Smithtown has always had a rich tradition of baseball. In fact, there is a chance this season only adds to that prestige with their talented roster that features arguably the deepest pitching staff on Long Island and a number of impact bats such as Will Kennedy, the Harvey twins, Ryan Pennisi and others.
Despite all the success in recent years, the 1990 team remains their last New York State Championship, although they did win the Suffolk County titles in 1999 & 2000. That 1990 team defeated Farmingdale to win the Long Island Championship and kept their momentum rolling right through the NYS tournament.
The star of that team has a direct connection to this Smithtown East team. Mike Ciminiello, a very talented southpaw that was the winning pitcher on April 3 against rival Smithtown West, is the son of 1992 Carl Yastrzemski Award winner, Mike Ciminiello Sr.
“I didn’t even realize the award was a big deal,” said Ciminiello Sr. “Until people started bringing it up to me in Riverhead. It’s interesting because I’m an orthopedic surgeon and people ask me about winning that award,” he said jokingly.
His baseball success was anything but a joke.
He was born in Baltimore, but moved to Long Island at the age of 1. Born into an extremely athletic family, Mike and his three siblings all went on to play high-level college sports. His sister Christine played softball at Adelphi University, his brother Angelo played baseball at Providence and Chris played at Monmouth University, he went on to star at Princeton University and become captain in his junior and senior years. He finished his career as the leading home run hitter in program history.
Prior to that, he was the key cog in a lineup that included future 12-year MLB veteran Frank Catalanotto, while playing for legendary Head Coach Al Chandler, who won four Suffolk County crowns and two Long Island titles.
He misses those days the most.
“I really remember the camaraderie of the group of guys, he said. “We forged lifelong friendships and we still go out to dinner from time-to-time. It’s fun to be part of such a great group of guys,” he added.
When they stepped between the lines, though, they could certainly turn on the intensity.
“We had an us-against-the-world mentality. We were a competitive bunch, not so much within ourselves but with the opponent. Among ourselves we were always very supportive and cheering on one another. Always rooting for our guys,” he said.
He noted that in those days, travel ball was different. Players often stayed with their town teams, with the exception of a couple elite travel programs in New York. Smithtown district combined in the summer to form a powerhouse town team called the Smithtown Cardinals.
That 1990 championship came during his sophomore year, so the expectation was to repeat with another. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it went in his junior or senior year. They were upset in the first round by Sachem in his senior year.
“We had a lot of the same team in 1992 as we did during the championship team and we never thought we would lose. It was a disappointment that we didn’t win, we definitely didn’t play as well as we should’ve, but that’s baseball–anyone can beat anyone.”
After winning the Yaz Award that year, he went on to Princeton University, where he helped lead them to an Ivy League championship. When asked about his college recruiting process, he said it was an easy decision for him knowing that he wanted to attend a high-academic school.
He was selected in the 46th round of the 1996 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, where he went on to play for the Jamestown Jammers in the summer of ’96. He received limited playing time and knew his future was not on the diamond.
He decided to attend Medical School, where he became a physician and later an orthopedic surgeon with a specialty in hip+knee replacements. After living in Philadelphia for years, he moved back to Long Island in 2010 where has been since.
He enjoys watching his sons games, as long as his schedule allows it.
“I try to set my schedule in a way that allows me to see his games in the spring,” he said. So far, the early signs are good for the 2019 Smithtown East team. In fact, it reminds him of his playing days.
“They remind me of my team in 1990, but they need to earn the right to be called the best team. Predictions are predictions, but can they all gel at the right time?”
That is the million dollar question. We will find out in May.
