Learning from the Best

It’s hard to say who was more excited when Darren Daulton and Tommy Greene walked into the SMG Sportsplex in Warminster Friday night, the young players who were about to receive priceless advice from the former Phillies, or the fathers and coaches that lit up at seeing two members of the legendary 1993 World Series team.

High school and middle school-aged pitchers and catchers from all over Bucks and Montgomery counties gathered at the Sportsplex to get firsthand knowledge about techniques and mechanics from two elite players.

“It’s a great chance to improve our skills and get some better mechanics,” said Jim McNally, catcher for the William Tennent Panthers. “Especially now, in the off season when we don’t have as many opportunities to stay sharp.”

Daulton stressed to the young catchers the importance of managing the game and the pitcher. It’s up to them, he said, to know when the pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff and get him to push through anyway. Meanwhile, Greene showed the pitchers the best ways to grip the ball and ways to use their bodies to hide it from the batters until the last possible moment in the pitching cycle.

The event was organized by Pro Physical Therapy, which specializes in sports medicine and has trainers staffed at most of the high schools in the region. The therapists wanted to use the one-night clinic to show simple ways the athletes can take care of their bodies and avoid injuries,

“If we get to them at this age, they can start forming good habits instead of bad ones,” said Chris Noga, senior vice president of business development for Pro Physical Therapy.

Before Daulton and Greene spoke, representatives from the company showed the players some easy stretching exercises they can use to ease soreness and talked about recognizing when they should ask for help.

“The biggest mistake a lot these players can make is thinking they can push through an injury,” said Lew Caldwell, a physical therapist and partner with Pro Physical Therapy.

Caldwell says that the sports medicine field has made important advances in the past 10 years when it comes to identifying injuries and the best ways to heal them. For example, physical therapists and trainers have a better understanding of the labrum cartilege in the shoulder and how improper pitching mechanics can cause significant damage to that joint.

 “Tommy [Greene] has said he wishes he knew this stuff when he was playing,” said Caldwell. “It could have saved him from a few botched surgeries.”