Monday, May 10, 2010

This weekend was the SUNYAC tournament. The only time Cortland has lost it, as far as i know, was in 2004. Well, history did repeat itself this year with us not taking the title. We were the number one seed in the tournament because we were regular season champions. We faced Oneonta for the first game and they had their pitcher who is projected to be drafted in the top 5 rounds in this upcoming MLB draft pitch against us. Well he proved himself and lived up to the hype. He absolutely dominated the game. He was throwing his fastball at 92-94 mph for strikes with a absolutely devastating curveball. He held us to one run through nine innings with ten strikeouts. In two games, he has 24 strikeouts. Its frustrating because of that one loss the rest of the tournament we were in the losers bracket. We still had a shot at winning but the weather was not allowing it. The conditions brought in snow and was not allowing us to play. The rest of the games were called and the team that hadnt lost yet was Brockport. They hadnt receieved a loss because they did not have to face the overall #1 prospect in Division 3 baseball. All in all, it doesnt really matter because were still going to regionals with an at large bid and its going to be fun. Our energy is kicking in and we have alot of intensity built up because of how we were dealt with at the SUNYAC tournament. World Series, here we come!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Taking a week off from talking about C-State Baseball on this one. Two weeks ago my three boys and i purchased Drake concert tickets at Syracuse University for only $15. On Friday, as soon as practice was dismissed, we hit the road to Cuse. It was a struggle on who was going to drive because a nice little pregame session was in store for us. Unfortunately, i had to take the plunge and drive, believe me i caught up. But, i hadnt driven in so long so it felt mad wierd trying to drive this car on the highway and through Syracuse. W.E, point is, we got to Cuse and visited their friend from highschool's sorority. We went with all of them as soon as we got there and entered the concert. N.E.R.D opened up and we snuck down on the first level and were only 50 rows back from stage. Pharrel and N.E.R.D killed their performance and set the night up right. A little intermission went on and the fun began when Drake came out and ripped it up on stage. He sung all his nasty songs that are out right now and he performed the underground songs that only his big time fans know about. He was pullin people on stage and serenading women, which was pretty funny, i wish i could sing! After the concert we left and noticed a crowd around these real tall black dudes and realized they play for the school. I went up to their group and asked to take a picture with Johnny Flynn, Syracuses PG for two years. He was drafted 6th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft and plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves now. I dapped him and put my arm around him for the picture, and the friggen Black Berry died. I didnt hold him so i dapped him up again and let him go do his thing, which invovled being surrounded by groupies the whole night. Great Weekend.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Spring Weekend?

This past weekend was Monroe Fest. A weekend filled with partying and enjoying the spring semester at its finest, with nice weather. Well, i spent it on the baseball field. Im not saying that playing baseball in nice weather is a bad thing,but, when you are in your freshman year and dont play at all, you would rather be at other places. All my friends that do not play on the baseball team were bringing friends up from their home towns and getting ready for this epic weekend. To be honest, next weekend for me is going to be better then Monroe Fest. Last Friday, three of my friends and i went to Syracuse University to purchase tickets to their school concert. The artist performing is Drake, perhaps the hottest rapper in the game. Not literally. The tickets are only costing us $15 and we have a place to stay for free. My buddies friends from back home are in a sorority and are letting us stay in the house. The only issue is, who is going to drive because we have practice the next day. All of us do not want to drive because of events that are going to take place the night before. The concert is going to be sick. I do not understand, however, why Syracuse gets Drake and we get the Fray. I understand that Syracuse is a much bigger school and their reputation is much larger then SUNY Cortland, but, the Fray? I dont necessarily know how the concert went at our school but i got an idea of how it went. During our doubleheader on Saturday, they were practicing, and we could hear them from the field, so i techincally heard them sing. They werent bad but nothing i would spend money to go to. I would rather go on YouTube and just type in a song hear and there.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Every season a team plays there spring training games and that is when the caliber of the team is made. Teams go through streaks, winning and losing occurs through this time period as chemistry and skill is worked out. We lost 6 games at the beginning of the year but now we have officially hit our stride. Dominating the SUNYAC conference year in and out has been our teams persona and that is the case this year. We have not lost a game in conference play this year and continue to roll through with no problem. The seniors are leading this team like they are suppose to, constantly committing huge hits and plays in the field that are aiding us in tight games. Our upperclassman have been here for four years and have matured into the center piece of our team and have been the tight nucleus that keeps the engine running. They teach the younger plays the ways of the game at the collegiate level and help with the adjustment period. Certain freshman and souphmores, however, have hit their stride earlier than others and get their fair share of playing time. Our coach has stated in interviews that this is the most talented freshman class he has had in ten years. Everyone works hard in practice and is hoping to exceed the expectations that are put on us. In the three remaining years we have we will be ready to take on the leadership roll and lead our team to more SUNYAC titles, Regional Appearances, and hopefully the College World Series in Wisconsin. With all the team lifting and bonding it wont be tough to assume those rolls and work together in unicen as one team. Our coach has a phrase that can be viewed as corny but in a way makes a lot of sense. "One Team, One Goal," has been our modo all year and means that there are no individuals on the team.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Failed Time Ticket

So my life is spiraling downhill. This is the week where every student is picking their rooms for next year. Everyone has the right to choose what ever is available when there time slot to choose is up. Well, because im an absolute idiot and did not get my room deposit check in on time nor my rsp form filled out, i do not have a time ticket to select a room until AFTER May 22. I cant even get into cheney or degroat. The whole situation is entirely my fault but in my defense i have been really busy. Baseball is my life, writing studies is supplying enormous amounts of work, and i have mad research papers do for health and history. These last thirty days of school could not go by any slower. My plan is to see what is available when my time ticket is presented to me and if nothing is open i could just live off campus or just sneak into an available room that has opened up. The Red Sox also lost two games at home to the Yankees and that completely killed my spirits after they had won the first game of the year. Either way, the World Series is going to consist of one of those two teams, that happen to play in the hardest division in baseball with the hardest schedule. Every year, who ever does not win the AL east the other goes through the wild card. My conclusion is that the Yankees will be plagued with injuries because they got some old dudes on their team. Any tips on rooming let me know?

Monday, April 5, 2010

Duke and The Red Sox

Today im going to take a little bit of a break from talking about Cortland Baseball. I am on cloud 9 right now after experiencing the weekend i just had. First of all, the team won 3 out of 4 games, which is always an accomplishment to win more then you lost. Second of all, the final four was on T.V. this weekend and my all time favorite team, Duke, was in it. Duke was facing the red hot West Virginia Mountaineers and all odds were against them. Everyone who goes to school up here is a Syracuse fan, who of which, resides in the Big East Conference. People wanted West Virginia to win because it would bring the trophy to their conference. The thing is, the ACC is the best conference in America year in and year out and Duke is the best in the ACC. Duke plays a different style of basketball then West Virginia, who relys on athleticism. Duke plays a up tempo game aswell, but much more controlled. They run their plays thoroughly, play good man to man defense and are very with rebounding offensively and defensively. Duke smashed West Virginia by 20 points on Saturday and truly showed who the better team was. The Blue Devils play monday night against Butler University for a shot at the title, a championship, i feel, they will easily obtain. Sunday night, the Red Sox opened up their season against the Yankees and beat them 9-7. We are 1-0 on the year with the Yankees and hopefully well go undefeated.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

First home game

The other day was the teams first outdoor practice and it was freezing. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday i have a class at 3-4. My practice was starting at four oclock and i had to rush down to the field. When i arrived at the field i remembered that the team had recently changed locker rooms because of work that is going to be done on our old locker room, right near the field. I finally got to Park Center and when i got into the locker room i realized that i left my bag with all my baseball stuff in it, in my dorm. I got out to practice with just my baseball pants and one of practice shirts. I had no long sleeve shirt, no socks, or my glove. Along with me not being prepared for practice, my coach tells me right away that i will be throwing live in practice. Throwing live implies that practice will be a simulated game situation, so pitchers will throw to batters. Things worked out in the end because i thought i threw well. That weekend we had our first home game, and it was freezing. The weather, at the max, was 30 degrees. Only nine guys play at a time, so you can imagine what the other thirty guys are doing to keep warm. The more important part of the day was the actual outcome of the game. The team we played was absolutely horrible and i think my high school team could of beat them. The final score was 16-2 and the only runs they got were in the first inning. After the game, a huge display of food was layed out for the team and we got to feast.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Spring Break

Spring break is upon us and the team is traveling to florida. Unfortunately im not traveling this week with the team but their could be worse things in life. Im only a freshman so still learning the system can be a challenge. The upperclassman on our team are rediculous and are the engine behind the whole squad. Over break i decided to go with a kid on my team that stayed behind to his hometown on Long Island. He gave me a ride to Commack, then i was picked up by my boy who lives in Smithtown. I chilled their for the night, saw all the sights and sounds of wonderful Long Island. It reminds me exactly of Cape Cod. The small shops and restaurants looked very familiar to me. I had to wake up really early in the morning and take the ferry acrsoss the water to Bridgeport Connecticut. My father picked me up there at around 1230 and I came home to a family party. My mothers twin sister was up from Virginia visiting for the weekend so all the aunts and uncles were over. It was good to come home to that because that means my mom was cooking up a bomb dinner. The last thing i needed was another fantastic meal from predictable Nuebig. On Sunday, i woke up early wit the crew and went into the city for the St. Pattys day parade. Nice little pre game session in Bridgewater then we took the train into the city and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Bean. South Boston, however, is not your typical city. It is much different from going into the financial district of Boston, which has all the big buildings and monuments. It is the ideal Irish Town and it was perfect for the holiday. I had a great time with all my boys from back home and st. pattys day was a blast.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Long Island Trip

The team traveled to Long Island this weekend to play four games at Baseball Heaven. The schedule was to play a game on friday night, a double-header on saturday, and one on sunday. The game friday night took a suprising turn for the worst. We were down 4-2 and with two outs we had a kid get on base. The next batter hit a two run homerun to tie the ball game up. The next batter happened to get out and the umpire called the game due to darkness. The coaches had made an agreement prior the contest that if the light was a factor, the lights would be turned on. The coach from the other team wouldnt turn the lights on and we were forced to loose because the game's decision goes back to the previous inning, when we were losing. There was ntohing we could do about the games outcome, but there was in the next games we played. We had a double header the next day and didnt even let up a run. Mike Assman pitched a complete game shutout. The next game was won 4-0, credited to kris gentzke who hit a three-run homer to seal the deal. The season is panning out well as we continue to limit teams run production and tack on our own fair share of runs. The games victories are earned in practices, as our coach often says. You, as a team, only get stronger by not taking victories for granted and continue to battle at practice and get better. No one in practice takes it easy, ever. The coaches are constantly behind us guiding us and pushing us to exceed expectations. The final game, on sunday, is agains Farmingdale State. The team that eliminated us from the regional tournament last season. The guns are being brought out for that game to send a message to that school that we did not forget about last years mishap.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Practice went really well today. The pitchers, ofcourse, had to do their daily conditioning. We had to run for 20 minutes around the track in the field house, which is getting easier and easier every time we do it. Each pitcher has a job every practice according to their personal schedule. Certain pitchers will throw on certain days and recovery time is key because you get stronger over that period via conditioning. The program every year hosts close to 20 clinics for baseball players that range from middle school to high school players. Our coach gave out assigned jobs to each player as he arranged groups. Each group would aid the players throughout the drills that the coaching staff set up. Arriving in the locker room at 8:30 in the morning was very tough because of events that occur during the weekend, if you get what im saying. The clinic lasted from 9-4 consisting of two sessions. The morning session seemed longer because there are more kids that attend that time slot. Working the clinic, however, was not that bad because i enjoy coaching and helping out kids get better because that is ultimately what i want to do when i get older. Coaching sports and being a high school teacher is simple and interesting; can't complain about summers off. I would be perfectly ok with my wife being the bread winner lol. Anyways, when the first session ended, coach treated us to pizza in the locker room, which was mediocre at best. Beggars can't be choosers though. The syllabus for the second session was given to us and the older kids had to stay longer because they knew how to run the camp better then the underclassman. They knew the drills better then the freshman and souphmores ,so, instructing the players would be more personal and benefitial. The day was long, but, it was spent around baseball, where i cannot complain. After all, what else is there to do on a Sunday in Cortland, Ny when sleeping is not your number one priority.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Social life

The first month of practice is pretty much over with and things are looking optimistic with the team. The new transfer players are exceeding expectations and everyone from the freshman class to the senior class is doing their part to help our team function. The life of not going out and cutting back on socializing was a little different and confusing at first but as it happens more and more now each week it is becoming a daily routine. It is expected from the team, especially if a player is not 21, to follow team rules and cooperate with the coaches and captains. The team rule simply states to not consume alcohol within twenty four hours of a game day. If a player is 21 years old, they are allowed to go downtown but if a player is not they are not allowed to go at all, no matter the hour rule or not. For example, every single Saturday and Sunday the team takes part in a game-day like atmosphere by competing against one another in practice. The pitchers set up the two batting cages that our team has in Lusk field house by pulling the nets out and dragging the portable mounds in. All the coaches have speed guns in back of home plate and pitchers that are not throwing are keeping pitch counts. The position players stand in and face the pitchers who throw as if it were game seven of the World Series. Saturday an d Sunday are such important days because it is a great way for coaches to examine their players progress and work ethic. One week a pitcher can throw really well in the cage and not perform the next week at that previous level they were at. Batters can get three hits out of three at bats the week before and then get zero hits out of three at bats. It is important for all of us to work hard every day and perform.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Every Day Changes

The team has kicked off its third week of practice and things are looking pretty optimistic. Coach Brown brought in 5 new transfer students from other colleges or Junior Colleges around the state of New York or relatively close. Players on the team were wondering if it would be the best move as far as messing with team chemistry, but it has actually benefited. The pitching staff acquired four new pitchers, two of which are upper classman. It helps our team a great deal because the two older pitchers have been throwing at the collegiate level for a few years now. Every player had trust in our coaches recruiting abilities because he has been around the game of baseball for many years now. It also helps that four of our coaches have played professional baseball straight out of Cortland State. The only position player that our coach brought in was our new shortstop. He transfered from a school in West Virginia and is very skilled at the position. The only negative part about bringing in five new players is that some of the old players have to undergo tight observation from the coaching staff and deal with the choice of being on the team with not much playing time or quitting the team. All in all, my opinion on the decision that those players face is a positive one. If the coach feels that your talent is only getting you so far and it is going to limit your playing time then that would motivate me to work that much harder. It is discouraging to know that the coach feels that way about you but to certain people it just adds fuel to the fire. I wouldnt just quit the team, I would find a way to improve my skills as much as I could to try and get playing time. Because a player is not getting as much playing time as a fellow teammate does not mean that they are not part of the team. Practicing with the team, lifting with the team, even eating with the team every day is what makes a team. Being part of that is truly something special and just being part of the ride, the season, is fun enough. Winning a National Championship is a consolation prize.

Friday, February 5, 2010

WTF Coach?


The season has began and practice has hit the players hard. Practices are difficult because our coach and all the players have their eyes fixated on one goal and one goal only, a national championship. Every practice is a competition, which has it's perks in a way because it brings out the best in every player when competing. The other day I told my coach I had a night class which would interfere with our practice at night. My coach was fine with it because he told me it was my day off, so just go to the gym and do a running workout for 30 minutes. I did as instructed. When my night class ended I scooted over to my practice to catch the last half hour and my coach must of forgot that he told me to workout prior to class. He told me to run for twelve minutes straight around the track in Lutz. He never had a watch or even kept time and I ended up running for 25 minutes until the pitching coach stopped me hysterically laughing about me running for so long. Thanks Coach Brown.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Why Cortland State?

I always get questions as to why I chose to attend SUNY Cortland for school/baseball. After all, it is a pretty obvious question, why would a person from Massachusetts come all the way up hear for school? For anyone that played high school sports and was an aspiring college athlete they have all experienced the long and frustrating recruiting process that weighs a heavy burden on your life. The process is not so much frustrating because it is annoying, its frustrating because of all the options that are laid out in front of you and whether or not the right decision is being made. People from New York take part every summer in the Empire State Games. Well, in Massachusetts athletes compete in the Bay State Games. The summer going into my senior year in high school I played for the Coastal region of the state and the week-long tournament lead me to Cortland. I had received a recruiting letter from St.Johns University and was invited to a showcase at their school in Queens. In October, of my senior year, I attended the school's invitational and participated in a days worth of drills and scrimmage. The day went very well, so well that I was asked to speak to their pitching coach, Scott Brown, in private. I was ecstatic and thrilled to finally get to speak to one of these superior coaches. As I was speaking to Coach Brown he quickly complimented me but had to break the news that I wasn't throwing nearly fast enough for a Big East program in Division 1. The coach picked my brain a little bit about my career in baseball so far and what I would like to major in when I go off to college. At the time, it was physical education so he quickly recommended Cortland State, his Alma mader, because it is the top physical education school in the country and are exceptional at baseball. Coach Brown contacted the head coach at Cortland, Joe Brown, and referenced my name and to look into recruiting me. As you can tell, Coach Joe Brown pursued me and as soon as I left Cortland after my recruiting visit the decision was obvious that I would commit to his baseball program.