The weather over these past few days has been excellent. Sunny, low 80s, light wind — where could there possibly be better baseball weather than this?
One answer, as members of the PTI Maniacs baseball team could find out this summer, is in the Bahamas.
And they have the opportunity to find out, because they have been invited to play there on an international stage. The 10U, 11U and 14U Maniacs have been invited to don the colors of Team USA and compete in the National Wood Bat Travel Ball Association World Championship, competing against several other countries for the world title.
Raising the money to go is the tricky part, but the organization is doing everything it can to help the kids. An opportunity like this doesn’t come often, and the unique experience is what Pro Talent Instructs LLC’s president says the Maniacs are all about.
LEARNING FROM THE PROS
PTI itself has been around for seven years, starting up while its founders were both playing professional baseball. Eddie Gonzalez started the organization in 2006, while he was playing baseball in New York, and his younger brother, Jerry, signed on as a co-founder while playing in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system.
“When I was training for my second year of pro ball, I started helping kids in New York,” Eddie says. “I got inspired, motivated, because these kids wanted to play baseball, but didn’t have proper teaching.”
While traveling the country, Eddie noticed the same problem at camps all over the place. An “epidemic,” as he calls it. So, he started doing personal instruction, and Jerry joined him in 2008, after leaving the Angels organization. Now, they operate a number of travel ball teams — all under the Maniacs moniker — and teach the game from a pro’s perspective.
“We take these travel teams and try to put them in the right positions to improve,” Eddie says.
PTI itself is based out of Tampa, and the Maniacs teams are based out of Thonotosassa. But, the team itself has kids who live in Tampa, Plant City, Lakeland and more. The team plays all its home games in Plant City — often splitting time between the Mike Sansone, Ellis-Methvin, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parks. Some kids came to the Maniacs after spending time in their local Little League systems.
“My son had played in Plant City Little League for a long time, and it was good,” Ben Smith says. “He wanted more of a challenge, so he went to travel ball at age 7. We got involved with the Maniacs after bouncing around from a few teams.”
Smith liked the Maniacs so much that he got involved with the organization and is now the 10U team’s assistant coach. He cites 10U head coach Jerry Gonzalez’s enthusiasm for the game as a big reason for his involvement.
“Jerry is very dedicated, very involved with the team,” Smith says. “He taught my son things that he wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. He’s learning high school, college-level ball at age 10.”
The staff itself claims to have more than 20 years of experience — 11 of which come from the Gonzalez brothers’ Minor League days.
Also a selling point that the Maniacs play in a wood-bat league. The brothers believe that today’s $500 aluminum bats aren’t actually helping players develop. And, if you see one of these things in action, you’ll know why.
Thanks to modern technology, a good aluminum bat can turn an out into a dinger that clears the wall by 20 feet. Not all of those bats can do that, but buying a top-quality bat these days is a lot like using a cheat code in a video game.
“(Eddie and Jerry) are pioneering this wood-bat movement,” Smith says. “Wood bats are harder to play with, so it’s a way to challenge (the kids) more and level the playing field. The sweet spot is smaller, the bats are heavier, it’s harder to get a base hit.”
Tougher, yes. But, the teams seem to be doing just fine.
EARNING THAT TRIP
The 10U Maniacs only have been around for two years. After this summer tournament, the kids will move up to the next age level. Fortunately for them, they’ll move up with a lot of success already under their caps.
Last April, those Maniacs made a splash by taking second in the Global Sports Alliance Grand Slam Tournament, held in Plant City. Two weeks later, they placed first in the IBC World Classic. In March, they won the GSA March Madness Super Regional, in Tampa.
The 14U Maniacs also have fared well recently. They won both the 2014 IBC Winter Nationals Tournament and the Suncoast Travel Ball Spring Regional Tournament. The 11U team last won in the fall, taking a regional and a state title, and is looking for its first spring win.
This success, plus Eddie’s international connections, helped the Maniacs get the green light to play in this tournament, which he says will be the first-ever international wood-bat tournament.
HELPING OUT
“We wanted to take the kids to an international event, because they don’t realize what they have here,” Eddie says.
The Gonzalez brothers have been very involved with the tournament since its inception. While coaching in the International Power Showcase, in which Washington Nationals megastar Bryce Harper has played, Eddie made several international connections and used them to help get this wood bat tournament going.
Working with Maximum Development, a Bahamian organization, the NWBTBA settled on the Bahamas as the location and began calling teams. In addition to the American Maniacs, teams from Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands have been confirmed; Gonzalez says that the tourney heads are still waiting on confirmation from Panama, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
One of the biggest obstacles is the cost — it’s not exactly cheap to go to the Bahamas. The trip costs roughly $2,000 per player. PTI, a 501(c)3 organization, doesn’t hesitate to help kids from lower-income families play ball. It does currently have a few players on scholarship. But, because this is such an expensive trip, PTI can’t foot the bill for those kids on its own.
“We’re just trying to get help for the kids who can’t afford it,” Eddie says. “I know several people donated a couple hundred bucks here and there. Pizzerias in Plant City and Riverview have donated some money. A couple of dads went out on their own and found some people to donate money.”
Although the responses have been good, Eddie says PTI could use any extra help it can get to give those boys a chance.
“There should be an open door for these children to see what it’s like to be able to go to other countries,” Eddie says. “To see other cultures, see how good they have it here and have a fun, positive experience with the game of baseball.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
HOW TO DONATE
Whether a business would like to sponsor the team, or if anyone would just like to help out, donations can be made out directly to the Maniacs.
For a copy of the official form, visit PlantCityObserver.com. For more information, visit PTIbaseball.com.