COLUMN: Sewing more seamheads

A cold and rainy day isn’t perfect for baseball.

But, for four hours on Wednesday, about 30 kids trudged out to Griffin Field in Kalispell to experience a once-a-year opportunity.

This is the fourth-straight year Ryan Wardinsky has joined with Kalispell Lakers AA head coach Ryan Malmin to hold the Flathead Valley Baseball Camp.

Wardinsky, who grew up in Kalispell and played for the Lakers, spent two years in the minor leagues and is currently an area scout for the Miami Marlins. In his work, he has helped sign a number of future MLB players, most notably Logan Morrison, now of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Unlike, in say Houston, where Wardinsky now lives as one of the chief operatives in charge of finding young talent for the MLB, there aren’t a lot of former professional baseball players living in the area, ready to help young athletes learn the basics of the game. There’s plenty of coaches, and a few very good coaches who have taught the game for a long time, but not a lot of guys who can pass down knowledge from some of the highest levels of the sport.

Add that Montana doesn’t have high school-sanctioned baseball, that there are plenty of other distractions in the summer season in the Flathead Valley in particular and that the weather precludes kids from playing baseball for nine months of the year, and baseball can be an overlooked activity in the Treasure State.

For kids looking to turn their love of baseball into something more than a hobby, the avenues to reach out aren’t always clear.

“Baseball is not really a primary sport in Montana,” Wardinsky said.

“It’s a cold weather state which makes it difficult for these kids to play much. Any exposure and opportunities we can give them to get more reps, hopefully, will help if they get something out of it as well.

“I felt that effect when I was playing in Kalispell growing up. I think baseball can be overlooked in this community. I just hope that we can promote the game and help these kids learn something.”

For that reason, and to help give back, at least a bit, to the community that raised him, Wardinsky attempts to come back each year and set up a camp that helps teach not just fundamentals and strategy, but the qualities pro and college scouts are looking for in young players.

This year’s group brought out a much younger crowd than usual, with many of the teenage players in the area preparing for games or state tournaments this weekend. The pack on hand was able to learn just as much, and learn possibly a different way to master the same fundamentals their current coaches have been preaching.

“You want kids to learn from different people,” Malmin said.

“If they can learn the same fundamentals from different ways, where they can make connections I think that’s important as well. They don’t need to hear my voice all the time.

“The more opportunities we can provide kids with different camps, especially with somebody who has such a wealth of knowledge and expertise. It’s always a great thing.”

The rain didn’t start to fall heavily until after the kids left the field, most of them already packed up and headed out of the dugout.

Wardinsky, having signed a few hats and Marlins gear got a little bit back from playing with the kids, too. After years of playing the game he loves, his experience with the game now is mostly relegated to the bleachers, fiddling with a speed gun or taking notes on the next great player he’s trying to sign.

“For me it’s just fun to get on the field,” Wardinsky said. “I’m always up in the stands watching. It’s fun for me to get on the field and work with these guys a little bit.”