Rookies

The other day I posted about my Rookie Broadcasting position with the Lake Norman Copperheads. All the things rookies have to put up with to get better. At least, all the things I have to learn being a rookie in the business, anyway.

It seems that some rookies don't have to got through the pain and suffering, the learning curve so to speak, as I've had to endure. I'm talking about the Atlanta Braves Justin Heyward and the Detroit Tigers Brennan Boesch. If you follow baseball at all, you probably remember Heyward's first at bat for the Braves. He hit a booming home run & ESPN turned the camera on fans celebrating with his father in the stands. What a way to break into the major leagues!

Since that initial at bat, Heyward's numbers have been worthy of a National League Rookie of the Year front runner. Of course, there is one Stephen Strasburg who so far has overshadowed Heyward while only taking the mound for the Washington Nationals four times, but that's another story altogether. For an everyday position player, I don't think the Braves or Manager Bobby Cox, who is in his final season of a hall of fame managerial career, could have asked for anything better.

Heyward, only 20 years old, was an expected future superstar before the season began. On the flip side of that, Brennan Boesch, 24, has basically come out of nowhere. There were no big expectations for Boesch within the Tiger's organization. Sure, the kid had some pop in the bat, but wasn't hitting for a high average during his minor league career. After all, the Tigers had several rising young stars who played parts of the last two years with the big club and seemed ready to play every day. Heyward was expected to come up to the big club, while Boesch seemed destined to be trade bait for maybe some insurance for a final push at an American League Central pennant later in the year.

Somehow, Boesch got a chance, due to Carlos Guillen's injury and the left-fielder-of-the-future, Ryan Rayburn, in the midst of a season opening slump. Brennan made the best of his opportunity. Maybe there was a little luck involved, that he just happened to be hot at the plate for the first few games. Manager Jim Leyland was quoted as saying something along the lines of he was going to play him as long as he was contributing. Leyland hasn't taken him out of a full-time left field spot since, except for the occasional day off for a rest.

These two rookies met in Atlanta this week. Bunches of pictures taken of the two. Interviews with both. And everybody on both teams being asked by the media what they think of their chances to become the American and National League Rookies of the Year after the season is over.

Well, my guess is that it's still way, way too early to cast any final votes. It's not even the All-Star break yet. There's a long way to go in a long season. But one thing is for sure; if the season ended tomorrow, they'd get most of the votes (sans Stratusburg). Here are a look at their numbers so far in their rookie campaigns:


____________AB R H HR RBI AVG OB% SLG%
Justin Hayward 251 41 64 11 45 .255 .371 .462
Brennan Boesch 185 24 64 11 39 .346 .399 .632

"Nick, I've Got Bad News . . ."

That's what my summer internship boss told me the other day. He said "I'm going to share this with you, but I don't want you to make too much out of it. I think you're doing a good job."

I know most folks haven't followed my exercises in writing over the years, but may have been reading them for a while. I started off contributing game recap articles to the Rocky Mount Evening Telegram when I was at Edwards Middle School, sending them results with short highlight notes on our Thunderbird baseball games. I went on to ihigh.com, covering football games at Rocky Mount High. I started this blog soon after I started my freshman year at UNCP before joining the student newspaper staff. I worked my way into an Assistant Sports Editor position before my freshman year was up. Before I left school for the summer, I had been named Sports Editor and the school's Mass Communication Department awarded me the title and honor of "Rookie of the Year" for my contributions to the department.

I had also landed a spot on the campus radio station doing a weekly sports show on Monday evenings that centered on UNCP athletics. I hope to continue with that show next year as a junior.

I'd like to think that landing my summer job - my first internship for my two majors - was at least partially based on my experience, if not for how well I am progressing in my field. I had never called a game on the radio before, so I was a little nervous when I showed up for my first game behind the mike. New boss, new surroundings, new players, new town, new job. Okay, I was a lot nervous.

I got through the first game, and it was an experience. I felt like I was just talking to myself the entire game. I suppose I actually was, because there was nobody else doing any talking. Nobody answering me, nobody commenting on the call or the play. Just me.

I bear no thought that it was as professionally polished as it could be. Like I said, it was my first time out. I got through it. Dad and I talked not only that game, but the ones since. Maybe I could do this, maybe I could add that. It helps to have somebody give you some advise and have some input. I have since figured out how to retrieve the broadcasts and listen to them myself. I've got a long way to go, for sure, but this is supposed to be a learning experience for me.

Learning experiences come with ups and downs. The good, bad and ugly, I suppose. So getting back to where I started with all this; with all my "experience" on the keyboard and behind the mike, the awards and the "I read you all the time, you're doing a great job" comments, I was floored when my summer boss showed me an e-mail he got. I was the target. Man, was I the target.

The e-mail pointed out, in no uncertain terms, what this guy thought of one of my broadcasts. It was my fourth baseball game call of my oh-so-short-so-far career. At first I was asking myself; is this guy for real? Is this guy some jerk? But it really didn't take long for me to realize that what he was saying was basically true. I'm a rookie and I have a long way to go. I've got a lot to learn. The e-mail pushed me to find out how I could find and listen to the replays I call. I'm doing homework now between games, taking notes on what I think works and what I think doesn't work. I've taken into consideration what the e-mailing guy had to say, sifted through what I can control and what I can't.

So, to the guy who sent the e-mail letting me know you weren't happy with the call that night, thank you. It wasn't exactly constructive criticism, but I used it that way, and I think it will help me become better.

The next time someone says ". . .I've got bad news. . ." maybe we can turn it into good news.

The Price Of Athletics - NCHSAA Pod System

It's been a while now since Tony Doughtie posted his distaste for the new NCHSAA Pod Playoffs System for high school football. I have to agree, based on Tony's explanation of how many conference games would go on during the first couple of weeks.

Why doesn't the NCHSAA just send the conference champions to the playoffs? It really makes no sense to me that if Rocky Mount beats Hunt for first place in the conference, they have to play again two weeks later in the first or second round of the playoffs. Tony hit it on the head - yuck. This system reduces the conference championship to just a #1 seed of a conference tournament between the first two or three teams.

I suppose these games will probably make money for each school. Playoff games (at least at Rocky Mount High) will make you some money. But if the point of the playoff system is to find the best team in the state, then just let each of the conference champions play one another. If that reduces the number of games, then add that week back you took away earlier in the year & push back the conference games by a week. What point is there to winning conference if you have to beat the same team again in the first round?

Attempting to put together a playoff system that saves money is OK, I suppose. Travel expenses are high. Did the NCHSAA do any studies on how many times a #16, #15 or #14 seed traveled and beat the #1, #2 or #3 seeds? I would think if they would have done their homework, they would have eliminated the first round games, as many of those teams had no chance to begin with. Instead of spending that money on traveling to a school who will beat you anyway, they could keep the money and stay home.

I would think that if the NCHSAA would have done their homework, they would not have eliminated one game on the regular season schedule, but eliminated that game from the playoff schedule. I wonder if they considered eliminating a hand full of teams, for example 12 teams in, instead of 16, and giving the top seeded teams a bye for the first week?

The Price of Athletics is going up. It just doesn't seem that the decisions being made to keep the price down are in the best interest of everyone involved.

Legend Calls It A Career

Junior in his early years inside the Kingdome in Seattle with the Mariners.
(photo - espn.com)

His dad played in the majors and won a couple of world series in the 70's with Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine".
He started playing Major League Baseball at 19 years old. And his dad was on his team.

Matter of fact, he started playing with the Seattle Mariners the year before I was born. All my years following Major League Baseball, he has been playing. No more.

Ken Griffey Jr., or simply "Junior", retired from baseball on Wednesday. He had spent 20 years with the Mariners - his dad's last team - and the Reds - his dad's championship team - and a partial year with Chicago's White Sox. He amassed mind-boggling offensive numbers over those years. Many argue he could have been the greatest home run hitter of all time; possibly the best offensive player of all time, if not for a series of injuries that required him missing many games while still in his prime.

Junior burst on the scene in 1989 as a raw talent and became the city of Seattle's iconic sports figure. He bolted for his father's team when the Cincinnati Reds offered him big bucks as a free agent in 2000. When his swing was fading, and his career winding down, the Mariners and the city of Seattle forgave him, and welcomed him back "home" to play out his final games. Griffey announced yesterday that the time had come for him to step away from the game as a player.

This guy was absolutely absurd in his ability to hit a baseball. A natural talent who stayed away from all the steroid allegations of his peers during his career, Junior is one of the few who can be called a first ballot hall of famer. He never played in the big time markets of New York or Los Angeles. Never won a World Series. But his abilities on the baseball field were never ignored. Here's a look at his career numbers.

630 Home Runs
1,836 RBI
.284 Batting Average
.370 On Base Percentage
2,781 Hits
524 Doubles
1,312 walks
9,801 At Bats
1,662 runs
2,671 games played
5,271 total bases
42,851 total pitches faced

Thanks, Ken Griffey Jr. For all you did for the game of baseball and for it's fans.

The Price of Athletics...

I'm going to reference Tony Doughtie's Blog from May 7, when he reported that the NCHSAA cut down the football season by a week in order to cut costs. This is supposed to save money on transportation. I'm not sure I get that as a cost savings measure, when most teams will probably give up their bye week and still play eleven games anyway.

Another thought that came across my mind on this measure is that we're talking about eliminating a football game to save money. Really? Football and Basketball seem to be the two sports that actually might make money.

The reason I bring this up is that the cost to high schools and school districts supporting athletic programs has to be increasing at a pretty alarming rate. Any way they can save would probably help. It probably won't be popular, either. Cutting out a week of football season or having girls and boys, jay-vees and varsity teams all playing on the same night at the same school saves money on travel expenses. Not popular, but cost saving.

I was talking with my dad about high school sports and how schools are trying to save money. He told me he could remember there being whispers of possible pay-to-play being put into place during my freshman year at Rocky Mount High. Gas prices back then were probably less than half of what they are now.

While scrolling through my e-mail, I find one from pops that sends me to www.detnews.com. An article on pay-to-play up in Michigan. The article sites several school districts and plans to increase their charges to participate in high school athletics.

Increase the charges? Yes, it seems most are already charging to play high school sports. According to the article, Birmingham School District is proposing raising their charges from $130 to $140. It does not say if that is per sport or for unlimited participation. Farmington Public School District proposes an increase from $100 for unlimited sports to $300.

If that seems like a lot of cash for one of your children to play high school sports, just imagine if you had two or three - at the same time. The article sited no discounts for a second or third child.

Then, of course, there is the Oakland County District. They will vote this month on tripling it's rates. If your child is in Middle School, it would cost $210 to play one sport. (I'm guessing it would cost the same for a second and third sport.) If you are unfortunate enough to have a child in high school, you'll need to come up with $450 for one sport.

As mind-boggling as some of those fees are, there are some fairly grim numbers cited that makes these fees a necessity. The Rochester District is facing a $14.6 million shortfall next year. Birmingham Schools is facing an $8 million shortfall, but says they are committed to sustaining the 53 varsity sports and over 100 teams.

53 varsity sports?

Let's hope the folks from Rocky Mount High don't have to start dolling out that kind of cash for their children to participate on an athletic team. I think most parents would probably rather see $1 increase in ticket prices first. Or have to watch the Freshman basketball game, then the JV Girls, then the JV Boys, then the Varsity Girls before finally getting to the Varsity Boys.

Yes, not the most popular decision, but I'm thinking it still beats paying $450 to participate in one sport.

UNCP tennis unites from around the globe

By Nick Phillips
Asst.Sports Editor
April 29, 2010

Photo by Nick Phillips
Tennis players Maricel Quintero Prieto, Madeline DiNunzio and Mia Winterbottom (left to right) all came to UNCP as international students, and are three players of the seven total players on UNCP’s roster.

When students look at colleges and universities to attend, many look at schools within their state. When students also have athletic potential and are looking at the possibility of an athletic scholarship, the distance and location of the colleges and universities tends to play a less significant role. But coming to an entirely different country?

Madeline DiNunzio, Maricel Quintero- Prieto and Mia Winterbottom are three members of the seven-member UNCP tennis team, and each took an extraordinary approach to arrive in Pembroke.

All three are international students, coming to campus from three different parts of the globe. For one, their first time in America was coupled with stepping on UNCP’s campus, while another frequented Florida several times a year and the third came to Pembroke by way of community college.

Helpful advice
Quintero-Prieto has two years of experience with the Braves under her belt, coming to UNCP from Bogota, Colombia. The junior attended Cowley County Community College in Kansas before moving on to Pembroke.

In two seasons, Quintero-Prieto has compiled a 22-24 record in singles play, while her doubles record stands at 10-34.

This season, Quintero-Prieto also played the role of big sister to DiNunzio and Winterbottom. Having been through the same trials as the two freshmen were experiencing, both freshmen agreed that Quintero-Prieto was a huge help as they transitioned to college and America.

From Down Under
When Winterbottom came to UNCP last fall, it was not only her first time on campus, but her first trip to the United States. The Sydney, Australia, native said she was both nervous and excited in anticipation of coming to school.

“I was nervous and sad to leave my family and friends, but the excitement took away those feelings because I’ve always wanted to study in America,” Winterbottom said.

To be able to do something I love, tennis, at the same time, is icing on the cake,” she added.

While in college, all students have certain moments and experiences that stand above the rest. For Winterbottom, she recalls her first collegiate tennis match as a favorite, yet laughable moment.

“I was so nervous, as a freshman and an international student, with my outfit that was twice the size of me. I was running around everywhere and jumping up in excitement the whole entire match,” Winterbottom said.

Winterbottom won that first singles match, 6-2, 6-0, before her doubles team lost 8-3. She finished with a 10-15 record in singles competition, and a 7-17 overall doubles record in her freshman campaign.

Winterbottom also listed Relay for Life as one of her favorite memories in her short time here, as well as going to Wal-Mart for the first time.

“I took a video camera and plenty of pictures. I’d never seen pizzas so big, or that many flavors of Oreos,” she added about her Wal-Mart trip.

Winterbottom was quick to say that DiNunzio and Quintero Prieto are her “two closest friends here” and that they all “get along really well, it’s the three foreigners that do things a bit different.”

Northern neighbor
DiNunzio hails from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but is a frequent visitor of Florida and has also been to Georgia, New York, South Carolina and Virgina.

DiNunzio said that it was an honor to be recruited by UNCP, knowing that she was “about to start my new future studying at a great school, but also thrilled knowing how privileged I was to have this opportunity.”

The Taddlecreek Academy graduate was redshirted this year but gained valuable practice time while adjusting to college.

She was nervous about being away from home, family and friends, but also was excited to be on her own and having to take responsibilities on that she never thought about before.

DiNunzio echoed Winterbottom’s opinion of the trio’s friendship.

“We all get along great. It’s hard to find a relationship with someone that you spend from morning to night with and not get sick of them, but with these girls it’s very unique. We are all very close,” she said.

DiNunzio added that “although we were all raised in different environments, with different cultures and morals, we are very similar. We all share similar personalities with a great sense of humor,” she said.

The town of Pembroke and the local community was different for DiNunzio, calling it a ‘culture shock.’

“I never really pictured myself living outside of the city but I needed a change. When I came here as a recruit I knew Pembroke was the right choice for me.”

Another agreement was that a major difference in America is that there are tons of fried food options.

“I’ve never seen so many things fried, and the size of everything. Back home, you could only get fried chicken at KFC. Here, they fry everything from pickles to mushrooms,” Winterbottom said.

DiNunzio added that “Canadian and American culture is quite similar,” but that she had to get used to all the fried food. While their accents remain intact, the three are becoming ‘Americanized’ every day they are on campus.

Winterbottom’s Australian lingo peeks through when she said that she’s “gained heaps of friends,” adding that “everyone is really nice and welcoming here.”

Tennis teammates and other students are all friends that DiNunzio has gained, saying that her “teammates are like sisters” and that she has also “made friendships with many people outside the tennis team” who she is close with.

If you are walking around campus one day, chances are you will run into DiNunzio, Quintero Prieto and Winterbottom somewhere.

Take time to talk and get to know them. You will gain new friends while learning about their culture. More importantly, they will be exposed to another aspect of American culture in their journey as international students here at UNCP.

Hudgins and Virgil get their calls

Former Gryphons Terrell Hudgins and Stephan Virgil were both passed up in the NFL Draft, but soon after the conclusion of the final picks, both were on the phones finding a team to land with.

Hudgins is expected to fly out to Dallas tomorrow to sign a rookie free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys, according to multiple sources. These include Dr. Barbara Holt, Hudgins' mom, Leslie, and Elon University's news website, and unofficially through T-Mobile's Facebook, where his wall was splattered with congratulations and "how 'bout them Cowboys?" posts.

(photo - draftinsiders.com)

Virgil's agreement to sign with the Buffalo Bills, has to this point, only been seen by yours truly on Tony Doughtie's blog. Virgil did post a Facebook status confirming that he was signing with Buffalo, and that the "Buffalo Bills just picked up a balla."

(photo - espn.com)

NFL rookie camps begin next week, and hopefully both will be with their aforementioned teams.

Good luck to both of them as they begin the next chapter in their lives. Congratulate their families if you see them, and if you are lucky enough to see the guys this summer, grab their autograph. I know I will. Because you never know.....