Tigers great Trammell to lead Wayne State camp
Detroit — Something lights up inside Alan Trammell when he’s on a baseball field.
It doesn’t matter where or when. Could be during an early spring training workout in Lakeland. Could be throwing early batting practice or hitting fungos hours before a regular season game in April.
Or, it could be at an indoor workout facility on the campus of Wayne State University, showing a high school kid the proper footwork at shortstop.
The boundless energy and enthusiasm he played with his entire 20-year career with the Tigers never abates. You would never know he was 58-years-old.
“It is extraordinary to witness,” said Ryan Kelley, Wayne State’s baseball coach. “Someone of his caliber. You think about the things he’s done professionally as a player and a coach. To see him working on ground balls with kids of all ages, it’s impressive.”
This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Trammell and former Tigers teammate Lance Parrish will host their seventh annual baseball camp at Wayne State, inside the Matthaei and Multipurpose Indoor Facility.
On Saturday, with the help of Kelley’s players, Trammell and Parrish will conduct a fundamentals camp in the morning from 9 a.m. until noon for kids Grades two through 12. Then from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., they will conduct an advanced development camp (grades eight through 12).
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The Sunday session is new and only for the advanced group. Trammell will run a shortstop-specific camp in the morning and Parrish will run a catchers’ clinic in the afternoon. Imagine, three hours of specialized instruction from a pair of former perennial big league all-stars.
“Most guys of Trammell’s stature, they might show up and take a picture, sign autographs and hang around for a bit,” Kelley said. “But he’s there for every second of the camp. He tries to work with every kid possible. There will be 100 kids at the first session on Saturday.
“He really enjoys it. He’s passionate about teaching the game and he’s passionate about being back in Detroit and helping kids in our area. It’s pretty cool to witness.”
It’s the same for Parrish.
“Watching the two of them, it kind of identifies a little bit about why they won it in 1984 and all those good runs they had in Detroit,” Kelley said. “They’re both very passionate about what they do, their work ethic, the way they prepare and their team-first mentality — it really comes out. They have a passion to give and not take.”
Fundamental training is the backbone of these clinics, but Trammell and Parrish take it to another level with the older kids.
“They talk to them about how to prepare, how to handle yourself and how to be professional and take care of your business and work as part of a team,” Kelley said. “They also discuss their own experiences coming out of high school and the draft and deciding between college and professional baseball.”
The Saturday session is full, but Kelley said there may be some openings for the Sunday advanced clinics. Tickets can only be purchased at the Wayne State athletics website (wsuathletics.com).
Twitter @cmccosky