Major league MVP leads pitching clinic

By RAY QUEEN / For the Pilot

It was a million dollar coach's clinic put on for free by Glacier Babe Ruth on Saturday at the Armory in Whitefish. The clinic allowed local coaches to be immersed in more baseball fundamentals than this area has seen in a long time.

Out of retirement and present were Julio Delgado, former Kalispell Laker coach Billy Sapa and former Major League left-handed pitcher Sterling Hitchcock.

Hitchcock spent several years in the big leagues, originally drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 1992. He also pitched for the Mariners, Padres and Cardinals. He was named the National League Conference Series MVP in 1998 with San Diego.

"He played in the 'bigs' for 13 years," said Glacier Babe Ruth president Ray Queen. "We were just blessed with just some great drills. The cool key is teaching the coaches how to teach the kids."

The first annual coaches clinic was sponsored by Glacier Babe Ruth. Queen said it's imperative that they teach instructors the fundamentals of the game.

"Rather than kids learning basics in the legion level, we feel it's best that they learn basic fundamentals early in their career," he said. "If we can teach the coaches that are spending their volunteer time the basics, we can cover a lot more ground rather than putting on a clinic for players."

Queen said most baseball camps are not getting the basics across.

"We wanted to bring the meat and potatoes to the table and feed the coaches," he said. "It was an excellent day. These guys did a great job, and the coaches who came left the camp knowing much more about the game than before Saturday morning."

Queen said since they didn't go over everything, Glacier Babe Ruth plans to put on another clinic.

Hitchcock made the point that coaches need to make it fun for all the kids, so they can experience the positives in life. He recalled being a young Little Leaguer who would come in and mop up for an inning or two in every game just to get playing time. Later on, he pitched for the Yankees in a World Series.

"I think that all of us went away with a lot more knowledge of the game and the understanding that it is all about the kids," Queen said.

Anyone interested in being a volunteer or who would like to attend the next coaches clinic can contact Queen at 253-0857 or Brenda Houston at 892-2918.