Bill and Cal Ripken Jr. teach turning the double play

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Kids ruled the All-Star FanFest in Anaheim until the moment Bill and Cal Ripken Jr. taught a clinic on how to turn double plays from second base and shortstop.
The brothers decided to teach adults the fundamentals necessary for turning double plays in the hope those elders would pass the knowledge on to kids in front yards and neighborhood diamonds. One of the participants -- the one who seemed to have the most trouble with the drills -- became a target of Bill’s. Bill had the crowd formulate chants and scream “No” when he made a bad play.

Here’s the kicker: He was a coach.

“He told me he’s been coaching for 30 years,” Cal said.

“He needs to stop that,” Bill quipped.

Outside the badgering, the Ripkens offered advice on the proper technique to use as a second baseman approaching the bag and the soft toss needed from shortstop.

Lines were formed on each side of second base. Bill slid ground balls to second and shortstop, while Cal took in the delivery at first base.

Afterward they preached the importance of taking time out on flat surfaces to teach fundamentals before going to the local diamond and adding a glove -- the point being that the motion in a closed setting would add fluidity before the bat and glove came into play.

“We want you to pick a smooth surface, get close enough that you can practice the fundamentals in which he talked about first,” Cal said. “Then put them on the bumpy field and then put the bat in your hands.”

-- DeAntae Prince