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Getaways

New Philadelphia Phillies manager Larry Bowa teaches some old-timers new tricks at a past "dream week.'

Baseball A s children, we dressed up


in adult clothing all the
time. In a game that usu-
dreams that shaped much oi
lives. Unfortunately, as we got
our dreams—tempered by rea

Fantasy ally began with the words, "Let's


pretend," we were immediately
transported to the tantalizing
began to change, o: ever. se-E-r
tant. However, they are still It
They never truly vanish, beca
grown-up world—after all, adults dreams, no matter how mode
Weekend warriors step to the get to do fun things like be movie grand, are what sustam us.
stars, professional athletes, life- It is in this spirit that R
plate during 'dream week' saving doctors or fearless adven- Hundley, a former profession
turers. Sometimes, we pretended baseball player with the C
BY SHAWN DRURY to be "regular people" like teach- Cubs, started what came to 1
ers, firefighters or policemen. known as "Fantasy Camp" (
By the time adolescence "Dream Week." The premise'
arrived, we stopped pretending and simple: In the dark of winter
started to dream. We began to January or early February), ]
believe that maybe someday we ley gathered several of bis c
could be one of those people we teammates and other ex-pi
pretended to be when we were host Cubs fans for a week or i
younger. And, it is those very games and memories. Fans]

68 • lehigh valley style - january/february 2001


the pilgrimage to Florida or Arizona and rundown—delivered by the commission- are a glove and a pair of cleats. Next,
played against and/or were coached by er—on the guidelines, rules and activities they meet with the rest of the staff and
the baseball heroes of their youth. During for the week. the training team.
the games, middle-aged men competed From there, the players go to the At long last, it's time to take the field
as if their lives depended on it. Some welcoming party, where they meet the for stretching and warm-ups. From there,
were thrilled just to be on the same field ex-players and their new teammates. The players go to their favorite position and
as the men they'd looked up to as boys. atmosphere is meant to give the players managerial evaluation begins. Players are
Others wanted to see if any vestiges a chance to be at ease and relax before encouraged to try other positions in case
remained of the promise they had shown the competition begins. "It's amazing of a glut at a particular spot. After a
in their youth. After the games were how quickly the players bond," says break for lunch, there's a batting clinic,
over, players (civilians and former major- Amster. "Any financial, professional or batting practice and a game. It's the last
leaguers alike) retired to the hotel or social barriers that might have existed chance to impress the managers; teams
restaurant to relive momentous games before are gone." are drafted that evening. Typically, 10 to
and immortal plays that happened 20 Dream Week veterans advise rookies 12 players comprise each team.
years before. to head back to the rooms early because Amster says it's important for players
they'll need all the rest they can get. not to take things too seriously. "The
The dream's alive The next morning, they "play ball." pros can spot guys who are trying to
Today, 25 of the 30 major league prove a point or trying too hard to
baseball teams run or sponsor a fantasy Getting in the swing impress the staff," he says, then adds,
camp or dream week of some kind. Some Players arrive at the Carpenter laughing, "They'll usually have them
of the more popular programs are associ- Complex, which is the same facility used straightened out pretty quickly."
ated with the Major League Baseball by the Phillies during spring training. That wasn't a problem for Nazareth
teams you might expect: the New York The complex is named after the Carpen- resident and Dream Week 2000 player
Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore ter family, long-time owners of the Dennis Mead. "I went down there,"
Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals—all Phillies. Before the players step onto the explains Mead, "with the intention of
teams with a long and flavored history. field, they make a pit stop at the Paul having fun."
But, for displaced Boston Red Sox fans Owens Clubhouse. That was Ventresca's approach also.
living in California or New York Mets fans Paul Owens was a general manager, "I just wanted to not be a husband, a
in Minnesota, a week of baseball bliss is manager and scout for the Phillies. boss or a father for a week," he says.
more possibility than pipe dream. Revered and nicknamed "the Pope," When players arrive at the Owens
Norm Amster and his son, Scott, took Owens was an integral part of Phillies Clubhouse the following morning, they'll
the fantasy camp concept and ran with World Series appearances in 1980, 1983 know what team they're on and who
it. As founders of Dream Week Inc. in and 1993. Dream Week participants their manager is. Players are briefed in
Huntingdon Valley (eastern Montgomery probably aren't thinking about Owens, the clubhouse on the day's schedule, get
County), the Amsters have been operat- however, when they walk into the some practice at their respective posi-
ing the camp for the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse that bears his name. That's tions and take batting practice. Then it's
and their fans since 1983. "We want to because in every locker hangs a uniform nothing but baseball.
try to duplicate as much as we can what for each player—with his name printed
it would be like to play in the major across the back. That impressed Sore losers-and winners
leagues" says Scott. Doylestown's Mike Ventresca, a partici- Over the next two days, players play
For an attendee of the Phillies Dream pant in Dream Week 2000. four games—interrupted only by lunches
Week, the major-league treatment begins "That was one of the things that or practice sessions. On the last day of
from the moment of check-in at the hotel made it realistic," Ventresca says. "It's the camp, all the teams get a chance to
near Clearwater, Florida. Once the player something to see your name on a Phillies take on a team comprising the managers.
settles into his hotel room, he gets an jersey. Plus, they do everything for you Before heading back to the real world
immediate taste of life as a baseball [including laundry]. All that's really asked with a lifetime of memories, the players
player. Players are given an extremely of you is to play baseball." and pros attend an awards ceremony.
detailed schedule for the entire week. The players then try on the uniforms It all amounts to a lot of baseball in a
The managers (ex-Phillies like John Kruk, (which they will keep) to make sure short period of time. For a player who
Mitch Williams and Dave Cash) and the everything fits. The only pieces of equip- hasn't been on the field for a while, it can
commissioner frown upon tardiness. ment the players are required to bring be a shock to the system.
(Last year, the commissioner was former
Kansas City Royals player and Phillies
coach Clint Hurdle; this year's commis-
sioner is a closely guarded secret.) The "It's something to see your name on a Phillies jersey.
Phillies Dream Week staff and players Plus, they do everything for you [including laundry]. All that's really
convene at the hotel for a complete asked of you is to play baseball."

januaiy/february 2001 - lehigh valley style . 69


• Getaways

That wasn't a problem for Mead, who


pitches in an over-40 league. Just getting
'Allentown man finds $1,000,000 Lotto ticket to Dream Week was an accomplishment
for Mead—who broke his pitching arm a
day after expiration..." few years ago and managed to come
back, according to him, better than ever.
"It was in my closet!" He won his trip to Dream Week at a golf
tournament. "I hit it closest to the pin on
a par-3," Mead says. "I didn't find out the
prize until after the tournament."
A week sweating it out on a baseball
diamond under the hot Florida sun may
not sound like much of a vacation. It's
not supposed to be. "If you're looking for
DESiJIEO A N D C U S T O M 8UILT a relaxed vacation, this really isn't for

CREATIVE you," says Amster.


"I didn't mind [the structure] at all,"
says Mead. "It allowed us to get the

CLOSETS
RESIDENTIAL > B U S i K E S S < NEW C O N S T R U C T I O N
most out of the day." ES
Shawn Drury is a free-lance writer in Emmaus.

431 North 14th Street •Allentown, PA 18102 • 610-433-0933 • 800-222-4464


pay to play

Depending on which team's camp you want to


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O the high end.
A variety of factors affect the price of a fantasy
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camp. Most camps provide a full uniform, hotel
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One other variable that may affect the price is
an appearance by all of the Dream Week players on
'Mac KTTCHENS.C the field before a real game by the professional dub.
Professional Designer
The Phillies introduce all the players and put every
Manufacturers, Coordinators and player's name on the Scoreboard. The Toronto Blue
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& Countertops Jays probably do the best job of all the teams in this
regard: They let the players re-live Dream Week by
Entertainment Centers
& Wall Units playing a game on the Toronto Skydome field before
a regular-season Blue Jays game.
Free In-Home Consultation
by Appointment For more information on the Phillies Dream
Week, call Dream Week Inc. in Huntingdon Valley
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM
2500 Schoenersville Rd. at 800-888-4376 or e-mail Scott Amster at
7/1 Oof a Mile N. of Rt. 22 scott@dreamweek.com.
Allentown, PA
1-800-303-4MAC

70 . lehigh valley style - january/february 2001

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