Where are they now
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Anthony Papa
When it comes to overused phrases, “he’s got that dog in ’em” is that at the top of the list. But Anthony Papa, a former Diamond Award winner, Long Island Champ and Skyline Conference champ, fits that mold to a t. Papa, who suffered a torn UCL during his senior year of high school and told nobody, wound up pitching a five-hit complete game in the Class A Long Island Championship in 2015. He was able to play through the pain during the season as a hitter and won the Diamond Award. Later in life, he tore his ACL during conditioning training on the beach. He was able to pitch through the pain as well and to this day never got the ACL repaired. Followers of Long Island baseball are familiar with Anthony Papa for his dominant days as a 1-2 punch atop the Division rotatio...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Alex Robinson
When Long Island baseball fans refer to the “glory days” of the NSCHSAA, they are most likely referring to the 2009-2012 period in which it seemed like every team had 5-7 Division-I players. During that time, Holy Trinity won two of those years – led by southpaw workhorse Alex Robinson. The big lefty with the high leg kick and overpowering fastball was named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year, posting some gaudy numbers on the bump. He went 7-0 with a 0.41 ERA with 109 strikeouts over 51 innings. He allowed just 14 hits and walked 22 batters. He also fired a couple no-hitters and won Game 1 of the Championship series against St. Anthony’s. When I asked how anyone ever got a hit off him with a low-to-mid 90s fastball in a wood bat league he chuckled and said, &...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Chris Smith
“When you have Scott Boras calling you up telling you that you’re a first round pick, you take it!” Wantagh grad Chris Smith was not just one of the best players on Long Island during his magical ride of a senior season in 1998, but his took his game up a notch at Florida State University, where he became an All-American OF with a cannon of a left arm that generated 98 MPH heaters – and that’s before every team had someone sitting in the mid 90s. Smith was the rare two-way player that could thrive on either side of the ball, but once he showcased upper 90s heater against the University of Miami, it became clear the best path to multimillionaire status was on the mound. He made the controversial and difficult decision to leave Florida State after playing in bac...
Where Are They Now: Mike Belfiore
USA Today Sports Growing up in the 1990s during the peak of the Yankee dynasty, Commack native Mike Belfiore was fortunate enough to be in attendance for not one, but two World Series clinching games. Like many New Yorkers, he became infatuated with the game after watching homegrown players like Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte transform into icons. “It became sort of an annual thing going to the playoff games at Yankeee Stadium with my dad,” said Belfiore. Little did he know at the time, that he would later be in the big leagues with an AL East division rival of the New York Yankees during the final season of Mariano Rivera‘s career. The early years Belfiore was always talented for his age, but he credits the time spent with private instructors for taking his game to the next level. “Al Chan...
Where Are They Now: Glenn Gibson
(Photo Credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images) It’s Opening Day 2006 and the best pitching prospect on Long Island is on the mound against Centereach HS. The area behind home plate is packed with representatives from virtually all Major League teams plus cross checkers to watch Glenn Gibson. The 6’4 southpaw is the son of former New York Mets and New York Yankees LHP Paul Gibson. Glenn is armed with a 90 MPH fastball and–barring injury– will be drafted in June. The scouts and everyone else in attendance are expecting to watch a pitching clinic by the flame-throwing southpaw. That’s not what happened, and that’s why they play the games. “I threw four innings and it was just a struggle,” said Gibson. “I think I gave up 11 hits that year and most of them came in that game. If there was a bad tim...
Where Are They Now: Alec Sole
(Editor’s Note: This piece originally ran on December 11, 2019) Trailing West Islip in the first round of their playoff game, things weren’t looking too promising for the Arrows of Sachem North. While they were one of the top teams in League 2 all 2011, all it takes is running into one hot team in the single-elimination postseason to end a season. That all changed with a late-inning rally that delivered a 3-2 victory that helped stave off elimination and propel them into the next round of the playoffs. Once that happened, the team would never look back. “After that victory, we said to ourselves ‘alright we’re gonna win this thing’, said Alec Sole, as he reminisced on the best season of his life. The Arrows went on a hot-streak from that point on, rattling off consecutive wins against...
Where Are They Now: Glenn Gibson
(Photo Credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images) It’s Opening Day 2006 and the best pitching prospect on Long Island is on the mound against Centereach HS. The area behind home plate is packed with representatives from virtually all Major League teams plus cross checkers to watch Glenn Gibson. The 6’4 southpaw is the son of former New York Mets and New York Yankees LHP Paul Gibson. Glenn is armed with a 90 MPH fastball and–barring injury– will be drafted in June. The scouts and everyone else in attendance are expecting to watch a pitching clinic by the flame-throwing southpaw. That’s not what happened, and that’s why they play the games. “I threw four innings and it was just a struggle,” said Gibson. “I think I gave up 11 hits that year and most of them came in that game. If there was a bad tim...
