The All Star Baseball Academy Blog: THE HOT CORNER... Sports Shorts with Ken Leidheiser

Are you thinking ahead to the nice, warm weather and Spring Training already? If you want a great Spring Training experience for players in the 9U through 12U age group, then sign up for the 2nd Annual ASBA Spring Training at the Ripken Experience, in Myrtle Beach, SC. The baseball facility in Myrtle Beach lends itself well to a "spring training" style format, preparing young players for their upcoming spring and summer seasons. This year's event with ASBA's outstanding staff will be held February 18-21, 2011. We welcome your All Stars to join us for this great trip!

Contact Mark Freed of ASBA at mark@allstarbaseballacademy.com for full details and to sign up for this popular Spring Training event. Both teams and individual players are invited to sign up for this popular training experience in Myrtle Beach. This makes a great "road trip" for families over the President's Day long weekend in February!

Cincinnati Reds Scout
Shawn Pender

Looking to keep your kids active and get them off X-Box during the holidays?? Then All Star Baseball has the perfect fit for you-- our Holiday Baseball Camps. Here is our great line-up of Holiday and Pre-Season Baseball Camps for youth players: Friends Central School Holiday Camp, Dec. 27-28 (grades 1 thorugh 8), Episcopal Academy Holiday Camp, Dec. 28-29 (grades 4 through 9), and the Haverford School Pre-Season Camp, Feb. 20-21 (grades 4 through 9). Each camp is a 2-day instructional camp led by Cincinnati Reds Major League Scout Shawn Pender, school coaches and All Star Baseball Academy staff. The sessions include drills, skills training, and short indoor games. Cost for each camp is $150. Sign up on the ASBA website today.

Coaches from Villanova University will be holding a great Winter Indoor Prospect Camp at ASBA West Chester on Wednesday, Dec. 29. Registration is now open on the ASBA website. This is a top-rated Prospect Clinic and pro-style work-out on the turf field at ASBA, with pitchers and catchers reporting at 11 am and position players reporting at 1:00 pm. Each player will receive skills instruction from the Villanova staff and will get an official Villanova Baseball t-shirt. Cost for the session is $175 per player.

If you are busy or traveling over the holidays, then you should consider the Penn State College Coaches Camp for your All-Star, January 15-16, at ASBA West Chester. This is an instructional camp for players 13 to 18 years of age, with the Hitting Camp on Saturday, 1/15 from 2 to 6 pm and the Pitching Camp on Sunday 1/16 from 9 am to 1 pm. Penn State staff will include: Head Coach Robbie Wine, Recruiting Coordinator Eric Folmar, and Pitching Coach Jason Bell. Great camp, great instruction....Sign up today on the ASBA website or call All Star at 610-399-9356 for full details.

Sign up for Second Annual Indoor Hitting Camp at our Downingtown Academy on Boot Road! The Hitting Camp is for players 9 through 12 years of age, and starts the week of January 24th. You can sign up as a team of 3 players or as an individual player for this 6 week program. Use the popular, token-operated batting cages at Downingtown and get your swing ready to go for a big spring season! Call our Downingtown staff at 610-518-7400 for details and to sign up.

ENTER OUR ALL STAR BASEBALL TRIVIA CONTEST AND WIN COACHES VS. CANCER TICKETS!
Trivia Time: Roy (Doc) Halladay of the Phillies recently won the National League Cy Young Award after a dominating season on the mound. Our last Trivia Test: Can you name the 3 other Phillies pitchers to win the coveted Cy Young Award? Correct answer-- Steve Carlton (4 times), John Denny (1983) and Steve (Bedrock) Bedrosian (1983) were the last 3 Phillies pitchers to win the coveted Cy Young Award in the National League. First with the right answer were Liam Bendo and the family team of Colin and Ryan Hammond.

This Week's Trivia Test: Who are the top 3 all-time Phillies leaders in saves? Hint: Brad (Lights Out) Lidge is not there yet! First reader with the correct answer will win 2 tickets to the Coaches vs. Cancer Breakfast at the Palestra in Philadelphia, March 14th from 8 to 10 am. Send your replies token@allstarbaseballacademy.com...... The winner will be notified by e mail and will be listed on the next Hot Corner column.....Big 5 Basketball Coaches will be attending and speaking at this popular fund-raising event, which helps to support the fight against cancer.