Steven Groeger, township superintendent of recreation, met his boyhood heroes at the Los Angeles Dodgers’ fantasy camp.
By: Lea Kahn
Imagine Brooklyn Dodgers center fielder Duke Snider, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell and Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine all on the same field.
No, it’s not a dream. It’s the Los Angeles Dodgers’ fantasy camp and longtime Dodgers fan Steven Groeger got to spend a week with his boyhood heroes last month. The fantasy camp is based in Dodgertown, a.k.a. Vero Beach, Fla.
"For me, it was like being Kevin Costner in ‘Field of Dreams,’" said Mr. Groeger, the township’s superintendent of recreation. "Carl Erskine’s locker was behind mine. (Former Dodger players) Steve Yeager and Jeff Torborg had lockers near me."
Mr. Groeger’s trip to the baseball fantasy camp grew out of a 50th-birthday present from his wife, Jo Ann, who teaches physical education at the Lawrenceville Elementary School. The plan was to send Mr. Groeger to the season opener for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Then, I started to think about the fantasy camp," he said. "I decided I wanted to do that. I hadn’t swung a baseball bat or thrown a ball in years. I hadn’t played hardball since high school. I hadn’t played softball in 15 years.
"(But) I wanted to play and I wanted to be around Duke Snider, Jeff Torborg and Bill Russell.
They were the people I listened to on the radio, watched on television and collected their baseball cards," he said.
Excited, Mr. Groeger took advantage of an offer to go down to the fantasy camp one day early for an optional workout. Upon arriving at the Orlando airport, Mr. Groeger and some campers were driven to the fantasy camp.
"There were five guys in the car," he said. "It was my first real exposure to the other guys. Some of the guys play in recreational leagues and some have been to the camp before."
The campers ranged in age from 30 to 76, he said. There were three or four father-and-son groups. Some of the campers had been drafted to play professionally in their youth. One camper left his home in Cuba to play professional baseball, he said.
On his first day at fantasy camp, Mr. Groeger said he explored his new surroundings. In the locker room, there were two uniforms waiting for him the uniform that players wear for home games and one that players wear for away games. His name was emblazoned on the uniform.
"I went out for a run, and then I went down to the outfield," he said. "The grass was so green and thick what a neat feeling to be in the middle of all that. Except for the orange dirt, everything else was all blue. It’s the Dodgers’ color," he said.
At the end of the day, the campers were treated to a pool party, Mr. Groeger said. Many of the legendary Dodgers players were there, such as Mr. Erskine and Johnny Podres, and the campers had a chance to mingle with them.
"It was all so friendly," he said, smiling at the memory. "They were interested in you. I never got tired of listening to them. It was like being a kid in a toy store."
On the first day of the regular fantasy baseball camp, the campers-turned-baseball players were divided into six teams, all named for the minor league teams that belong to the Dodgers organization. Mr. Groeger played right field on the Vero Beach Dodgers team.
Each of the teams had managers one retired Brooklyn Dodgers player, one retired Los Angeles Dodgers player and one present-day instructor. The Vero Beach Dodgers’ managers were retired ballplayers Mr. Snider and Mr. Russell and present-day player Juan Bustabad.
The morning was spent on a training session. Afternoons were spent playing against each other, Mr. Groeger said. Everyone on the team had a chance at bat. It was supposed to be all about fun, not winning the game, he said.
"I didn’t know what to expect," he said, reflecting on his weeklong stay at the fantasy baseball camp. "I thought I did okay. I hit the ball. I didn’t embarrass myself. I had a really good time."
Mr. Groeger said he has been a Dodgers fan forever. Also, his father was a Dodgers fan. His biggest regret, he said, is that he was not old enough to appreciate Ebbets Field the legendary Brooklyn baseball diamond where the team played before moving to California to become the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958.
"I love baseball," he said. "I’m just one of those people who always enjoyed playing baseball. I would rather play baseball than watch it. That’s why I chose to go to Florida and not Los Angeles. It was a chance to play, and not be a spectator," he said.
Baseball is an American game, and all boys in the 1950s grew up playing baseball, he said, adding that he played Little League and the Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth leagues. He also played baseball for Lawrence High School.
"We collected baseball cards and traded them with each other. You had your favorite team. You made fun of the other guy when his team lost, and you rubbed it in when your team won. You were your favorite player. You knew every player’s statistics," he said.
Looking back, Mr. Groeger said his favorite Dodgers were pitchers Mr. Snider and Sandy Koufax. Mr. Snider was his favorite player, until he was traded away to another baseball team, Mr. Groeger said.
"When I was 11, 12, 13, Sandy Koufax was my favorite pitcher. He was the best pitcher in baseball. He was the most dominant pitcher in the 1960s," he said.
Mr. Groeger said he invited the Dodgers pitcher to his bar mitzvah, but Mr. Koufax sent him a telegram to say that he could not attend. The telegram offered his congratulations and also urged Mr. Groeger to keep rooting for the Dodgers.
"I have a suspicion I’m pretty comfortable the telegram wasn’t from Sandy Koufax. I kept it for 38 years. I took it with me to Vero Beach to have him sign it, but he wasn’t there. He’s a very private person," Mr. Groeger said.