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| Amigos take game on the road |
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| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 05 July 2008 | |
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Meet the Amigos Adrian Ruiz Marshall Vasquez Chagito Cantu Ruben Gil Alonzo Rios Michael Garcia Gilbert Ulibarri Carlos Martel III Malic Lawson Angel Delgado-Alvarez Xavier Mitchell Team President: Wency Rios Team Vice-President: Chagie Cantu Coaches: Steve Ulibarri Fernando Vasquez  Carlos Martel III of the Patterson Amigos 9-and-under traveling team gets ready to fire a pitch while shortstop Chagito Cantu stands ready. Courtesy photo. Another fun option involves packing the family up in the SUV and caravanning across the state, competing in a year-round traveling baseball league. Last year, Wency Rios, Chagie Cantu, Steve Ulibarri and Fernando Vasquez gathered enough players to form a makeshift traveling tournament team of their own. “We got our feet wet playing tournament ball last year,” Cantu said. “We played in five tournaments and placed second or higher in four of them.” The four coaches looked around to see what, if anything, they could do to get their aspiring ball players more experience and repetitions. The end result? A permanent travel ball team — the Amigos. “When I was younger, we had a travel team organized through the county,” team president Rios said. “I loved it. I wanted to go out and play every team. “Now, as a parent, I want my kids — and as many kids as we can get — to enjoy that same experience.” The team formed last spring and started traveling to tournaments in Modesto, Stockton, Sunnyvale and Salinas. “This is something that we as coaches have dreamed about,” Cantu said. “We saw the opportunity to do it this year and we went for it.” Travel ball gives the coaches more time to work with players and teach them fundamentals. With the limited practice time available in most league ball, learning fundamentals is much harder. “These boys are very skilled,” parent Tara Martel said. “You see them diving for balls and turning double plays. They work on their skills throughout the year, so many of them are able to play at a higher level than expected.”  Ruben Gil of the Amigos makes contact at the plate. Courtesy photo. “Some of these boys have been playing together for three or four seasons now,” Martel said. “We have a very strong core group of boys, and we’re trying to put together a team that is going to stay intact.” Rios found that the rules most leagues abide by may eventually hinder a player’s development. The Amigos, by contrast — and other traveling tournament teams — play a brand of baseball that closely resembles play in high school, collegiate and professional games. “We play as close to the official rules of baseball as possible,” Rios said. “Pitchers have to be aware of runners that are trying to steal.” The bases in travel ball are 65 feet apart from each other — a full 5 feet more than that in some leagues. Players are also taught a series of complex signs and signals. “Usually, these players wouldn’t see this type of baseball until they are 13 or 14 years old,” Rios said. “These kids are learning some important skills three or four years ahead of the curve.” A common misconception among non-travel players and their parents is that travel teams push youngsters too hard. “We also teach these kids that winning isn’t everything,” Martel said. “It’s also about playing your best.” “This is a very competitive league, but these kids have an honest love for the game,” she added. “They are willing to make the sacrifices to play year-round baseball, because they enjoy playing.” Still, Cantu expects that each of his players arrives ready to play on game days. “This is more than a team, it’s a commitment,” he said. “We want our players to know that we intend on playing throughout the year.” The Amigos — like most tournament teams — rely on contributions from players’ parents to handle the expenses that accrue during a long travel season. Rios said the average cost for a player to compete is about $1,000 per year. “Everything starts with the parents,” he said. “They were able to help fund this team all on their own. Without them, we wouldn’t have this.” But it’s not easy for everyone. Most teams don’t have the lengthy travel schedules that the Amigos have, and even then, prices are getting higher. Local sponsors have eased the financial burden a bit. “Some of our parents went to local businesses to seek support,” Martel said. “Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Mendoza’s Auto Sales and (baseball equipment specialists) Combat Bats have all helped us out.” The Amigos will begin play in Modesto’s Rainbow Fields League on Tuesday, before wrapping up their tournament season in Manteca on July 17 at the Big League Dreams ballpark. “We’d like to see this team stay together for a very long time,” Cantu said. “We look at these players as diamonds in the rough. These kids are our diamonds, and we are just polishing them.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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