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Saladino Baseball Academy Opens In Brandon

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

BRANDON - There are two sounds Tony Saladino III never grows tired of hearing. One is the crack of a baseball bat connecting with the ball, and the other is the thud of the ball pounding into a leather glove.

If he could find a way to make the game of baseball resonate the same way with a new generation of players, and earn a living while doing it, Saladino figured he'd be the happiest guy in Brandon.

Now, Saladino must duke it out with friend and partner Donny Scolaro for that title.

With the opening of the Saladino Baseball Academy in June, both men say they're living their dreams.

"You can't beat our jobs," Scolaro said. "It's like we're kids reliving our childhood. We get to play all the time."

Standing on the South Brandon Little League fields at Clayton Park last week with a mob of 6- to 14-year-olds eager to show off their batting skills, Scolaro and Saladino marveled at how their lives have come full circle.

Saladino, 43, is the son of Bertha and Tony Saladino Jr. of Brandon, founders of the Tony Saladino Memorial Baseball Award for outstanding high school senior ballplayers and the Tony Saladino Baseball Tournament, the county's premier baseball competition that attracts major league scouts from around the country.

The memorial award, first given in 1971, and the tournament, founded in 1981, both are named in honor of Tony Saladino Jr.'s father, Tony Saladino Sr. He died of a heart attack in 1961, the same year the South Brandon Little League, Brandon's first baseball league, opened.

A number of Saladino award winners and tournament standouts went on to play in the major leagues, including 1981 winner Dwight Gooden, 1985 winner Tino Martinez and 1986 winner Gary Sheffield.

Tony Saladino Jr. always gets choked up when he talks about his dad and his love of the sport. Tony Saladino Sr. never missed one of his son's baseball games when he played for Jefferson High School in Tampa.

Tony Saladino III never met his grandfather but inherited his affinity for baseball. He began playing T-ball at South Brandon Little League at age 7 and spent much of his childhood at the park.

He went on to become a scout for the Chicago White Sox, then served as director of Red Berry's Baseball World in Miami. He returned to Brandon to work as a mortgage broker so he could raise his four boys in the community he grew up in, coaching them on the same Little League fields where he honed his own baseball skills.

Scolaro, 36, was seven years behind Tony Saladino III but fell under the same spell when he started playing ball at South Brandon Little League. He became a standout at second base at Brandon High School, winning the Saladino award in 1990, and played at the Class A level for the Houston Astros for three years.

When he realized he wasn't destined for a career in the majors, like Saladino, he returned to the community where he grew up to raise his three sons and coach them at South Brandon Little League. Scolaro has served as league president for the past four years while working as a sales representative for Kellogg's.

While they were coaching at South Brandon, the two men began comparing the threads of their lives and realized they both led back to Brandon and coaching baseball. Saladino has coached youth sports for more than 15 years; Scolaro for 10.

"All the pieces were coming together," Saladino said. "This was our destiny."

Saladino had thought about opening a baseball academy while working at Red Berry's Baseball World in 1991 and '92.

"My heart was in it. I knew this was something that could be a success," he said. "But the timing wasn't right. Then Donny came along, and everything fell into place. This is what we were put on this Earth to do."

"It worked out perfectly," Scolaro said. "Between coaching my own kids and serving as president, I was spending most of my time at South Brandon anyway making sure the park was running right. This is ideal. I get to spend time with my kids. I get to spend time coaching the sport. You can't beat it."

The academy opened along with the summer camp at South Brandon Little League and will continue this fall with the area's first after-school program devoted exclusively to baseball.

"I don't know of any after-school program that's centered on baseball," Scolaro said. "It's unique to this area."

The partners had no problem meeting their goal of registering 40 to 50 youngsters in the summer camp program each week.

"A lot has to do with name recognition," Scolaro said. "The Saladino name goes a long way in this county."

It also helps that Scolaro and Saladino are coaching the camps themselves, with the help of Tony Saladino Jr. and Plant High School softball coach Melissa Sigmon, who also grew up playing ball at South Brandon. Not to mention guest speakers such as former professional players Gary Hancock, Kevin Ohme and Mike Heath.

Scolaro stressed that both the summer camp and after-school program are about learning the sport, not winning or losing.

"We can spend time with these kids that the volunteer Little League coaches can't. We not only teach them baseball, but we teach them confidence. What's gratifying is to see a kid who might not be the best ballplayer want to come back the next day because they had a good time and they feel confident," Scolaro said.

There are still openings for the remaining summer camp weeks: July 21 to 25, July 28 to Aug. 1, Aug. 4 to 8 and Aug. 11 to 15. The camp runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The cost is $150 weekly for a full day or $100 for a half day.

In the fall, the academy will switch venues to Foundation Christian Academy at 3955 Lithia-Pinecrest Road in Valrico. Those interested are invited to a grand opening at 3 p.m. Aug. 15.

"With the after-school program, we'll have the kids for longer, so we'll have more time with them and will be able to give them more individual attention," Saladino said, noting that the group will be limited to about 40.

The program will include personal video breakdowns, video tutorials, pitching and throwing mechanics, team contests, baseball rules, catching, fielding, running and mental approaches.

The after-school academy for children in kindergarten through fifth grade will run from 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 18 to June 4, 2009. The cost will be $85 for five days.

For details, call (813) 684-8226, e-mail info@saladinoba .com or go to www.saladino baseballacademy.com.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Saladino Baseball Academy

WHERE: South Brandon Little League field, off Vonderburg Drive across from Brandon Regional Library

WHEN: There still are openings for the remaining summer camp weeks: July 21 to 25, July 28 to Aug. 1, Aug. 4 to 8 and Aug. 11 to 15. The camp runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

COST: $150 weekly for a full day or $100 for a half-day

CONTACT: (813) 684-8226; e-mail info@saladinoba.com

WEB SITE: www.saladino

baseballacademy.com

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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