D3baseball.com Daily Dose

As the article is published on D3baseball.com, I am putting the complete text here from Eric’s dispatch.

By Eric Smolin

I would like to thank all of the D-III Baseball supporters. The kind words and encouragement throughout the past 6 months have been extraordinary and have continued to motivate me as the upcoming season is approaching quickly. D-III ballplayers are going to start making waves throughout baseball; I hope you’re all there to continue with that support.

My baseball career went through several major obstacles. I was part of a Northeast-10 Championship team at U-Mass Lowell, as the starting left fielder and a dominant closer as a freshman. Unfortunately, I developed a stress fracture by the end of that season and my head coach was dismissed for unforeseen purposes and the assistants left soon after. The fall of my sophomore year, I was to be coached to by someone who I already had a very tumultuous relationship with. After the last day of fall practice, still not fully recovered from the stress fracture, the coach dropped the news that our baseball relationship was not on the same page and he cut me from the team I had already established myself at.

I decided that transferring would be my best option. Knowing that my arm might never recover to its full strength, it was time to find somewhere that provided me with a great academic framework, as well as a constantly competitive baseball team. Matt LaBranche, the Head Coach at Western New England College (WNEC), was absolutely the most pivotal figure in my decision to transfer. WNEC not only provided the Sport Management major in the School of Business, but it also had that “up and coming” team with new great facilities.

In the three seasons at WNEC, the team established new marks of wins in a season, captured two league titles, and participated in two NCAA Regionals. Several personal achievements I received included: League Tournament MVP, two time All-Conference Team honors, New England Region Pitcher of the Year, and 2nd Team All-American honors.

Fortunately enough, these team and personal honors attracted some scouts attention. The draft came and passed without my name being called. I can still remember the look on my parents faces when they thought my playing career was over. They contributed so much time and money to help me pursue every kids dream.

Six days later, I answer my phone to a number I’ve never seen before. What I heard on the other line I thought had to be some sick practical joke. Gene Schall, the Philadelphia Phillies Northeast Region Scout was that voice on the other line. Everything he said I just responded with “Yes” and “Absolutely”. He notified me that someone will be showing up to my house the next morning with a contract to play with the Phillies organization. He also told me that I should pack because my flight was hours after I signed the contract.

I found myself alone on a plane for the first time twenty-four hours after that phone call. I was going to Clearwater, Florida to play baseball for three months with newly drafted players and also newly signed free agents.

I got to my room at the Buena Vista Hotel, my new one star home for the next few months, and met my roommate. Travis d’Arnaud, the 37th Overall pick, and highly regarded high school catcher from Lakewood, California. I felt right at home with Travis. Having grown up in California, we shared similar interests and often had way too much fun doing nothing.

We arrived at the ballpark the next day and had to run through the standard physical and other medical work. We also had a meeting with the coaches about what was expected of us. We were informed that we had to wear collared shirts and khaki shorts or pants everyday to the complex. I soon realized that I needed to buy a few shirts, and a bicycle since the walk from the hotel was a little over a mile in the sweltering heat.

The next day, we met all of the players and coaches. This process is always interesting since everyone is trying to size themselves up. Travis and I immediately became friendly with Justin DeFratus, another California grown pitcher. Justin was known in the locker room for something called “The Face” which was somewhat monkey-like and might have been the ugliest face I’ve ever seen. I had the pleasure of seeing it everyday since his locker was next to mine.

We were all very similar, and loved the fact that we could delay the real world by at least a few years. We would go down to the pool, buy as many toys as possible and have a day of fun. Little kids knew we were ballplayers and were always trying to play catch with us. So we bought the toys to keep the kids occupied while their parents laughed and enjoyed that we were taking time to talk and play with them.

Over the next few weeks, more of the draftees were finally finishing up their contract negotiations. The group of guys got increasingly more ridiculous, as we were more comfortable with each other. The English speaking players began talking to the Spanish speaking players and helping them with their English. Obviously, we taught them how to hit on girls once we were secluded from the coaching staff.

Heiter Correa and Jesus Sanchez were the Spanish players I got closest to. Correa was Brazilian, trilingual and a horse of a 17 year-old. He was already consistently throwing low-90’s. Sanchez, a 19 year-old Venezuelan catcher, was part of the Bobby Abreu trade to the New York Yankees from the Phillies. Correa helped us teach the Spanish players common phrases and sayings to help them along in the upcoming seasons.

Travis, Justin and I were the few that stayed at the Buena Vista. We felt no need to find an apartment, plus the maid cleaning our beds and bathroom was an added plus. A few more players came in a couple weeks after we got there. Jacob Diekman and Jiwan “King” James were the two that meshed into the group.

Diekman, a southpaw from Nebraska, was the joker of our group. He was also the most successful being promoted to the Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters to finish the season. Jiwan was a pitcher-outfielder out of nearby Williston, Florida. He declined a scholarship to Florida to play football to join the Phillies.

Surprisingly enough, I found myself with four highly drafted guys, no older than 20, that got significant signing bonuses. My signing bonus was minimal and I was so pumped when I received that check that could allow me to buy food for the months I was at school finishing my degree. I couldn’t imagine receiving a check that allowed me to buy a new $50,000 car. The monthly pay for everyone is much to be desired, and often is the biggest misnomer people have when it comes to professional baseball. Not until you make the 40 man roster do you actually see an income that you could live on.

Playing baseball for a living is tougher than people think. The game mentally grinds your mind. The first two months of the season, my arm was sore and I felt like I didn’t belong there. The final month, my arm revitalized itself and I began throwing lights out. My velocity reached a consistent 93, whereas it has been at 88 the previous two months.

The experience from all of this will last me a lifetime. I will go into Spring Training in March and try to reestablish myself and prove that we D-III guys belong. The success of Jordan Zimmerman, Jimmy Dougher and others has shown that the very best of D-III can compare with those of DI and DII.

I recently participated in an e-mail interview with Chris Preston, who writes for ESPN.com, about our sites and the state of small-college sports information on the Web. His piece was recently published and I wanted to point it out as a good discussion of where the sites have been and where they are heading.

Though the column inexplicably starts with the younger site — D2Football.com, the various D3sports.com sites are discussed in some detail.

Just one note: I didn’t promise weekly columns in other sports, just suggested that they could be possible. Anyone interested, let me know.

By Jorge Rosado (Bronx Community College)

Today was a really fun day. We woke up and toured around Florence. We saw and visited a couple of monuments. The one we visited that I like the most was the Dome. We went all the way to te top which was tiring because there was so many stairs we had to walk up.� But once we got all the way up to the top it was worth it. The view was unbelieveable because we can see all of Florence. After our morning tour we ate lunch at a restaurant in Florence, and after a little more touring in Florence we got on the bus to Parma.� We settled into our rooms for a little while then we had dinner as a team.

By Richard Gomez (CCNY)�

Today we left Rome and went straight to Florence. When we got to Florence we met the two gentlemen who were responsible for our trip here. We then got warmed up on the baseball field and had another children’s clinic and the clinic was great. After the clinic we took batting practice, then we started our game against the Florence Lions. It was a great game and we won once again to improve to 3-0 on the trip. I had a good game. I went 4-for-4 with four doubles, four runs batted in, and two runs scored. After the game we checked into the hotel then met for a team dinner. While at dinner we met Dr. Susan Larkin, who is the athletic director at John Jay College. She really impressed me with how much she knows about Italy. Overall it was a great day because I got to meet some great people and I had a chance to practice my Italian, since the bus ride from Rome to Florence was a few hours.

By Jose Lopez (CCNY)

Today we had the morning off which was needed after playing our first game the night before, and all the walking we have been doing. At 12 p.m. we left the hotel to visit the Neuttono War Cemetery, which was a place where American soldiers burried their fallen brothers during World War II.

The cemetery was very touching, as I walked around I could not believe what so many young Americans sacrificed for this country. These men are real heroes to me. The complex was immaculate as these 7,235 fallen soldiers bodies deserve.

After the visit to the cemetery we did a clinic for some children. The clinic was great, but my only regret was I didn’t have more to give them. The game was interesting to say the least. We were losing 4-0 in the 6th inning and we got to see and we got to see some Italian baseball customs. They were a little bush league but in the end we pulled the victory out 7-4. We got a great pitching performance by William Marte. After the game the people of the town had us stay for dinner. The food tasted great, especially after the win.

By� David Chestnut� (Baruch College)�

Today we visited the American University of Rome. The school has almost 600 students during the fall and spring and about 300 in the summer. Many of the faculty there are actually former CUNY faculty members. When we first arrived on campus we were taken to the best view in Rome. This was located on top of one of the buildings of the university. The sight was beautiful because we can see the whole city from there. We then got a chance to check our email at one of the computer labs, which was badly needed. I had not had a chance to talk to any of my family or friends since I got here so I left them messages on their myspace accounts. We then ate lunch at the school with the president who gave us information about the school. For their hospitality we gave them CUNYAC hats and tee shirts signed by the team. We left after that and headed to the baseball field for a childrens clinic. This was a lot of fun as we got to teach the children of Italy baseball and interact with them. Even though we didn’t communicate with them much verbally since we don’t speak the same language, we communicated with them through the game of baseball, which shows how much understanding these kids have for the game and the great future of baseball there is in Italy. After the one hour clinic we took batting practice and got ready for our game against Nuova Roma, an organized team in Rome, Italy. We beat them 25-1. They were not that strong as a team though. I went 3-for-6 and pitched two scoreless innings. After the game we signed autographs for the children and took numerous pictures with them. This was fun because we put a smile on their face and a show for them. All in all day four of the CUNYAC Goodwill Tour was a great day.

By William Marte (Queensborough Community College)

Today was probably the best day in my opinion so far. We went to visit the Coliseum today, which was one of the places I was looking forward to seeing. I felt very fortunate when I went inside because I thought to myself, “wow, how many people would so much to be in my shoes right now?” I also thought to myself the many people that have a love for history and never get to see a place like this except for television and pictures. It made me feel very lucky to be where I was at that moment. While at the Coliseum I learned some pretty interesting things like women fought at the Coliseum (against midgets). Also interesting to me was that men as young as 16 would put their life on the line to fight in matches at the Coliseum. Today, we also went to the Palatino, a place near the Coliseum, where we got to see where some of the Roman Emperors lived. I was really amazed by the architecture and how many of these sights are still up thousands of years later. It made me realize how smart people were years ago that they can build sights like these. It’s no wonder that
Rome had so much power 2000 years ago. Overall today was good and I am looking forward to continuing on with the trip and getting back onto the baseball field.

By Paul Rittenhouse (Kingsborough Community College)

Today was another pleasant and educational day. We went to visit the pope at the
Vatican which was absolutely amazing. I never thought I would actually be in his presence. The place was completely filled, there was no room to take a step. Before this I had only seen the pope on television where I always thought it was beautiful. Now that I have seen it firsthand I can say that it is. To meet people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds from all over the world is an experience itself. Later in the day we visited the Trivia Fountain. I threw in a coin for good luck. The atmosphere was amazing and everyone was very peaceful. I really enjoyed my time in
Rome on Sunday, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here.

By: Thomas Benedetto (Queensborough Community College)

Day one of the Goodwill Tour provided us with an opportunity that was very unexpected. Our flight from
Kennedy
Airport to Paris was delayed and it forced us to miss our flight from Paris to
Rome. Being that we were in Paris from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the staff decided to take us on a trip to the city of
Paris. We viewed several pieces of artwork and war emblems. We were privileged to see the

Eiffel
Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Elysees. There was an amazing number of people on hand to witness these fascinating places. As we finished our day of tourism we jumped on a 7 p.m. flight to
Rome. When our plane landed we met our very generous bus driver Carlo who took us to our hotel. When we arrived at our hotel we began to feast on a great meal. All in all it was a very satisfying day.

Inside my apartment is cool, outside it is raining and I have the radio playing Prairie Home Companion which is live from a softball field in Lanesboro, Minnesota. It has only been four days since I returned to Minneapolis from Grand Chute and the Championship Series but it seems like forever and a day ago.

I just finished editing the last of the games and put them on our partner website Pictureprints.net. 4,776 photos from the 14 games out of 10,000+ taken by myself, Ashlee Carmody and Larry Radloff.

For my first trip to the Fox River Valley for baseball, it was a great experience and I cannot see a reason why I will not return next year. Hang on one second.

::runs over to the dresser and knocks on the top::

Ashlee and Larry did a great job covering the tournament for us despite a freak injury off Daniel Maycock’s bat to Ashlee’s left foot. We hope her big toe heals quickly. A special thank you to the Cortland State trainer who was immediately on the scene of the accident and helped Ashlee get her toe on ice and keep the swelling at bay. She’s a trouper, I tell you. She came back the next afternoon and continued to shoot and stayed through days three, four, and five.

As I said we have 4,776 photos from the Championship Series on Pictureprints.net and we also have an additional 10,000+ photos from 50 more baseball games this year. Next year we hope to have more games covered from more locations than just Minnesota and Grand Chute.

Thank you to all of you out in the ether that helped make the first year of D3baseball.com a successful one!� I hope to meet some of you next year at the 2008 series.