Beltran hosts Clinic

Chris Girandola at Mets.com writes about Carlos Beltran and the Clinic he held at Shea:

Beltran has been committed to helping communities in surrounding areas where he has played, including running baseball clinics in Kansas City where he played with the Royals. Last summer, the Mets outfielder first learned of Major League Baseball's RBI program and got involved with the center located on East 100th Street in East Harlem. In April, Beltran was annointed as the commissioner of the REAL (Reading and Enrichment Academy for Learning) program, a division of RBI devoted to the growth and development of 9-to-12-year-olds.

Beltran first proposed the idea of donating $500 for every run batted in he had in the 2006 season. Then, he worked with Richard Berlin, the executive director of Harlem RBI, to have clinics throughout the year.

On Monday, Beltran visited the center and talked to students in the classrooms before making an appearance at one of the RBI ballfields. He demonstrated some hitting techniques and shook hands with all the children in attendance.

On Tuesday, Beltran hosted a baseball clinic at Shea Stadium for 16 teams of the REAL program which included 50 kids selected for their performance in the classroom and the playing field as "individuals who most consistently demonstrated sportsmanship, respect and teamwork," according to Megan Demarkis, REAL Kids director.