By Nathan Krohn
It was a case of the right place and the right time when Mickey Clarizio first got his start in baseball. Now with over 25 years of experience under his belt, he is the new trainer for the 2015 Boise Hawks.
In 1971, Clarizio was a freshmen physical education major at the University of Oregon, when he started spending his free time hanging out in the Portland Beavers clubhouse.
“I would go there to visit my friend who was the clubhouse manager,” Clarizio said sitting in the stands at Memorial Stadium. “I got to know the trainer, Buck Chamberlain and he let me work as an assistant.”
The next season, Chamberlain moved on and Clarizio was hired in his place.
“It was kind of like, out of nowhere,” Clarizio said. “I was just a 20 year old kid. I never really expected to be working in baseball.”
Clarizio worked for one year with the Eugene Emeralds, hiring Rick Griffin as an assistant, before graduating from Oregon in 1975 and accepting a job with the Cincinnati Reds organization.
Clarizio would spend the next four years splitting his time between the Reds organization and a P.E teaching position at Jefferson High School, before deciding to pursue teaching full-time.
“Baseball was very different then,” Clarizio said while adjusting his cap in the sunlight. “It was difficult to make a career out of baseball and it made more sense for me to do teaching.”
In 1995, Rick Griffin, the head trainer for the Seattle Mariners was preparing to use the teams Arizona facility for rookie ball and year round training. He called Clarizio and convinced his longtime friend to return to baseball.
“They said, Mickey works with kids, he would be great,” Clarizio said. “The circumstances were just right for me to return.”
Clarizio would work in the Mariners organization for 15 years before retiring in 2010. But a unique opportunity brought him back to the game.
“I was bored and I missed baseball,” Clarizio said with a smile. “I got an offer to be part of an MLB development program in China.”
Clarizio spent nearly two years in China, teaching and developing groups of high school students as part of an MLB initiative to grow the game of baseball internationally. However, despite being on the other side of the world, Clarizio says the kids are no different.
“The kids are the same,” Clarizio said with a smile. “Same fun, same mistakes, same everything.”
Clarizio returned to the United States last December and accepted the trainer position with the Boise Hawks. He’s excited to meet the staff, develop players and do what he loves.
“I’m excited to get to know the staff and go through a season together,” Clarizio said. “You’re a family, everyone depends on one another and you build lifelong friendships that you’ll never forget.”
It was a case of the right place and the right time when Mickey Clarizio first got his start in baseball. Now with over 25 years of experience under his belt, he is the new trainer for the 2015 Boise Hawks.
In 1971, Clarizio was a freshmen physical education major at the University of Oregon, when he started spending his free time hanging out in the Portland Beavers clubhouse.
“I would go there to visit my friend who was the clubhouse manager,” Clarizio said sitting in the stands at Memorial Stadium. “I got to know the trainer, Buck Chamberlain and he let me work as an assistant.”
The next season, Chamberlain moved on and Clarizio was hired in his place.
“It was kind of like, out of nowhere,” Clarizio said. “I was just a 20 year old kid. I never really expected to be working in baseball.”
Clarizio worked for one year with the Eugene Emeralds, hiring Rick Griffin as an assistant, before graduating from Oregon in 1975 and accepting a job with the Cincinnati Reds organization.
Clarizio would spend the next four years splitting his time between the Reds organization and a P.E teaching position at Jefferson High School, before deciding to pursue teaching full-time.
“Baseball was very different then,” Clarizio said while adjusting his cap in the sunlight. “It was difficult to make a career out of baseball and it made more sense for me to do teaching.”
In 1995, Rick Griffin, the head trainer for the Seattle Mariners was preparing to use the teams Arizona facility for rookie ball and year round training. He called Clarizio and convinced his longtime friend to return to baseball.
“They said, Mickey works with kids, he would be great,” Clarizio said. “The circumstances were just right for me to return.”
Clarizio would work in the Mariners organization for 15 years before retiring in 2010. But a unique opportunity brought him back to the game.
“I was bored and I missed baseball,” Clarizio said with a smile. “I got an offer to be part of an MLB development program in China.”
Clarizio spent nearly two years in China, teaching and developing groups of high school students as part of an MLB initiative to grow the game of baseball internationally. However, despite being on the other side of the world, Clarizio says the kids are no different.
“The kids are the same,” Clarizio said with a smile. “Same fun, same mistakes, same everything.”
Clarizio returned to the United States last December and accepted the trainer position with the Boise Hawks. He’s excited to meet the staff, develop players and do what he loves.
“I’m excited to get to know the staff and go through a season together,” Clarizio said. “You’re a family, everyone depends on one another and you build lifelong friendships that you’ll never forget.”