- John Allman (Amsterdam ’04) is leading Kansas University with a .410 batting average. He has 16 hits in 39 at-bats and finished 6-for-10 in a weekend series against Stanford.
- Cord Phelps (Amsterdam ’06) is hitting .300 (12-for-40) for Stanford University. The Cardinal are currently on a five-game winning streak
- Austin Hyatt (Amsterdam ’06) leads #19-ranked Alabama with a 0.87 earned run average through Sunday. He is 2-0 in five appearances with 10 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts to one walk. He gave up his first run of the year on Saturday against Villanova.
- Duran Ferguson (Amsterdam ’06) started for #25-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday in the Wildcats 8-5 win over Murray State. He struck out eight through five innings. Currently Duran leads all UK pitchers in strikeouts.
- Mike Parker (Amsterdam ’04) is off to a hot start for George Washington University. He is batting .423 (11-for-26) through Sunday.
- Matt Untiet (Amsterdam ’06) smashed a two-run double for UCONN in the Huskies win over Western Carolina on Saturday.
- Vince Riggi (Amsterdam 04-06) and Alex Wotring (Amsterdam ’05) are playing well for the University of Richmond. Through Sunday, Riggi is batting .316 (6-for-19) and Wotring is hitting .292.
- Brian Szarmach (Amsterdam ’06) has been a house of fire for the University of Cincinnati. On Saturday, he went 4-for-7 with seven RBI during a doubleheader against North Carolina A&T. He leads the Bearcats with a .367 (11-for-30) batting average.
- Ryan Connelly (Amsterdam ’06) is starting in right field for the University of Notre Dame. He was red-shirted last year and missed the entire season. Ryan is batting .271 (3-for-13).
- Blake Cannady (Amsterdam ’04-’05) is batting .500 (6-for-12) for the University of Georgia.
- Mario Williams (Amsterdam ’06) is batting .313 for Lake City Community College. He’s helped the Timberwolves to a 15-6 start.
- Andrew Clauson (Amsterdam ’07) won his first collegiate game on Saturday in Stanford University’s, 4-1, win over Kansas. He pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout baseball.
- Jordan Wolf (Amsterdam ’05) leads Xavier University in batting average. He is batting .444 (8-for-18) through six games.
- Robbie Dominguez (Amsterdam ’07) is 3-0 on the mound for Cerritos Community College in Los Angeles. He has 34 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched. Dominguez was selected in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft by the Seattle Mariners.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Amsterdam Mohawks Notes 2/26/07
Notes provided by Mohawks General Manager Brian Spagnola.
NYCBL Diamond Notes 2/25/07
It’s time for another weekly installment of your NYCBL notebook. I apologize for not updating over the past week, but I was home in New York on a family matter. Here’s the big news from this past week. Plus, be on the lookout for the official release of the NYCBL schedule this week. I’ll have a release put out in the next few days. I can tell you that the season will start on Thursday, June 7, with four games at Western Division parks. I’ll have more tidbits here on the blog after the official release goes up on the league web site. Now, to the news.
New Owner, New Name for Little Falls Baseball Club
It was announced on Thursday, in Little Falls, that the Little Falls entry in the New York Collegiate Baseball League is now owned by Baseball Concessions Inc. of Durham, North Carolina. The same group also owns the Burlington Royals of the Appalachian League and operates two independent baseball leagues, the American Association and the Can-Am League.
The Little Falls team will continue to play home games at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls. However, the new ownership group has decided on a new name. The team will drop “Diamond” from their nickname and now be known as the Little Falls Miners. The color scheme remains about the same, now green and black.
New Little Falls president, Miles Wolff, has worked in baseball for over 30 years. He has previous experience in upstate New York. At one time, Wolff owned the Utica Blue Sox of the New York-Penn League. During the 1980s, Wolff was the owner of the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League. Prior to that, he’d worked in baseball as a general manager and written several baseball and historical books. Wolff’s Durham team gained great popularity and was featured in the baseball movie, “Bull Durham.” Baseball and writing merged for Wolff as the president and publisher of Baseball America for 18 years. Currently, he is the president of “Les Capitales De Quebec,” a team in the Can-Am League.
Miners Vice President Dan Moushon also has ties to upstate New York. Dan is a former general manager of the Watertown Indians of the New York-Penn League. Hoffman Wolff will be the Miners general manager. He’s worked in the sports information office at UAlbany and has served as the media relations director for the Can-Am and Central Leagues.
The current Little Falls team enters its second season in the New York Collegiate Baseball League in 2007. The 2006 club finished second in the Eastern Division and made it to the semifinals of the NYCBL playoffs.
As of now, the Eastern Division, from an ownership perspective, looks extremely strong. Just in the past two weeks, Amsterdam has added former NECBL owner Dave Dittman to the fold and now Little Falls welcomes the Wolff family to the NYCBL. Last November, Glens Falls ownership changed hands from Roger Ames to local Glens Falls native Darin Williams. Saratoga won the league championship last year and co-owners Keith Rogers and Dan Scarring have proven that they can build a solid franchise. And lastly there’s Watertown, one of the model franchises of the league. Watertown Sports Venture has done a super job with that franchise as the Wizards regularly play to huge crowds at Duffy Fairgrounds. Bennington (VT) joins the Eastern Division this year and they look like they have a solid local following. Things are going to get very interesting in the Eastern Division in 2007.
Players of the Week
Since there are so many conferences around the country, I’m going to rely on some outside submissions to help with this. I can only surf the Internet and conference websites so much. Here’s what I have from last week and the week before.
Liberty University’s Tim Nanry (Rochester ‘06/Genesee Valley ’05) was named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week for the week of February 12 through February 18. Nanry hit .667 during three games. His best day came against in-state rival Richmond. Tim went 5-for-5, blasted three home runs, tallied eight runs batted in and scored four runs as Liberty smashed Richmond, 28-7. The day before, Tim connected for Liberty’s first hit in a game against The Citadel. The Rochester, New York, native originally started his collegiate baseball career at Monroe Community College and then transferred to Liberty. Last summer, Tim helped the Rochester Royals to one of two NYCBL wildcard playoff berths. He finished second on the Royals with a .340 batting average.
Texas Lutheran’s Jacob Kaase (Brockport ’07) was named the American Southwest Conference West Division “Hitter of the Week” for the week of February 5 through February 11. Kaase will play for the Brockport Riverbats this coming summer. Kaase hit .583 for the week with three runs batted in, two walks, six runs scored and a stolen base. Kaase started the season with a bang as he bashed a walk-off, two-run home run in Texas Lutheran’s season-opening win over Hunter-Tillotson. The following day, he went 4-for-4 in a Texas Lutheran victory over Texas-Brownsville. The Bulldogs of Texas Lutheran University are currently ranked 14th in NCAA Division III.
Send news and notes to SaltCitySports@aol.com
New Owner, New Name for Little Falls Baseball Club
It was announced on Thursday, in Little Falls, that the Little Falls entry in the New York Collegiate Baseball League is now owned by Baseball Concessions Inc. of Durham, North Carolina. The same group also owns the Burlington Royals of the Appalachian League and operates two independent baseball leagues, the American Association and the Can-Am League.
The Little Falls team will continue to play home games at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls. However, the new ownership group has decided on a new name. The team will drop “Diamond” from their nickname and now be known as the Little Falls Miners. The color scheme remains about the same, now green and black.
New Little Falls president, Miles Wolff, has worked in baseball for over 30 years. He has previous experience in upstate New York. At one time, Wolff owned the Utica Blue Sox of the New York-Penn League. During the 1980s, Wolff was the owner of the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League. Prior to that, he’d worked in baseball as a general manager and written several baseball and historical books. Wolff’s Durham team gained great popularity and was featured in the baseball movie, “Bull Durham.” Baseball and writing merged for Wolff as the president and publisher of Baseball America for 18 years. Currently, he is the president of “Les Capitales De Quebec,” a team in the Can-Am League.
Miners Vice President Dan Moushon also has ties to upstate New York. Dan is a former general manager of the Watertown Indians of the New York-Penn League. Hoffman Wolff will be the Miners general manager. He’s worked in the sports information office at UAlbany and has served as the media relations director for the Can-Am and Central Leagues.
The current Little Falls team enters its second season in the New York Collegiate Baseball League in 2007. The 2006 club finished second in the Eastern Division and made it to the semifinals of the NYCBL playoffs.
As of now, the Eastern Division, from an ownership perspective, looks extremely strong. Just in the past two weeks, Amsterdam has added former NECBL owner Dave Dittman to the fold and now Little Falls welcomes the Wolff family to the NYCBL. Last November, Glens Falls ownership changed hands from Roger Ames to local Glens Falls native Darin Williams. Saratoga won the league championship last year and co-owners Keith Rogers and Dan Scarring have proven that they can build a solid franchise. And lastly there’s Watertown, one of the model franchises of the league. Watertown Sports Venture has done a super job with that franchise as the Wizards regularly play to huge crowds at Duffy Fairgrounds. Bennington (VT) joins the Eastern Division this year and they look like they have a solid local following. Things are going to get very interesting in the Eastern Division in 2007.
Players of the Week
Since there are so many conferences around the country, I’m going to rely on some outside submissions to help with this. I can only surf the Internet and conference websites so much. Here’s what I have from last week and the week before.
Liberty University’s Tim Nanry (Rochester ‘06/Genesee Valley ’05) was named the Big South Conference Choice Hotels Player of the Week for the week of February 12 through February 18. Nanry hit .667 during three games. His best day came against in-state rival Richmond. Tim went 5-for-5, blasted three home runs, tallied eight runs batted in and scored four runs as Liberty smashed Richmond, 28-7. The day before, Tim connected for Liberty’s first hit in a game against The Citadel. The Rochester, New York, native originally started his collegiate baseball career at Monroe Community College and then transferred to Liberty. Last summer, Tim helped the Rochester Royals to one of two NYCBL wildcard playoff berths. He finished second on the Royals with a .340 batting average.
Texas Lutheran’s Jacob Kaase (Brockport ’07) was named the American Southwest Conference West Division “Hitter of the Week” for the week of February 5 through February 11. Kaase will play for the Brockport Riverbats this coming summer. Kaase hit .583 for the week with three runs batted in, two walks, six runs scored and a stolen base. Kaase started the season with a bang as he bashed a walk-off, two-run home run in Texas Lutheran’s season-opening win over Hunter-Tillotson. The following day, he went 4-for-4 in a Texas Lutheran victory over Texas-Brownsville. The Bulldogs of Texas Lutheran University are currently ranked 14th in NCAA Division III.
Send news and notes to SaltCitySports@aol.com
Sunday, February 18, 2007
NYCBL Diamond Notes 2/18/07
Pitchers and catchers have started to report to spring training and the beginning of March is just under two weeks away. Here are some Sunday-night NYCBL notes to help the snow melt a bit faster and the 30 and 40-degree temperatures on tap for this week to come sooner rather than later. In my case here in Virginia, 40 and 50 degree temperatures. Additional notes can be sent to SaltCitySports@aol.com
Three NYCBL Alums Named All-PING! BASEBALL
Three former members of the New York Collegiate Baseball League have been named to the first-ever All-Ping!Baseball pre-season team. The team consists of players from around the country and can be found on the brand-new website, Ping!Baseball.com.
University at Albany catcher Tom Hill (Glens Falls ’04) was selected to the All-Ping! second team. It’s the second honor that Hill has received this winter. Baseball America dubbed Hill as the pre-season All-America East first-team catcher. Hill batted .372 with 11 home runs and 46 runs batted in for the Great Danes last spring. He was selected to the 2006 ABCA All-Northeast Region first team and the 2006 All-America East first team. Tom was a member of the 2004 Eastern Division champion Glens Falls Golden Eagles. Nine players from that team have been drafted or signed professional contracts with Major League Baseball teams.
University of New Orleans pitcher Bryan Cryer (Amsterdam ’05) earned a third-team selection. Earlier this winter, Bryan was selected to the Watch List for the 2007 Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s best Division I baseball player. And, Baseball America picked Bryan as a pre-season All-Sun Belt first-team pitcher. Cryer went 7-1 last season with a 2.72 earned run average and was named to the second team All-Sun Belt. Originally, Bryan joined the baseball team at the University of New Orleans as a walk-on. He was a member of the 2005 Eastern Division champion Amsterdam Mohawks and a first-team All-NYCBL starting pitcher.
University of Rhode Island pitcher Jamie Degidio (Mohawk Valley ’05) was also named to the All-Ping!Baseball pre-season third team. Earlier this month, Degidio took pre-season All-Atlantic-10 honors from Baseball America. Degidio went 7-2 with two saves and a 1.86 earned average last spring for the Atlantic-10 regular season champion, Rhode Island Rams. He won seven consecutive starts from March 14 to May 1. Jamie also pitched in last spring’s New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Association All-Star Game at Fenway Park and earned a victory for the University Division squad. Degidio was a member of the 2005 Mohawk Valley Cobras. The Cobras finished third in the Eastern Division.
More Schedules
Two more tentative schedules have been posted on the web. Keep in mind, these are tentative and nothing is set yet in stone. Details are still being hammered out and the schedule will hopefully be finalized by the end of the month.
For now, the defending league-champion Saratoga Phillies have posted their tentative schedule at www.SaratogaPhillies.com. They also have posted a pre-season roster as well. Several notable names return from last year’s championship team including All-NYCBL first-team selection Darin Mastroianni (Southern Indiana).
The Hornell Dodgers have also posted a tentative schedule on their website, www.HornellDodgers.com. And beginning this season, the Dodgers are starting a booster club. For more information on the booster club, please check out the link above for the Dodgers website.
Already, the Geneva Red Wings and Allegany County Nitros have posted tentative schedules.
Little Falls Alum Turning Into Diamond For Broncos
Jeff Lombard pitched for the Little Falls Diamond Miners last summer. Prior to coming to upstate New York, Lombard made a team-high and league-high 29 appearances for the Santa Clara University Broncos. The Woodlinville, Washington, native was primarily used as a reliever, along with 2006 Watertown Wizard Daniel DeMarco.
In Little Falls, Lombard was a member of the starting rotation and went 3-2 with a 4.58 earned run average. Jeff made seven starts and 11 appearances. He struck out 27 batters in 37.1 innings.
Already this season (2007), Lombard’s proved to be an integral part of the Santa Clara bullpen. Through Sunday night’s games, Lombard is 2-0 with two saves and a 0.00 earned run average in six appearances. He’s struck out 10 and walked two in eight and two-thirds innings. The two wins earned by Lombard account for one-third of Santa Clara’s wins this season.
Congratulations to Jeff and we wish him the best of luck at Santa Clara. In other Diamond Miners news, 2006 NYCBL all-star Jimmy Baker has made a change of addresses. Last spring, Baker was an all-conference selection at Centenary in Louisiana. After a solid summer in Little Falls, Baker returned to school, but in another state. Baker is currently playing for Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Thanks to Little Falls Times Sports Editor John Rathburn for bringing those two stories to my attention.
Three NYCBL Alums Named All-PING! BASEBALL
Three former members of the New York Collegiate Baseball League have been named to the first-ever All-Ping!Baseball pre-season team. The team consists of players from around the country and can be found on the brand-new website, Ping!Baseball.com.
University at Albany catcher Tom Hill (Glens Falls ’04) was selected to the All-Ping! second team. It’s the second honor that Hill has received this winter. Baseball America dubbed Hill as the pre-season All-America East first-team catcher. Hill batted .372 with 11 home runs and 46 runs batted in for the Great Danes last spring. He was selected to the 2006 ABCA All-Northeast Region first team and the 2006 All-America East first team. Tom was a member of the 2004 Eastern Division champion Glens Falls Golden Eagles. Nine players from that team have been drafted or signed professional contracts with Major League Baseball teams.
University of New Orleans pitcher Bryan Cryer (Amsterdam ’05) earned a third-team selection. Earlier this winter, Bryan was selected to the Watch List for the 2007 Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s best Division I baseball player. And, Baseball America picked Bryan as a pre-season All-Sun Belt first-team pitcher. Cryer went 7-1 last season with a 2.72 earned run average and was named to the second team All-Sun Belt. Originally, Bryan joined the baseball team at the University of New Orleans as a walk-on. He was a member of the 2005 Eastern Division champion Amsterdam Mohawks and a first-team All-NYCBL starting pitcher.
University of Rhode Island pitcher Jamie Degidio (Mohawk Valley ’05) was also named to the All-Ping!Baseball pre-season third team. Earlier this month, Degidio took pre-season All-Atlantic-10 honors from Baseball America. Degidio went 7-2 with two saves and a 1.86 earned average last spring for the Atlantic-10 regular season champion, Rhode Island Rams. He won seven consecutive starts from March 14 to May 1. Jamie also pitched in last spring’s New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Association All-Star Game at Fenway Park and earned a victory for the University Division squad. Degidio was a member of the 2005 Mohawk Valley Cobras. The Cobras finished third in the Eastern Division.
More Schedules
Two more tentative schedules have been posted on the web. Keep in mind, these are tentative and nothing is set yet in stone. Details are still being hammered out and the schedule will hopefully be finalized by the end of the month.
For now, the defending league-champion Saratoga Phillies have posted their tentative schedule at www.SaratogaPhillies.com. They also have posted a pre-season roster as well. Several notable names return from last year’s championship team including All-NYCBL first-team selection Darin Mastroianni (Southern Indiana).
The Hornell Dodgers have also posted a tentative schedule on their website, www.HornellDodgers.com. And beginning this season, the Dodgers are starting a booster club. For more information on the booster club, please check out the link above for the Dodgers website.
Already, the Geneva Red Wings and Allegany County Nitros have posted tentative schedules.
Little Falls Alum Turning Into Diamond For Broncos
Jeff Lombard pitched for the Little Falls Diamond Miners last summer. Prior to coming to upstate New York, Lombard made a team-high and league-high 29 appearances for the Santa Clara University Broncos. The Woodlinville, Washington, native was primarily used as a reliever, along with 2006 Watertown Wizard Daniel DeMarco.
In Little Falls, Lombard was a member of the starting rotation and went 3-2 with a 4.58 earned run average. Jeff made seven starts and 11 appearances. He struck out 27 batters in 37.1 innings.
Already this season (2007), Lombard’s proved to be an integral part of the Santa Clara bullpen. Through Sunday night’s games, Lombard is 2-0 with two saves and a 0.00 earned run average in six appearances. He’s struck out 10 and walked two in eight and two-thirds innings. The two wins earned by Lombard account for one-third of Santa Clara’s wins this season.
Congratulations to Jeff and we wish him the best of luck at Santa Clara. In other Diamond Miners news, 2006 NYCBL all-star Jimmy Baker has made a change of addresses. Last spring, Baker was an all-conference selection at Centenary in Louisiana. After a solid summer in Little Falls, Baker returned to school, but in another state. Baker is currently playing for Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Thanks to Little Falls Times Sports Editor John Rathburn for bringing those two stories to my attention.
Friday, February 16, 2007
NYCBL Notes 2/16/07
Considering all the snow on the ground in upstate New York right now (upwards of two-and-three feet in some places), it has been a pretty busy news week in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. With all the stories I have at my fingertips right now, it’s hard to pick a place to start.
I’ll start with the schedule, since e-mails in regards to the 2007 NYCBL slate have been coming into my mailbox at a pretty good clip. The schedule is being finalized right now by all the teams in the league as to maybe what dates aren’t possible, game times and the other paperwork involved with polishing off the schedule. The good news is that it should be released pretty soon. Geneva has posted their home dates only on their website, www.GenevaRedWings.com. Allegany County has released its temporary schedule for the entire year, and that can be viewed at www.NitrosBaseball.com. As soon as the schedule is released, I’ll let everyone know.
Speaking of the schedule, the NYCBL All-Star Game is now official. The game will be played on Friday, July 6 at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, New York. It’s the first time that Shuttleworth Park has played host to the game since the Mohawks moved to Amsterdam in 2003. The game will be the centerpiece of Parkfest 2007 in Amsterdam and I’ll write more about that in just a minute. Previous all-star games have been played at, 2006: Watertown, 2005: Wayne County (Newark), 2004: Watertown, 2003: Wellsville.
There’s more big news in Amsterdam, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Earlier this week, the Geneva Red Wings named longtime assistant coach and webmaster Tom Dixon as their new Director of Baseball Operations. He’ll remain on as an assistant coach, but his primary focus will be on his new position as the Director of Baseball Operations. The Red Wings have also hired a pair of new assistant coaches, Landon Danielson (Minnesota) and Donovan O’Dowd (Lynn). They’ll assist Red Wings skipper Dave Herbst, now entering his sixth year with the team. And more information on the hirings, go to www.GenevaRedWings.com.
The snow hasn’t begun melting and already a future Glens Falls Golden Eagle has earned an award. Mark Kelly (Southern Illinois) will catch this summer for the Golden Eagles. Earlier this week, the SIU Saluki was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll for his performance against Stetson University last weekend. In a three-game series against Stetson, Kelly went 5-for-11, drove in four runs and made three starts. The release is available on the SIU sports information website at: http://siusalukis.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/021407aaa.html Thanks to Golden Eagles manager John Mayotte for passing that note along, and congratulations to Mark.
Now, we come to the big news that went down Thursday evening in snow-swept Amsterdam at Crystal Ristorante. The news is so big, it required three articles in the Amsterdam Recorder, one in the main news section and two in the sports. First, here’s the three links from our good friends at the Recorder.
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/304769951653299.php
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/321322910126427.php
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/304769952096104.php
OK, now that you’ve been aptly linked, you’re ready. Thursday evening, the Amsterdam Mohawks announced that Dave Dittman is the new co-owner of the franchise. Previously, Dittman’s owned the Vermont Mountaineers and the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He helped each team greatly increase attendance to where now, the Mountaineers and Gulls are two of the NECBL league leaders in bringing fans to the ballpark. Vermont regularly plays to crowds of 1,000 or more. The Gulls attendance numbers are even more staggering. They went from averaging 400 fans per game at historic Cardines Field to now regularly bringing in between 1,000 and 2,000. Newport had over 3,000 fans for its final regular season game last year against Holyoke. Each team has had success on the field as well. Vermont won its first NECBL title this past season and Newport took the crown in 2005.
Along with a new owner, a five-year renovation plan for Shuttleworth Park was announced that will increase the park’s capacity to somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 to 3,000. The Mohawks moved to Amsterdam and Shuttleworth Park from Schenectady in 2003. Upgrades have already been made to the park in recent years such as the brick backstop and the use of blue chair-back seats (in the box seating area) from now-demolished Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The team is also planning lots of interesting promotions for their 21 home dates including “Free Haircut Night” and “Free Legal Advice Night.”
The other big announcement to go along with the arrival of Dave Dittman, was the announcement of ParkFest 2007, to be held over three days from July 6 through July 8 at Shuttleworth Park. The centerpiece of the event is the 2007 New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game on Friday night. The paper reports that the game will be played between the New York Collegiate Baseball League all-stars and the Amsterdam Mohawks. This deviates from the all-star game the last few seasons when the game has matched teams from the Eastern and Western Divisions. The Mohawks will also have home games on Saturday and Sunday and there’ll be fireworks on Friday and Sunday nights. Among the other ParkFest 2007 events are softball, volleyball, flag football, bocce ball, boxing and a one-mile race (Saturday night), to go along with lots of food and bands. It amounts to a weekend-long party capped off with great baseball.
It’s reported that the league will also have its “Scout Day” on the day of the All-Star Game. Players from each team will workout and go through drills for Major League Baseball scouts.
In the past, this has been done on two separate days, with one day for the Western Division teams and one day for the Eastern Division teams. It appears the league’s putting everything all together on one day, to avoid extra travel for the players and scouts.
On a whole, this is a great thing for the city of Amsterdam, the Mohawks Baseball Club and the New York Collegiate Baseball League. All three gain a great baseball mind and owner in Dave Dittman. The league benefits with what appears to be a great setting for the All-Star Game with all the festivities and pageantry around it. Yeah. I’m just so excited about the whole proposition that I’m completely stumped on what else to say. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Any more news and notes that I may have missed, please send them to SaltCitySports@aol.com
I’ll start with the schedule, since e-mails in regards to the 2007 NYCBL slate have been coming into my mailbox at a pretty good clip. The schedule is being finalized right now by all the teams in the league as to maybe what dates aren’t possible, game times and the other paperwork involved with polishing off the schedule. The good news is that it should be released pretty soon. Geneva has posted their home dates only on their website, www.GenevaRedWings.com. Allegany County has released its temporary schedule for the entire year, and that can be viewed at www.NitrosBaseball.com. As soon as the schedule is released, I’ll let everyone know.
Speaking of the schedule, the NYCBL All-Star Game is now official. The game will be played on Friday, July 6 at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, New York. It’s the first time that Shuttleworth Park has played host to the game since the Mohawks moved to Amsterdam in 2003. The game will be the centerpiece of Parkfest 2007 in Amsterdam and I’ll write more about that in just a minute. Previous all-star games have been played at, 2006: Watertown, 2005: Wayne County (Newark), 2004: Watertown, 2003: Wellsville.
There’s more big news in Amsterdam, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Earlier this week, the Geneva Red Wings named longtime assistant coach and webmaster Tom Dixon as their new Director of Baseball Operations. He’ll remain on as an assistant coach, but his primary focus will be on his new position as the Director of Baseball Operations. The Red Wings have also hired a pair of new assistant coaches, Landon Danielson (Minnesota) and Donovan O’Dowd (Lynn). They’ll assist Red Wings skipper Dave Herbst, now entering his sixth year with the team. And more information on the hirings, go to www.GenevaRedWings.com.
The snow hasn’t begun melting and already a future Glens Falls Golden Eagle has earned an award. Mark Kelly (Southern Illinois) will catch this summer for the Golden Eagles. Earlier this week, the SIU Saluki was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll for his performance against Stetson University last weekend. In a three-game series against Stetson, Kelly went 5-for-11, drove in four runs and made three starts. The release is available on the SIU sports information website at: http://siusalukis.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/021407aaa.html Thanks to Golden Eagles manager John Mayotte for passing that note along, and congratulations to Mark.
Now, we come to the big news that went down Thursday evening in snow-swept Amsterdam at Crystal Ristorante. The news is so big, it required three articles in the Amsterdam Recorder, one in the main news section and two in the sports. First, here’s the three links from our good friends at the Recorder.
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/304769951653299.php
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/321322910126427.php
http://www.recordernews.com/Stories/304769952096104.php
OK, now that you’ve been aptly linked, you’re ready. Thursday evening, the Amsterdam Mohawks announced that Dave Dittman is the new co-owner of the franchise. Previously, Dittman’s owned the Vermont Mountaineers and the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He helped each team greatly increase attendance to where now, the Mountaineers and Gulls are two of the NECBL league leaders in bringing fans to the ballpark. Vermont regularly plays to crowds of 1,000 or more. The Gulls attendance numbers are even more staggering. They went from averaging 400 fans per game at historic Cardines Field to now regularly bringing in between 1,000 and 2,000. Newport had over 3,000 fans for its final regular season game last year against Holyoke. Each team has had success on the field as well. Vermont won its first NECBL title this past season and Newport took the crown in 2005.
Along with a new owner, a five-year renovation plan for Shuttleworth Park was announced that will increase the park’s capacity to somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 to 3,000. The Mohawks moved to Amsterdam and Shuttleworth Park from Schenectady in 2003. Upgrades have already been made to the park in recent years such as the brick backstop and the use of blue chair-back seats (in the box seating area) from now-demolished Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The team is also planning lots of interesting promotions for their 21 home dates including “Free Haircut Night” and “Free Legal Advice Night.”
The other big announcement to go along with the arrival of Dave Dittman, was the announcement of ParkFest 2007, to be held over three days from July 6 through July 8 at Shuttleworth Park. The centerpiece of the event is the 2007 New York Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game on Friday night. The paper reports that the game will be played between the New York Collegiate Baseball League all-stars and the Amsterdam Mohawks. This deviates from the all-star game the last few seasons when the game has matched teams from the Eastern and Western Divisions. The Mohawks will also have home games on Saturday and Sunday and there’ll be fireworks on Friday and Sunday nights. Among the other ParkFest 2007 events are softball, volleyball, flag football, bocce ball, boxing and a one-mile race (Saturday night), to go along with lots of food and bands. It amounts to a weekend-long party capped off with great baseball.
It’s reported that the league will also have its “Scout Day” on the day of the All-Star Game. Players from each team will workout and go through drills for Major League Baseball scouts.
In the past, this has been done on two separate days, with one day for the Western Division teams and one day for the Eastern Division teams. It appears the league’s putting everything all together on one day, to avoid extra travel for the players and scouts.
On a whole, this is a great thing for the city of Amsterdam, the Mohawks Baseball Club and the New York Collegiate Baseball League. All three gain a great baseball mind and owner in Dave Dittman. The league benefits with what appears to be a great setting for the All-Star Game with all the festivities and pageantry around it. Yeah. I’m just so excited about the whole proposition that I’m completely stumped on what else to say. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Any more news and notes that I may have missed, please send them to SaltCitySports@aol.com
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Reasons to Love the NYCBL, Part II
Glens Falls – The sports capital of New York. At one time, the city of Glens Falls boasted Double-A baseball in the Eastern League, the AHL’s Adirondack Red Wings and the New York State High School boys basketball championships. The basketball championships (State and Federation) are still around in the spring, and there’s also the NJCAA Division III World Series at East Field, the Glens Falls Green Jackets and of course, the Golden Eagles.
Glens Falls is a must-stop on the NYCBL map. The Golden Eagles are still relatively young, only entering their fourth season, but they’ve developed a loyal following at East Field. New Glens Falls owner Darin Williams has been involved with the franchise since its debut and promises to be more community-centric.
The Golden Eagles are also led by John Mayotte, the de-facto dean of head coaches in the league. Coach Mayotte’s resume is long and impressive and you’ll never meet a nicer person. Unfortunately, his teams have had some pretty rotten luck over the last two years. In 2005, the Golden Eagles struggled defensively and lost a few key players to injuries and that doomed them to the bottom of the Eastern Division. Then last season, a late swoon by the Golden Eagles allowed Amsterdam to overtake them and make the playoffs.
And then East Field’s pretty nice too. Between the wide expanses of grass in the outfield, the football grandstand bleachers past the outfield wall, and the red and blue chair-back seating behind home plate, and the overall minor-league feel of the park, East Field has something for everyone.
Hornell – Dodger blue, Dodgertown, New York. A bucolic park, traditional Dodgers uniforms, a winning tradition that includes four league championships and many alumni playing professional baseball. These are just some of the things that make baseball in the Maple City great. I think its really just part of the old Dodgers mystic that I just find really special. Obviously I’m too young to remember the Dodgers in Brooklyn and the expansive Dodgers Radio Network, but the Dodgers of Hornell with their small, cozy park among the maple trees harken back the memories of the past (that I’ve only been able to read about).
I’ve already written about how much I love Maple City Park: the maple tree hanging over the left field wall, the chain link outfield fence with Adsit Street running right behind it, the odd dimensions in the outfield, the lawn chairs lined up and down the third base line and the dugouts as part of the grandstand. And of course there’s the traditional Dodger uniform that will never grow old. The crisp white jersey and pants with a blue “Dodgers” across the front in cursive lettering. It doesn’t get much better than that.
And Hornell, like Amsterdam, has been one of the most successful franchises in the league. They have a boatload of notable alumni including Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves, Rajai Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates and upcoming prospects Brett Carroll and Dallas Braden, just to name a few. The Dodgers have won four NYCBL championships in the franchises history, 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2005. They appeared in the NYCBL championship series in four straight years from 2002 through 2005 – three of those times they went head-to-head with Amsterdam. There’s not much not to like about the Dodgers, another one of the league’s model franchises.
Little Falls – Baseball has a long history in Little Falls that includes the NYCBL and professional minor league baseball. The best years were in the 80s when the Little Falls Mets played at Veterans Memorial Park and Mets prospects roamed the field – Lenny Dykstra, Billy Beane (Oakland A’s GM), Daryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden included. The Little Falls Diamonds won three NCBL titles and the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of Little Falls and the Mohawk Valley Red Legs also called Vet’s Park home.
The cozy ballfield at the corner of Burwell and Ray Streets now hosts the Little Falls Diamond Miners. Really, the star of the franchise isn’t in the dugout, but it’s the field. Just a gorgeous ballpark hidden really among the steep hills of Little Falls – a sleepy little town, east of Utica that feels like it just jumped out of a black-and-white movie. The view of the Adirondack foothills is breath-taking and the park is well kept up. The grass and bushes that line the walkway from the gate to the bleachers is neatly trimmed and red, white and blue polls distinguish the folding chair box seats from the bleachers.
Niagara – This summer, the NYCBL expands for the first-time ever to Niagara Falls. It’s definitely a beautiful city and a definite tourist attraction during the summer months, much like Geneva. There are lots of things to do, including a trip over to the actual Falls, and the Canadian border isn’t far away either. Oh yeah, and there’s the renovated Sal Maglie Stadium. Recently, the park has played host to a majority of the home schedule for the Niagara University baseball team. The old Maglie Stadium, complete with barber chair in front, played host to several teams, including a NY-P league team. The barber chair, of course, in honor of Sal “The Barber” Maglie. Maglie is the best well-known Niagara Falls native to reach the Major Leagues. The renovated stadium looks pretty nice and there’s lots of seating in metal bleachers.
Saratoga – A wonderful summer destination, a quaint little park and the home of the defending league champions. You won’t find a lot of more happening places in the summer than Saratoga Springs. There’s the Phillies, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and come late summer, the opening of the Saratoga Raceway. The Phillies on the field have put together successful teams and successful prospects over the years at East Side Rec. San Francisco Giants farmhand Dan Griffin pitched for the Phils in 2004 and last year, Louie Bernardini went undefeated and was named the NYCBL Pitcher of the Year. And last year, there was the electrifying base-running of Darin Mastroianni and Chris Dove.
The park itself is pretty nice too. I’d call it a type of diamond-in-the-rough. It’s not the fanciest park, but it has its little charms. The small scoreboard in right field, the houses visable just over the top of the outfield wall, the rustic light towers dotted around the ballfield, the grey cement grandstand behind home plate and the football bleachers next to the field, serving as an elevated view of the entire field and almost skybox-type seating.
Watertown – Over 14,000 fans attended Watertown Wizards games last summer. Four times, over 1,000 people went through the gates for a single game. Good crowds have been the norm at Duffy Fairgrounds over the last few years and the Watertown Sports Venture group has done a terrific job getting fans to come out to games. There’s the “K-Man” promotion, where fans get a free slice of pizza if the clean-up hitter on the opposing team strikes out. Lucky number raffles, $1 beverage night and the annual Flag Day game and fireworks night (around July 4) are just other things that have brought the crowds out to the ballyard in the Fairgrounds on Coffeen Street.
Winning teams haven’t hurt attendance either. The Wizards have made the NYCBL playoffs in three out of the last four years and they made the NYCBL championship series against Hornell in 2005. Watertown’s had two pitchers in two years make the All-NYCBL first team including current St. Louis Cardinals farmhand Mike Schellinger and Sean O’Dowd. The purple and yellow Wizards uniforms are also a break from the norm in baseball with either purple or yellow jerseys, matched with grey pants. The ballpark has expansive areas for attendance in the grandstand, then the box seats on top of the dugouts on the first and third base sides.
Webster – A gorgeous new facility in Webster is being built for the Webster Yankees. The dimensions are going to be set exactly to meet those of the current Yankee Stadium. I’m guessing they’re not going to modify the park when the new stadium is built in the Bronx. There seems to be a lot of community support for the Yankees and has already been written, community support is a great thing for the NYCBL. I like the name change too. Like with the Dodgers uniforms, there’s something special about seeing the Yankee pinstripes. It’ll be the Dodgers and the Yankees (not Brooklyn or LA against New York) but Webster and Hornell. The Yankees (as the Rochester Royals) made the playoffs in their first season last year. Continued success and a new park in Webster should only help the attendance for the Yanks.
So, there you have it. And those are some of the reasons to head out to a New York Collegiate Baseball League park this coming summer. I hope you all enjoyed and have a happy St. Valentine’s Day.
Glens Falls is a must-stop on the NYCBL map. The Golden Eagles are still relatively young, only entering their fourth season, but they’ve developed a loyal following at East Field. New Glens Falls owner Darin Williams has been involved with the franchise since its debut and promises to be more community-centric.
The Golden Eagles are also led by John Mayotte, the de-facto dean of head coaches in the league. Coach Mayotte’s resume is long and impressive and you’ll never meet a nicer person. Unfortunately, his teams have had some pretty rotten luck over the last two years. In 2005, the Golden Eagles struggled defensively and lost a few key players to injuries and that doomed them to the bottom of the Eastern Division. Then last season, a late swoon by the Golden Eagles allowed Amsterdam to overtake them and make the playoffs.
And then East Field’s pretty nice too. Between the wide expanses of grass in the outfield, the football grandstand bleachers past the outfield wall, and the red and blue chair-back seating behind home plate, and the overall minor-league feel of the park, East Field has something for everyone.
Hornell – Dodger blue, Dodgertown, New York. A bucolic park, traditional Dodgers uniforms, a winning tradition that includes four league championships and many alumni playing professional baseball. These are just some of the things that make baseball in the Maple City great. I think its really just part of the old Dodgers mystic that I just find really special. Obviously I’m too young to remember the Dodgers in Brooklyn and the expansive Dodgers Radio Network, but the Dodgers of Hornell with their small, cozy park among the maple trees harken back the memories of the past (that I’ve only been able to read about).
I’ve already written about how much I love Maple City Park: the maple tree hanging over the left field wall, the chain link outfield fence with Adsit Street running right behind it, the odd dimensions in the outfield, the lawn chairs lined up and down the third base line and the dugouts as part of the grandstand. And of course there’s the traditional Dodger uniform that will never grow old. The crisp white jersey and pants with a blue “Dodgers” across the front in cursive lettering. It doesn’t get much better than that.
And Hornell, like Amsterdam, has been one of the most successful franchises in the league. They have a boatload of notable alumni including Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves, Rajai Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates and upcoming prospects Brett Carroll and Dallas Braden, just to name a few. The Dodgers have won four NYCBL championships in the franchises history, 1995, 2000, 2002 and 2005. They appeared in the NYCBL championship series in four straight years from 2002 through 2005 – three of those times they went head-to-head with Amsterdam. There’s not much not to like about the Dodgers, another one of the league’s model franchises.
Little Falls – Baseball has a long history in Little Falls that includes the NYCBL and professional minor league baseball. The best years were in the 80s when the Little Falls Mets played at Veterans Memorial Park and Mets prospects roamed the field – Lenny Dykstra, Billy Beane (Oakland A’s GM), Daryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden included. The Little Falls Diamonds won three NCBL titles and the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of Little Falls and the Mohawk Valley Red Legs also called Vet’s Park home.
The cozy ballfield at the corner of Burwell and Ray Streets now hosts the Little Falls Diamond Miners. Really, the star of the franchise isn’t in the dugout, but it’s the field. Just a gorgeous ballpark hidden really among the steep hills of Little Falls – a sleepy little town, east of Utica that feels like it just jumped out of a black-and-white movie. The view of the Adirondack foothills is breath-taking and the park is well kept up. The grass and bushes that line the walkway from the gate to the bleachers is neatly trimmed and red, white and blue polls distinguish the folding chair box seats from the bleachers.
Niagara – This summer, the NYCBL expands for the first-time ever to Niagara Falls. It’s definitely a beautiful city and a definite tourist attraction during the summer months, much like Geneva. There are lots of things to do, including a trip over to the actual Falls, and the Canadian border isn’t far away either. Oh yeah, and there’s the renovated Sal Maglie Stadium. Recently, the park has played host to a majority of the home schedule for the Niagara University baseball team. The old Maglie Stadium, complete with barber chair in front, played host to several teams, including a NY-P league team. The barber chair, of course, in honor of Sal “The Barber” Maglie. Maglie is the best well-known Niagara Falls native to reach the Major Leagues. The renovated stadium looks pretty nice and there’s lots of seating in metal bleachers.
Saratoga – A wonderful summer destination, a quaint little park and the home of the defending league champions. You won’t find a lot of more happening places in the summer than Saratoga Springs. There’s the Phillies, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and come late summer, the opening of the Saratoga Raceway. The Phillies on the field have put together successful teams and successful prospects over the years at East Side Rec. San Francisco Giants farmhand Dan Griffin pitched for the Phils in 2004 and last year, Louie Bernardini went undefeated and was named the NYCBL Pitcher of the Year. And last year, there was the electrifying base-running of Darin Mastroianni and Chris Dove.
The park itself is pretty nice too. I’d call it a type of diamond-in-the-rough. It’s not the fanciest park, but it has its little charms. The small scoreboard in right field, the houses visable just over the top of the outfield wall, the rustic light towers dotted around the ballfield, the grey cement grandstand behind home plate and the football bleachers next to the field, serving as an elevated view of the entire field and almost skybox-type seating.
Watertown – Over 14,000 fans attended Watertown Wizards games last summer. Four times, over 1,000 people went through the gates for a single game. Good crowds have been the norm at Duffy Fairgrounds over the last few years and the Watertown Sports Venture group has done a terrific job getting fans to come out to games. There’s the “K-Man” promotion, where fans get a free slice of pizza if the clean-up hitter on the opposing team strikes out. Lucky number raffles, $1 beverage night and the annual Flag Day game and fireworks night (around July 4) are just other things that have brought the crowds out to the ballyard in the Fairgrounds on Coffeen Street.
Winning teams haven’t hurt attendance either. The Wizards have made the NYCBL playoffs in three out of the last four years and they made the NYCBL championship series against Hornell in 2005. Watertown’s had two pitchers in two years make the All-NYCBL first team including current St. Louis Cardinals farmhand Mike Schellinger and Sean O’Dowd. The purple and yellow Wizards uniforms are also a break from the norm in baseball with either purple or yellow jerseys, matched with grey pants. The ballpark has expansive areas for attendance in the grandstand, then the box seats on top of the dugouts on the first and third base sides.
Webster – A gorgeous new facility in Webster is being built for the Webster Yankees. The dimensions are going to be set exactly to meet those of the current Yankee Stadium. I’m guessing they’re not going to modify the park when the new stadium is built in the Bronx. There seems to be a lot of community support for the Yankees and has already been written, community support is a great thing for the NYCBL. I like the name change too. Like with the Dodgers uniforms, there’s something special about seeing the Yankee pinstripes. It’ll be the Dodgers and the Yankees (not Brooklyn or LA against New York) but Webster and Hornell. The Yankees (as the Rochester Royals) made the playoffs in their first season last year. Continued success and a new park in Webster should only help the attendance for the Yanks.
So, there you have it. And those are some of the reasons to head out to a New York Collegiate Baseball League park this coming summer. I hope you all enjoyed and have a happy St. Valentine’s Day.
Reasons to Love the NYCBL, Part I
I’ll let you guys in on a little secret. I’m a big fan of MinorLeagueBaseball.com. That site churns out some great content and their stories are tremendous. Johnathan Mayo and Lisa Winston have a pretty good Blog and audio feature on the site too.
Anyways, today’s blog is inspired by MinorLeagueBaseball.com’s centerpiece story today, “159 Reasons to Love Minor League Baseball.” Just about every team in the minors was mentioned, save for teams in the Gulf Coast League.
So, I figured, why not write a post on the reasons to love the NYCBL? I’ll use their example, and talk about each team, since that’s only fair.
Amsterdam – Shuttleworth Park. It’s already been documented, in this blog, that I love Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam. The water tower over the trees in left field, the brickwork backstop and the blue chair-back seats (from Veterans Stadium) around home plate all make Shuttleworth a special spot to see a game. It’s been rumored that the park will host this year’s NYCBL All-Star Game.
The Mohawks also have a great winning tradition. They’ve made the NYCBL playoffs five straight years and won three league championships (1988, 2003, 2004). It seems the franchise has experience most of its great success since moving from Schenectady to Amsterdam. The Mohawks have made the playoffs every year they’ve been off Exit 27 on the NYS Thruway (starting in 2003).
They also get points for a creative nickname and their red alternate jersey’s are the only jersey’s in the league with red as the dominant color. Amsterdam is located just off the Mohawk River and they’re one of two Mohawk River-area teams in the league, Little Falls is the other.
Allegany County – Like Amsterdam, the Nitros have put together a winning tradition in western New York. They won their second division title last season and made it to the NYCBL championship series for the first time in franchise history. Allegany County/Wellsville has finished first or second in the Western Division in five out of the last six years. The only exception was in 2003 when Hornell and Geneva took the top honors out west.
The Nitros can boast one of the league’s best players in history as an alum. James Barksdale stole a franchise-record and league-record 53 bases during the 2005 season. He was one of the main components of a Nitros-record, 33-win season and James was a two-time NYCBL all-star and the 2005 Player of the Year.
And the Scio Central School athletic field is unique among the NYCBL. It’s not flashy like the minor-league type stadiums in other towns, it’s just a simple ballfield. There are a few sets of metal bleachers behind the chain-link backstop fence and that’s it for regular seating. A lot of fans bring lawn chairs to sit in behind home plate or up and down the foul lines in each side of the field, since there are no fences in foul territory. Scio also has lights and a large right-field line scoreboard. The breakaway outfield fence is another unique benchmark for the Nitros.
Bennington (VT) – The first franchise in the history of the NYCBL to be located outside of New York State. The community has already embraced the notion of the team and a stadium is hoped to be built for the 2007 season, Bennington Bombers Field. That’s what summer-time baseball is all about. A team and a community with one behind the other. Here’s to hoping that the Bombers have all the success in the world both on and off the field in their first season. And, as an Ithaca College alum, I must say I do approve of the snazzy Bombers nickname.
While they may be located outside of the state, they’re pretty much in decent driving distance to four of the five other teams in the Eastern Division. Bennington’s a stone’s throw away from Troy, just across the Vermont border. They’re in close proximity to the North Adams Steeplecats of the NECBL. Summer college baseball has thrived in North Adams and nearby Holyoke, so I don’t see why it won’t succeed in Bennington. The Bombers only long trips will be the four or five they make up to Watertown.
Bolivar – The Athletes in Action program has had summer collegiate baseball ministry’s going since the late 1990s. The AIA has fielded a team in the NYCBL as a regular member beginning with the 2003 season. These are kids who aren’t just coming to New York for the sake of summer ball. They’re learning about themselves and getting closer to their religion. After each game, the players give a presentation to members of the other team and its coaching staff about the Athletes in Action program and about their religious beliefs.
I don’t know about anyone else, but that takes a lot of guts to do that. Especially after you’ve been playing a baseball game for the past two and-a-half to three hours. To go speak to complete strangers about embracing Jesus Christ, that’s a whole different game from the one on the field. Kudos to those young men that enter that program and spend their summer devoting their life to baseball and Jesus. It doesn’t matter how many games they win, they’ve already won. And that’s just inspiring. Also a lot of the kids on the New York team are from the opposite side of the country – such far off places as Washington State, Oregon, Alaska. Last year, the A’s had a player from North Pole, Alaska. It doesn’t get much further from upstate New York than that.
Brockport – Spiffy orange home jerseys. Hands down, that is my favorite uniform top in the league. It has Riverbats across the front in black, cursive lettering, then there’s a black number on the back of the jersey and also one black stripe on each shoulder. Basically, it’s the Orioles alternate third or fourth jersey, but with Riverbats instead of Orioles.
I like the nickname too, it’s what summer baseball and baseball in general are all about, creativity. Where else are you going to find a Riverbat? Well, OK, maybe in the Northwoods League (St. Cloud Riverbats), but where else? It’s just like Muckdogs, kind of a catchy, unique, moniker.
I like that the team has changed its name to the Brockport Riverbats. While Genesee Valley was cool, Brockport identifies more with the town. And when you’re playing in a certain town, you want the townspeople to come out and support the team. And that’s what the R-Bats are trying to get. I hope it works.
And the Clark V. Whitted Baseball Complex is very nice. While it’s not a minor league stadium, it’s perfectly suited for summer baseball. It’s a simple construction in terms of the field with portable bleacher seating behind the plate and next to the dugouts. The most noticeable feature is the large cement-bricked tower behind the backstop. It houses a storage shed and the press box, located at the top of the tower. Great overall view of the field and trees past the left field wall. The park is also a hitters delight, a short porch all the way around the field.
Elmira – In their first season in the NYCBL, the Pioneers drew over 13,000 fans to historic Dunn Field. Remember, it has been just over a year since the independent-league Pioneers folded and a few weeks later, Pioneers General Manager Tom Sullivan was awarded an expansion franchise for Elmira in the NYCBL. Of the three expansion teams, Elmira drew the most fans and was one of the model franchises in the league.
On the field, the Pioneers made the playoffs and were within one victory over Allegany County of making it to the semifinals. Cody Eppley and Justin Wright, both from Virginia Commonwealth, were the franchise’s first stars. Both were named to the NYCBL All-Star Game and the league’s postseason all-star team.
The franchise also had some of the best promotions in the league, taking a page out of the minor league playbook. City of Elmira nights drew some of the biggest crowds of the season. Three or four times, Elmira put more than 1,000 fans into Dunn Field, including on Opening Night. Dunn Field’s also one of the nicest facilities for baseball in the NYCBL.
Geneva – One of the longest running franchise’s in the league along with Hornell, Amsterdam and Allegany County. The Red Wings (Red Legs, Lakers, Knights etc) have been a fixture in the NCBL/NYCBL’s Western Division since joining the league in the 1990s. If there’s one thing that baseball likes, its continuity. The Wings have had that at beautiful McDonough Park in the Finger Lakes region of New York State for over 10 years. The Knights won the league title in 1998 and the Red Wings last made the playoffs in 2003.
Geneva’s a wonderful place to spend during the summer, on the shores of Seneca Lake. The area up around Hobart and William Smith Colleges on Pultney Street and Main Street is picturesque. I’m not sure what street it is, but before you turn down to go towards the main college campus, you’re on a street going towards downtown. If you can overlook the houses, you have a gorgeous overhead view of the lake.
And McDonough Park’s pretty nice too. The recent renovations, including the two-tiered picnic deck on the first-base side are fantastic. There’s bleacher seating behind the plate and chair-back seating in the box seats too. The place has character too. Lots of hand painted logos around the concourse area and then there’s the colorful hand-painted signs on the outfield fence. You don’t get a more minor-league feeling than that. The Wings also regularly draw over 1,000 people on State Senator Michael Nozzolio night in July. The night is named after New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio.
Anyways, today’s blog is inspired by MinorLeagueBaseball.com’s centerpiece story today, “159 Reasons to Love Minor League Baseball.” Just about every team in the minors was mentioned, save for teams in the Gulf Coast League.
So, I figured, why not write a post on the reasons to love the NYCBL? I’ll use their example, and talk about each team, since that’s only fair.
Amsterdam – Shuttleworth Park. It’s already been documented, in this blog, that I love Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam. The water tower over the trees in left field, the brickwork backstop and the blue chair-back seats (from Veterans Stadium) around home plate all make Shuttleworth a special spot to see a game. It’s been rumored that the park will host this year’s NYCBL All-Star Game.
The Mohawks also have a great winning tradition. They’ve made the NYCBL playoffs five straight years and won three league championships (1988, 2003, 2004). It seems the franchise has experience most of its great success since moving from Schenectady to Amsterdam. The Mohawks have made the playoffs every year they’ve been off Exit 27 on the NYS Thruway (starting in 2003).
They also get points for a creative nickname and their red alternate jersey’s are the only jersey’s in the league with red as the dominant color. Amsterdam is located just off the Mohawk River and they’re one of two Mohawk River-area teams in the league, Little Falls is the other.
Allegany County – Like Amsterdam, the Nitros have put together a winning tradition in western New York. They won their second division title last season and made it to the NYCBL championship series for the first time in franchise history. Allegany County/Wellsville has finished first or second in the Western Division in five out of the last six years. The only exception was in 2003 when Hornell and Geneva took the top honors out west.
The Nitros can boast one of the league’s best players in history as an alum. James Barksdale stole a franchise-record and league-record 53 bases during the 2005 season. He was one of the main components of a Nitros-record, 33-win season and James was a two-time NYCBL all-star and the 2005 Player of the Year.
And the Scio Central School athletic field is unique among the NYCBL. It’s not flashy like the minor-league type stadiums in other towns, it’s just a simple ballfield. There are a few sets of metal bleachers behind the chain-link backstop fence and that’s it for regular seating. A lot of fans bring lawn chairs to sit in behind home plate or up and down the foul lines in each side of the field, since there are no fences in foul territory. Scio also has lights and a large right-field line scoreboard. The breakaway outfield fence is another unique benchmark for the Nitros.
Bennington (VT) – The first franchise in the history of the NYCBL to be located outside of New York State. The community has already embraced the notion of the team and a stadium is hoped to be built for the 2007 season, Bennington Bombers Field. That’s what summer-time baseball is all about. A team and a community with one behind the other. Here’s to hoping that the Bombers have all the success in the world both on and off the field in their first season. And, as an Ithaca College alum, I must say I do approve of the snazzy Bombers nickname.
While they may be located outside of the state, they’re pretty much in decent driving distance to four of the five other teams in the Eastern Division. Bennington’s a stone’s throw away from Troy, just across the Vermont border. They’re in close proximity to the North Adams Steeplecats of the NECBL. Summer college baseball has thrived in North Adams and nearby Holyoke, so I don’t see why it won’t succeed in Bennington. The Bombers only long trips will be the four or five they make up to Watertown.
Bolivar – The Athletes in Action program has had summer collegiate baseball ministry’s going since the late 1990s. The AIA has fielded a team in the NYCBL as a regular member beginning with the 2003 season. These are kids who aren’t just coming to New York for the sake of summer ball. They’re learning about themselves and getting closer to their religion. After each game, the players give a presentation to members of the other team and its coaching staff about the Athletes in Action program and about their religious beliefs.
I don’t know about anyone else, but that takes a lot of guts to do that. Especially after you’ve been playing a baseball game for the past two and-a-half to three hours. To go speak to complete strangers about embracing Jesus Christ, that’s a whole different game from the one on the field. Kudos to those young men that enter that program and spend their summer devoting their life to baseball and Jesus. It doesn’t matter how many games they win, they’ve already won. And that’s just inspiring. Also a lot of the kids on the New York team are from the opposite side of the country – such far off places as Washington State, Oregon, Alaska. Last year, the A’s had a player from North Pole, Alaska. It doesn’t get much further from upstate New York than that.
Brockport – Spiffy orange home jerseys. Hands down, that is my favorite uniform top in the league. It has Riverbats across the front in black, cursive lettering, then there’s a black number on the back of the jersey and also one black stripe on each shoulder. Basically, it’s the Orioles alternate third or fourth jersey, but with Riverbats instead of Orioles.
I like the nickname too, it’s what summer baseball and baseball in general are all about, creativity. Where else are you going to find a Riverbat? Well, OK, maybe in the Northwoods League (St. Cloud Riverbats), but where else? It’s just like Muckdogs, kind of a catchy, unique, moniker.
I like that the team has changed its name to the Brockport Riverbats. While Genesee Valley was cool, Brockport identifies more with the town. And when you’re playing in a certain town, you want the townspeople to come out and support the team. And that’s what the R-Bats are trying to get. I hope it works.
And the Clark V. Whitted Baseball Complex is very nice. While it’s not a minor league stadium, it’s perfectly suited for summer baseball. It’s a simple construction in terms of the field with portable bleacher seating behind the plate and next to the dugouts. The most noticeable feature is the large cement-bricked tower behind the backstop. It houses a storage shed and the press box, located at the top of the tower. Great overall view of the field and trees past the left field wall. The park is also a hitters delight, a short porch all the way around the field.
Elmira – In their first season in the NYCBL, the Pioneers drew over 13,000 fans to historic Dunn Field. Remember, it has been just over a year since the independent-league Pioneers folded and a few weeks later, Pioneers General Manager Tom Sullivan was awarded an expansion franchise for Elmira in the NYCBL. Of the three expansion teams, Elmira drew the most fans and was one of the model franchises in the league.
On the field, the Pioneers made the playoffs and were within one victory over Allegany County of making it to the semifinals. Cody Eppley and Justin Wright, both from Virginia Commonwealth, were the franchise’s first stars. Both were named to the NYCBL All-Star Game and the league’s postseason all-star team.
The franchise also had some of the best promotions in the league, taking a page out of the minor league playbook. City of Elmira nights drew some of the biggest crowds of the season. Three or four times, Elmira put more than 1,000 fans into Dunn Field, including on Opening Night. Dunn Field’s also one of the nicest facilities for baseball in the NYCBL.
Geneva – One of the longest running franchise’s in the league along with Hornell, Amsterdam and Allegany County. The Red Wings (Red Legs, Lakers, Knights etc) have been a fixture in the NCBL/NYCBL’s Western Division since joining the league in the 1990s. If there’s one thing that baseball likes, its continuity. The Wings have had that at beautiful McDonough Park in the Finger Lakes region of New York State for over 10 years. The Knights won the league title in 1998 and the Red Wings last made the playoffs in 2003.
Geneva’s a wonderful place to spend during the summer, on the shores of Seneca Lake. The area up around Hobart and William Smith Colleges on Pultney Street and Main Street is picturesque. I’m not sure what street it is, but before you turn down to go towards the main college campus, you’re on a street going towards downtown. If you can overlook the houses, you have a gorgeous overhead view of the lake.
And McDonough Park’s pretty nice too. The recent renovations, including the two-tiered picnic deck on the first-base side are fantastic. There’s bleacher seating behind the plate and chair-back seating in the box seats too. The place has character too. Lots of hand painted logos around the concourse area and then there’s the colorful hand-painted signs on the outfield fence. You don’t get a more minor-league feeling than that. The Wings also regularly draw over 1,000 people on State Senator Michael Nozzolio night in July. The night is named after New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
New Name, New Skipper for the Riverbats
This summer, the Webster Yankees won’t be the only Rochester-area team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League with a new name. After three seasons, the Genesee Valley Riverbats are undergoing a new change of their own. The franchise has decided to change its name to the Brockport Riverbats.
“We are focusing on Brockport and want Brockport folks to know that this is their team” said Riverbats General Manager Stan Lehman in a Wednesday morning e-mail.
The Riverbats play their home games at SUNY Brockport’s Clark V. Whitted Baseball Complex and 2007 will be their third season at SUNY Brockport. Last year, the Riverbats welcomed 1,250 fans to the Whitted Baseball Complex from June through August.
The Genesee Valley moniker came as a result of the region’s affiliation with the Genesee River that runs from Genesee, Pennsylvania, through New York State and then empties out into Lake Ontario. The team name though may have confused fans not familiar with the NYCBL because there is no town named Genesee Valley. Now, named after the town of Brockport, the team can look to attract more fans from the college town just off Lake Ontario.
Along with a new name, the franchise also welcomes a new manager. Jim Maciejewski will be the Brockport Riverbats field manager in 2007. Maciejewski currently resides in South Carolina and works as a physical education teacher and an assistant baseball coach in the Dorman High School system. He also coaches the Upstate Mavericks 17-year-old baseball team. Maciejewski has ties to upstate New York through Monroe Community College, where he played two years of baseball for the Tribs. After MCC, Maciejewski finished his playing career at the University of South Carolina-Upstate, and graduated with a degree in Education.
Maciejewski becomes the Riverbats third manager in the franchise’s four-year history. Current Webster Yankees field-boss Mike Kelly was the Riverbats manager during their initial NYCBL campaign in 2004. Jason Bunting skippered the Genesee Valley franchise in 2005 and 2006. After a losing season in 2005, Bunting turned the R-Bats around last year. Genesee Valley won a franchise-record 24 regular-season games, grabbed the Central Division championship and advanced to the semifinals of the NYCBL playoffs after defeating Lilac-City rival, Rochester (now Webster), in the first round of the postseason.
For more information on the Riverbats, check out their website at http://www.gv-riverbats.com
“We are focusing on Brockport and want Brockport folks to know that this is their team” said Riverbats General Manager Stan Lehman in a Wednesday morning e-mail.
The Riverbats play their home games at SUNY Brockport’s Clark V. Whitted Baseball Complex and 2007 will be their third season at SUNY Brockport. Last year, the Riverbats welcomed 1,250 fans to the Whitted Baseball Complex from June through August.
The Genesee Valley moniker came as a result of the region’s affiliation with the Genesee River that runs from Genesee, Pennsylvania, through New York State and then empties out into Lake Ontario. The team name though may have confused fans not familiar with the NYCBL because there is no town named Genesee Valley. Now, named after the town of Brockport, the team can look to attract more fans from the college town just off Lake Ontario.
Along with a new name, the franchise also welcomes a new manager. Jim Maciejewski will be the Brockport Riverbats field manager in 2007. Maciejewski currently resides in South Carolina and works as a physical education teacher and an assistant baseball coach in the Dorman High School system. He also coaches the Upstate Mavericks 17-year-old baseball team. Maciejewski has ties to upstate New York through Monroe Community College, where he played two years of baseball for the Tribs. After MCC, Maciejewski finished his playing career at the University of South Carolina-Upstate, and graduated with a degree in Education.
Maciejewski becomes the Riverbats third manager in the franchise’s four-year history. Current Webster Yankees field-boss Mike Kelly was the Riverbats manager during their initial NYCBL campaign in 2004. Jason Bunting skippered the Genesee Valley franchise in 2005 and 2006. After a losing season in 2005, Bunting turned the R-Bats around last year. Genesee Valley won a franchise-record 24 regular-season games, grabbed the Central Division championship and advanced to the semifinals of the NYCBL playoffs after defeating Lilac-City rival, Rochester (now Webster), in the first round of the postseason.
For more information on the Riverbats, check out their website at http://www.gv-riverbats.com
BASEBALL AMERICA TABS HUNTER PENCE AS ASTROS TOP PROSPECT
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/features/263295.html
Baseball America has selected Hunter Pence (Schenectady ’02) as the Houston Astros “Top Prospect” for 2007.
What’s there to write about Hunter that I haven’t written already? Last week, we learned that Pence had been invited to Major League spring training with the Astros in Florida. He was a Texas League all-star last year and helped the Corpus Christi Hooks to the league championship. This fall, Hunter showed off his talents in the Arizona Fall League along with fellow 2002 NYCBL alum, Brett Carroll. Pence batted .339, with three home runs and 11 RBI, for the Mesa Solar Sox.
In addition to being named Houston’s “Top Prospect,” Pence was also named the “Best Hitter for Average” and “Best Power Hitter” among the Astros prospects.
Hunter has a good chance to become the starting center fielder for the Astros this season with the team’s off-season trade of former center fielder Willy Taveras to Colorado. Baseball America is also projecting Pence to be the Astros starting centerfielder in 2010.
For other information on Hunter, read the NYCBL Alumni Notes 2/4/07 blog post. Also, check out the link above or the 2007 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
Baseball America has selected Hunter Pence (Schenectady ’02) as the Houston Astros “Top Prospect” for 2007.
What’s there to write about Hunter that I haven’t written already? Last week, we learned that Pence had been invited to Major League spring training with the Astros in Florida. He was a Texas League all-star last year and helped the Corpus Christi Hooks to the league championship. This fall, Hunter showed off his talents in the Arizona Fall League along with fellow 2002 NYCBL alum, Brett Carroll. Pence batted .339, with three home runs and 11 RBI, for the Mesa Solar Sox.
In addition to being named Houston’s “Top Prospect,” Pence was also named the “Best Hitter for Average” and “Best Power Hitter” among the Astros prospects.
Hunter has a good chance to become the starting center fielder for the Astros this season with the team’s off-season trade of former center fielder Willy Taveras to Colorado. Baseball America is also projecting Pence to be the Astros starting centerfielder in 2010.
For other information on Hunter, read the NYCBL Alumni Notes 2/4/07 blog post. Also, check out the link above or the 2007 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
NYCBL In-Depth: NEW DIVISIONS, NEW SCHEDULE
This is the start of a new feature called NYCBL In-Depth. Here, I’ll look at some of the issues around the league and try to break them down as best as possible – talking about both sides of the argument. These are my own thoughts and in no way represent the thoughts of the New York Collegiate Baseball League, its teams and its owners. If you have a subject for a future In-Depth, e-mail me at SaltCitySports@aol.com
For the second year in a row, the New York Collegiate Baseball League has changed its divisional alignment. Last season, the league instituted a three-division format with four teams in each division between East, Central and West. For the coming NYCBL season, the league owners have voted to return to a two-division format featuring the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The Central Division has been eliminated after one year and Watertown is sent back to the Eastern Division, where it played from 2000-2005 and Geneva, Genesee Valley and Webster are sent to the Western Division. Geneva and Genesee Valley were members of the Western Division prior to being moved to the Central. If anything, it makes it easier come All-Star time and you’re not putting the Central kids on the East and West teams.
Bennington (VT) joins the Eastern Division as the sixth team and is the only team in the 14-team league that resides outside of the Empire state. Without the Central Division, there becomes a geographical imbalance with eight teams in western New York and six on the other side of the state. Well, Watertown’s not in the West so it must be considered in the East. Here’s the new divisional alignment.
Eastern: Amsterdam, Bennington (VT), Glens Falls, Little Falls, Saratoga, Watertown
Western: Allegany County, Bolivar, Elmira, Genesee Valley, Geneva, Hornell, Niagara, Webster
Had the league stayed with the three-division format, you’d have had five teams in the East, four in the Central and five in the West. Rome possibly would have been in the Central with Watertown, Geneva, Genesee Valley and Webster. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Indians will not be playing in 2007. With the return to two divisions, the league has also decided to eliminate inter-division play. This means that Eastern Division teams will just play among themselves and the same will happen in the Western Division. This was the case during the 2004 season when the league expanded from 10 to 12 teams with the inclusion of Saratoga, Glens Falls and Genesee Valley and the subtraction of Ithaca.
From what I’ve read, the league is going to go with a 42-game regular season schedule. That would mean Western Division teams would play each other six times over the course of the two-month regular season. The Eastern Division’s a bit tougher, because 42 does not divide evenly into five. It appears that the Eastern teams will play each other at least eight times and then you have single games against two other teams. I’m not sure how that will work but it means that each team will have its fill of one another by the end of the summer.
One of the real losers in the alignment of the divisions is the Watertown Wizards. In the interest of full disclosure, I have broadcast Wizards games for the last two seasons. In the Central Division, Watertown, at most, was a two to two and-half hour drive away from all three of their divisional opponents. This season (as was the case in 2005), the Wizards will now regularly be making three and a-half to four-hour trips to go to Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Bennington (VT). Little Falls is Watertown’s closest foe at around an hour and 45 minutes to two hours away; Amsterdam’s about 40 minutes further down the NYS Thruway.
Niagara Falls would be behind Watertown in that group but its furthest trips will be just over three hours to Elmira’s Dunn Field. A majority of the Power’s drives are around the hour and a-half to two-hour mark to the Rochester area or the Southern Tier.
There are a lot of pros and cons in this argument of whether or not to have inter-division play and I can kind of see each side of the debate. I think in a sense that the league is a victim of their own expansion. Niagara Falls and Bennington, Vermont, with their inclusion in the NYCBL, have become the two newest outposts; Niagara as the westernmost and Bennington as the easternmost. Now, Bennington’s not that far outside of the Albany area, but for teams coming from western New York and the southern tier, it’s a long ride to the Capital District. The same can be said for the Eastern teams going over to Western New York.
I’ll start on the side of the argument for no inter-division play. Namely the biggest factor is travel costs. That being gas, food, NYS Thruway tolls, potential lodging and other incidental travel costs that pop up. While these aren’t that great for trips in the division, when you start to travel all over the state, the costs add up. NYCBL franchises are operated primarily by volunteers and are not money-making organizations. When teams are getting by with what they have and you start to increase the costs on them, it makes it harder to have money for other things such as ballpark promotions, extra uniforms, extra bats, etc.
For some teams in the league, it’s not an issue, but for others, it is. Also, the travel on the weekends creates a lot of wear and tear on the kids. When you’re playing a doubleheader in one end of the state (or even outside it now) and then have to go home for an afternoon doubleheader the next day, it’s physically and mentally draining. Having been on the bus for these types of trips in the NYCBL the last two years, I can attest that the bus travel on doubleheader weekends is wearing on everyone. Say you return home at midnight and you’re playing in the afternoon the next day, your body is shot by the time the Sunday twin bill ends.
With no inter-division games, it gives divisional teams time to develop rivalries and come postseason time, it makes knocking each other off mean something. Plus it cuts down on travel costs and your schedule can be more spread out without having to worry about the cross-state trips from one end of New York to the other. And without the crossover doubleheaders, everyone’s a little more rested and isn’t exhausted at the end of the 42-game regular season.
Now, let’s look at the cons of no inter-division play. In essence, you’re almost creating two separate leagues since there’s no crossover competition. Though, its how Major League Baseball operated before the advent of inter-league play. Ultimately, it makes the NYCBL look like kind of an umbrella organization sponsoring the Eastern Division versus Western Division championship series at the end of the year. While it makes things mean more when the teams finally meet, this is summer baseball and you want the kids to see as many different players and teams as possible.
The fans are being short-changed. Sure it’s good to see games against division rivals, but they also want to have a chance to see stars from the other division. For example, if Watertown did not play Allegany County during the regular season in 2005, I might have not gotten the chance to see NYCBL Player of the Year James Barksdale and the fans in Scio would not have seen the eventual Eastern Division playoff champions. Not to compare with MLB again but baseball’s numbers attendance-wise went up with the creation of inter-league play.
Going along with that, the kids aren’t getting a chance to play in all kinds of different parks. I’m sure a lot of the Eastern Division teams would like to play against the Niagara Falls team at the renovated Sal Maglie Stadium. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen; same with the Western Division teams and going to Bennington Bombers Field or playing in front of a big house at Duffy Fairgrounds.
One of the components of summer baseball also is that college players get to compete against players who they might not see and/or won’t see during the spring. And that’s partly the case here. But, the players aren’t getting a chance to compete against everyone in the league, just divisional foes. While playing an opponent eight-to-nine times during the season is great, you want to get out there and see a different face every once in a while.
In detraction of the bus argument, that’s just how it is in the minors. Team’s traveling from town to town on the bus without a lot of off days. Sure, the kids are tired out being on the bus so much, but it’s no different in the minors. The only difference is that you stay at one place for three or four days as opposed to riding home right after the game. The bus travel is far worse in other summer leagues where the teams are more spread out than say the NYCBL, and all of those teams play one another.
In the end, it was a tough decision for the league. You can see valid points on both sides of the argument. Like it or not, there will not be any inter-division regular season games in the NYCBL. That’s not to say the league won't change its mind for the 2008 season.
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at SaltCitySports@aol.com
For the second year in a row, the New York Collegiate Baseball League has changed its divisional alignment. Last season, the league instituted a three-division format with four teams in each division between East, Central and West. For the coming NYCBL season, the league owners have voted to return to a two-division format featuring the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The Central Division has been eliminated after one year and Watertown is sent back to the Eastern Division, where it played from 2000-2005 and Geneva, Genesee Valley and Webster are sent to the Western Division. Geneva and Genesee Valley were members of the Western Division prior to being moved to the Central. If anything, it makes it easier come All-Star time and you’re not putting the Central kids on the East and West teams.
Bennington (VT) joins the Eastern Division as the sixth team and is the only team in the 14-team league that resides outside of the Empire state. Without the Central Division, there becomes a geographical imbalance with eight teams in western New York and six on the other side of the state. Well, Watertown’s not in the West so it must be considered in the East. Here’s the new divisional alignment.
Eastern: Amsterdam, Bennington (VT), Glens Falls, Little Falls, Saratoga, Watertown
Western: Allegany County, Bolivar, Elmira, Genesee Valley, Geneva, Hornell, Niagara, Webster
Had the league stayed with the three-division format, you’d have had five teams in the East, four in the Central and five in the West. Rome possibly would have been in the Central with Watertown, Geneva, Genesee Valley and Webster. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Indians will not be playing in 2007. With the return to two divisions, the league has also decided to eliminate inter-division play. This means that Eastern Division teams will just play among themselves and the same will happen in the Western Division. This was the case during the 2004 season when the league expanded from 10 to 12 teams with the inclusion of Saratoga, Glens Falls and Genesee Valley and the subtraction of Ithaca.
From what I’ve read, the league is going to go with a 42-game regular season schedule. That would mean Western Division teams would play each other six times over the course of the two-month regular season. The Eastern Division’s a bit tougher, because 42 does not divide evenly into five. It appears that the Eastern teams will play each other at least eight times and then you have single games against two other teams. I’m not sure how that will work but it means that each team will have its fill of one another by the end of the summer.
One of the real losers in the alignment of the divisions is the Watertown Wizards. In the interest of full disclosure, I have broadcast Wizards games for the last two seasons. In the Central Division, Watertown, at most, was a two to two and-half hour drive away from all three of their divisional opponents. This season (as was the case in 2005), the Wizards will now regularly be making three and a-half to four-hour trips to go to Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Bennington (VT). Little Falls is Watertown’s closest foe at around an hour and 45 minutes to two hours away; Amsterdam’s about 40 minutes further down the NYS Thruway.
Niagara Falls would be behind Watertown in that group but its furthest trips will be just over three hours to Elmira’s Dunn Field. A majority of the Power’s drives are around the hour and a-half to two-hour mark to the Rochester area or the Southern Tier.
There are a lot of pros and cons in this argument of whether or not to have inter-division play and I can kind of see each side of the debate. I think in a sense that the league is a victim of their own expansion. Niagara Falls and Bennington, Vermont, with their inclusion in the NYCBL, have become the two newest outposts; Niagara as the westernmost and Bennington as the easternmost. Now, Bennington’s not that far outside of the Albany area, but for teams coming from western New York and the southern tier, it’s a long ride to the Capital District. The same can be said for the Eastern teams going over to Western New York.
I’ll start on the side of the argument for no inter-division play. Namely the biggest factor is travel costs. That being gas, food, NYS Thruway tolls, potential lodging and other incidental travel costs that pop up. While these aren’t that great for trips in the division, when you start to travel all over the state, the costs add up. NYCBL franchises are operated primarily by volunteers and are not money-making organizations. When teams are getting by with what they have and you start to increase the costs on them, it makes it harder to have money for other things such as ballpark promotions, extra uniforms, extra bats, etc.
For some teams in the league, it’s not an issue, but for others, it is. Also, the travel on the weekends creates a lot of wear and tear on the kids. When you’re playing a doubleheader in one end of the state (or even outside it now) and then have to go home for an afternoon doubleheader the next day, it’s physically and mentally draining. Having been on the bus for these types of trips in the NYCBL the last two years, I can attest that the bus travel on doubleheader weekends is wearing on everyone. Say you return home at midnight and you’re playing in the afternoon the next day, your body is shot by the time the Sunday twin bill ends.
With no inter-division games, it gives divisional teams time to develop rivalries and come postseason time, it makes knocking each other off mean something. Plus it cuts down on travel costs and your schedule can be more spread out without having to worry about the cross-state trips from one end of New York to the other. And without the crossover doubleheaders, everyone’s a little more rested and isn’t exhausted at the end of the 42-game regular season.
Now, let’s look at the cons of no inter-division play. In essence, you’re almost creating two separate leagues since there’s no crossover competition. Though, its how Major League Baseball operated before the advent of inter-league play. Ultimately, it makes the NYCBL look like kind of an umbrella organization sponsoring the Eastern Division versus Western Division championship series at the end of the year. While it makes things mean more when the teams finally meet, this is summer baseball and you want the kids to see as many different players and teams as possible.
The fans are being short-changed. Sure it’s good to see games against division rivals, but they also want to have a chance to see stars from the other division. For example, if Watertown did not play Allegany County during the regular season in 2005, I might have not gotten the chance to see NYCBL Player of the Year James Barksdale and the fans in Scio would not have seen the eventual Eastern Division playoff champions. Not to compare with MLB again but baseball’s numbers attendance-wise went up with the creation of inter-league play.
Going along with that, the kids aren’t getting a chance to play in all kinds of different parks. I’m sure a lot of the Eastern Division teams would like to play against the Niagara Falls team at the renovated Sal Maglie Stadium. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen; same with the Western Division teams and going to Bennington Bombers Field or playing in front of a big house at Duffy Fairgrounds.
One of the components of summer baseball also is that college players get to compete against players who they might not see and/or won’t see during the spring. And that’s partly the case here. But, the players aren’t getting a chance to compete against everyone in the league, just divisional foes. While playing an opponent eight-to-nine times during the season is great, you want to get out there and see a different face every once in a while.
In detraction of the bus argument, that’s just how it is in the minors. Team’s traveling from town to town on the bus without a lot of off days. Sure, the kids are tired out being on the bus so much, but it’s no different in the minors. The only difference is that you stay at one place for three or four days as opposed to riding home right after the game. The bus travel is far worse in other summer leagues where the teams are more spread out than say the NYCBL, and all of those teams play one another.
In the end, it was a tough decision for the league. You can see valid points on both sides of the argument. Like it or not, there will not be any inter-division regular season games in the NYCBL. That’s not to say the league won't change its mind for the 2008 season.
If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at SaltCitySports@aol.com
Sunday, February 4, 2007
NYCBL Alumni Notes 2/4/07
Here’s some baseball notes for you on the day of the NFL championship game. Pitchers and catchers will start reporting to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona over the course of the next few weeks. Hopefully that warms everyone up in the northeast and makes the snow, that fell yesterday, melt a little faster.
HUNTER PENCE INVITED TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING
Hunter Pence (Schenectady ’02) is currently one of the Houston Astros top minor league prospects. He was a Texas League all-star (mid-season and post-season) last year and played in the XM Satellite Radio Futures All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for Team USA. Those accolades and Hunter’s performance at the recent Astros mini-camp have garnered the former Schenectady Mohawk an invitation to Houston Astros Major League spring training.
Before playing in the NYCBL, Pence was drafted in the 40th round (1189th overall) of the 2002 amateur entry draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Pence hit .316 in 30 games for the 2002 Eastern Division champion Schenectady Mohawks after competing at Texarkana Junior College for two years. He then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington where he was a two-time Southland Conference all-star and the 2004 Southland Conference Player of the Year.
Hunter was drafted by the Houston Astros in the second round (64th overall) of the 2004 amateur entry draft. In just over two years, Pence has gone from the Astros short-season A affiliate in Troy, New York to Corpus Christi of the Texas League and now on to Houston Astros Major League spring training. Should Hunter not make the big club, he’d more than likely end up with the Triple-A Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070202&content_id=169413&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp
FORMER GOLDEN EAGLE NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Ben Jenzen (Glens Falls ’06) has been named to the initial watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year award. The award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball. The list includes 35 pitchers from programs around the nation.
In the spring, Jenzen’s University of Michigan Wolverines won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Jenzen tallied a team-high six saves. Already this season, he’s been picked by Baseball America to the pre-season All-Big 10 all-star team.
Last summer, Jenzen went undefeated, 3-0, for the Golden Eagles in seven appearances. He struck out 13 in 13 2/3 innings pitched and garnered a 3.29 earned run average.
The watch list will be updated during the week of April 16. At the end of the regular season, the Division I national save leader and four other relief pitchers will be named as finalists for the award. The winner will be announced on June 6, two days before the start of the NYCBL season.
Questions and comments can be sent to SaltCitySports@aol.com
HUNTER PENCE INVITED TO MAJOR LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING
Hunter Pence (Schenectady ’02) is currently one of the Houston Astros top minor league prospects. He was a Texas League all-star (mid-season and post-season) last year and played in the XM Satellite Radio Futures All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for Team USA. Those accolades and Hunter’s performance at the recent Astros mini-camp have garnered the former Schenectady Mohawk an invitation to Houston Astros Major League spring training.
Before playing in the NYCBL, Pence was drafted in the 40th round (1189th overall) of the 2002 amateur entry draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Pence hit .316 in 30 games for the 2002 Eastern Division champion Schenectady Mohawks after competing at Texarkana Junior College for two years. He then transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington where he was a two-time Southland Conference all-star and the 2004 Southland Conference Player of the Year.
Hunter was drafted by the Houston Astros in the second round (64th overall) of the 2004 amateur entry draft. In just over two years, Pence has gone from the Astros short-season A affiliate in Troy, New York to Corpus Christi of the Texas League and now on to Houston Astros Major League spring training. Should Hunter not make the big club, he’d more than likely end up with the Triple-A Round Rock Express of the Pacific Coast League.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070202&content_id=169413&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp
FORMER GOLDEN EAGLE NAMED TO STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Ben Jenzen (Glens Falls ’06) has been named to the initial watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year award. The award is given annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I college baseball. The list includes 35 pitchers from programs around the nation.
In the spring, Jenzen’s University of Michigan Wolverines won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Jenzen tallied a team-high six saves. Already this season, he’s been picked by Baseball America to the pre-season All-Big 10 all-star team.
Last summer, Jenzen went undefeated, 3-0, for the Golden Eagles in seven appearances. He struck out 13 in 13 2/3 innings pitched and garnered a 3.29 earned run average.
The watch list will be updated during the week of April 16. At the end of the regular season, the Division I national save leader and four other relief pitchers will be named as finalists for the award. The winner will be announced on June 6, two days before the start of the NYCBL season.
Questions and comments can be sent to SaltCitySports@aol.com
Saturday, February 3, 2007
NYCBL Alumni Spotlight 2/3/07
Every week (or two), I’ll spotlight one former member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League that’s having success either at the Major League or minor league level. Just last year, 19 alums of the NYCBL were taken by Major League teams in the amateur entry draft. Eleven former members of the NYCBL played in the Major Leagues in 2006 and even more were members of minor league rosters across the country.
Today, we catch up with the 2004 New York Collegiate Baseball League “Player of the Year,” Terry Blunt (photo courtesy of Kansas State University). Last year, Terry spent his first full season in the Texas Rangers farm system with the Clinton LumberKings of the Class-A Midwest League. He’s one of nine members of the 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagles that have been drafted or signed contracts to play minor league baseball. Last season, five players on that team competed in the minor leagues and three others signed professional contracts.
The 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagles posted a NYCBL modern-day record .756 winning percentage, finished the regular season 31-10 and won the Eastern Division regular season title. However, Amsterdam swept Glens Falls in the Eastern Division playoffs and ended the Golden Eagles season. Blunt, a rising senior at Kansas State University, played center field at extremely spacious East Field.
The electrifying leadoff hitter wowed the fans in Glens Falls and finished the season with a .283 batting average and a league-high 32 stolen bases. After taking NYCBL “Player of the Year” honors, Blunt returned to K-State for his senior season. Terry turned in college career-highs in batting average (.336), runs batted in (33) and stolen bases (26). He earned his second All-Big XII honorable mention selection in a row.
After the collegiate season, Blunt went undrafted. He signed with the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent. He and fellow 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagle Brett Zamzow began their professional careers together, playing for the Spokane Indians in the short-season Northwest League.
Today, we catch up with the 2004 New York Collegiate Baseball League “Player of the Year,” Terry Blunt (photo courtesy of Kansas State University). Last year, Terry spent his first full season in the Texas Rangers farm system with the Clinton LumberKings of the Class-A Midwest League. He’s one of nine members of the 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagles that have been drafted or signed contracts to play minor league baseball. Last season, five players on that team competed in the minor leagues and three others signed professional contracts.
The 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagles posted a NYCBL modern-day record .756 winning percentage, finished the regular season 31-10 and won the Eastern Division regular season title. However, Amsterdam swept Glens Falls in the Eastern Division playoffs and ended the Golden Eagles season. Blunt, a rising senior at Kansas State University, played center field at extremely spacious East Field.
The electrifying leadoff hitter wowed the fans in Glens Falls and finished the season with a .283 batting average and a league-high 32 stolen bases. After taking NYCBL “Player of the Year” honors, Blunt returned to K-State for his senior season. Terry turned in college career-highs in batting average (.336), runs batted in (33) and stolen bases (26). He earned his second All-Big XII honorable mention selection in a row.
After the collegiate season, Blunt went undrafted. He signed with the Texas Rangers as a non-drafted free agent. He and fellow 2004 Glens Falls Golden Eagle Brett Zamzow began their professional careers together, playing for the Spokane Indians in the short-season Northwest League.
[EDITORS NOTE: Intially, I reported that Brett Zamzow had signed a free-agent deal with the Rangers. That is incorrect. Brett was taken by the Rangers in the 2004 MLB draft in the 28th round (831st overall). He didn't sign and returned to Navarro JC after playing for Glens Falls. He became a draft-and-follow and after the spring at Navarro, he signed with the Rangers. Thanks goes to Glens Falls skipper John Mayotte for providing me with the correct information.]
The Mesa, Arizona, native batted .227 for the Indians with four home runs (tying his college-high) and 22 runs batted in. After more than 30 steals for the Wildcats in the spring, Blunt was held to just seven swipes on 12 attempts. But, the Rangers must have been pleased with what they saw, because Blunt earned a promotion to Class-A Clinton for the 2006 season.
In his first full minor league season, Blunt was one of the best LumberKings hitters. Terry batted .271 (third on the team) with one home run and 43 RBI in 115 games. He was among the top five in just about every offensive category for the Rangers Low Class-A affiliate. But, defensively is where Blunt stands out with his play in the outfield, and that may be his ticket up to the next level.
As of right now, Blunt remains on the LumberKings roster as an outfielder. One might suspect a decent performance in spring training could merit a promotion to High Class-A Bakersfield in the California League.
We wish Terry the best of luck this coming season in the Texas Rangers farm system.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
NYCBL PLAYERS RECEIVE BASEBALL AMERICA RECOGNITION
Fourteen current and/or former members of the New York Collegiate Baseball League were selected in Baseball America’s annual college preview as pre-season all-conference selections and/or pre-season All-Americans. Here's the list.
{John's Note: This list is edited to include Ryan Nemcek of Sacred Heart and Tom Hill of Albany. I accidentally left them off the original list.}
Pre-season All-Big 10
Nate Recknagel (Glens Falls ’06) Michigan
Ben Jenzen (Glens Falls ’06) Michigan
Pre-season All-Southern Conference
Alden Chrissey (Amsterdam ’05) Davidson
Pre-season All-Sun Belt
Bryan Cryer (Amsterdam ’05) New Orleans
Pre-season All-America East
Miguel Magrass (Plattsburgh ’04) Vermont
Joe Serafin (Allegany County ’05) Vermont
Tom Hill (Glens Falls '04) Albany
Pre-season All-Atlantic 10
Joe Rizzo (Genesee Valley ’04, ’06) St. Bonaventure
Jamie Degidio (Mohawk Valley ’05) Rhode Island
Pre-season All-Ivy League
Bryan Tews (Glens Falls ’06) Brown
Pre-season All-MAAC
Jake Willis (Saratoga ’07) Siena
Pat Feeney (Watertown ’05) Marist
Pre-season All-Northeast Conference
Ryan Nemcek (Glens Falls '07) Sacred Heart
Pre-season All-America Division II
Nick Stewart (Geneva ’06) Francis Marion
-also selected as number two prospect in Division II “Top Prospects, 2007 Draft”
Pre-season All-America Division III
Jimmy Dougher (Glens Falls ’05) Cortland State
{John's Note: This list is edited to include Ryan Nemcek of Sacred Heart and Tom Hill of Albany. I accidentally left them off the original list.}
Pre-season All-Big 10
Nate Recknagel (Glens Falls ’06) Michigan
Ben Jenzen (Glens Falls ’06) Michigan
Pre-season All-Southern Conference
Alden Chrissey (Amsterdam ’05) Davidson
Pre-season All-Sun Belt
Bryan Cryer (Amsterdam ’05) New Orleans
Pre-season All-America East
Miguel Magrass (Plattsburgh ’04) Vermont
Joe Serafin (Allegany County ’05) Vermont
Tom Hill (Glens Falls '04) Albany
Pre-season All-Atlantic 10
Joe Rizzo (Genesee Valley ’04, ’06) St. Bonaventure
Jamie Degidio (Mohawk Valley ’05) Rhode Island
Pre-season All-Ivy League
Bryan Tews (Glens Falls ’06) Brown
Pre-season All-MAAC
Jake Willis (Saratoga ’07) Siena
Pat Feeney (Watertown ’05) Marist
Pre-season All-Northeast Conference
Ryan Nemcek (Glens Falls '07) Sacred Heart
Pre-season All-America Division II
Nick Stewart (Geneva ’06) Francis Marion
-also selected as number two prospect in Division II “Top Prospects, 2007 Draft”
Pre-season All-America Division III
Jimmy Dougher (Glens Falls ’05) Cortland State
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