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“It’s a little worse than we anticipated,” he said. “We’re going to shut you down for a while.” That’s when you go from optimistic to something similar to getting punched in the gut. From experience, that’s when you throw away all the preconceived timetables you originally had when you could get back on the mound or in the batter’s box.  Now it’s in somebody’s else’s hands. That person holds your short-term future in his hands. That person in the white coat may or may not have ever played baseball in his life but he is about to decide when you do.  The most important thing, according to Steve Tria, owner of Team 13 Fitness, is to trust the professionals and not rush it. “Take your time, because the only thing wor...

Adelphi graduate Dillon McNamara had been playing in the New York Penn League with the Staten Island Yankees for the past year. Yesterday he found himself on the mound in Reading, PA as the starting pitcher for the Double-A Trenton Thunder. The jump is fairly significant having skipped over two levels of the minor leagues. Injuries had created a void in the Trenton rotation and caused a need for a capable starting pitcher. They called on the 6’5″ McNamara who had been dominating the Penn League since being converted into a starting pitcher. He had compiled a 1.76 ERA over three starts spanning 15 innings, while registering a 14/2 K/BB ratio. Reading entered the game with a 35-52 record, and for the first three innings they played like it. The Trenton Thunder scored a run early ...

Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar When Marcus Stroman was originally given the opportunity to be a starter it was going to be a trial by fire. It is fair to say he has taken the opportunity and ran with it. After his most recent start; a strong 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with six strikeouts against Cy Young contender Chris Sale, he is no longer considered a flash in the pan. The 5’9″ native of Patchogue has lowered his ERA to 4.02 and has struck out 36 against nine walks in 42.2 innings. He has certainly played a hand in the Blue Jays first half success, which has them at 47-39 and in first place in the AL East. Initially, there were doubters– as there always has been with Stroman. After his dominating start against the Kansas City Royals that featured this gif...

Photo Credit: George A. Faella If perception is reality, Bayport-Bluepoint is a small high school that can’t compete with the best programs. Their star pitcher, Jack Piekos, has been working to destroy that perception. Two years and two New York State Class A titles later, he has succeeded. “We kind of wanted people to notice us one way or another,” said the Maryland-bound left-handed pitcher. “Last year helped get everyone’s sight on us and this year just really put us there as a legitimate contender,” he added. Bayport-Bluepoint won its first NY championship in 2013 with an unbelievable 27-0 record. Piekos led the pitching staff with an 11-0 record, 0.38 ERA in 73 innings. He was the recipient of the Paul Gibson Award, given to the best pitcher in Suff...

It was a tremendous season for West Islip, who beat Massapequa to claim their first Class AA Long Island Championship in 56 years. Their season was cut short in the NYS semifinals to Victor, by the score of 1-0. Nick Arnold suffered the loss, although he struck out eight against only three hits in six strong innings. The lone run was unearned, and it came in on an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the sixth. The loss puts an end to high school baseball for the 2014 season. Bayport-Blue Point won the Class A state title for a consecutive season, truly a great accomplishment. **On another note, I want to thank my readers for their loyalty this baseball season. This started as a way to follow only the college programs, but it became clear the high school players were more engaging th...

The baseball community lost one of its most beloved members, San Diego Padre Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn. He was 54-years-old and had been suffering from the effects of salivary gland cancer. Gwynn was the rare superstar in the post-free agency period who a) played his entire career with one franchise, b) was beloved by the fans and the media yet c) did not rely on power to achieve success. He broke into the big leagues with San Diego in 1982 after being drafted in the third round out of San Diego State. He was also drafted to the NBA. Despite the girth he added later on in his career, Gwynn was a tremendous base runner early on. He stole 56 bases in 78 tries in 1987. He also had seasons with 40, 37, 33 and 26. Over the duration of his 20-year career, Gwynn compiled a tremendous car...

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 facing an actual pitcher for a couple years. At that age, the batters fa...

Photo Credit: MLB.com Baseball players love routine–it’s human nature. Once the routine is set, you can get comfortable in your surroundings, no matter where you might be playing your games. That get thrown into disarray when you are forced to relocate more than once. For someone like Joe Daru, outfielder for NYIT,  change is something you are forced to embrace. “I was born in Bangkok, Thailand,” he said. “My mom is Thai and my dad is American. He is a retired US Diplomat, so we moved every couple years to a new post,” he added. Those moves were not measured in miles but time zones. “Born in Thailand, moved to Washington D.C., then Lasos, Hawaii; Barbados, back to Hawaii, then Ft. Lauderdale, Fla; then Bangkok, Thailand, then high school at IMG bas...

Photo Credit: Stonehill Athletics Yesterday set the wheels in motion, but day 3 featured numerous Long Islanders selected in the MLB Draft. In addition to the traditional stats, I’ll try and provide some insight on the players that I have played with or against. It got started in the 17th round when Tampa Bay selected Cutchogue native Steve Ascher (SUNY Oneonta). They had also selected Chris Pike on Saturday and Stephen Woods of Hills East last season. Ascher is a graduate of Mattituck HS. He led the Oneonta Red Dragons in several pitching statistics this year including a 1.69 ERA in 69.1 innings. He fanned 82 batters against only 20 walks. He held batters to a paltry .193 average on his way to a 6-4 season. Next was Ronkonkoma native James Lomangino (St. John’s University). He...

Although there was no Long Islanders selected on the first night of the draft, the wheels began to go in motion yesterday. Three players with Long Island connections had their names announced–all in the ninth round–Brian Hunter, Chris Pike and Kevin Krause. We’ll start with Krause, because he is the only one that plays college on the island. Krause, a junior at Stony Brook, was selected with the No. 281 overall pick in the ninth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had a tremendous season, which caused him to be named the MVP of Long Island by us. Krause, a native of Staten Island, led the Sea Wolves in virtually all offensive categories this season. He hit .354 with eight home runs and 51 RBI in 52 games. He compiled an OPS of .991 with terrific plate disciple; 26 walks a...

We are coming off another wildly entertaining season in Long Island baseball. Here are my picks for the best player at each position. MVP: Kevin Krause, Stony BrookCy Young: Tyler Badamo, DowlingRookie of the Year: Ron Bauer, Molloy C: Robbie Cafiero, Hofstra .331 AVG, 23 R, 47 H, 15 2B, 21 RBI, .900 OPS 1b: JC Brandmaier, Dowling .323 AVG, 30 R, 63 H, 23 XBH, 44 RBI, .925 OPS, 17-27 SB, .993 Fld%      Kevin Courtney: Stony Brook: .341 AVG, 44 R, 71 H, 41 RBI, .883 OPS, 5-5 SB .996 Fld% 2b: Andrew Abreu, Dowling .321 AVG, 38 R, 62 H, 10 XBH, 20 RBI, .782 OPS, 21-22 SB, .957 Fld% 3b: Rich Mejia, Adelphi .395 AVG, 23 R, 64 H, 17 XBH, 40 RBI, .969 OPS, 15 BB, 10 K      Tom Tolan CW Post: .361 AVG, 26 R, 44 H, .853 OPS, 19-22 SB, .955 Fld% SS: RJ Going, Dowling .302 AVG, 61 H, 37 R, 18 XBH, 39...

Photo Credit: Massapequa Patch Playing for Massapequa isn’t always easy. After all, you are basically expected to continue the winning tradition that has been in place for decades. This year, however, the football and the basketball team came up just shy of the ultimate goal. Alex Cosenza, who was also a pivotal part of the basketball team, made sure the baseball team would not follow suit. In fact, he has now led the Chiefs to consecutive Nassau County AA title on the diamond. “Winning back-to-back county titles is one of the best feelings in the world,” said the All-State left-handed pitcher. “Especially because of all the work we put in as a team. It feels good when it pays off,” he added. That is spoken like somebody who is accustomed to winning. Massapequ...