Little League

Maitland boasts MLB volunteers

By BRANDON WRIGHT
Published August 6, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Sid Cash is a lucky man.

Most Little League managers are fortunate to get a parent or two who will assist in coaching. It is considered a windfall if those volunteer coaches have played at the high school or college level and can pass along some knowledge of the game. And the luckiest of the lucky managers might have someone on staff who has played in the minor or major leagues.

Cash can check all three of those off his list.

When the Florida (Maitland) manager looks into his dugout between innings, he sees something a little different than most Little League skippers. There's Dante Bichette, combing through hitting charts. On the other end of the bench is Mike Stanley, talking to his middle infielders about footwork.

Two former major league stars, one common goal.

"They are as dedicated as any two people I've ever been around in Little League," Cash said. "And I've been around awhile."

Thirty years to be exact. Cash met Bichette and Stanley when their sons, Dante Jr. and Tanner, began coming up through the youth programs. Bichette began a Friday night hitting clinic in the area that grew into an AAU traveling team (Maitland Pride).

"(Bichette) would throw every pitch in batting practice to whoever wanted to hit," Cash said. "We'd try to get other guys in there to pitch, but he wanted to do it himself."

That was back in June 2004 and what has blossomed will be on display tonight when Florida opens the southeast regional against West Virginia at 7.

"This has been fun to watch these kids transform as hitters," Cash said. "Since June 15, (Bichette) has had this team hit every single morning at 11 a.m."

Cash said Bichette, who hit 274 career home runs and led the National League with 40 homers in 1995 with the Rockies, loves to tinker with new hitting equipment.

"I call Dante the gadget man," he said. "He's got all these machines for flipping balls and one-handed swings."

If anyone can attest to Maitland's hitting, it's Palm Harbor manager Marc Smith. After Maitland crushed Palm Harbor 19-2 in a state tournament game where his team gave up six home runs, Smith called Maitland "the best hitting Little League team" he had ever seen.

While Bichette works with the hitters, Stanley, an all-star catcher with the New York Yankees, concentrates on defense and the cerebral part of the game.

"Mike is one of the most humble people I've ever met," Cash said. "You'd never know he was a major-leaguer by the way he carries himself."

Cash said Stanley preaches "the little things," such as cutoff plays, baserunning and mental adjustments.

"(Stanley) wants these kids to learn something new every day and understand how to focus," Cash said.

Cash said the team was initially "in awe" of having former major-leaguers as coaches, but in time that feeling changed to respect.

"I'm really the one that's in awe," Cash said. "I would have never met these two great men under normal conditions so I consider it a true privilege."

BIG LEAGUE: District 12, Florida's all-star team in the World Series, fell short of the championship game in Easley, S.C., losing 1-0 to California in eight innings. Florida had gone 4-0 in pool play.

[Last modified August 6, 2005, 01:36:22]