Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 2, 1991 TAG: 9103020196
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Savitz, a financial consultant who lives in Franklin County, finished up a week at the Los Angeles Dodgers' training camp at Vero Beach, Fla., in February.
For professional ballplayers, spring training is only a prelude to bigger things. For Savitz, his week at Dodger camp was the thrill of a lifetime.
He learned base running and stealing from Lou Brock, the fleet-footed former Cardinals' outfielder. He got tips on hitting from greats Duke Snider and Willie Stargell, advice on pitching from Bob Feller, the winningest pitcher in Cleveland Indians' history.
Savitz was a participant in what are aptly called fantasy camps. His other coaches included Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Bob Gibson, Catfish Hunter, Warren Spahn, Hoyt Wilhelm and Enos Slaughter.
Each November and February, grown men take a week out of their lives and cough up four-figure fees to work out with big league ballplayers.
It's a practice that began in the early 1980s and has continually grown, says Mike Vizvary, a spokesman for the Dodgers. The Dodgers operate three camps a year and run an average of 80 campers through each one, Vizvary says. One camper has been back 11 times.
What compelled Savitz to put himself through a week of intensive and sometimes painful training was the midlife milestone that sends some men to the dealer's lot for a red sports car.
"When I was approaching my 40th birthday, I thought of it as a treat for myself," Savitz says.
"I read a feature story in a magazine and it caught my interest. It was something I filed away."
Savitz doesn't consider himself a baseball fanatic. But his dormant interest in the sport came back to life a few years ago. Savitz had collected baseball cards when he was a youngster. Unlike most collectors, Savitz held onto his collection. As an adult, he became an active collector again and started to pay more attention to the sport he had lost touch with over the years.
"My playing experience was limited. I was a Little Leaguer until I was 12. When I got in high school, baseball wasn't a spectator sport in the school environment. Then the game started to change."
Free agents came into the picture, the stadiums changed and the players Savitz idolized retired.
"My interest started to wane. I continued to follow the game but not with the same passion," Savitz recalls.
But as his interest revived, Savitz thought more and more about a fantasy camp. He discussed it with his wife, who said she was all for it. Savitz began scouting for a camp.
He picked the Dodger camp for two reasons. The tennis courts, golf course, training facilities and lodging were all contained in its 400 acres. And many of the hosts and instructors at the camp played during the golden era of baseball that Savitz cherishes in his memory.
Savitz signed up and headed south for six days of intensive baseball. It wasn't by any means a pampered vacation.
"We started out with 44 players and lost five with broken bones," he says. "I had both hamstrings taped up and my elbow in ice every day.
"I thought I was ready," adds the trim Savitz, "but you hit 150 to 200 balls every day and you get blisters. But it pays off. You could see the difference from the first game to the last game."
The campers' average age was in the 40s, according to Savitz, and one was 66. After breakfast each day, the campers were allowed time for assistance with their aches and pains in the training room.
"It was a crowded place," Savitz says. Then the campers hit the field for jogging, stretching exercises, drills, and skill training.
"I was at the beach but never saw it," Savitz says. "It was a full day. You didn't have the energy for tennis or golf. And you had the company of those ballplayers and you didn't want to miss that." The Hall of Famers were helpful and down to earth, Savitz says.
All of the intensive training led to a series of games among camp teams. Savitz's teams emerged as camp champs. That honor led to a game against the Hall of Famers.
"They crushed us," Savitz says.
Along with their experiences, campers get to take away a lot of memorabilia including two Dodgers uniforms, a videotape, photos, certificates and baseball cards. The item that means most to Savitz is the ball that he belted for a single to right off of pitcher Bob Gibson. Savitz got Gibson to sign the ball.
"This was meant to be a one-shot deal," Savitz says about his experiences. "It took me away from my family for a week and I don't know that I'm that dedicated to baseball to do it again. But I made some good friends. Who knows? They may talk me into it."
by CNB