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SOMERS, N.Y. - Yankee Eduardo Nunez came to Somers on Tuesday and the kids at the Summer Trails Baseball Camp were left glowing with pleasure and armed with a bunch of good tips.
The Granite Springs camp accepts boys and girls between the ages of eight and 13, though most of the campers are boys. They play baseball all day long. They work with the pitching machine or go to the batting cages or practice bat control. They play intra-squad games, have infield and outfield practice and scrimmages. They do warm-ups and drills and hone their skills. And every so often a real pro comes to provide some inspiration.
The camp has hosted "Sweet Lou" Piniella, Howard "HoJo" Johnson and "Goose" Gossage, just to name a few. Jamie Sirkin, co-owner and one of the camp's directors, said, "To be a kid and have a pro athlete throw you a pitch -- that's your summer memory. No -- that's your childhood memory."
Greg Fitts, the baseball director, explained, "Nunez came for two hours and he worked with defense and talked about hitting and then he had batting practice with the older campers. Then he signed autographs and shook hands with everyone."
Two of the campers actually hit home runs off Nunez's pitches. "He was throwing pretty slow," said Pleasantville's 12-year-old, Daniel. "For the first five pitches I was pulling it. Then he gave me a pointer. He told me to hit one to the opposite field. Then I hit the home run." It was a thrill for Daniel, but it did not damage his allegiance to the Mets.
Twelve-year-old Justin of Chappaqua is a devoted Yankee fan. "For the first few pitches I was swinging too early. He told me to stay a little in the batter's box. I was falling away from the ball. Next time, I waited on it more and then I hit the home run."
The consensus among the other kids was that each day at camp is equivalent to a Home Run. "The coaches know how to make it fun!"
Summer Trails Baseball Camp will be operating until August 18 and there are still a few open spots for the final two weeks. Baseball, anyone?
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