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Ritchie offers players hands-on instruction in bunting technique.
Gregg Ritchie shows young players the proper technique for bunting during his clinic Wednesday night at the old Winn-Dixie building.
Stafford County resident Gregg Ritchie, the hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate, walks into the batting cage to instruct a player during his clinic Wednesday night at the old Winn-Dixie building in Spotsylvania. |
Working with kids helps Ritchie
Gregg Ritchie needed a little help getting out of a slumber.
The 40-year-old Stafford County resident and North Stafford High School graduate had worked all his life for a chance to coach baseball in the major leagues. Then, when the opportunity arose, it was snatched away.
After Wally Backman was hired to manage the Arizona Diamondbacks in November, he asked Ritchie to become the team's hitting coach.
But four days after Backman was hired--and before Ritchie could sign a contract--the Diamondbacks became aware of Backman's tumultuous off-field history, which included a guilty plea to a drunken driving charge.
Backman promptly was fired. Ritchie's dream of coaching in the majors--as well as a huge pay increase--was dashed.
"It was like you had an entire fork full of food ready to go into your mouth, and then it's ripped away," Ritchie said. "You never know when you'll get the opportunity again. I waited 20 years. I hope I don't have to wait 20 more."
After hearing the news about Backman, Ritchie (now the hitting coach of the Chicago White Sox Double-A affiliate Birmingham Barons) sat through a six-hour flight from Las Vegas back to Virginia in a state of shock.
He said he couldn't function for 10 days. He didn't talk. He just sat and stared. His wife was also down.
Ritchie tried to return to his passion of coaching kids, but his heart wasn't in it. He canceled hitting sessions that he'd arranged with a few local youngsters.
"The hardest part was that it was out of my control," said Ritchie, who was hitting coach for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights last season. "But I had to realize that's the way life is sometimes."
The love of teaching kids how to hit finally helped bring Ritchie back around.
He's been hosting hitting clinics for the past 20 years. For the past two winters, he's hosted his Starting Lineup clinic at the old Winn-Dixie grocery store on Salem Church Road in Spotsylvania County.
Before moving to that location, Ritchie traveled in his green van from Danville to Fredericksburg to Maryland, setting up shop.
"He loves it," said Doug Miller, a coach with the Virginia Xtreme (a U13 AAU team) who sends his players to Ritchie. "There's something to be said for a guy who just loves what he's doing. It really rubs off on everybody."
Added Ritchie: "[Working with the kids] was my biggest inspiration. I love to be around them. This is just what I love to do."
Ritchie's clinic lasts for eight weeks. The cost is $400 per player, but the tab is usually picked up by the player's team.
Teams have one session per week. Ritchie has several teams that keep him occupied six days a week. He also does private lessons.
Matt Fitzgerald was once one of Ritchie's pupils, but now helps him teach. Fitzgerald, a catcher for Chesapeake Community College in Maryland, said Ritchie's teaching skills are unmatched.
Ritchie has proven himself as a minor league coach. He and Backman led Birmingham to the Double-A Southern League title in 2002.
"He has a great eye for detail," Fitzgerald said. "When I started with him, he found one little thing that I wasn't doing right. Once he fixed it, I just started hitting. He knows what he's doing and he has a great passion for it."
During his clinic, Ritchie moves from station to station providing instruction. Parents are thrilled that he's so hands-on. Kids sometimes can't digest the knowledge Ritchie throws at them.
Twelve-year-old Nathan Steele was one of those students on Wednesday night.
Steele said he's had a hard time getting back into baseball after a long layoff. He wasn't swinging aggressively during his session.
Ritchie, a historian of the game, started throwing out statistics about how successful aggressive batters are against Hall of Fame-caliber pitchers.
He said batters hit better than .300 when swinging at the first pitch, but less than .200 when they don't. Steele was sure to get the message.
"He's awesome," Steele said. "He's making sure we learn to hit better."
While Steele and the dozens of Ritchie's other pupils appreciate what he's doing, Ritchie knows that their presence is equally important for him.
They motivated him to get going again after a devastating setback.
"Sometimes I can be hard on them," Ritchie said. "I'm very direct because I want them to progress. But they do a lot for me too. [Working with kids] is my high."
To reach TAFT COGHILL JR.: 540/374-5526 tcoghill@freelancestar.com
