Latest news with #youthbaseball
Forbes
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Ryan Klesko Among Ex-MLB Players Involved In Birmingham Youth Clinic
Former Atlanta Braves player Ryan Klesko reacts after hitting the ball in the 1995 World Series ... More Champions vs. Braves Legends softball game before a baseball game between the Braves and the Miami Marlins, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland) Ryan Klesko last played in Major League Baseball in 2007. Eighteen years later, he remains heavily involved in the game. Klesko runs the Atlanta Braves' scout teams, which primarily consists of high school-aged players. Klesko made his major-league debut with Atlanta in 1992 and spent the first eight seasons of his 16-year career as an outfielder/first baseman with the Braves. And Klesko also joined Perfect Game last year as a special assistant to ownership. Perfect Game, based in Sanford, Fla., is the world's largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service. Klesko enjoys coaching and instructing young players as much he did playing in the major leagues, where he hit 278 home runs in 1,726 games with the Braves, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. 'I would have never made it (to the major leagues) if I wouldn't been from the help from my Little League coach, or the first camp that I went to my mom and my high school coach,' said Klesko, a native of Westminster, Calif. 'We didn't grow up with a lot of money and we're always scraping funds together to play travel ball. I would have never made it without those people doing it and this is my way of paying it forward.' Giving it back will be the theme on May 19 when Perfect Game, in conjunction with The Sports Facilities Companies, will hold a Kids Camp at the Hoover Met Plex in Hoover, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The event will be held a day before the Southeastern Conference Tournament will begin in Hoover. Klesko is one of five former big-league players scheduled to attend with Wes Helms, Brett Myers, Tom 'Flash' Gordon and Jason Phillips. Nearly 500 students from Birmingham City Schools and Hoover City Schools will attend and rotate through various on-field activities featuring athletic games, skill instruction and competitive challenges. Every participant receives a Rawlings baseball glove, Perfect Game baseball and an event T-shirt. Perfect Game vice president of scouting operations Jered Goodwin will oversee the camp. The camp is especially meaningful for Goodwin, who spent the first 13 years of his baseball career as a high school coach after playing collegiately at Birmingham Southern. 'I come from an education background, and the travel team I started with, the emphasis was on underprivileged and minority kids and so when I got into Perfect Game, it was kind of a natural fit,' Goodwin said. (Perfect Game) has been doing philanthropy around our All-American Game for 20 years but I've moved into kind of the underprivileged kids' camp. So, it was a natural fit that I wanted to be involved with stuff like this. 'We're thrilled to bring together MLB veterans, talented youth and our scouting team for a day that celebrates the game of baseball and gives back to the local community.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A (Little League) field day to reflect Harrisville's community spirit
May 9—HARRISVILLE — Since Harrisville Little League was founded 35 years ago, community spirit and commitment has enabled youth in the program to continue swinging for the fences. On Saturday, that spirit will be on display again when a new field in the Little League program is dedicated to a Harrisville couple credited with making the program what it is today. Advertisement A new sign at Chapman Park, town of Pitcairn, where Little Leaguers play, proudly displays the legacy of that couple on the home team dugout: "Dedicated in honor of Rick and Julie Chartrand, whose unwavering commitment, love, and decades of service have shaped the heart of Harrisville Little League. For over 30 years, Rick and Julie, alongside their devoted family, poured their time, energy, and care into this program, keeping the fields green and the spirit of youth baseball alive. This field stands as a lasting tribute to their legacy, a place where generations will continue to play, grow, and dream — just as the Chartrands always envisioned." Rick started Harrisville Little League in the spring of 1990 with one bat, a few baseballs, no uniforms, but with some very excited kids, Julie recalled. They played at a Harrisville Central School. "There wasn't anyone else in mind to dedicate that field to than Rick and Julie, which is our plan on Saturday," said Jessica Frerichs, one of four people who lead the local Little League. "We'll dedicate the field and have our opening day games." Advertisement It all begins at 10 a.m. After the National Anthem, there will be speeches and the official dedication. "All the teams will be dressed, ready to cheer, as we dedicate this new field to the Chartrands," Frerichs said. Rick retired in 2023 as buildings and grounds superintendent at Harrisville Central School. Julie works as guidance office secretary at the district. "They started the program at a small baseball field at the school with just a few teams," Frerichs said. "They ran this program through their children, their grandchildren and then some. About five years ago, their grandkids were playing modified and varsity sports, and they were ready to be at the field watching their grandkids, versus running the Little League. They are ready to retire from it. There's a few of us who stepped up." Now leading the program is Frerichs, her husband, Cody and another couple — Jason and Chelsea Thomas. Between them, they have five Little League players in the program. Advertisement Last year, the program received a grant of approximately $18,000 from the Pratt Northam Foundation. The private nonprofit seeks to be a catalyst to projects that improve the quality of life in the communities of the Black River Valley, from Boonville to Carthage. "The Chartrand family pretty much ran fundraising and volunteers," Frerichs said. "We've been very fortunate the past couple of years, where we've acquired some grants and funding from the town of Pitcairn and town of Diana that allows us to start off every year with a little bit of money to put into equipment, our concession stand and to replace anything that's broken." This year, funding, especially from the foundation, allowed Harrisville Little League to open a second field. It's next to the current field and had been a little-used practice site. Pierce's Trucking and Excavating did the field work and provided the bid that helped the program win the grant with Pratt Northam. Matt Pierce and his two sons, Rhyan and Nick Pierce, performed the work. With two fields, the program is better equipped to handle its growth. This year, there's approximately 80 players enrolled. "When we first started off, we were at about 50," Frerichs said. "Within the last few years, we brought T-ball back. That helped us in that 4-to-6-age range to get them integrated into Little League." Advertisement Field 1 legacy The Little League fields are at Chapman Park, named for T.W. Chapman who donated the land for the fields. The original field is dedicated to Fred E. Vallencour, who died in 2005 at the age of 76. "The land was acquired by T.W. Chapman in 2004, essentially through Fred's efforts," Frerichs said. "Fred was instrumental in convincing Mr. Chapman to donate the field to Harrisville Little League," Julie said. "With the help of the community, and a $10,000 grant from Northern New York Community Foundation, we were able to make Rick's 'Field of Dreams' a reality. In the spring of 2007, we had our opening day in Chapman Park." Advertisement Julie said that there have been many volunteers over the years who have made Harrisville Little League a great success. "It's way too many to name, but they know who they are, and we are forever grateful to those Little League volunteers who made a positive impact on the youth of our community." After 31 years of running the Little League program, Rick turned the reins over to the town of Pitcairn Parks & Recreation. "We are very grateful to Jessica and Cody Frerichs and Jason and Chelsea Thomas, who through Pitcairn Parks and Recreation are running the Harrisville Little League Baseball and softball programming, and doing a fine job," Julie said. The program, she added, has come a long way since its first game in 1990 against a well-established Little League team. Advertisement "Our kids' faces fell when the opposing team walked on the field all suited up with uniforms, many coaches and great equipment," Julie said. "When our kids mentioned, 'We don't have uniforms,' Coach Rick said, 'Uniforms don't make a baseball team. We have heart and we're going to win.' In the back of his mind, he felt the same way as the kids, but the only thing he would show to the kids was a positive attitude and great belief in his team. That day, our team walked away with not only a big win but huge grins and determination." When the first pitch is thrown on Saturday and the sun, forecast to come out after a long, soggy week, Frerichs will be among those on the fields who will realize Little League is about more than baseball. "It's having something for these kids to do and to have them in the right direction as they go into their middle and high school ages," she said. "It's laying the foundation of teamwork, hard work, sportsmanship and leadership. It all starts at this age level."
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Chet Lemon, World Series champion with Tigers, dies at 70
The Detroit Tigers lost one of their beloved stars Thursday when Chet Lemon died at the age of 70. Lemon, an outfielder, won the World Series with the famed 1984 Tigers team. Lemon spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox, earning back-to-back All-Star nods in 1978 and 1979 and leading the American League with 44 doubles in the latter season. Ahead of the 1982 season, the Sox traded him to the Tigers, and the move looked like an early win for Chicago. Lemon's batting average dipped from .302 to .266. The following season, he hit .255. But he had a resurgence in 1984, raising his average to .287 with a .495 slugging percentage, the second-best of his career. He earned his third and final All-Star nod that season. In the '84 World Series, Lemon hit .294 in five games. He and his teammates were honored at Comerica Park in September to commemorate the 40th anniversary of that title. "While he was a World Series champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development," the Tigers said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Chet's family, friends and all those he coached, mentored and inspired." "Chet was a cherished teammate and friend," former teammate and Hall of Famer Alan Trammell said in a statement of his own. "I'm so thankful for the time we spent together last summer when the 1984 team had its 40th reunion at Comerica Park. Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed." Lemon also led the league in being hit by pitches four times. A blood disorder in 1990 played a role in Lemon's career being cut short after 16 seasons. A year later, he was in intensive care due to a blood clot. Over the years, he had numerous health issues, including a series of strokes. He had been living in Florida at the time of his death. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Reuters
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Former Tigers, White Sox OF Chet Lemon dies at 70
May 8 - Three-time All-Star center fielder Chet Lemon, who won a World Series with the 1984 Detroit Tigers, died Thursday at his home in Florida. He was 70. "He was sleeping on his reclining sofa," his wife, Gigi Lemon, told the Detroit Free Press. "He just wasn't responsive." Lemon had battled a rare blood disease for the past three decades and had suffered a series of strokes, leaving him unable to walk or talk. Lemon played seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox from 1975-81 and nine with the Tigers from 1982-90. He batted .273 with 215 homers, 884 RBIs, 973 runs and 1,875 hits in 1,988 games. Lemon set a still-standing American League record for outfielders with 512 putouts during the 1977 season. He led the American League with 44 doubles in 1979 and made the All-Star teams in 1978, 1979 and 1984. Lemon batted .294 with a run, an RBI and two stolen bases against the San Diego Padres as Detroit won the 1984 World Series in five games. "The Detroit Tigers join all of baseball in mourning the passing of Chet Lemon," the team said. "While he was a World Series champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development. "Our thoughts are with Chet's family, friends and all those he coached, mentored and inspired." Lemon returned to the Motor City in September 2024 as the Tigers marked the 40th anniversary of that title. He was confined to a wheelchair but enjoyed the emotional reunion with his teammates, his wife said. "You know how much you were a part of us," former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell told him, per the Detroit Free Press. "We wouldn't have won it without you. You know that." Lemon was born in Jackson, Miss., but the family moved to Los Angeles when he was an infant. The Oakland Athletics selected him with the No. 22 overall pick in the 1972 draft out of L.A.'s Fremont High School. --Field Level Media
