Author: Vinny Messana
Ron Matz Reflects on The Year That Elevated His Son to Stardom
If you thought you had golden treatment after getting back to school following a big win in high school, imagine returning home after being apart of the first New York Mets pennant in 15 years. Steven Matz, who was one out shy of recording the victory in the NLCS Game 4 win over the Chicago Cubs, has been the toast of Long Island for the past month. I had the chance to sit down with his father, Ro...
Announcement
Baseball on the Island will be hosting its first annual Awards Banquet on Dec. 23 at the Mediterranean Manor in East Patchogue. Click Here to read about National Scouting Report–the number one recruiting agency in the nation! Event Information: The reception will begin at 7 p.m. and conclude at 11 p.m. All players receiving awards will be allowed to bring their significant other and/or paren...
Tyler Badamo Reflects on 2015
Tyler Badamo led the Dowling Golden Lions to within one game of the College World Series in 2014. His numbers were eye popping–9-3 record, 0.83 ERA, 108.1 IP, 129 Ks (led the nation and set a program record) with an opponent batting average of .197. Less than a month later he was selected by the New York Mets and assigned to the Gulf Coast League. He pitched to a 1.74 ERA over 31.0 IP. This ...
The Story of Arnie Costell: The Long Islander With More Velocity than Nolan Ryan
It was before the days of social media, cell phones or even Saturday Night Fever so it’s understandable if you never read about him. If you were unlucky enough to face him, however, you will not forget the lightning that came from his left arm on the mound. His name is Arnie Costell and at the time he was drafted in the 1st round of the 1971 draft out of Nassau Community College, he was regu...
How To Approach Choosing Your College
At this point of the year, many of the best high school seniors have already signed their national letter of intent and are preparing to play their senior year with the peace of mind of knowing where they will be playing in college. For the juniors and underclassmen there is much work to be done. If you follow these basic steps, however, it will make your decision-making process much easier. Decid...
Twitter Reacts To Matz, Murphy Leading Mets to First World Series in 15 Years
Against all odds, the New York Mets punched their ticket to the 2015 World Series with a four game sweep of the 97-win Chicago Cubs. Ward Melville grad Steven Matz started Game 4 and went 4.2 innings, allowed one ER but was taken out in favor of veteran Bartolo Colon–so he did not factor in the decision. They will face the winner of the Toronto-Kansas City ALCS–which is currently led 3...
Coach’s Take on Takeout Slides
The irony of baseball is that everyone understands it wasn’t meant to be a contact sport, but yet when a player gets injured due to an overly-aggressive play, many people argue that you cannot fault a player for playing hard. During a regular season game the story blows over by the time the next game starts, but in the playoffs it’s a whole different animal and the debate will never en...
Stroman-Cueto Battle in Game 3 of ALCS in Toronto
They were down 0-2 against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS and came back to advance to the ALCS–in large part to a wild Game 5 that featured a run-scoring play on a throw back from the catcher, a massive home run from Jose Bautista and an ensuing benches-clearing situation. Lost in the shuffle was the job of Toronto’s starter Marcus Stroman, who pitched six innings and allowed only two E...
Garrett Heaton Commits to Stony Brook
When Garrett Heaton steps in the box against any high school pitcher he has the advantage already. Heck, he will most likely have the same advantage in two years also, when he steps in against a Division-I pitcher from the America East conference. That’s because he is one of the few local players who can say his father both lived it and was able to teach it to him. “I think the only di...
Matz Outdueled by Kershaw, Mets Face Do-Or-Die Game 5
In front of a raucous home crowd and many of his friends and family, Steven Matz had the opportunity to pitch his New York Mets to the NLCS for the first time since 2006. Unfortunately, the man opposing him was the reigning NL MVP and three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. The Mets were defeated 3-1, with Matz suffering his first big league loss–although it will not count towards the of...
Playoff Preview: Local Pitchers Take Center Stage
By now, everyone and their mother knows that two of the prominent players in the MLB postseason–Steven Matz of the New York Mets and Marcus Stroman of the Toronto Blue Jays–hail from small towns on Long Island. Stroman, whose miraculous return from ACL surgery was widely documented by the national media, won all four of his starts in September (all against the gauntlet of the AL East) ...
The Golden Era of Long Island Baseball
Long Island has always been underrated in terms of producing quality baseball players. In the past few years, however, the elite-level talent pool has been especially fruitful. In 2015 alone, Long Island residents Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Sean Nolin, Danny Burawa and Nick Tropeano have all logged significant time in the big leagues. Add in Stony Brook product Travis Jankowski and that is a sig...
