Y1: What made you want to get on board with The Baseball Legends organization?

CF: I did a winter classic at the MLB complex in California, and I was trying to put some teams together to have a nice Christmas tournament, and it evolved into something much bigger. Kundy Gutierrez and I met through my ex teammate who worked at the MLB complex. Kundy is a visionary really, he’s always looking down the road to see how things can evolve and grow. Back then I didn’t want to spend all that time away from home, but he really convinced me that I’d only really have to be away from home during events like the World Series, or during camps, clinics and such.

The longer I did it the more it made sense to me because of the fact that my obligation is really to be there and be with the kids. It kind of brings back memories of being with Prince when he was young, and I was always there with him watching him grow and develop as a baseball player and I think I can give that back to some of these kids.

And I like to enjoy my time there too, laughing and talking to the kids, sharing stories, or going down and talking to the parents. We signed a five year deal with the city of Yuma, Arizona, to host this event and we want to make sure the city is giving people who come down to participate in the tournament things to do.

Y1: What can coaches and players expect from an entry into the Cecil Fielder World Series? What makes it special?

CF: What makes our World Series special is that it’s a no-holds barred tournament. It’s a five-game guaranteed tournament with no tie games and great competition. We’re also going to meet and greet with the coaches, parents, and players. During my older age groups World Series, especially when I have some of the old MLB players come in like Damian Jackson or Dick Davis, these teams get to mingle, and reach out and shake hands, and get their autographs. To me it’s more than just coming to a baseball tournament because you can go to a baseball tournament anywhere. I think the festivities we have and the awards we give out go above and beyond. The first place teams will get a new SPX glove along with their trophies, and the older kids, 14-18, they get beautiful rings as well.

We’re working hard to keep making our tournament better, and with the support of the community we’re trying to make this World Series a great memory for these kids.

Y1: Given your experiences at the event, how would you assess the level of competition?

CF: The 7U-12U tournaments especially have been really outstanding. We’ve started to really connect with some of the teams from Mexico and other international teams and I think the U.S. kids really respond to teams coming in from outside of the country. Just a couple weeks ago we had kids from the 12U Korean National team come in play in one of our tournaments in LA and that to me is priceless for these kids. When I was growing up I would’ve paid just about anything to be able to play against some of these teams from other countries.

Y1: When did you start playing baseball?

CF: I started playing when I was eight years old, but by 11 I had kind of let the game go and basketball and football took over. I was a four-year letterman in basketball in high school, and three-year letterman in football, the San Diego Valley player of the year, and All-state basketball player.

I picked baseball back up when I was a junior in high school. I was very green when I got back into it, I wasn’t very good, but I worked hard to get better.

Y1: Was it hard for you having to pick the game back up in High School? How did you adjust?

CF: It took me a while to catch up, being away from the game for those 4-5 years, but I had to believe in my ability. I had the ability to do it, and had to believe in that, and take the bull by the horns. I think a lot of times what happens in any sport, not just baseball, is that players start to doubt themselves, and that’s one thing in this game you cannot do. In this game especially, you have to be a ferocious player, whose willing to burn the midnight oil, and accept failure.

Y1: How would an event like The Cecil Fielder World Series have benefitted you as a youth athlete?

CF: Well the parents are making a huge sacrifice for the kids to be playing in these events. It’s a great opportunity for these kids and they should definitely respect and appreciate what their parents are doing for them. One thing we’ve been really trying to promote is to be the best you can be inside and outside the classroom. We chose our TBL travel team based on that premise and if your grades aren’t up to par you can’t play! I think that to me is more important than anything, to teach the kids a little discipline. That’s more important than the game itself because at the end of the day not everyone is going to be an MLB player, but if the game and good grades can help them get into college, that will better prepare them for their future.

Y1: As one of the MLB’s most prolific sluggers, what advice would you give to some of these young players looking to improve their hitting?

CF: I try to do everything I can to be connected to these kids when they come to my tournament. If you can pick my brain when I’m at my tournament, or have any questions about hitting that’s something I can help with! I’ve been hitting my whole life and as a matter of fact I think I can still hit it!

One thing I will always remember, Wade Boggs told me once, “For a big guy, your bat really stays in the zone.” Ted Williams said the same thing to me once, but I didn’t really know what he was talking about because I was just excited that Ted Williams was talking to me. That’s one thing I really started noticing at after I looked at my tapes, and I analyzed it and now it’s something I teach all my kids.

Everybody wants to hit live, but you can’t control what the ball does hitting live. If the guy out there on the mound is wild you might have the swing at some crazy pitches. One of the most important tools you’ll have in the gym is the tee. That’s one of the best ways to stay consistent with your swing. During soft toss or tee work you can control where the ball goes. That’s hitting 101!

Y1: What athlete did you admire most growing up and why?

CF: I was really intrigued by basketball back then, especially during the Magic Johnson era in Los Angeles. Magic made us all feel like we could be NBA players.

Y1: What makes you want to be so hands-on and involved with The Baseball Legends organization?

CF: That’s just who I am. Even when I was playing in Detroit I was running the Police Athletic League for the inner city kids. Some of the sponsors that I had back then and myself did a lot of things through the PAL, getting them equipment, shoes, bats, balls etc. I think it’s important because the kids aren’t going to get the opportunity to play the game unless they get the right help, whether it’s from their parents, coaches, or whoever. I always say the fathers have to spend a lot of time with their boys while they’re playing, because all of us as boys want our dad’s blessing. As kids we always wanted to hear “good job son” or “way to go son”. Those kinds of compliments go a long way and our kids need to hear that.

Y1: What are some intangible factors that can help kids become better players? What are some examples you’ve seen at the highest level?

CF: I look back to when Derek Jeter was sitting next to me in the locker room when he was a kid. That kid had so much confidence. When he was a rookie I didn’t think he was going to be that good, sure he caught the ball and threw the ball well, but his swing was ugly. Now that kid managed to worked that ugly swing into 3,000 hits. Think about this – you have a rookie, on a veteran team, playing shortstop in the World Series, and he didn’t just go out there, he performed well and he made an impact!

In my case, I kept hearing that I was too slow but I was confident in my abilities, so what did I do? I started hitting the ball out of the stadium! In Jeter’s case he worked that ugly swing to his advantage, became a great hitter, became very good defensively and he could fly.

Y1: What are some things a coach or a mentor can do to help bring out the best qualities in a baseball player?

CF: Our game is a failure-heavy game, but you have to start with some of the things these kids do right and work from there. When I give my lessons I try to stick to the positive, you have to have positive thoughts to be successful.

Y1:I hear there’s a funny story behind one of the home run balls you hit out of the ballpark?

CF: Hahaha yeah, I actually didn’t know until the next day what happened. We were in Milwaukee, I hit this ball out of the old County Stadium, and so the next day I get to the ballpark and they’ve got me in the outfield on the scoreboard, saying I hit the ball 502 feet. So we were taking pictures and eventually came back in, and Sparky called me into the clubhouse. Before that at-bat Sparky was talking trash to me, I went and put my helmet on and grabbed my bat and he said “Oh great, you’re up again?” and I said “Yea don’t worry, I’m going to get this guy.” I had no idea I was going to hit the ball out of the stadium. So anyway Sparky calls me in and said “You know that ball travelled 25 miles away from the stadium?” I said, “What are you talking about Skip?” He said “Yea, it landed in the back of some guys truck and he drove it home 25 miles away from the stadium before he realized it was in there!”

For more information on this article visit:  www.youth1.com