26 Jul 2007

LEARNING THE GAME

By George Kostinas
GateHouse News Service

Cape Cod - Joey Railey, second baseman for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, was on his knees tossing a baseball to 5-year-old Griffin King.

    “C’mon Griff, let’s see if you can hit this one,” Railey said.

    Griff, feet together, bat resting on his shoulder, took a mighty swing that propelled him around in a complete circle — miss.

    Another pitch, another mighty swing, another miss.

    Then Griff caught one for a foul ball.

    “Alright, you got a piece of it!”

    Another foul ball.

    “Way to battle, Griff.”

    Another mighty swing. This time a big fly ball down the first base line, sending one of the grandmothers in the Friday parent-child game running into right field after the ball.

    Meanwhile Griff was tearing around the bases, rounding third and heading home.

    With a slide under the catcher’s mitt, he’s safe — home run.

    Everybody’s a winner at the Y-D Red Sox youth baseball clinics, which are every week throughout the season from Monday to Friday.

    The clinics are organized by Red Sox field manager Scott Pickler and conducted by the Red Sox players.

    Friday is game day. The parents of the younger kids play in a parent-child game, and the older kids choose up teams with the Red Sox players as coaches.

    There is a water slide and egg-throwing contests as well.

    “Organized chaos,” is how Pickler likes to describe it.

    But during the week, it is more of a typical clinic.

    The kids are divided into groups according to their age, from as young as 3 to 14 or 15. And they work on basic baseball skills according to each level.

    “We do infield drills, fly ball drills, position, we have a catcher’s station, and then for the last half hour we always have a game,” says Pickler. “We do 20-minute segments to keep the attention span and to keep things moving.”

    Then twice during the week Pickler brings the whole group together in the middle of the field to give instruction on a specific skill or aspect of the game.

    “Then they go off in their groups with their coaches [the players] and work on those skills,” says Pickler.

    But there is a lot more to it than the word “clinic” implies.

    Every player on the team works at least four days a week, and some of them are just naturals with the kids.

    Railey is studying Exercise and Sports Science at the University of San Francisco, but he would be a great teacher.

    “He does a great job, especially with the 4 and 5 year olds,” said Paul King, Griff’s father who is a middle school teacher in Worcester.

    “I’ve become an uncle early. I have nieces and a nephew who are about four and five, and I want to coach someday. I’m really looking forward to coaching my own kids someday. And I guess I’m a kid at heart,” Railey says.

    Over at the other end of the field the 12 to 14 year olds are having quite a game.

    A line drive is hit to short where Adam Andreozzi reaches out to make a bare-handed grab.

    Outfielder Colin Cowgill (Kentucky), shortstop Gordon Beckham (Georgia) and infielder Nick Romero (San Diego State) all jump up from the bench, screaming, “Yeah, Yeah.” and pumping their fists. 

    Beckham is the most enthusiastic of the group. “Stilts, all right. Great play,” he says as Andreozzi comes to the bench after the third out.

    What’s with the nickname, Stilts?

    “I don’t know. That’s [Buster] Posey,” says Beckham. “We’ve got all kinds of nicknames.”

    He points to different kids around the field, “That’s Jeter, Teddy Bear, Stud, Mouth, Flash …”

    P.J. and Kevin Taylor, parents of 12-year-old Chris Taylor of New Canaan, Conn., are standing behind the backstop watching the game.

    How’s the clinic been for your son?

    “It’s wonderful. It’s very low key. The kids are having a wonderful time getting to know the players. There is a lot of camaraderie, said P.J. “They love working with the kids and it shows.”

    Which one is Chris?

    “He’s the one out in the outfield with the red shirt.”

    Just then a sinking liner is hit to left field. Chris comes in and makes a sliding catch.

    Have you come here before?

    “This is our fourth year.”

    So you do this as part of your vacation?

    “This is his vacation.

    While all of the Cape League teams run clinics, the Red Sox clinics may be the biggest.

    “It’s like a good restaurant. By word of mouth you build a reputation, and it is growing every year,” says Pickler. “Last week we had 196 kids; we have 160 this week.”

    Many families come year after year and week after week from all over the East Coast.

    Tyler Duff, who turned 12 Friday, is from Orefield, Pa. and has been coming to the Red Sox clinics with his whole family for the last seven years.

    “It’s really cool because some of them [players] go on to play in the minor leagues and the majors and you get a chance to get close to them and have fun,” said Tyler.

    He also said he has been able to follow several players from the Cape League and see them play at Harrisburg.

    Maureen Sumner, of Needham, who has become friends with the Duffs over the past several years, has been coming to the clinics with her three children for eight years.

    The oldest, William, 10, attended his first clinic when he was three.

    In addition to simply enjoying the clinic and the players — she says it is the best camp on the Cape — she too likes the idea of following players through college, the minor leagues and into the majors, saying she still keeps in touch with some major leaguers like Brandon Morrow and Curtis Thigpen, whom she first met at Cape League clinics.

    “Hey, Papi. C’mon over here,” Pickler calls over to a small, round little boy who has been happily sloshing about on the water slide.

    What’s your name?

    “Mitchell Hayes.”

    How old are you?

    “Eight.”

    Where are you from?

    “Yarmouth. Right over there in back of the school.”

    So how do you like camp?

    “Well, it keeps me busy. My mother wants me to keep busy.”

    Sammy Esposito, one of the Red Sox coaches from Georgia Southern calls over,

    “Hey Papi, how’s your first interview?

    How’d you get the nickname, Papi?

    “He spits on his hands and clasps them together like Ortiz,” says Esposito.

    OK, so what have you learned at camp this week?

    “Oh, I don’t know.”

    Well did they teach you anything to help you become a better hitter?

    “No, I was already good at that.”

    Well, these guys are college players, they must have been able to show you something.

    “They showed me to hold my arms up high so I could hit home runs.”

    Just one more satisfied customer.