Huntley Veteran Attends White Sox Fantasy Camp

Of the first dozen pitches Matt Ritenour saw, some were outside the strike zone, others nipped the corners, and a few were in the former Army staff sergeant’s wheelhouse.

Then the pitching machine zipped one high and tight, backing the Huntley resident away from the plate.

Like the other veterans in the batting cages at the Chicago White Sox and Bulls Training Academy in west suburban Lisle, Ritenour has experienced situations far more dangerous than a wayward fastball.

Still, the Silver Star recipient smiled at his good fortune and limped back into the batter’s box, easing himself toward the intangible area between earnest preparation and fun.

In two weeks, it will all be fun.

Seven Chicago Vets Attend Fantasy Camp

Ritenour, 36, is one of seven Chicago-area wounded veterans who have been selected to participate in a Chicago White Sox Fantasy Camp scheduled Jan. 16-23 at the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

There, the men will be instructed by former White Sox players before taking the diamond to compete against other fantasy campers. The trip is being sponsored by Salute Inc., a Palatine-based nonprofit that provides financial support for military men and women through fundraising activities. The event is being held in conjunction with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the White Sox organization.

MaryBeth Beiersdorf and her husband, Will, a Navy veteran, founded Salute Inc. Beiersdorf said this is the first time the organization has fielded a fantasy team.

The fantasy camp idea came to them after watching her dad participate in the White Sox Fantasy Camp last winter.

“The (camper’s) experience with the Sox players was like this major brotherhood,” said MaryBeth Beiersdorf, Salute Inc.’s executive director.

“There was teamwork, goofing around and an empowering (of the campers). We just kept looking at it and thinking we need to give our veterans a chance to do that.”

In preparing for the fantasy camp, Ritenour and others recently gathered at the Chicago White Sox and Bulls Training Academy where they received one-on-one training with the academy’s senior athletic advisor and hitting and pitching instructor Phil Fox and former White Sox player Michael Huff, who also will serve as Salute Inc.’s coach at the camp.

Later the group participated in fielding drills.

“Actually, it’s not too bad,” Ritenour said of his body’s soreness the next morning.

To say he has felt worse would be an understatement.

Injured in the Line of Duty

On Sept. 4, 2007, Ritenour’s outpost in southern Afghanistan came under attack from the Taliban, which, according to U.S. military accounts, outmanned the troops 180 to 40.

“We got attacked the night before, but the next morning was when they really came at us,” Ritenour said. “So we kind of knew we were going to get hit, just maybe not quite that bad.”

During the firefight Ritenour was shot in the head, the bullet piercing his helmet and partially paralyzing the right side of his body.

“The fact that I was still conscious a few minutes after I got hit — you know, once you get over the shock of what just happened — but the fact that I was still conscious, and knew where I was at was kind of reassuring. Except for the paralysis part,” Ritenour said.

More about Ritenour's personal story of recovery is in the related Patch article, Huntley Soldier Fights Back After Struck By Bullet.

Fantasy Camp Gives Ritenour A Chance To Play

Today Ritenour has a plate in his head, walks with a slight, yet noticeable limp, and suffers from permanent hearing loss and partial paralysis on his right side.

“I’ve tried to throw a ball before so I knew that was going to be kind of hard,” said the right-handed Ritenour.

“But swinging a bat and trying to catch up to a ball that has any kind of speed was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, because my right side doesn’t move that fast. I noticed it in the batting cage, and I was like, wow, they’re going to have to throw the ball nice and slow to me.”

Ritenour, who grew up in Hoffman Estates and now lives in Huntley with his wife and two daughters, said he’ll be playing first base so that he doesn’t have to “throw or move that much.”

In addition to appealing to the White Sox fan in him, Ritenour says he is looking forward to fantasy camp — not because he believes he has something to prove, but rather for the opportunity to simply get out and play baseball.

“I don’t move, I don’t function as well as I used to,” he said, “But I can still enjoy some physical activities and sports and go out there and just have fun.”

Besides Salute Inc., Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the White Sox organization, additional support is being provided by AON, which is covering the veterans’ transportation costs, and Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens, a White Sox fan who donated $10,000.

Readers who wish to sponsor a veteran can do so by visiting Salute Inc.’s web site.