Even before the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers kicked off the football playoff action this last Saturday, approximately 90 kids from the area got their upcoming baseball seasons off to a great start.

The kids attended the first annual Premier Instructional Winter Camp at the Hightstown High School Annex. The event, run by The Baseball Factory, Inc., was broken up into two showcases. Individuals 8-12 years old were trained from 9-11 a.m. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., those 13-18 years old took over.

At the heart of the clinic is Rob Naddelman, a graduate of Hightstown High School. Naddelman went on to be a two-time All-Ivy League infielder at the University of Pennsylvania before starting to work for The Baseball Factory.

Naddelman has taken part in five prior clinics, primarily in the Maryland area. When the Baseball Factory opened up a new office in New York, however, Naddelman began to wonder if he could pull off a clinic in this area.

"I contacted John Mariano (the Hightstown High School baseball manager) to see if there was an interest," Naddelman noted. "He was interested and I also talked to some of the local programs (such as the police Athletic League and the Hightstown East Youth Baseball League)."

Naddelman also called several of the top baseball minds in the area, getting Mercer County Community College manager Rick Freeman, Steinert’s manager Rich Gialiella and Hamilton manager Jim Maher to agree to come in as guest speakers. In addition to Mariano and the Jirector, other individuals with area ties who have been involved in the clinic are Adam Naddelman, Fred Naddelman, Buck Adams Dan Stewart and Bob Huzzy.

There have been quite a few camps run in this area over the past several years. The void Naaddelman and The Baseball factory fill however is one of stability. They plan run the camp every year. And rather than give individuals a crash course in the game of baseball in one or two days, the kids will come back every Saturday for six weeks. With five weeks still remaining, individuals can still sign up for the clinic by reaching Naddelman at 1-800 641-HITS. The cost is $160.

"I think parents like the idea of the clinic continuing over an extended period of time," Naddelman said. "It’s a big selling point. We give the kids a chance to practice what they learn. In one-day camps, all they have time for is instruction. Here the kids can come back next week and get 100 swings to practice what they saw."

This is what makes the Annex at Hightstown High the ideal place for the, clinic. It features a weight room, batting cage and enough room for those attending the clinic to field some ground balls.

We have enough variations where kids will not get bored," Naddelman said. For most of the kids attending, however, the idea of just being able to play baseball in January is reason enough to keep excited. And if they want to continue playing the sport, the excitement will have to be maintained.

At a clinic at the Peddie School last year, several major league baseball scouts noted that one of the first things they look for in a player was enthusiasm. According to the scouts, considering the number of years a player has to commit to playing little league, high school, college an in the minors before he has a chance at the majors, they will not go near a kid if he doesn’t appear to be enjoying himself.

Through his involvement at The Baseball Factory, Naddelman has heard the same thing from baseball scouts. He has also witnessed these claims.

"There was a kid at Penn who had all the tools in the world, but he was kind of lazy," Naddelman said. "He’d take his swings and then not run hard to first base. He’d catch the ball in the outfield and then not throw the ball back hard to the infield. That kind of stuff can really turn some people off. He never even ended up getting drafted."

On the other hand, Naddelman can’t think of anything better than giving kids who love the game an early start on the new season.

‘The idea is to get the kids ready for the new season," Naddelman said. "The high school season starts in March and this will lead right up to that. With the younger kids it also helps. When the season starts, it will not be the first time they picked up a ball or bat."