For the first time ever, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) will host a free youth baseball clinic in Alabama, and Red Bay will be the host city.
Details were announced Monday that the City of Red Bay would host the Legends for Youth clinic on Saturday, October 28th, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Red Bay Dixie Youth Baseball Field.
Red Bay High School varsity baseball coach Richard Maggerise will take the lead in organizing the event that will include kids from across Franklin, Colbert, Lauderdale and Marion Counties. Up to 150 youth are eligible to participate in the free clinic.
The Legends for Youth are coming to Franklin County through the organizational efforts of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Randy McGilberry. McGilberry met Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow (D-Red Bay) in Montgomery while McGilberry was in Montgomery during debate on Senate Bill 302, the Alabama Prison Transformation Initiative Act. McGilberry's son Seth is a corrections officer at St. Clair Correctional Facility. He was stabbed in the line of duty last year. Though his son recovered, McGilberry maintains an active role in the Alabama Correction Officers Association, where he serves as president.
McGilberry and Morrow became friends, and Morrow and his wife Martha invited McGilberry and his wife to spend the weekend in Franklin County last week. The two met with Maggerise, Red Bay Mayor Charlene Fancher, Troy Rutland from the Cherokee Park and Recreation Department, Dean Hubbard from Red Bay Park and Rec and Tony Shackelford, a former baseball coach at Northwest-Shoals Community College.
“When Johnny Mack found out I played major league baseball and our alumni association does these camps, he asked how can we get a camp in this area,” McGilberry said. “As a kid growing up in Saraland, Alabama, we never had any opportunities like this to deal with people from the big leagues or even the college level. We just played ball by the seat of our pants. We're trying now to give back to communities through guys who have made it and give kids who otherwise might not have these opportunities the opportunity to take part. Lots of kids will come to this camp who, if they had to pay to go to camp, wouldn't be there,” he added.
McGilberry said the clinic will be for kids of all ages and skill levels. Registration will be coordinated through the host city of Red Bay.
There are approximately 8,000 living major league baseball players. McGilberry will work to get some alumni from this area involved in the clinic, like Josh Willingham and Jon Lieber of Alabama.
“We plan for this to be the first of many years of camps here in Red Bay, so if a child isn't chosen this year, he or she will have the opportunity next year. Where better to start this program in Alabama than Franklin County?,” Morrow said.
Fancher said she was impressed with McGilberry when she sat down with him and learned about the Legends for Youth program.
“First and foremost, it's about kids and creating opportunities for them. I love what Randy said about the program. It's not only teaching baseball technique, but helping these kids in life make the right choices,” Fancher said. “Anytime we have the opportunity in Red Bay to host an event that benefits children, we welcome the opportunity.”
The Legends for Youth clinics began in 1996. Last year, major league alumni held more than 150 clinics for more than 16,500 children. The program's mission is: 1. To provide a fun, positive baseball experience; 2. To provide children with positive role models at our life skills station, where we talk to them about substance abuse, stress the importance of education and help them recognize they have the ability to make positive decisions; 3. To teach young ballplayers the game's fundamentals in a multi-station format.
A typical clinic sees around 150 kids with seven or eight coaches. Kids rotate through eight stations that include instruction on base running, throwing, outfield play, hitting, bunting, pitching, infield, catching and life skills. An autograph session takes place at the end of the clinic.
For more information on the Legends for Youth program, log onto www.mlbpaa.mlb.com.
