special success stories

It was yet another surreal moment amid seven days of pure fantasy. In the game that capped the Detroit Tigers baseball camp — against the retired pros who had coached me — I found myself staring down 1968 World Series pitcher Jack Billingham in the first inning.

He froze me by throwing two quick inside fastballs, both thumping emphatically in the catcher's mitt. Then I remembered Willie Horton's wise words: “Get comfortable, dig in, figure out the strike zone, get ready, relax, and make contact.”

I whacked the next pitch into shallow left field, and to my surprise beat the throw to first. There really is something about mixing a supportive crowd — 500 of my team's friends and family in the stands — and adrenalin.

Baseball in Florida isn't just for major-league pros warming up at spring training. When Canada's amateur players, tired of the winter snows, yearn for the dog days of summer, seven days of “winter baseball” in January is a terrific tonic. There are about 15 major-league fantasy camps in Florida and Arizona that let wannabes play for their favourite team and rub elbows with childhood or adult heroes at spring-training facilities. This happens before the real players arrive in mid-February.

A Toronto Blue Jays fan, Harris grew up cheering on World Series winners John Olerud, Fred McGriff and Joe Carter. But the Jays don't run a fantasy camp, so last year's American League champs seemed like the next best thing.

To prepare, I began a regimen with a personal trainer to ensure I'd be ready to play and not ride the pine. (I also prepared mentally for the disappointment of not being offered a Major League Baseball contract.) Harris, however, works out regularly and played Division II ball for Colby College in Maine, so he was ready from the get-go.

Harris and I both landed in Tampa within minutes of each other early on a Sunday afternoon. We then drove an hour to bunk at the Tigers' winter home: the Holiday Inn in the town of Lakeland. The Tigers and Lakeland have been spring-training partners for 69 years, the longest such connection in the majors.

At the afternoon orientation, we mingled with the other participants before heading off to dinner in the Tiger Town commissary, a historic room with glass-topped tables displaying Tigers baseball cards and walls bearing numbered shirts and photos of legends Ty Cobb and Willie Horton, to name just a few.

The next morning we were thrilled to see our names and numbers on home and road uniforms hanging in our lockers. Wearing home whites, we stepped onto the green grass of Tiger Town, the five-field baseball complex with batting barns, training rooms, pitchers' mounds and classrooms. Before lunch, we were put through our paces. Former Tiger alumni Horton taught us to hit; Dick Tracewski, the infield; Rusty Kuntz coached the outfielders; and Mickey Lolich and Jack Billingham shared pitching tips.

Following batting practice, we were fired up to play six seven-inning games over the course of the week against fellow campers, with a championship game for the top two teams. Eighty-four wannabes — five Canadians, four women, four father-son combos, one father-son-daughter trio and four sets of brothers — averaging 51 years of age suited up and were divided into six teams with two ex-Tigers coaching each squad.

Here, then, is a highlight-reel account from Harris and I of our week playing for Kuntz and Billingham:
Game 1
Harris: We won 6-5 on a big first inning. Barely held them off the rest of the way. I went 0-2 with a walk. Didn't have my timing together. Pitched and saved the last inning. Scored a run. Played shortstop, except for that inning on the hill.

David: Played solid first base but missed a high pop fly in foul territory. Billingham said, “Eisey, you played that like a pro. After missing it, you looked up at the sky. Well done.”

Game 2
Harris: We lost a tight 2-1 game. Hit the ball well; tripled to the left-centre gap and singled to centerfield. Thought I was up with the bases loaded, but players ahead of me hit into a double play. The other, younger team had more depth. Again played shortstop, except for an inning in left field.

David: Played six of seven innings at first base. Shoulder hurt from long warm-up tosses to third and short. Harris returns my two-hoppers with hard-thrown shots that usually find my glove. Between innings, Kuntz said “your first-base play is growing on me.” This complement was the result of blocking the ball with my body to make an out.

We quickly put this narrow loss behind us, going on to win our next three games handily.

Game 6
Harris: This was the third time we faced these guys, and we beat them 1-0 in a well-played game. Pitched the last inning for my fourth save. The third out clinched our trip to the final as I tossed a come-backer to my dad at first. Struck out looking on my first time up on a curve that hung me out to dry. But I followed with two hits.

David: Went 1-3. Out on a grounder to short and a K. I like first base, but I'm keeping my day job.

Game 7 (for the championship)
Harris: We got smoked 11-3. Kept it close for a few innings, then we started playing bad defence with too many errors. Went 3-3 with two singles and a double. Despite the outcome, I still felt lucky to be playing with my Dad.
David: Missed another fly ball against the fence and Kuntz threatened to bench me. But he didn't. Went 1-3. Last at-bat, I faced a 21-year-old, fireballing at about 75 miles an hour. Got the count to 3-2, then laced the ball into left-centre for a solid single. Best hit of the week. Too little too late, but it felt great.

Eisenstadt just returned from the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp, where he spent a week living the life of a professional baseball player alongside his oldest son, Harris. The pair received training from former major leaguers such as Willie Horton and Rick Leach and spent time with Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

It was the Eisenstadts' second trip to Lakeland, Florida, for a Tigers training camp, the first of which came in 2005 when David was looking for an interesting way to celebrate his 60th birthday.

"My family wanted to do something to mark the occasion and when they asked me what I wanted to do, I came up with fantasy camp," he said. "Last year, Harris' 30th birthday was coming up and when I asked what he wanted to do, he said, 'I want to play baseball with you'."
While scheduling conflicts didn't allow the father-son duo to make the trip last year - Harris is a New York-based musician and spends a lot of time on the road - they agreed to set aside time this year. Curiously, neither of the pair grew up as Detroit Tigers fans.
"Back when we were planning our first trip, only a few teams had fantasy camps and only the Tigers and Indians had their websites updated," David said. "I'm a fairly recent Tigers fan, but back in 1938 they had a left-handed pitcher named Harry Eisenstat, so we decided to go to their camp."

The camp consisted of regular workouts, including stretching, wind sprints and calisthenics, as well as a series of seven-inning games under the tutelage of former big leaguers. While the camp was fun, there was little doubt that it was serious business.
"There was a lot of testosterone flowing," David said. "There were guys throwing 70 mile-per-hour heat."
The hard work was rewarding, however, as the players got to experience a taste of big league life, complete with practice in the batting cage, a full training room and laundry service.

"You walk into the clubhouse the first day and you see your uniforms with your name and number, and the name's spelled right," he said. "You have your home whites and your road greys."

There was even a kangaroo court, where players were called out and fined for minor on-field indiscretions.

"They call you up and say, 'Eisenstadt, you had a shoelace untied,' and fine you a few bucks, which you'd have to pay up," David said.

The father said he worked out regularly with a personal trainer before heading down to Florida so that he'd be in good shape for the workouts and games. He noted that proper fitness and having a positive attitude were necessary in order for him to get the most enjoyment out of his experience.

"I didn't want to go down and get hurt and have to ride the pine," he said. "I also wanted to be in the right headspace. I knew they weren't going to offer me a contract, so I just didn't want to embarrass myself."

While the mere experience of playing baseball with major leaguers would be a highlight for many men, David said his trip was special mostly because it allowed him to spend more time with Harris, which he said elevated the trip from a great time to a momentous life experience.
"We were both very thankful for the privilege of being together," he said. "Because he lives in New York, we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. The family undercurrent made it so much more special."

Both father and son kept a running diary of their experiences throughout the trip, keeping track of their on-field exploits, both good and bad. While the pair had a blast, David said it was too soon to start planning another fantasy camp. While he loves spending whatever time he can with his son, he said that he enjoys the fact that their fantasy camp trips have marked special birthdays.

"The fact that both trips were on family milestones for us gave it that extra dimension," he said. "The father-son bond between us was strong before we left, and if it could get stronger, it got stronger."

March 1, 2007

Fantasy Camp: Toronto Family Affair

By David Eisenstadt
Special to the Tribune
LAKELAND, Fla.

When my eldest son Harris was nine, we spent an idyllic week watching Major League Baseball spring training games in and around Dunedin, Fla., the Toronto Blue Jays spring home. Twenty-three years later, we revisited central Florida to celebrate his 31st birthday. However, this time there was a major league difference. We didn’t watch, we played. Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp in Lakeland became our January home as we shagged flies, worked the batting cages, ran wind sprints and stared down pitchers throwing 70 mph heat.Twice Harris’s age, camp was a bit tougher for me, even though I play B’nai Brith Executive League Fast Pitch and InterSynagogue Slo-Pitch. Harris played hardball for Colby College in Maine a few years back and took it in stride.

Some 15 major league teams run similar camps, but the Jays don’t. While Harris grew up rooting for Lloyd Moseby, John Olerud, Fred McGriff and Ernie Whitt, we had another choice and since I am a Tigers alum, our option was easy.

I knew that most of the campers would be game ready, so last fall I began working with personal trainer Deborah Basch, knowing injuries meant riding the pine. Harris plays hockey in New York and LA and was in shape from the get-go. Bunking in at the Tigers winter home, the Holiday Inn Lakeland, Harris became the third Eisenstadt to wear Tigers blue following left-handed pitcher Harry Eisenstat (1938 – and no relation) and me (2005). In true baseball tradition, the stats flowed. We were two of 84 campers, average age 51.2. Sixty per cent were from Michigan; one was from the Philippines. There were five Canadians, four father-son tandems, four women, four sets of brothers. Each of six teams had 14 players coached by two former Tigers. The camp mood was bouyant with last years’ American League champion Tigers considered a definite 2007 World Series contender.

Everything happens at Tiger Town, a five-field complex with pitchers mounds, batting barns, training and locker rooms, classrooms and cafeteria. We were thrilled to see numbered (Harris #31;me #1) and named home white and road grey uniforms hanging in our respective cubicles. Dressing quickly, we attended ‘kangaroo court’ a tradition of being fined for missing a game, showing up drunk or playing poorly. Campers were admonished for wearing cleats in the cafeteria, missing belt loops or forgetting a glove on the field. Modest fines levied, all in good fun, went to ‘Jack’s Place’, a Michigan charity helping autistic kids, headed by former ’68 Series catcher Jim Price. We then went through warm-ups led by the trainers and were ready to play two games daily for the week. Before taking the field, former Tigers pitchers Mickey Lolich and Jack Billlingham taught us about pitching; Willie Horton demonstrated hitting; Dick Tracewski (Sandy Koufax’ Dodgers roommate) helped the infielders and Rusty Kuntz (today a Pittsburgh Pirates coach) worked the outfielders. Tigers broadcaster Price handled the catchers.

How did the week go? Playing for Billingham and Kuntz, Harris hit .571; I hit .400; our photos and stats were to be printed on personalized baseball cards.

Harris, Game 1: Won 6-5 on a big first inning; went 0-2 with a walk. Scored a run. Played short, pitched and saved the last inning.

David, Game 2: Continued to play six of seven innings at first. Coach Kuntz said, “Your play at first is growing on me” in reference to keeping low and blocking balls with my body when my glove didn’t make the snag.”

Harris, Game 3: Won 9-1, went three-four with two long triples to the right field warning track. Started at short, pitched the final inning for second save.

David, Game 4: Missed a hard first-inning, down-the-line grounder. Redeemed after picking up a less hard-hit shot in the 2nd.

Harris, Game 5: Went 2-3 at short and left field; garnered third save in the final inning.

David, Game 6: Another solid game at first but terrible at the plate; hit a hard grounder to short (6-3) and a strikeout. (No contract coming now.)

Harris said, “We won second place to play the Championship Game, where we got smoked 11-3. It was the third game of the day and we all ran out of gas. I ripped my knee, felt no pain but I felt lucky to be playing ball with my Dad.”

Saturday capped the week as campers played against coaches in the jewel of Tiger Town, Joker Marchant Stadium, where all spring training games happen and is the home of the Single A Lakeland Tigers. It was fun to watch the former Tigers taking the campers so seriously. Before the first pitch, we were each introduced by name, number and hometown to a crowd of about 500. We stood on the third base line, caps over hearts, for the US national anthem. Between innings I helped handle the PA duties. It may be my next career.

Hanging together, Harris and I squinted into the Florida sunshine, and counted our good fortune.

Jun 1, 2007

Father and son live a baseball fantasy

By David Eisenstadt

Ask most parents. Taking your son/daughter to a Major League Baseball game is fun. Watching him/her play is even more fun. But, playing on the same team in Detroit Tigers uniforms for a week in Florida makes the fun of fantasy reality.

When our older son Harris asked to play fantasy camp baseball with me to celebrate his 31st birthday, I was overjoyed. While I'm twice as old, in good health and reasonable shape, I was excited to be his teammate, even though he's twice as good.

A Jays fan, Harris grew up cheering Joe Carter, George Bell, Jesse Barfield and Ernie Whitt . Toronto doesn't run a camp, so as a 2005 Tigers Alum, our choice was a walk in the park. To prepare, I worked with trainer Debra Basch ensuring I'd not become a casualty on the bench. Mentally I also knew I'd likely not be offered a MLB contract. Harris played Division II hard ball for Colby College in Maine. He regularly works out and was ready from the get-go.
There are about 15 MLB fantasy camps providing wannabes the chance to play for a favorite team and get up close (and personal) with legendary heroes at spring training ballparks. This happens before the real players arrive in mid-February.

Playing a gig in Albuquerque the night before camp, professional drummer Harris and I aligned our schedules with him flying Continental and me Air Canada, both arriving in Tampa within minutes of each other on Sunday. We then drove an hour to bunk in at the Holiday Inn Lakeland, the Tigers "winter home". Lakeland and the team share a 70-year love affair as a spring training destination, the longest in the major leagues.

On to orientation, renewing old acquaintances and making new friends, then off to dinner in the Tiger Town commissary, a wonderful historic room with glass-topped tables covering hundreds of Tigers baseball cards, surrounded by numbered shirts and photos of legends Cobb, Horton, Gehringer, Greenberg, Kaline, Lolich, Newhouser, to name a few.

What a thrill that first morning to see our names and numbers on home white and road grey uniforms hanging in our lockers. Dressing quickly we raced onto the green grass of the Tiger Town complex...with pitchers mounds, batting barns, training rooms, classrooms for the big leaguers. History was made as Harris wearing #31 became the third Eisenstadt to wear Tigers blue, following pro LHP Harry Eisenstat (1938) and me (2005).

In days past, players would be fined for missing curfews, playing drunk or missing a game. Today, campers were fined for less serious antics, like wearing cleats on the cafeteria floor, missing belt loops or leaving a glove on the field. Fines collected support a Michigan Charity for autistic children started by Tigers broadcaster (and former '68 Series catcher) Jim Price.

On the field there's stretching, bending and sprinting. Many were not in shape but I had no problem, thanks to my training regimen. Harris plays hockey and didn't break a sweat.

Former Tigers aces Mickey Lolich and Jack Billingham taught us about pitching; batting champ Willie Horton showed us how to hit; Dick Tracewski, handled the infield and current Pittsburgh Pirates roving instructor Rusty Kuntz worked with the outfielders. Following batting practice, we were fired up to play two seven-inning games daily against fellow campers.

Eighty-four players averaging 51.2 years dressed and were divided into six teams, each with two former Tigers coaches. Five Canadians, four women, four father son combos, one father, son, daughter trio and four sets of brothers. Surprised only 60 per cent were from Michigan; there was one ballplayer from the Philippines.

Prior to the game and US national anthem, players stood alphabetically along the third base line. Each was introduced by name and number, running through home plate past photographers and videographers tipping caps to the crowd.

Basking in the bright Florida sunshine, Harris and I counted our blessings! (For Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp information call 313-471-2550 www.tigers.com)

(David Eisenstadt is Founding Partner of The Communications Group Inc., a Toronto based-public relations consulting firm)