This page is dedicated to a very important member of the Solid Foundation Baseball School family. "The Pearl" has been with SFBS since our inception. It has been a faithful member of SFBS and has served valiantly. As of April 22, 2011, the Pearl now has over 283,000 miles -- on the way to achieving its goal of 300,000 miles. We thought it was fitting to dedicate a page to such a vital member of our team. The Pearl is easily recognizable by many SFBS students and parents. When parents are driving past one of our locations and they see The Pearl, they know that I'm in the location teaching lessons. On this webpage you will see The Pearl's maintenance crew led by crew chief Dave Messenbrink, tire repair chief Chuck Messenbrink, interior repair chief Neil Inselman, and engine maintenance chief Jim Ackerman. Unfortunately, the Pearl doesn't get the respect that it's due by all members of the SFBS family. The Pearl is teased quite frequently by one of SFBS' instructors. We will not mention the name of this instructor, but his initials are "BT". BT gets a phone call (regardless of the time of night) every time The Pearl goes over another 1,000 mile marker and is reminded of how many more miles The Pearl needs to reach its goal of 300,000 miles. The Pearl first started out as a reliable van to get the Kingery family to Spring Training and serve the Kingerys during the rigors and stresses of a Major League season. Then without complaint The Pearl would get the Kingerys back home to Minnesota -- getting over 20 miles per gallon. All The Pearl has ever wanted was clean oil every 3,000 miles and to be filled with gas when needed. As the Kingery family got larger, The Pearl was no longer able to fit all the Kingerys. After SFBS started, it only seemed right to keep The Pearl accomplishing important tasks. So without hesitation The Pearl eagerly jumped at the prospect of carrying all of SFBS' equipment and its owner to give lessons for all the interested baseball players across the state of Minnesota and even into Iowa. The Pearl has only been on the DL once during its illustrious career and that was only for a short time when the serpentine belt broke in pieces. (Special thanks to Mike and Deb Peterson for coming at a moments notice to pull The Pearl to the repair shop for its much needed rest from a hard weeks work.) But true to form The Pearl was again ready for action and has answered the call faithfully everyday since being on the DL. The Pearl still has its original engine and transmission and still purrs like a kitten. The Pearl started everyday this winter even while sitting outside in the frigid -20 degree temperatures this year. In all seriousness we are grateful to God for giving us such a reliable vehicle.	"The Pearl" going to work
	The Pearl Maintenance Crew
	SFBS Owner Mike Kingery with The Pearl Maintenance Crew. Back Row: Mike, Neil Inselman, Jim Ackerman Front Row: Dave Messenbrink, Chuck Messenbrink
	We think it is a rarity to see an MLB alumni sticker in the window of a '92 Dodge Caravan.