Major-leaguer visits local players

A few youth baseball players in Sisters got a surprise visit from a former major-leaguer.

Wally Backman of the New York Mets organization stopped by for a mini clinic on Tuesday, February 7.

Backman is a former Major League Baseball second-baseman. He is best known for his time with the New York Mets from 1980-1988, and was a member of their 1986 World Series-winning team. Backman currently is the manager for the Buffalo Bisons, the New York Mets' AAA minor league team.

Backman talked about some of the main building blocks of baseball. It all starts from the ground (feet) up. He pointed out some must-have fundamentals from throwing to pitching to fielding to hitting. And most important, the mental side of the game: having fun and thinking positive will produce positive

results.

Teams are forming for the 13-and-under and 14-and-under baseball season. If interested, contact Doug Gannon (13U), 541-815-7929 or Doug Maahs (14U), 541-977-7194.