Amid the palm trees, pineapple and sandy beaches of Hawaii, Michael Barrett played baseball in 1996 and again in '97, and he's never forgotten the lessons he learned and the people he met in the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the Chicago Cubs catcher hosted 150 kids in a free clinic at Waipahu's Hans L'Orange Field on the island of Oahu.

"The idea behind the clinic was to provide a cool baseball experience where kids could come out and get good baseball instruction," Barrett said Wednesday by phone from Hawaii. "We were just trying to create a fun environment and spark some interest."

Barrett and Hawaiian Winter Baseball League president Herve Kurisu worked together to set up the clinic, which not only included baseball instruction, but also made available a vision clinic so kids could get a free eye exam.

Players between the ages of 8 and 18 were invited to participate, free of charge. Barrett said it was originally intended as a catchers-only instruction camp, but the response was so positive and there was interest from so many kids who wanted to learn about all aspects of the game, that they opened it up.

Barrett, who played for the Honolulu Sharks in 1996 and the West Oahu CaneFires in 1997, decided to do the clinic as soon as he heard the HWBL had been revived.

"I told [Kurisu] that if you ever get the league back, call me and I'll be there to help the league out," Barrett said. "I saw him in San Francisco and he didn't ask -- I said, 'We're there.'"

It was in Hawaii that Barrett made the conversion from shortstop/third baseman to catcher.

"If I didn't have the opportunity to play in Hawaii, I might have had to spend another year in the Minor Leagues," he said.

In Hawaii, he was able to get extra time behind the plate and learn about the game, plus get exposure to several Japanese pitchers.

"When I came back the second year, they wanted you to be responsible and go to schools and get to know the community and help raise awareness of the league," Barrett said. "We'd speak to kids about setting goals and stuff like that. In '97, some of the guys didn't take that role very seriously. Herve would pick two kids from one team and say, 'Meet me down in the lobby at 8 o'clock.' But they didn't show up."

Kurisu asked Barrett to fill in one time. Barrett had to do it again, and again, and finally told Kurisu to just use him full-time to speak to the schools. Barrett visited 20 schools that year and was presented a community service award from the league.

"It's one of the things I love the most," Barrett said of the award. "That's why [Kurisu] got so excited when I said I was coming back. He knew I got it."

Barrett's recent weekend clinic was a success, and he got help from his longtime Atlanta-based coach Todd Howard, as well as several corporate sponsors, including Wilson Sporting Goods, which donated two pitching machines, baseballs, staff jerseys, six sets of catcher's gear, and four highly prized Pudge Rodriguez catcher's mitts.

"The look on the kids' faces was something when we gave them the mitts -- they didn't want to mess them up," Barrett said.

Louisville Slugger donated mini bats with Barrett's signature on them; Franklin donated batting gloves; Nike provided shoes and hats; Gatorade supplied coolers and products; and EAS sent protein bars.

"It was a great camp," Barrett said. "All the kids were so good and the parents were so cool. They were so appreciative. We had so much fun."

It must be hard to focus on baseball when playing in paradise. Barrett spoke to some of the HWBL players.

"I told the kids, first of all, you're job is to play a sport," Barrett said. "And second, you're in Hawaii. I said, 'You need to take advantage of it and take it seriously and realize how privileged you are.'

"It's great to be back on the island," Barrett said. "There's no other opportunity for high [Class] A ball players to enhance their skills than here. It's hard for them to break in -- the [Arizona] Fall League only takes one or two players. [The HWBL] is really a great league and it's great for guys who come here."

Derrek Lee, Mark Kotsay, A.J. Pierzynski and Ichiro Suzuki are some of the Major League players who got valuable baseball experience in Hawaii.

Barrett also took advantage of this trip to work out and said he's feeling 100 percent. His season ended in early September after an errant foul tip off his protective cup knocked him out of action. He's been able to run and hit during his clinics and is back to working out. It's not a bad assignment -- spending a week or so in Hawaii.

"This place provided an opportunity for me to play and enhance my skills, and this was a chance for me to say, 'Thanks,'" he said of the HWBL. "I get a chance to give something back. I know they appreciate my time -- that means a lot to me."