Coach, player meet Willie McCovey and J.T. Snow SAN FRANCISCO
Local baseball head coach Elizabeth Gonzalez and baseball player
Rodrigo Miranda were recognized during the third annual Junior
Giants Willie Mac awards Saturday at AT
&
amp;T Park in San Francisco.
Coach, player meet Willie McCovey and J.T. Snow
SAN FRANCISCO
Local baseball head coach Elizabeth Gonzalez and baseball player Rodrigo Miranda were recognized during the third annual Junior Giants Willie Mac awards Saturday at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Along with Gonzalez and Miranda, other outstanding players and coaches were honored for their contributions to the Junior Giants, a noncompetitive free summer baseball league that helps at-risk youth in inner cities and rural communities by instilling in them good habits and life skills through the game of baseball.
Gonzalez became involved with the Junior Giants when her son, Jesus, started playing with the Gilroy Junior Giants seven years ago.
This year, Gonzalez served as head coach of the first Morgan Hill Junior Giants team, despite not having any prior coaching experience.
“They were short on coaches and so I stepped in,” Gonzalez said. “I’m doing this for my kids.”
Jesus, a sophomore at Live Oak, now plays in the high school Junior Giants league, and also serves as an assistant coach on his mom’s team.
“I didn’t really have too much coaching experience, but he (Jesus) wanted to help, so we made it happen,” Gonzalez said. “Recruiting the coaches was probably the hardest part.”
Gonzalez added: “Junior Giants is influential because it’s non-competitive, and that takes the pressure off the kids.
“They’re at the plate until they hit the ball … they get to do everything … it’s very rewarding for them.”
The Morgan Hill Junior Giants play at St. Catherine Church, 17400 Peak Ave., and next year Gonzalez hopes the team will grow.
“We weren’t as organized as we wanted to be, but it still worked out really well,” Gonzalez said. “Next year I hope we can get more people involved to help the program grow.”
Named in honor of San Francisco Giants Hall of Famer Willie McCovey, the award is the Junior Giants version of the annual award given to a Giants player by his teammates.
McCovey and Giants public address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon paid tribute to those who helped make the 2007 Junior Giants season a success, including Gonzalez and Miranda.
The local coach and player had their picture taken with former Giants first baseman and two-time Willie Mac award winner J.T. Snow, son of former NFL Los Angeles Rams Pro Bowl wide receiver Jack Snow. He presented them each with a baseball bat engraved with McCovey’s signature.
“My Willie Mac trophies are two of the things I am most proud of,” Snow said referring to the honors given to him by his teammates.
There are more than 14,000 kids participating in the program in leagues throughout California, Nevada, and Oregon, and roughly 300 volunteer coaches and mentors.
“Anytime you get an award with Willie McCovey’s name on it, it’s pretty special,” Snow told the audience. “You’re doing a tremendous thing because baseball builds tremendous character,” Snow said. “All it takes is one little positive thing to get these kids going and give them something to remember … and to be able to work with these kids and get them feeling good about themselves is tremendous.”
Brooks-Moon, who served as MC of the event, reiterated Snow’s focus on the importance of coaching.
“Coaches are the foundation of any recreational youth program,” she said.
McCovey played 19 seasons for the San Francisco Giants and three more for the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics between 1959 and 1980.
“I just want to say how appreciative I am to be here today,” the former slugger and first baseman said.
