On Saturday, August 16, I attended the Wilson Ramos Parent & Child Baseball Experience presented by Washington Celebrity Baseball, Celebrity Sports Camps, and D.C. Elite Baseball. The Camp was at Shipley Field at the University of Maryland. The camp gave instruction to kids about different baseball skills, like hitting, fielding, and pitching. After the kids had their turn, a bunch of dads also took BP in the cage. “We had a lot of really good kids show up today who were eager to play baseball,” said Andrew Lang, who ran the camp. “The pros that were out here, Wilson Ramos, Mike O’Connor [former Nationals pitcher], and Derek Hacopian [former University of Maryland star and Indians draftee], really put on a great clinic with us. The weather and the field helped to make it a perfect day.”
The small group of about 30 campers were able to do drills right on the field that Maryland’s baseball team plays on. Wilson Ramos even got down and coached kids at the catching station on how to play like a major leaguer. My group started out at infield, and I won a contest for who could throw a baseball the farthest.
Wilson talked with everyone, took pictures, and signed autographs. At the end, I was able to pull Wilson aside and ask him a few questions. Here is my Matt’s Bats Chat with Wilson Ramos.
Matt’s Bats – What’s your favorite thing to do on an off-day?
Wilson Ramos – I like to enjoy it with my family. I have a 10 day old daughter and I like to enjoy it with her and my wife, make a lunch and dinner. I like to do that.
MB – What’s it like being a baseball player and a dad?
WR – It feels great. Its an amazing experience. The first time I saw her, I loved my daughter. I love to play and everything I do now, I do it for her. It makes me feel happy and ready to go play hard everyday.
MB – What tips do you have for kids who want to be catchers?
WR – First step is you need to be strong. Catchers get a lot of hits behind the plate and not too many guys can play that position. It’s hard.
MB – You have a six game lead over the Braves in the NL East. What’s the mood in the clubhouse?
WR – Everybody is feeling great. Everybody feels happy right now that we’re in first place in our Division. Everybody is doing a great job. Everybody feels happy with what we are doing. We’re playing hard right now and trying to get into the playoffs.
I also challenged Wilson to the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for ALS, but he tuned it down. I don’t blame him, because he didn’t have other clothes to change into. However, he would later get doused with cold Gatorade in the game that night as he walked off against the Pirates by a score of 4-3!
A few days later, Wilson tweeted that he did the official Ice Bucket Challenge and also challenged Miguel Cabrera.
Reto cumplido! #icewaterbucketchallenge #ALS yo nomino a @MiguelCabrera @MarjoDSousa y a @gabyespino tienen 24 horas pic.twitter.com/DJThuW7Tqv
— Wilson Abrahan Ramos (@WRamosC3) August 19, 2014
Allí lo tienen reto cumplido tienen 24 horas @MiguelCabrera @MarjoDSousa @gabyespino http://t.co/GKukYP1nTd
— Wilson Abrahan Ramos (@WRamosC3) August 19, 2014
Wilson was great with his fans, and the camp was a lot of fun. Follow @Allstars_S2 on Twitter to learn about other camps and sports-related events in the DC area.
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