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After playing professional baseball for nearly two decades, you might want to take a break. Not Rich Amaral, who decided to begin a fundamentals camp in his final season in the Major Leagues.

“I decided that, since I had four kids and my son was little league age, it would be a good idea to do some kind of a camp over the winter to try to raise some money for the little league. We put it together to the little league board but we weren’t sure what kind of turnout it would have. We ended up having over 150 kids show up so it turned out to be something that was really good.”

That would be an understatement. The camp flourished, and Amaral is now in his tenth season with it, which he admitted is much longer than he initially predicted. The camp, which is held two weeks in the winter and two weeks in the summer, helps little leaguers work on their fundamentals and covers all of the basics of entry level baseball. It even includes dugout etiquette, which Amaral takes very seriously.

“We have our own session for it, and there are so many things that these kids do not yet know at this age,” explained Amaral.

While Amaral wants kids to take part in his camp, he also understands that there is not a better motivation than enjoying the task at hand. 

“I try to make it fun and my big thing is to teach the kids to hustle and have a lot of fun. If you don’t have fun in baseball, it won’t last. You won’t have kids that will continue to love it. If you get kids started early who enjoy it, those kids will be lifelong baseballs fans regardless of how much they play.”

I was able to talk to Amaral about his playing days, as well. He began in the Chicago Cubs organization and bounced around the minor leagues in the northeast. He then went to the Seattle Mariners, where he spent the majority of his career. When I asked about his rookie year and what it was like to play for Lou Piniella, I didn’t expect such a great story to begin unfolding before my very eyes.

“Here I was, a 31-year old rookie competing for a middle infield job against 23-year old Bret Boone,” said Amaral. “Lou Piniella didn’t care who you were, he was just all about winning. Most organizations would have said that Boone was their future and that they would want to give him some major league experience, but Lou gave me the job.  Lou was the type of guy that would just take the best players at that time and he felt like I was the best.”

Amaral had a career .276 batting average, and his best season came in 1996. He hit .292 in 118 games, hitting 3 triples while stealing 29 bases. Amaral played in over 100 games in a season twice in his career, with the other season being in 1993. Playing every position but pitcher and catcher, Amaral did what it took to be the best team player possible.

“I came up as a second baseman and I was comfortable with it. I had to learn how to play shortstop and third base on the way up through the minor leagues. I really enjoyed playing center field. I loved running balls down, trying to rob base hits. Another position that I enjoyed playing was first base because you are involved with every play and there is a lot of action. All in all, as a player you need to do what it takes to stay in the big leagues, and for me it was to be as versatile as I could.”

Following the 1998 season, the Mariners had developed other players to fill his spot, so he became a free-agent and began to look elsewhere. He was thrilled when the Orioles showed interest because Camden Yards was his favorite ballpark to play at and he began his career on the east coast.

“I was glad to be able to experience East coast baseball, since I was familiar with the area. With the American League East, the East coast was a bit rougher. It was neat to be a part of that, especially getting a chance to play with Cal (Ripken) and a few other guys. I look back and realize what an experience it was to play for a couple teams.”

Last season, Amaral worked in the Mariners organization coaching the baserunners from the minor leagues to the majors. 

“It was a part-time job. It was a lot of fun. I didn’t do it this year, as they have a new General Manager and cleaned out their staff.”

One particular player who caught his eye while working in Seattle was a player named Tyson Gillie, who, like myself, has a severe hearing loss. Gillies is in single-A, but is a big time prospect and played in the Futures Game. He also played in Major League Spring Training this year.

“I saw him last year and he won me over by his attitude and determination. I think, at some point, the way he works and his desire, he will be in the big leagues some day. He is in high-A ball right now and he is working his way. Maybe in 2-3 years if things keep going well for him, he will get a shot in the big leagues.”

Amaral said 2008 was his only season working in baseball since he retired, explaining that he has wanted to spend time with his family over the course of the past years.

“As a baseball player, the thing people don’t realize is the sacrifice you have to take when you have family in your life. Yeah, we had the offseason which was great, but during the year, I missed little league games and other important things. I was blessed to be a big leaguer and there were a lot of great things, but the things you miss out on are things with your family. When I retired, I was able to spend a lot of time working with my kids, helping them out in the classroom. I started to work in the mortgage business, and I’ve done that for six years.”

Now that Amaral has been retired and has some time on his hands, he was able to travel with his son’s team to Cooperstown All-Star Village and compete with teams from around the country. During his stay in the Cooperstown area, Amaral was able to check out the Hall of Fame and look at some plaques of his former teammates.

“I was in Cooperstown 26 years ago right out of college but coming back now it means a lot more to me. It shows how hard it is to be a hall of famer, and to actually see some of the plaques of the guys that I played with up there was neat, too. It was really special for me to get back and look at that.”

As Amaral continues to be involved with his kids’ lives by traveling to Cooperstown and running a camp, he also realizes that they will soon grow up and that it will soon be time for him to think about the next chapter in his life. 

“My kids are getting older to the point where I am thinking about getting back into baseball and see if it would be a good fit.”

With those words, it appears to be inevitable that we will see more of Rich Amaral in Major League Baseball.

It’s just a matter of when.

The next season, he did just that. He led the Giants to an impressive 11-5 record in 2005, snatching the NFC East title. He has continued to lead his team into the postseason, as the Giants have been in the playoffs four consecutive years which includes two division titles and most impressively, a Super Bowl Title.

Expectations are extremely high in New York, and when you meet high expectations, expect a big reward. When Manning led the Giants to the Super Bowl, as a WILD CARD, and beat the undefeated Patriots, I think he won his extension right there and then. 

When you take into consideration all of the factors that make up Manning’s expectations, you are going to end up with quite a lengthly list. Not only is he the quarterback for a team in the media capital of the world, but let’s not forget to mention that he is in the shadow of one of the best quarterbacks of all-time in his brother Peyton. May I also mention that their father also played in the NFL.

You get the idea. Yet, Eli has ironically kept a low profile throughout his NFL career despite his popularity. Not known for saying much, not known for reacting too much following a play, and not known for his media headlines off the field, Eli seems to be handling life in the Big Apple like it’s a piece of cake — which we all know, is not.

While I do not believe NFL players (or any athletes) should make as much money as they do, I do believe that they should be paid what they deserve compared to the rest of the league. For ex: Player A is making $2 million each season but not exactly living up to expectations, while Player B is making $1 million each season and putting up record numbers, Player B deserves to be paid more than A, even if neither deserves that much money.

In Eli’s case, I believe he deserves this money because he is doing better than other players of his overall caliber, especially with his excess baggage in the spotlight. Now, newspapers will start chirping about whether the quarterback will live up to the expectations with this new contract. Let them, they need something to write about.

Besides, what makes you think that he won’t? After all, he certainly lived up to the expectations of his first contract.

I recently had a chance to talk with Jeff Dellenbach, who did just that.

Although this all sounds like it was a piece of cake, Dellenbach didn’t just snap his fingers and become a Super Bowl Champion. It took years of work, training, and even changing sides of the ball.

“I was highly touted coming out of high school as a defensive end,” explained Dellenbach. “I went through my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin as a defensive end, came to spring football where things were looking real good, and came back to find out that several offensive lineman were struggling with grades.”

Mistakes open doors, and I’m sure those players are quite embarrased to this day. The coaching staff exploited their situation and swapped Dellenbach over to the other side of the ball to the offensive line.

“I wasn’t real thrilled about it,” laughed Dellenbach. “At that point, I did what I had to do.”

If Dellenbach was able to make it to the NFL as an offensive lineman, imagine what kind of potential he would have reached if he was able to stay at defensive line where he would have preffered to be.

Not only were they throwing Dellenbach around the football field from one side of the ball to the other, they continued to move him around like a hot potato for the rest of his college career. Dellenbach played guard his sophomore year and tackle his junior and senior year. When you put it all together, Dellenbach played three positions in his college career on two sides of the ball.

Although Dellenbach turned into a nomad on the football field, he was able to adjust to the positions and ended up getting drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL draft.

Dellenbach went onto play for nearly a decade with Miami under Don Shula before a two-year stint in New England under Bill Parcells.

“I was fortunate to have played for some very good coaches, being able to play for Don Shula for ten years, then Bill Parcells. Bill was a little different in some ways that he would push you kind of hard and he was a no-nonsense kind of coach,” explained Dellenbach.

Parcells, who is currently working in the front office of Dellenbach’s first team, the Dolphins, was a head coach for the Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys.

“Knowing Bill Parcells, you never had to worry about him talking behind your back,” laughed Dellenbach.

Following his quick pit stop in New England, Dellenbach couldn’t have wanted anything other than having the opportunity to return home and play for his childhood team, the Packers. Dellenbach returned to his home state of Wisconsin to play for Green Bay in 1996, where he no doubt reached the climax of his career.

“It was great to come back to Green Bay, especially growing up a Packer fan. My grandfather actually had season tickets to Packer games, which you don’t come by very easily,” said Dellenbach. “Going to some games with him when I was young, playing college football in Wisconsin, I hoped to be drafted by the Packers out of college. It didn’t turn out that way, and I figured that was never going to happen.”

13 years after his NFL career began, he was finally back home. By playing for Green Bay, Dellenbach was able to find the final piece of his puzzle of his NFL dream.

Dellenbach got to know Brett Favre, and the two would spend time hunting and fishing in Alabama during their free time.

“On the field, Brett’s a great competitor and he’s fun to be around. Off the field, he’s a clown. He likes to have a lot of fun and he turns into a simple, blue jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.”

One season after leaving the Patriots, Dellenbach was facing them in Super Bowl XXXI. Although the Packers trailed 14-10 after the first quarter, they scored 17 unanswered points before halftime and ended up winning, 35-21.

“It was a great three-year experience. The Super Bowl is great, considering you spend your whole life dreaming of reaching the top and being the best. In the end, there really are only 53 guys who are happy.”

As the dust began to settle on his Super Bowl win, Dellenbach was back to the Super Bowl the next year with Green Bay, except it didn’t exactly go his way.

“Compared to winning it the year before, losing the Super Bowl was just a miserable feeling.”

Finally, after experiencing two sides of a Super Bowl, Dellenbach’s career began to wind down. After one more season in Green Bay, Dellenbach played for the Eagles in the 1999 season before eventually retiring after a short stop in Seattle in 2000.

After his NFL playing career, Dellenbach tried coaching with the Dolphins, but he said that wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do. He had kids in high school, which took time away from them, but he still wanted to be involved as a coach.

It all worked out, as Dellenbach began coaching high school football, which he still does today. Currently residing in Florida, he opened a training institute in 2005, helping athletes of all ages, shapes, sizes, and sports. The institute has even attracted major league baseball players.

Hernandez made his major-league debut in 1974 with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played for nine and a half seasons. He had some problems getting along with the manager and some others in the organization, leading to his trade to the Mets. But before he was traded to the Mets, he said that one person who gave him the best advice was Lou Brock, who held the career stolen base record until Rickey Henderson broke it.

“He helped me as far as handling the game on a day out, day in basis basis, not getting too high, too low, not taking it on an even keel.”

Following the trade to the Mets, Hernandez patched up his reputation and worked hard each day. He won a World Series with the Mets in 1986, while eventually becoming captain of the team in 1987.

Keith: Mets are Best Team in NL East

As many people know, Keith Hernandez has been working in the SNY booth with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling for the past few years, so he has a great idea of how the team that he follows each and every day looks like. Keith likes the Mets’ chances this year much better than he did at the beginning of last year, but he explains their weaknesses.

“They’re better with Santana, but they’re still an old team, so injuries are going to be critical. They’ve already got their share of injuries, but I feel that they’re better this year. If they are able to stay healthy, they are better than they were last year.”

He even told me that the Mets are the best team in the NL East. Speaking of the NL East, I asked him about his opinion on the comments made earlier in Spring Training by Mets Outfielder Carlos Beltran.

“I don’t know if it was smart, but I don’t mind it. I liked it,” said Hernandez. “I like the fact that he said that, especially coming from him.”

“My main focus of the off-season was to get into the best shape possible so that individually, I could go put my best effort into 2008,” said Wright. “A lot of that had to do with going away with some of the promotion and endorsement stuff, so I feel good about the shape that I come into camp in, and I want to make sure that what happened last year is a one-time thing, it doesn’t happen again.

“This year coming into Spring Training, we all have positive energy. Especially with what happened at the end of last year, we get a chance to focus on the additions to the team, Johan Santana, Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, these guys rather than the negatives of what happened last year.”

Wright also knows that the hard work will pay off. He worked hard in the off-season, and he was rewarded with a nice package around the time of Super Bowl XLII, when the Mets traded for Johan Santana without getting rid of too many talented prospects. Many thought that this trade was a steal.

“We did lose some good minor leaguers, but when you get in return a guy that is one of the best pitchers in baseball, who is still relatively young, I think it was a great trade for us,” explained Wright. “What he does on the field, the numbers speak for itself, but what he does in the clubhouse, he is a great leader and is going to be one of the great leaders on this team for years to come.”

I also had a chance to talk to Wright about kids and baseball. He told me his opinion for kids that play baseball:

“Just have fun, that is the most important advice that I could give any young player. Too many young players take the game too seriously. Just enjoy it. That is the way I try to go out there and approach every game. Learn teamwork. It’s a team game and they can learn valuable teamwork lessons. Getting a chance to play baseball for a living, I was very fortunate to be in that position. Just go out there, smile, have fun, and enjoy it.

David and Norfolk

David Wright grew up in Virginia near the Mets AAA affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. He was also able to play there in AAA, but one day he received the news that the Mets AAA affiliate was getting moved to New Orleans. I asked him whether he was sad that the Mets AAA moved away.

“Well, I got a chance to play in front of my family and my friends. But selfishly, I’m glad I got that opportunity, but it’s sad to see the team go.”

I also asked him about the first time he was called up to the big leagues, when he was with AAA Norfolk. I asked him who he called first and how it turned out

“My parents were obviously my first call. I was called up in Norfolk, where I lived. Getting a chance to call my parents was very exciting and it was like a dream come true, but when you think about it, I was just getting started. You spend all of your life getting to the big leagues, and once you get to the big leagues, it’s a whole ‘nother chapter. You’re just starting back from square one.”

Watch the WHOLE NL East

“Last year we learned a hard lesson that we can’t take anyone for granted. The Nationals and Marlins the last two weeks of the season beat up on us pretty good, so I don’t think there is necessarily one team that I would say concerns me more than others. You have Philadelphia, who won the division last year, Atlanta, who is always a perennial powerhouse, so there’s not one team that I’m scared of, there’s not one team I would say I’m nervous about because I’m nervous about all of them. You have to take the game very seriously.”

After setting a record for the longest hitting streak of a person over 40 years of age, which set a franchise record and also was the longest streak in MLB since 2006, Mets LF Moises Alou scratches his head thinking of what else he could have done to help a team that couldn’t win in September. Of course you could say woulda, shoulda, coulda all day long, but it’s much simpler to just focus on the task at hand.

“That happened last year and you just have to be positive about it,” said the 41-year-old 0utfielder. “You just have to work harder to have a better season.”

Moises Alou is one of Horse-Racing’s biggest fans. He even has his own collection of horses back at home, several of whom were named after MLB players. Other than working hard to prepare for the next season, working with his horses is probably something he did during a tough off-season to get the collapse off his mind and instead look forward to the future… until of course a huge move was made by the Mets Front Office. They were able to acquire arguably baseball’s best pitcher, Johan Santana, for only a few talented prospects, while at the same time were able to keep other prospects that were rumored to be shipped away, like Mike Pelfrey.

“When you have a pitcher of Santana’s caliber, it really gives you a lot of confidence into the season.”

The confidence is huge. Even though had the Mets finished to their potential last September, they would have won the division, the players were not only shocked at what happened, but worried that they were not a powerhouse anymore. And besides, just look at the Phillies, not a powerhouse by any means, but the confidence they have now after winning the NL East last season looks pretty high.

“I think before the Santana trade, we felt like we had a very good team. We just have to stay stronger throughout the season, we have to stay injury-free, hopefully catch some breaks, and with the talent that we have, we should go all the way.”

The deal for the lefty Santana looked real nice when it happened, and it has only looked better ever since. He reported to camp early, there are no problems, and schedule-wise, he is right on track.

Every team in the NL East is excited. The Phillies just won the division, the Braves have a great rotation, and the Nationals and Marlins were able to prove their potential against the Mets in the last week of 2007. Alou says the Phillies and Braves look to the be Mets’ biggest worry, but if the Mets focus on their own work, they should be fine.

“The Philles are the defending champions,” said Alou. “They have a good closer in Brad Lidge. Atlanta is always a good team. They know how to win, and they play well. I think with the team that we have, we shouldn’t worry about it, we should just worry about ourselves.”

Like Moises said, as long as this team stays healthy, they should be fine. They had some serious bumps and bruises last year that kept the team apart at times, especially in the starting rotation, but this year everything seems fine, although it is only spring training.

Following the game, I chased SNY’s Keith Hernandez out of the elevator at Tradition Field to the parking lot, where I was able to do a short 5 or 6 question interview.

When we figured we might as well walk back into the stadium to try and see if any players were remaining (this is probably an hour or so after the game was over), and we saw someone sitting at a bench with some organization that was doing a quick video and autograph thing before leaving. Nobody else was there except for them David Wright, and us. We approached him, and I asked him if he would do an interview and he said “Sure, no problem.”

David Wright is the nicest person ever. Even when we hadn’t talked to him yet, he said hi to us and asked how we were doing just when we were walking by him. I was able to do a 5 minute interview with him, and it concluded a crazy, but GREAT day.

I’ll have the David Wright transcript tomorrow.

I also sat in the Braves dugout for a quick interview with Braves Catcher Javy Lopez and asked him some questions for the Baseball Youth magazine, and some others.

I am going to try and snatch an interview with a starting player walking out of the players’ parking lot later in the game when they leave.

The practice fields are nice, they have the dimensions of CitiField, and some of the players were having a hard time getting the balls over the tall parts of the outfield wall.

More updates later…

Matt Tracy interview with Endy Chavez.

1. Matt: How do you think spring training has gone so far?

Chavez: We are doing good because we are doing the little things, we a€™re working hard, and we’€™re taking a lot of advantage. The reaction is very comfortable, and we’re getting a lot of good reaction.

2. Matt: Will the bullpen and the offense hold for the starting pitching this season?

Chavez: Our starting pitching is very solid. We need to be consistent and need to make some runs, and we don’t have any problems on defense.

3. Matt: What did you think about today’€™s game?

Chavez: Today’s game? We played pretty good. We had a close game, We won, we hit the ball pretty good, and we played good defense, getting good pitching, doing good job.

4. Matt: What was everyone’€™s reaction to the catch you made in Game 7?

Chavez: Everybody was going crazy. Everyone said €œthat was a nice catch, that was a good catch that I’€™ve never seen before. It was fun, it was special.