From the Altoona, PA, Mirror. To read the entire article, click here.
MARTINSBURG — At a glance, former major league pitcher Kent Bottenfield might seem like your run-of-the-mill retired pro ballplayer, traveling from state to state giving clinics, speaking to kids and performing at various events throughout the country.
But this one-time All-Star likes to think his message carries a little bit of a different tune.
‘‘Every player eventually retires, and it’s your passions that keep you moving on with your life,’’ Bottenfield said. ‘‘Mine just happen to be my faith and music, and they’re what get me moving and keep me going.’’
Bottenfield, who won 18 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999, taught a clinic for more than two dozen local boys at Morrison’s Cove Memorial Park Saturday morning. The event was part of a weekend-long trip to the area for Bottenfield, who spent Friday and Saturday nights performing songs from his newly released contemporary christian album ‘‘Back in the Game.’’
‘‘I like to tie the baseball and the music together,’’ Bottenfield said. ‘‘I don’t want to be saying, ‘Hey, come see me [at a clinic] because I played major league baseball,’ or, ‘Come watch me sing so I can hit you over the head with my beliefs.’ I love getting out into communities and meeting people face to face and trying to make a difference.
‘‘Hopefully, some parent or kid who is here will have the desire to come see me sing [Saturday] night or to listen when I speak at [Martinsburg Grace Brethren Church] Sunday morning.’’