The Fergus Falls Daily Journal

Twins Fantasy Baseball Camp

By Tom Grout

August 25, 2008

3 comments

A number of years ago I read an article in a sports magazine that talked about a baseball fantasy camp. The idea was that older fans would travel to a Major Leagues sports complex for a week and play baseball with some former Major League players.

Being an avid baseball guy I always thought that would be a lot of fun and I mentioned it to a couple of friends of mine Craig Rupp and Lloyd Pallansch. We were on the same softball team at the time so we talked about it a lot but Lloyd was a teacher and couldn’t get off in the winter and I had four kids to raise so the money was an issue.

A few years later Lloyd retired from teaching and to my surprise my wife had saved up the money and she and Craig had made the arrangements to go. She told me she wanted to give me some great memories. Wow, what a way to put it and was she right! I still think of that week as one of the best things I have ever done.

The three of us flew down to For Myers Florida where the Twins conduct their spring training. We checked into our hotel and that evening gathered at the Tiki Bar to meet and get to know our fellow campers. As I was visiting with some guys I happened to notice Bill Campbell the old Twins and Red Sox relief pitcher. Our eyes met a couple of times and I guess he could see the awestruck look in my eye because a few minutes later he was introducing himself to me and giving me advice on how to survive the week.

Later in the evening Bill “Spaceman” Lee who pitched for the Red Sox came over and entertained us with his special kind of humor or whatever it is that he is and later it was former Twin Al Newman who told World Series stories. It was the first night and I already had memories to last a life time. I was in baseball heaven.

The next morning we drove to Lee County Sports Complex where the Twins hold their annual spring training practices. We walked into the locker room and were told to look for our name above a locker and when I found mine, there hanging in my locker is my very own Twins home and away uniforms, uniforms I was got to keep.

As I was getting dressed Bert Blyleven entered the room and then Mudcat Grant, Dave Boswell, Bill Lee, Frank Quilici, Gene Larkin and few others. My baseball cards had come to life. Larkin’s, one of the hero’s of the 1991 World Series, had a locker next to mine.

That Sunday morning we walked out side wearing our very own Twins uniforms and proceeded to loosen up and go through some drills the form Major Leaguers put us through. Teams then were picked and we proceeded to play two games a day on some of the most well kept fields I have ever had the pleasure to play on.

The great thing about these games is it doesn’t matter how old or out of shape you are or what sex you are. Yes, some ladies were at the camp and had a lot of fun. There was a guy from Canada who was 75 years old. It was just a bunch of guys who love to play baseball doing the best they can and laughing and joking around and just plain having fun. My coaches for the week were Blyleven and Larkin and they really did their part to make this whole experience an enjoyable and memorable one.

The evenings were a meal, a kangaroo court, where they fined you for some of the dumb and funny things you did during the day and lots of stories not only from the former major leaguers but the campers as well. Through the games and evening get together relationships are made that will last forever.

The former Major Leaguers were just great through the week and we always made a comment on how they knew everyone’ name. Mudcat Grant was a history class on legs as he informed us on the early days of black player’s struggles in the 50’s and 60’s. Frank Quilici has the greatest smile in the world and gave us some great insight on how it is to be a Major League manager. Larkin recalled his World Series heroics, Julio Becquer kept us all loose, Dave Boswell was one of the most lovable characters I have ever met, and hilarious, and Bert Blyleven, well, he was just Bert Blyleven.

When I came home all I could talk about was that week of baseball fun and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for months and to enjoy this with two of my friends was priceless.

If you are a baseball fan I highly recommend the Twins All-Star Fantasy Camp. If you have any questions please ask and I will do my best to answer them otherwise go to Sports Adventures on the internet and look at the camps web site. Don’t let the cost scare you as many hunting and fishing trips cost about the same and this is something that is well worth the money. The memories and friendships you get from going to the Fantasy Camp is priceless.