Sports

Tourney is 'opportunity of a lifetime' for Golden

By GRIFFIN PRITCHARD - Herald Sports Editor
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Reggie Golden can drive a baseball to any part of a ballpark. Eleven times this season, he successfully drove a ball outside the outfield fence of different baseball fields throughout the state.

Golden has had to do his driving on the baseball field, because the rising Wetumpka High School junior is barely old enough to drive a car.

Off the field, Golden’s presence is jovial and mild-mannered. His on-the-field presence, however, is much larger.

That presence helped catch the attention of Major League Baseball talent scout Mark Salter at first and then Kevin Saucier of MLB’s scouting bureau.

“This really encourages me to work hard,” said Golden.

Golden has been chosen to play in the Tournament of Stars event in Cary, N.C., June 17-22. The tournament will feature 144 of the nation’s best baseball players.

“ We’re looking for the best 144 players in the country,” said Ray Darwin, director of the 18U National team. “The seven baseball organizations pick their own rosters. We get kids from all over the country.

They don’t come from every state in the union, but there’s a widespread swath of talent in this tournament.”

Golden is the first player from Wetumpka and Elmore County to earn and invitation and is the only player chosen from Alabama this year.

At 16-years-old, Golden will be one of the youngest players competing.

“Knowing that I’m going to be one of the youngest just makes me want to work harder,” said Golden. “I think that they are going to try and act like they are bigger and better because they are older. They are going to underestimate me. When we get out there, they are going to give me their best so I’m going to give them my best.”

Golden’s best is 11 home runs with a .459 batting average and a slugging percentage just shy of .900.

“In the next day or two everyone in the big leagues will have Reggie’s name on a prospect list, and they’ll be coming to watch him next season,” said Ray Mullino, coach of the Indians.

“He’ll be a junior and that’s the big year that scouts look at them. It will mean a lot for the future if he has another outstanding year. If he does that, there’s no telling where it will lead. Of course if he has a great junior year then goes on to have a great senior year, that will be gravy.”

Starting with a letter

According to Mullino, the ball began rolling when he filled out one of many information sheets that came across his desk during the season.

“I always fill them out and send them back,” said Mullino. “When I filled out information about Reggie, I always noted that 'he’s only a 10th-grader,' or that 'he’s only 15 years-old.' I was a little surprised when the U.S.A. Baseball guy for this region (Mark Salter), came and watched us play anyway.”

Salter, who served as the baseball coach at Jackson State University in Mississippi, was impressed with what he witnessed and then contacted Darwin about his potential diamond discovery.

“A couple of weeks ago, Reggie received the invitation to go to Cary and participate in the Junior Olympic tryouts,” said Mullino. “It’s been a whirlwind ever since.”

The tryout is designed as the 144 players selected will play a pool-style tournament June 17-20 with the semi-finals scheduled for June 21 and the final round scheduled for June 22.

“My family is very excited about this; they are going with me,” said Golden. “They would like me to do my best and work hard. They keep telling me that this is my chance to do something. I’m going to try to improve my game to a whole nother level. It’s going to make me work harder than I ever have.”

Following the tournament, according to Darwin, the top 32 players will be brought back together for another tryout. The field will be cut to 18 and those players will represent the United States in the baseball world championships, or the Pan-American games.

According to the organization’s Web site — www.usabaseball.com — “The 18U National Team program has a storied history with alumni, including Major Leaguers Paul Konerko, Mike Mussina, Alex Rodriguez , John Smoltz and recent No.1 overall picks in the Major League Draft Joe Mauer (2001), Delmon Young (2003), Matt Bush (2004), Justin Upton (2005), and Luke Hochevar (2006). Additionally, 2005 American League Rookie of the Year Huston Street played in the 2001 Tournament of Stars. Typical Tournament of Stars players are highly motivated to be the next person added to this esteemed list.”

Earlier this week, according to Mullino, Golden had another chance to impress the scouts. The rising junior put on a batting clinic at Montgomery’s Paterson Field.

“Reggie hit two home runs and one off the wall,” said Mullino. “Having experience with Major League Baseball, I’m doing my best to help Reggie and his family sort through everything that’s going on. I was kind of concerned about the scouting bureau and talked to the guy who was handling it. I told him we were treating all of this with white gloves because I don’t want anyone to hurt Reggie’s chances of a college scholarship if he wasn’t drafted.”

Mullino’s MLB experience stems from a minor league stint in the Cape Cod League with the Chicago Cubs organization.

According to Darwin, Golden’s name will be given to all 30 MLB franchises.

“If you’re a high school guy, this is the invite that you want,” said Darwin. “Through the help of MLB and other sponsors, Reggie is not going to have to do anything to do this. This isn’t a business of selling the promotion of the kids. It’s a promotion vehicle for the U.S.A. National Team.”

This promotion vehicle is a great way to get athletes’ names shipped around to the necessary people.

“He said he isn’t an agent and doesn’t get a commission,” said Mullino. “His job is to go where there’s talent and get that information to the national level so every Major League team will have those names and information. It’s been an eye-opener for me. I had no idea there was that kind of process in place.”

New kid in Town

While Golden’s family will make the trip, he will stay with a host family during the duration of the tournament.

“When they are here, they stay with host families and are basically adopted by these families for a week,” said Darwin.

“We do this so they aren’t just living in a hotel for a week. It’s good for the kids who may not have a family at the event. They will have someone in the stands rooting them on. It’s a unique experience because the player does everything the family does. It’s a truly unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Golden has been selected to play on the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) squad, which features only two players from the eastern part of the United States n Golden and Shawn O’Neil of La Salle College High School in Philadelphia. His team is comprised of players from California (10), Texas (one) and Michigan (one). The team is coached by Jeff Shimuzu of Torrence (Calif.) High School. The assistant coaches are Dave Frost and Carl Nichols of Compton (Calif.) High School and Bert Strane of Oakland (Calif.) High School.

“This is going to be a challenge for me,” said Golden. “I’m going to be on a team with guys that have grown up playing baseball and that’s all they do. It’s their only sport. I’m just going to have to work hard and stand out.”

The RBI program was started by former MLB standout John Young 19 years ago in SouthCentral Los Angeles.

According to the organization’s bio, “Young went to work introducing a comprehensive youth baseball program for 13-to-16-year-olds and secured funding from MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the City of Los Angeles. His goal was to provide an opportunity to the city’s youths who need to make a positive choice in their lives. He knew there would have to be more than just on-field participation, though, so Young’s vision included an academic influence as well.”

The RBI program is now played in more than 205 cities worldwide and endorsed by all 30 Major League Baseball squads.

“Generally speaking,” said Darwin, “the level of play in this tournament is very high and it doesn’t even compare to regular high school baseball, simply because we are getting the best kids around. The level of play is comparable to Division I baseball, if not higher. A bunch of kids will go straight to the pros after they graduate high school as a result of this. This is a national showcase where more than 150 professional scouts and college recruiters watching them.”

Darwin pointed out that the numbers speak for themselves. In the 2007 MLB Draft, 10 of the first 30 picks and 26 of the first 77 picks all played in the Tournament of Stars. Five of the first 30 baseball players selected played in the 2007 Tournament of Stars.

“It took hard work and dedication to make it into this,” said Golden. “I want to be in the same spot next year.”

Playing the game

Golden’s first taste of the Tournament of Stars competition is scheduled for June 17 at 7 p.m., EST against the American Legion squad at the USA Baseball National Training Complex Stadium. June 21 is pool play action beginning at 11 a.m., EST, and ending at 5 p.m., EST.

The gold medal game is scheduled for 4 p.m., June 22.

Peggy Blackburn of The Wetumpka Herald also contributed to this report.

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