Basic training

Mike Holtz isn't pledging the world to young baseball and softball players who will come to seek instruction at the new multi-sports complex that he will help to open in the Altoona area this September.

But the former major league relief pitcher, who had a combined eight years of big-league service with the California (now Anaheim) Angels, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox, is offering one solid guarantee.

"Our slogan is that we help you get the most out of your ability,'' Holtz said. "Everybody has a different skill level, and we understand that. We don't promise everybody we teach that they will become a professional baseball player. But we do guarantee that they will become better players if they come to us.''

Since December 2007, Holtz, 37 - who retired from major league service after pitching in three games with the Boston Red Sox in 2006 - and Rick Roberts, who pitched for eight seasons in the minor-league systems of the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers - have operated a baseball training facility for players ages 5-18 in the Richland area of Johnstown.

That 6,500-square feet facility is operated under the company name of Earn Respect Athletics Sports Incorporated, and features three batting cages and seven pitching mounds.

"We've been real happy with our Richland facility,'' Roberts said. "In our winter programs alone, we were training around 400 kids. This past spring, we trained about 300 kids. From last year until this year, [the training enrollment at Richland] grew by about 75 kids.''

All of which bodes extremely well for the new artificial-turf facility that Holtz, Roberts and former Altoona Curve pitcher Mike Connolly will be opening in Blair County. It will open in the same building that houses the Urban War Zone paint-ball business on Route 764 between Altoona and Duncansville, will encompass 16,000 square feet, feature nine pitching mounds, and four full-sized batting cages.

"Because the Altoona facility is a lot bigger than the Johnstown facility, we'll be able to do a lot of different things,'' said Connolly, 27, who pitched for the Curve from 2003-2006. "We're going to have a couple sports enhancement trainers work with the athletes, and we'll have a lot of open space for baseball, softball and other sports. We're excited to bring this facility to Altoona.''

Also scheduled to be on staff to train prospective pitchers is Joe Vitko, who, like Holtz, is a Central Cambria High School graduate who pitched in the major leagues with the New York Mets. Former University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown pitcher Benny Watkins, now in the New York Yankees minor league system, will also provide pitching instruction.

Doug McNulty, a former player in the Mets minor-league system, will provide hitting instruction.

"We do offer good fielding and hitting programs, but our big programs will be in the winter and spring and are especially for kids who are new to the pitching end of things,'' said Holtz, who pointed out that any potential instructors with baseball and/or softball backgrounds who live in the Altoona area and are interested in working at the facility are welcome to contact him. "We know there are a lot of kids in the Altoona area who could benefit from the instruction we give, but traveling to Richland is too inconvenient for them, especially during the winter months.''

The Richland facility offers travel-team competition for players, and Holtz hopes that opportunity will materialize for young athletes training at the Altoona area facility as well.

"This type of instruction is something I certainly didn't have when I was that age,'' said Holtz, who lives in Northern Cambria and previously coached the Colts' high school baseball team. "The programs that we offer are excellent programs.''