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| Addressing Clinic (FN Photo) |
Wednesday was an extremely busy day for
Dustin Pedroia. He had to put the finishing touches on his new 8-year, $110 million deal; take a physical; and be a hero to a bunch of kids at a batting clinic. Oh, by the way, he also had to face
David Price a little later on. Because of all the morning contract activity, Pedroia was a little late to the
Franklin Sports hitting clinic. But the kids who won the contest to be with
The Muddy Chicken didn't mind his tardiness.
Franklin Sports—based right here in Massachusetts— is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their signature batting glove (first introduced in 1983 with
Mike Schmidt.) A third-generation member of the Franklin family—
Adam Franklin—was also on hand to greet the contest winners. Franklin is conducting similar clinics at 18 ballparks around the country—but this one at their "home" park is something special.
The Laser Show (along with hitting coaches
Greg Colbrunn and
Victor Rodriguez) gave everyone hitting pointers, hit off a tee, and answered questions. One piece of information shared by Pedroia shouldn't come as a big surprise: when asked when he starts swinging a bat in the off-season, he coolly replied,"January". We bet it's more like Christmas.
