​About 90 players take part in Kincardine minor baseball camp

About 90 boys and girls, aged seven to 14, gathered at Connaught Park, Kincardine, for the minor baseball camp, July 13-14.

Organized by Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, working with Kincardine Minor Ball, the camp featured former Kansas City Royal Willie Wilson whose career spanned 19 years in Major League Baseball for the Royals, Oakland Athletics, and Chicago Cubs. He was an outfielder known for his speed and ability as an effective lead-off hitter. His career total of 668 stolen bases currently ranks him in 12th place, all-time, among major leaguers.

While he has been associated with the baseball camp since 2018, this is Wilson’s first visit to Kincardine.

“I love it here,” he said, “and I love this camp. It keeps me connected to the game. I want to help these kids learn to play the game better. They have to know the fundamentals – batting, infield and outfield, catching, base-running, tag-ups, double-plays, pitching – we’re teaching all that here and it’s very important.”

Wilson said there were a half-dozen players at the camp who had a good arm and could hit.

“They just have to keep playing the game and practise,” he said. “We’re here to tweak some of their skills. For example, I’m working with the batters and I realize that they can swing but they’re too close to the plate. They move back from the plate, and they can hit. They have to remember that every time they hit, they have to go back to that spot, and dig in.”

It’s also important to Wilson that he instruct the players at their level.

“You have to work with them and be friendly,” he said. “You’re here to talk to them, not yell at them.”

Wilson, inadvertently, had an opportunity to check out the Kincardine hospital while he was here, after he had an allergic reaction to a food he ate.

“They took good care of me there,” he said. “They wanted me to stay, but I was fine, and I had to get back to the camp.”

The two-day camp ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., each day, with a break for lunch. Players came to the camp from Kincardine, Port Elgin, Owen Sound, Durham, Guelph, Waterloo, and Newcastle.

A similar two-day baseball camp was also held earlier that week, in Clinton.