Rain doesn't damper Powell camp

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Feb. 8, 2004
COLLINSVILLE Mother Nature didn't quit cooperate with the 10th annual Jay Powell Baseball Camp, but to borrow a line from the theatre The show must go on.
The 75 participants at the camp hosted by Powell, a relief pitcher for the Texas Rangers, and Rush Foundation Hospital moved from the baseball field at West Lauderdale into the school's gyms for the day-long camp, which ran from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
The move from the dirt and grass of the diamond didn't damper the spirits for the camp participants, who were charged $35 for the baseball tutorial. The
camp fee included a T-shirt and lunch, and all of the proceeds went to Wesley House.
Powell, who was the Florida Marlins' winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, brought with him a host of players from various levels in professional baseball.
Former West Lauderdale players Paul Phillips, who is with the Kansas City Royals organization, and Jamie Brown, who plays in the Cleveland Indians organization, pitched in to help at the camp.
Other professional baseball players that helped instruct the group of third through eight graders included: Glenn Allen native Barry Wesson, who is with the Anaheim Angels, Michael Roseman of the Houston Astros, Jason Smith of the Detroit Tigers, Chad Alexander of the Chicago Cubs, Brian Bass of the Kansas City Royals and Jonathan Van Every of the Cleveland Indians.
While the five-hour camp didn't allow for instructors to go into minute detail of every aspect of baseball, the young players did learn many of the basic tools needed to become successful players.
The campers were divided up by age into three separate groups, and they rotate between three gyms on the high school's campus going over different parts of the game at each station.
Kids were taught the basics of catching and throwing the ball, how to run the bases (though at a slower speed because of being on a gym floor) and hitting technique.
Along with helping the kids progress on the baseball diamond, the camp also focused on getting the participants excited about playing baseball.
In the morning session, instructors ran the young players through various drills to hone and sharpen their talents.
After breaking for lunch around noon, the campers put what they learned in the morning to work, with different contest and a game of whiffle ball.
Powell said the most important thing the kids can take away from the one-day camp isn't the performed throughout the clinic but the lessons they learned by trying what the instructors asked them do to.