Getting in the Cage October 2006

by Daniel G. Shafer
Images by R. Byrne

Under the influence of its enthusiastic owner, Cages has become a Monterey Peninsula institution by providing a source of advice, equipment, and fun for sports enthusiasts of all ages.

Dave Stamm is up to his neck in baseball. Literally.

Stamm, who owns Cages in Monterey, is by many accounts Mr. Monterey Baseball, an unofficial position he’s held for the 14 years he’s owned and operated the sporting goods store combined with batting cages. When newcomers want to find out about local youth baseball programs, they are typically told to “Ask Dave.” In fact, Cages is only about two blocks from Monterey’s biggest Tourist Information Center and can legitimately lay claim to the title “Monterey Baseball Information Center.”

Players young or old having trouble with their swing often seek advice from the slight, crew-cut owner of the only batting cages for many miles around.

Stamm gets enough variety in his clientele to make things interesting. “I have one 75-year-old who comes in a couple of times a week to practice. He plays in an over-60 league. And then one three-year-old boy comes in regularly for hitting practice. He’s a regular Tiger Woods of baseball.” In fact, Stamm says he has a pretty even mix of adults and young people coming into the store.

Purveyor of Fun for Others
Stamm himself isn’t a huge baseball fan outside the local scene. “I love watching the young people from around here play,” he says with a smile, “but by the time I go home at night, I’ve heard enough baseball talk to last me for the day. So I don’t spend much time watching or following the majors.”

What he enjoys is bringing the game to local residents. He would go crazy if he didn’t, given that he is surrounded on all sides and in every nook and cranny of his store by boxes, bags, hooks, shelves, and racks crowded and overflowing with baseball gear. Some football and soccer accessories are available, but Stamm’s store literally screams baseball from the time you walk into its crowded-attic-like front room.

Caps from all the major league teams are mixed with piles of gear from local high school and youth clubs. Racks and racks of aluminum bats, bins full of balls (including some shockingly yellow softballs), hundreds of batting gloves crowding each other, while a pool table, an air hockey machine and a handful of video games are stuffed into the odd available floor space among the merchandise.

“We used to have quite a few video games in here,” says Stamm as he hurries off to help a very young football player pick out his first mouthpiece. “In fact, when I first opened the place, all we had were the batting cages, a snack shop, and some video games. A lot of guys hung out here.”

A few years ago, however, he started experimenting with carrying some retail sporting goods and says that before he knew it, “My kitchen was full of baseballs and bats and shoes.” So he closed the food concession and used the area to focus more heavily on retail.

The front part of the store where the retail sales are concentrated is crowded and jumbled. “I’m planning to do a complete re-design and remodel at some point so I can take this place to the next level,” Stamm says a little wistfully.

Batter up!
Even though they aren’t a major revenue source, it’s the eponymous batting cages that provide the unusual draw for this place. The cages are out back but indoors.

Two of the cages are narrow and only set up for right-handed hitters. The other two will accommodate hitting from either side of the plate. Each has a ball machine that can be set for speeds of 40, 50, 60 or 70 mph for baseball and for slow-pitch, 40, 50 or 60 mph for softball. Players come in, get set to hit, plunk a few coins into the controls, and then face a steady stream of pitches every few seconds.

Two benches for players and spectators sit outside the cages. Stamm shows his even-handedness at this point because one bears the logo of the San Francisco Giants and the other that of the Oakland A’s. No place for favoritism here.

Merchandise encroaches upon even this heart of the Cages operation. Stamm has had to set aside space in a couple of the cages, near home plate and out of players’ way, to stockpile more boxes of items intended for sale in his store.

The cages provide good practice. Fifteen-year-old Jordan Dunn, a soon-to-be-junior shortstop for the Monterey High School Toreadors, says, “Almost everyone on the team comes down here to practice their swing.” He adds that Stamm has helped him improve his game. “He is always happy to help teach me stuff.”

“It’s rewarding,” Stamm says softly, “to watch a younger player in the cage having a real struggle with his swing and be able to spot what he’s doing wrong. Most of the time, it’s a simple adjustment. I show them what they’re doing wrong and within a day or two, they’re hitting the ball like mad.” Stamm himself didn’t play organized ball beyond high school in Washington State, but he’s picked up a lot of pointers over the 14 years he’s been hanging around coaches, dads, and players at Cages.

Remembering the Past Great – and Someday Great
A few years ago, Monterey hosted an annual charity softball game at which major league players would put in appearances. Some of them wandered across the street to Cages for a beer and a burger and to talk baseball. Some of them left memorabilia behind. Hanging high on the wall in a little alcove near the rest room are autographed memories from guys like the Hall of Fame bound fireball pitcher Roger “Rocket” Clemens and Jeff Bagwell, one of the most feared hitters in the majors.

But in a reflection of what Stamm really values, those items are nearly invisible amidst walls plastered with hundreds of snapshots of youngsters who have come to Cages in search of baseball joy and wisdom. And chances are that Stamm can tell you a lot about each of those kids.

“Many times, a mother will call up and say something like, ‘We need a pair of pants and a belt for Billy.’ I can remember Billy’s size and the colors of the team he plays on. I have a pretty good memory for stuff like that.” He excuses himself as he responds to the mother of the new football player asking if he could check the boy’s shoes to make sure they’re the right size.

That incident epitomizes what Stamm calls his greatest joy and his greatest challenge. “Keeping up with thousands of different people and their interests and needs – treating them all like individuals – that’s a real challenge,” he says.

It’s easy to see why people like shopping at Cages. As the parents of a future Joe Montana are leaving, the mother excuses her interruption of our discussion to ask Dave, “Will the team give him a bag for his stuff or should we buy one of those?”

That’s a perfect opening for an add-on sale, right? Not with Stamm. “All the teams and leagues are different,” he says. “Don’t buy anything until the coach tells you he needs it. And for sure don’t buy a bunch of overly protective stuff. If he needs a special pad because he’s getting hit in a certain place pretty often, then buy it.” That’s not exactly what you’d call a “hard sell,” but it clearly works for Stamm and his customers and friends.

Looking around at the mounds of boxes and gear stacked everywhere in his store, Stamm acknowledges another major challenge. “I have to keep up with rule changes, product trends, and local teams and leagues. Things change frequently. Like this year, girls’ softball helmets have a new stamping requirement that we have to comply with.”

Does he rely on the Internet for such things? Stamm shakes his head. “Nope. The kids are all over the Internet. They know what’s hot before I do. I read magazines but mostly I talk to the players, the coaches, and keep my ear to the ground.”

A Heart for the Community
Stamm has lived on the Monterey Peninsula for about 25 years. For the first 10 years or so he was in the hotel business. He helped open the local Marriott and Hilton hotels as well as The Inn at Spanish Bay. “I took a look around the Peninsula and I realized there was a ton of youth baseball here, in fact an unusually large amount given the population. I saw that as a business opportunity and opened this place in response.”

One of the things Stamm is known for locally is giving back to the community. He sponsors such things as day trips and amusement park visits for local baseball teams when they travel. He contributes to a host of local causes and is a visible and active part of the community in many ways.

“How many golf passes have we given away so far?” he asks his young helper behind the counter. “Thirty or 40,” comes the reply. Stamm explains, “That’s in just a few weeks.”

Golf passes? Oh, right, I forgot to mention Stamm’s newest enterprise. In May, he opened the first mini course in Monterey in more than 25 years near historic Cannery Row. “The people who own the building came to me when one tenant left and asked if I’d like to move Cages there,” he said. “I told them no, but we got to talking about other businesses that might go there and miniature golf came up. In a few weeks, we had a deal and a few weeks later, opened for business.”

As he does with Cages, Stamm employed local high school students and recent grads to help him with the golf undertaking. In fact, the young Mr. Dunn said he’s learned as much about business and retailing from Stamm over the nine years he’s been coming to Cages as he has about baseball.

The next time you see Stamm, maybe he’ll be up to his neck in golf balls and clubs. Nobody who knows him would be surprised.°