Rounding Third but Heading for Home

Sorry for the gap in reports, but I have been shoveling 2 1/2 feet of snow. This will be the final Ponce blog -- and a bit of a long one.

On Friday morning as I was flying home to beat the Blizzard of '10 that was about to hit Washington, undefeated Team C-Cliburn took the field against Team D-Rasmussen in the championship game in the main stadium. Before I landed in Washington (one of the last planes of the day to make it in) Team C-Cliburn, with just 8 players, won the Ponce Florida championship. I don't have details, but here is a picture of the winning 9 (or rather 8 -- three of the original 11 had left early.) The remaining team looks sharp with Coach Cliburn in red and my teammates with their medals. (The medals are actually somewhat controversial -- most people would prefer a cheesy trophy such as those given in the past. After all it is easier to put a trophy casually someplace in the house where family, friends or neighbors might see it and, believe it or not, be impressed. As Elizabeth says, "There's no medals in Baseball!") To Legs, Gags, Mo and the rest of the team, congratulations.

So for me, a great week of baseball in Florida ended a day early and not with a bang but a whimper. I was very sorry to miss the championship game, but given the storm in DC, I am sure I would not have got back to town before Tuesday if I hadn't left early on Friday.

Still there are some final thoughts. Cleaning up an earlier mis-impression, at the suggestion of Elaine Learch I asked Coach Cliburn if he might be related to Van Cliburn. He said, "Oh yes, the piano player. Yes I am sure we are kin from somewhere -- we're from Mississippi and he's from Texas. So I'm sure we are kin." Glad to clear that up.

While I was warming up to start the game on Thursday morning, Jose Cardenal walked by and said, "Oh that looks good." He was referring to a hanging slider I had just thrown. He said, "You throw that, I'd hit it a long way!" Fair warning.

Victor Rodriquez' son -- also Victor -- was at the complex on Tuesday. He played baseball at Miami Dade College and Florida Gulf Coast University and has now graduated with a degree in sports administration. I saw on the FGCU website several years ago that his goal is to become general manager of the Red Sox. Victor said that Major League Baseball runs a program to train new scouts in the fall in Arizona -- and the Red Sox chose young Victor to attend this past fall. He is working but also doing some part-time scouting on the side. Speaks well of Victor, his son, and the Red Sox, I think, to give young Victor an opportunity to pursue his dream.

Coach Victor said that about 20 minor leaguers -- Rizzo, Anderson, Westmoreland, Daeges, etc. -- were already in the Red Sox complex to get a head start on spring training which doesn't start for minor leaguers until the end of the month. Victor also participated in the Red Sox Minor leaguers orientation week (for about a dozen top-rated prospects) in Boston last month. "They work from 7 to 7 every day -- working out, classroom, speakers, etc." He said the Celtics coach Doc Rivers spoke to the rookies and was very impressive.

In our third game on Thursday, the opposing team had a 140 year old battery -- a 71 year old pitcher, Dave Wheeler, and a 69 year old catcher. It may be one of the oldest batteries in organized baseball history -- so once again a Ponce (dubious) record. Dave Wheeler is actually a bit of a legend in Ponce -- he doesn't throw hard but has good control (keeps putting a little sinker on the low outside corner), has a rubber arm, and, as he says, has never visited the trainer or used ice. It is reported that people will pay his entrance into senior tournaments so that they will have a pitcher who can pitch every day. A month ago, he told me that last fall in November he played in Arizona one week in an over 60 year old tournament, the next week an over 65 tournament, and the next week an over 70 tournament -- and then the following week went to Florida to play in the Roy Hobbs over 60 wooden-bat tournament! My new life goal is to be Dave Wheeler.

It takes a lot out of everyone physically to play 9 games in five days. The trainers do a great job to prep and rehab people every day -- and the line to the trainers room, morning and evening, grows longer as the week goes on. For everyone by Wednesday and Thursday bending over to field a ball becomes a challenge and straightening back up even more so. Atomic Balm, ice, massage, and stretching all become more critical as the week goes on. I came through better this year than in the past -- I had very tight quads by Wednesday (but no hamstring problems), muscle spasms and tightening in the lower back by Thursday, and rotator cuff tendinitis that stayed irritated throughout the week but didn't keep me from throwing.

The support facilities at Terry Park -- in the past quite drab and in need of rehab -- are in the process of a complete makeover. Fencing, landscaping, new restrooms and upgraded dugouts have all been completed. The locker room we used was "in process" -- new lockers, but no running water - no toilets. That was a chilling thought to aging baseball players (average age of players about 54.) Fortunately the toilet facilities were nearby each of the fields -- so new meaning was given to the term "relief" pitcher.

The fields we played on are professional quality, and very well kept. Between games each day a grounds crew would rake the infield, repack the pitching mound and batters box, water the infield, and re-line the field. In the beginning of the week when it drizzled, 6 grounds crewmen would come out between innings to put sand and water absorbent on the field to keep it playable. The fields we played on were named for Connie Mack, George Brett, and Roberto Clemente -- all of whom played at the complex when the Philadelphia A's, Royals, and Pirates trained there -- and, the main field, Park T. Piggott -- a Fort Myers resident who helped maintain the complex.

Each year on Thursday night there is an Awards Dessert (if there can be an Awards Dinner I guess there can be an Awards Dessert.) Steve Liddle, camp director, gives his review of the week, including things he has never seen in his years in baseball, such as: "someone trying to steal third with the bases loaded." Its baseball humor, but sidesplitting and I am sure Steve could make a living as a stand-up comedian. The coach of each team will give his impressions of the week and then give awards to that team's MVP -- and this year -- another award for most inspirational player. The most striking thing is how these professional coaches talk about how much they enjoy the week working with geezers (even though they work all year long with real players), how they admire the love of baseball of the (aged) campers, and how they look forward to the week each year. Most of the coaches have done this camp for all 11 years it has existed. For us, they -- and the week-long immersion in baseball -- make the week.

Sorry for this long blog post. I hope the blog captured the week for those of you who are interested. This is the last post, but if you have questions or comments -- either post them on the blog or email me.

Three final thoughts: (1) Heard "Attaboy" all week from the coaches -- its been a long time since geezers heard that -- it warms the heart. (2) Mark Kosmo keeps reminding me of the retort: "It's better to be a has been than a never was." (3) And, as we used to say in Boston every winter until the 2004 championship season, "Wait until next year."