Odenton coach, author planning baseball tour

Potter will take team to 15 towns in 24 days

Odenton resident Jeff Potter lamented the state of our national pastime in his book released last year called "Whatever Happened to Baseball?''

In his book, Potter, who had a brief minor league career with the Detroit Tigers and has coached amateur baseball for decades, talks about changes he's observed in how the game is taught and played at the grassroots level. Not enough fundamentals, and not nearly enough fun, says Potter, who runs the baseball program at Gambrills Athletic Club.

Potter spent the summer traveling around promoting his book, including an appearance on New York all-sports radio station WFAN. Everywhere he went the response, according to Potter, was excellent.

"I had incredible feedback,'' Potter said. "A lot of people related very well. There are a lot of really good baseball people out there who are frustrated with the win-at-all-costs approach of some coaches and parents.''

While "Whatever Happened to Baseball?'' bemoaned the current state of the game, Potter's next project will take on a more hopeful, positive tone.

Potter's new project is organizing a 24-day, 15-town summer barnstorming tour of baseball communities located in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Potter will form a team of 15-year-old ballplayers who will travel from town to town, playing local teams while celebrating the game at each stop. Old-style uniforms will be worn and wood bats will be used in the games, Potter said. The team will include 16 players and five coaches.

The tour will begin next July in Ellwood City, Pa., Potter's hometown. Some of the Maryland sites include Joe Cannon Statdium, Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, and the University of Maryland in College Park.

"It's going to be a pretty neat thing,'' Potter said. "Each host community will put the day together however it wants to. And it won't be just baseball games. There will be parades, clinics, fundraising activities and visits to hospitals. It's a great way to get communities involved in baseball again. Everywhere we go, it'll be a different, fun venue.

"The kids pay nothing, but they will still have a lot of responsibilities, too. The players won't necessarily be the best athletes. They will be the ones who best exemplify hustle, hard work and leadership.''

According to Potter, each player on the traveling team will require sponsorship of $2,400, which covers transportation, food and lodging for the 24-day trip. The player, Potter said, will be required to address his potential sponsors to justify sponsorship.

For information, visit potterbaseball.com