Talking Sports And Fitness With Zeke

Mike Spidale, the general manager and co-owner of Rip It, a batting cage and baseball training facility located on Macarthur Road near Reading Airport, tells Zeke how he and his staff spent the summer renovating the former Grand Slam USA building, refurbishing the four automated hitting cages and adding a 30-by-70-foot turf field that can be used for every type of instruction. Spidale, the Reading Fightin Phils' all-time leader in hits and games played who was elected to the Baseball town Hall of Fame this year, tells Zeke that youth coaching became his focus after he retired from playing in 2012. He formed the Berks County Bulls, a collection of teams from U12 to U16. Rip It was the next logical step. The facility is open Mondays through Fridays from 4-9, Saturdays from 11-8 and Sundays from 12-6. Spidale tells Zeke that the pitching instruction will be led by Steve Schrenk, the Fightin Phils pitching coach the previous two seasons and CEO of Pitching Coach Pro.