Fantasy Camp
February 8, 2009Don’t tell me about the world. Not today. It’s springtime and they’re knocking baseball around fields where the grass is damp and green in the morning and the kids are trying to hit the curve ball ~
Pete Hamill
I just got back from coaching the Kansas City Royals Fantasy Camp in Arizona. It was a week long camp and a great experience. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect going in. I mean, a bunch of old guys coming out to have a baseball fantasy? Could be sketchy, right? Well, when the dust all settled, I’m here to report that it was a blast.
The coaches (Kevin Seitzer, Willie Wilson, Dave Howard, Brian McRae, Jeff Montgomery, Dennis Leonard, Mark Davis, Frank White, John Mayberry, Les Norman, Marty Pattin, Greg Pryor, Jamie Quirk, Jon Warden, John Wathan, and Jerry Terrell) were responsible for about 70 campers ages about 32-75 or so. We split up into 6 teams and played double headers every day with the exception of one day in which the campers played the alumni. For that “game” I caught 6 innings and played 12 in the infield. Ouch.
It was a long day, from about 8 in the morning till 10;00 at night. We had breakfast, Kangaroo Court, game, lunch, game, shower, some kind of dinner event, then sleep and repeat.
The campers all played really hard and with tons of passion. It was a pleasure to see. They all had their own unique stories of how they got there and where they came from. Doctors, lawyers, IRS agents, cops, teachers, you name it. They came from as far as Australia. There were a lot of father/son combos and one family had eight campers. Some had skills, many didn’t. But really, it didn’t matter. To a man, everyone had a great time, made lifelong friendships, and got a taste of the bonds that develop from playing on a team.
I’ll leave you with a picture of what happens when you don’t play baseball for about 20 years and then come out and play a week’s worth of double headers. You may have to click on the photo to see the discoloration and get the full effect. This camper blew out both hamstrings the first day…but didn’t miss an inning the entire week. The white cream on there is some kind of icy hot or something. Suffice to say, by the end of the week, there were some gimpy fellas.
Brent,
Thanks for putting this on your Blog. I am Ed Holland, father of Kevin, he loves your book by the way. Thank you for signing it for him. Kevin and I both thought you were one of the nicest coaches at Fantasy Camp.
I had the best week of my life because I spent it playing baseball with my son and best friend, Kevin. I coached Kevin for 13 years, but we never played on the same team and this year we did. Playing baseball together is the common denominator that we dreamed about. My first Fantasy Camp was in 1992, Kevin was 13 yrs old, he came with me and he told me during that camp that he would love to play baseball with me when he turns 30 and this year our dream came true. Our 17 yr baseball itch was fulfilled last week. I want to thank you and all the other coaches for giving us old guys the ability to fantasize again and have the opportunity to play the game we truly love……..BASEBALL!!! I am 55 yrs old and beat up, but I felt like a young kid again last week. Thnaks again Brent for being so special to my son, Kevin. Ed Holland
It was truly my pleasure Ed….and oh yeah, your “kid” Kevin can PLAY! You two killed my team! See you again next year??? Brent
This is what the game is all about. This is why it was invented!
“Hey Dad, wanna have a catch!?”
Ray Kinsella-Field of Dreams