Major leaguers teach at EBR clinic
A small group of baseball-hungry children gathered around Will Clark, hoping to soak in his knowledge from 15 years in the major leagues.
Clark, a six-time All-Star first baseman who played at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, was teaching the kids the proper way to catch a fly ball. He told them to use two hands and hold their gloves above their heads.
“We always catch the ball above our heads,” Clark told the children while holding up his glove. “Why? Because it’s easier to see.”
Clark’s anecdotes about pop flies were among many lessons the roughly 40 wannabe baseball stars learned at the 65th annual Baton Rouge Kids Baseball Clinic at Pete Goldsby Field on a frigid and windy yet sunny Saturday morning.
The children were instructed by several baseball elites, such as former major leaguers Clark and David Dellucci and current players like former LSU shortstop and current Giant Ryan Theriot.
The free clinic usually is held in LSU’s Alex Box Stadium but was hosted at Goldsby Field this year because of last-minute arrangements after a change in the clinic’s management, said Eric Lane, a former minor leaguer and key Kids Clinic supporter.
The clinic, which normally draws hundreds of kids, will return to LSU in 2013, Lane said.
“You’ll see it back to where we want it next year,” Lane said.
The kids, ranging from 5 years old to high school ages, split into groups based on age and position. They fielded hundreds of ground balls and pop flies, in addition to spending some time in the batting cages.
Clark, decked out in a black San Francisco Giants jacket, Giants hat and baseball pants, ran several sets of drills involving fielding a baseball.
Clark played eight years with the Giants and currently serves as a special assistant to the Giants’ general manager.
Clark said he has been attending the clinic since he finished his Mississippi State career in 1985.
He said he enjoys passing on the lessons he learned from coaches who had an impact on him when he was a young player.
“Some of these older kids, they’ve got good fundamentals,” Clark said. “Hopefully in the next few years, they’ll become the high school stars of Louisiana.”
Dellucci wore his uniform from the Cleveland Indians, for whom he played in 2007 and 2008. He wandered around from drill to drill, offering tips while also coordinating the day’s schedule.
Dellucci, a Catholic High School alumnus, said he attended the clinic as a child and remembers Clark giving him instructions.
“It was a major part of my life as a youngster,” he said. “The bottom line is getting kids involved in baseball, getting them off of the couch.”
Members of the LSU and Baton Rouge Community College teams also shared their wisdom with the children.
Ty Ross, LSU’s starting catcher, gathered a group of young catchers around home plate, teaching them how to squat properly and how to field a ball after a bunt.
Ross said he was happy to represent LSU at the session.
“I’ve seen some good athletes out here,” he said. “I think Louisiana is a state with good baseball.”
Jesse Buratt, a pitcher/third baseman for BRCC, taught the kids how to square their shoulders for a throw so it accurately hits their intended target.
Buratt said he also taught the kids that baseball is all about learning how to deal with failure, which happens often in the sport.
“It’s fun to watch them learn,” Buratt said. “The main thing with them is to have fun, and that’s what this is all about.”
The kids also received free admission to BRCC’s doubleheader Saturday against Southwest Mississippi Community College and Illinois Central College.
The players signed dozens of autographs for the kids after the clinic. Frazier Hall, a former Southern University standout and current Los Angeles Angel first baseman, was rushed by legions of children trying to gets bats and hats signed.
“It’s amazing to work with the kids,” Hall said. “It teaches me things that I didn’t even know.”