For the past three years, Mike Diaz has been in Arizona, working with Major League Baseball as an instructor with international athletes wanting an opportunity to become professional baseball players.
“We worked with hundreds of athletes, teaching them how to play baseball as well as enhancing their language skills,” said Diaz, himself a veteran major leaguer of 15 years. “We had athletes from various countries attending the camp.”
“Some athletes played college ball, others played semi-pro ball. The camp helped them to adapt to living in America. It was important for them to learn how to live in our country,” added Diaz.
Many of the students were from Japan. The recent tsunami in Japan forced a cutback of students coming to the camp. The Arizona program closed. Diaz returned home.
Like the adage, “when a door closes, a window opens” Diaz found the open window in South San Francisco, where he became the General Manager of a baseball training school.
“Baseball is my life. I want to give back to the game what the game gave me,” said Diaz, 51.”I have found a job that keeps me in baseball and allows me to teach people how to play the game right in my own backyard.”
In the preparation stages since last November, The ClubHouse Training Schools will open its doors on Saturday, May 14. The 16,400 square foot facility, located at 251 Michelle Court, is geared to train players how to become better baseball players. The facility will be open for viewing by the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
“Athletes and coaches are constantly seeking a facility, especially in the Bay Area because of its unpredictable weathe, where they can improve their skills on a regular basis,” said Diaz. “Due to the lack of outdoor field access or any indoor facility access, the need for a facility designated strictly for training and developing baseball players is long overdue in the Bay Area.”
“Our training and development classes are built on four basis focuses – physical, mental, visual and nutritional. Each of the classes take students through a process that teaches all aspects of a well-rounded player who can excel on and off the field using the game of baseball as their platform,” added Diaz, who oversees a staff of 24. “We will have state-of-the art teaching equipment for baseball such as video analysis machines, video pitching machines, radar guns, pitching and hitting tools that professionals use on a regular basis.”
“This is a school for committed students,” explains Diaz. “People don’t just come to the facility and hit in batting cages. It’s not recreational; it’s not entertainment. It’s a training school to get an athlete ready to play baseball. If you want to be the best player, regardless of your age and league, you come here.”
The training facility will open with an enrollment of 300 students. They will be called charter members. The facility will be open year round, seven days a week. Initial enrollment of students will consist of 120 students, ages 14-15, 120 students, ages 16-18 and 60 students ranging from 19 to 23 years of age.
For information on the classes or to enroll call Diaz or Carlos Roman, Director of Player Development, at 415-295-4800 or email to carlos@theclubhousetrainingschools.com.
The warehouse area of the facility will include six oversized retractable turf batting cages and a sport court to accommodate basketball and soccer activities.
“I want to emphasize that we are not a batting cage” says Diaz, who will employ professional baseball coaches as instructors. Also on staff are several Major League baseball scouts. “We are a full bloom school. We are an elite school. We can improve you. If you want to play the game and are committed, you will be much better player when you complete our course.”
The school offers five different enrollments: monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual and customized time periods for specific positions. Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring classes will be offered. Students will attend the facility on a regular basis, depending on their enrollment time period just as a member of a private membership club would, so they may work on the lessons taught during their class in a controlled environment.
Athletes interested in pursuing a baseball career, or a coach interested in enhancing their skills should check out the training school.
Besides playing professional baseball for 15 years, both in the Major League and Japan, Diaz also has 15 years experience of teaching baseball.
—Our training school will give our students the edge to be the best they can be. High school coaches, college recruiters and pro scouts will absolutely see it,” adds Diaz.
THANKS TO NICK’S
For more than 80 years, Nick’s Restaurant has been supporting community programs. Nick’s is the longest reigning sports team sponsor in our community dating back to 1948 when the Coastside Merchants baseball team was form.
Nick Gust and his family go to the head of the line in helping local organizations. Such was the case a week ago, when Terra Nova baseball coach Joey Gentile spearheaded a reunion of former Terra Nova players and coaches to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school’s first baseball team.
A special thanks goes to Lena Gust. She coordinated the food arrangement and banquet setup. Additionally, she worked with the band, The Rockaways, to make it a swingin’ evening for the 300 plus guests. The event was a fund-raiser for the Terra Nova baseball program.
