the hospitality of the locals," Prather said. "I have yet to buy groceries because every night a teammate asks me over for dinner.

"Most of these people live on a meager $400 a month wage and yet they still insist on taking care of me. I'm having difficulty adjusting to this compassion and kindness, and it's something I hope the West will learn from the East."

Prather said about 75 percent of his teammates speak or understand English. They range from ages 16-36 but most are college age. Players on the Cadet team he coaches are ages 12-14.

But there are some major differences in a country where baseball isn't the national pastime. Their home field is a converted soccer field with goal posts right behind home plate.

"Baseball just doesn't have much popularity here and therefore it lacks funding," Prather said. "Our equipment and facilities are discouraging. The kids used recycled gloves, bats and balls - really anything they can get their hands on."

Prather said the quality of play ranges from teams the equivalent of beer-league softball to possibly competing at the college or low minor-league levels.

And he called a trip to Belgrade, Serbia an eye-opening experience. Prather was aware of the Kosovo War in 1999 following the breakup of Yugoslavia but now fully understands its impact, especially since the U.S. bombed the city.

Prather said holes in the bombed buildings remain intact as a constant reminder to the public of the war.

"To say the least, it was an eye-opening experience seeing two neighboring cultures and countries display such hostilities toward one another," Prather said. "Not to give you the wrong idea, we met many hospitable and even enjoyable Serbs during our trip.

"The Serbian team was very friendly, but the crowd was not exactly welcoming to Americans."

Prather's team won two games and he said when he and Harder pitched their "American" fastballs drew oohs, boos and awe from the crowd. But Prather said after the games their Croatian vehicle was vandalized and one of their teammates was assaulted by an angry group of fans.

But even that is an experience which figures to serve Prather well when he returns and resumes his search for coaching and teaching jobs.

"It's exciting to see where he's been, what he's doing and what he's going to experience next," said Shawn Prather, who stays in contact with Ben through e-mail. "As coach Vodenlich said, this is once in a lifetime and this is the time of his life to do it."