FEATURES
Height Won’t Hold Back Peter Theodorellis
by Vinny Messana Until recently, many Div-I college coaches would’ve scoffed at any right-handed pitcher under 6’0″. Some teams still have a strict guideline they follow regarding the height of pitchers. Athletes like Peter Theodorellis, however, are proving that notion to be antiquated by dominating on the mound despite not possessing the height that scouts look for. “My size and other people’s opinions I can’t control,” said the 5’7″ RHP from Commack HS. “I can control how hard I work at making the most of my God-given abilities. My will and performance are my true measurements,” he added. Nobody can argue the results. Despite playing in the uber-competitive League I of Suffolk County, Theodorellis had a tremendous 2016 ca...
Father’s Day Reminsicing
by Vinny Messana (This piece originally was published on June 15, 2014) One of the first things I remember is having a catch with my dad in the front of the house when I was about six years old. I recall that once I started getting better and was able to throw the ball further I would take a few steps back. “Don’t move too far back I can’t reach,” my dad said. It didn’t make sense to me. He was in better physical shape than most men in their late 30s and played baseball in his youth, how could he not reach? “I’m not a lefty,” he said. “I just wanted you to be able to get used to seeing it,” he added. That was my dad in a nutshell. He went out of his comfort zone to acclimate me to facing lefties. Bear in mind, I wouldn’t be ...
Thomas Hackimer’s Path from Walk-On to Fourth Round Pick is a “One in a Billion”
(Photo Credit: St. John’s University Athletics) by Vinny Messana, Editor-In-Chief Now in his 21st season as the Head Coach at St. John’s University, Ed Blankmeyer has seen a lot. Whatever he hasn’t seen there, he probably saw while coaching Team USA. He has coached more than 80 players who have gone on to play professional baseball–most notably Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio while at Seton Hall. Still, he was almost at a loss for words when discussing the journey of his star reliever, Floral Park native Thomas Hackimer. “Thomas is quite a story,” he said. “To go from a walk-on to a fourth round pick is one-in-a-billion,” he added. Hackimer chose to attend St. John’s because of the academic scholarship he received. He chose to major in physi...
Introducing the No. 1 Prospect on Long Island
by Vinny Messana Every great player needs a defining moment. For Matt Hogan that came on April 29 against Smithtown West. With his team, Half Hollow Hills East, trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh, the sophomore stepped up to plate with his buddy, Mike Palazzolo, on second base. He smacked a walk-off two-run shot to center field to give the Thunderbirds the 8-7 victory and hand Smithtown West one of their three losses this season. “I just happened to be the guy to get up at the plate and swing the bat,” said the uber-polite sophomore. While it’s true that he was the one with the bat in his hand, not many hitters in the northeast region–let alone League III in Suffolk County–can match what he can do at the plate. On his April 20 home run against Smithtown...
Introducing the No. 2 Prospect on Long Island
by Vinny Messana The comparisons are too easy to make at this point–how many 6’10” left-handed pitchers with a dynamite fastball can you think of? St. Dominic’s ace, Kyle Young, can only embrace it. “I think it’s one of the best compliments I can receive,” said the big lefty. “He’s one of the best pitchers ever,” he added. Now, while the HS senior has quite a ways to go to match the career resume of “The Big Unit”, to high school hitters in 2016–he is Randy Johnson. Young has led to the Bay Hawks to another great season, after finishing runners-up in the CHSAA in 2015 to Chaminade. Feeling disappointed with not coming out on top, he went to work this off season and wanted to improve in all aspects. He spent every...
