Brothers, Baseball, and Beer: Perfect Pat

When half your life is hanging out with your younger brother in the backyard playing Wiffle ball, why wouldn’t you make him a central character in your novel about baseball?

My brother Patrick was a pretty damn good pitcher in Little League, and I had the privilege of being his assistant coach throughout his career. When I started writing Pastime in high school, I knew I was going to base a character on him and make him do something memorable (my older brother Tom makes an appearance later in the novel as Dante’s Pony League coach).

So enjoy the tale of “Perfect Pat” while you wait for Spring Training to start. And I don’t care how cold it is, I’m going to find a way to have a catch with my brothers.

My brother Patrick during his last year on the Phillies

Little League World Series: International Championship

Italy is known for food, wine, and beautiful women, but not its baseball. That’s because their Little League team in recent years hasn’t played much better than a tee-ball team.

However, this year, the Italian team had been struck by the destiny bug and had swept their way unto the Little League World Series’ biggest stage. Two teams of destiny in one game? Which team would the baseball gods’ favor, and which would be tormented by baseball demons?

“All the hoopla crap going into that game was totally bogus. Don’t get me wrong, I’m Italian and I love Italians, but there was no way they were going to even try to beat Patrick Russell.”—Dante Cimadamore 

Both teams had more than each other to contend with. When Russell took the mound, the temperature had risen to a sweltering 97 degrees. There was a slight breeze that had, but it scalded rather than soothed. Russell showed no signs of being affected by the heat.

“I had a job to do and I wasn’t going to let a little hot weather keep me from doing it right.”—Patrick Russell 

Italy’s first batter grounded out weakly to second baseman Simon Capodi who easily scooped up the ball and threw to first base in plenty of time to get the out. The second batter whiffed on three straight pitches. The last batter of the inning hit a lazy fly ball that Tim Nix tucked away in his glove for the final out. Russell had thrown five pitches.

Italy’s pitcher Franco Vennero was no slouch. He hadn’t given up a run in the two games he’d pitched in Williamsport, and at the start of the tournament he pitched a one-hitter against powerhouse Japan. He looked to put the U.S. team of destiny to sleep from the start.

“I never saw the first three pitches he throw at me. He had to be throwing 85 m.p.h.”—John Machado 

Jeff Prince willed a bloop single down the right field line with two outs. Capodi followed with another to left. It was time for Vennero to meet Dante.

“Everyone who watched ESPN knew the kind of season he was having. I pretty much wanted to wet myself when he stepped to the plate with runners on.”—Franco Vennero 

He handled the slugger with ease. Dante hit a weak liner to the Italian shortstop who stepped on second base to double up Prince who had strayed too far off the bag. The first inning was in the books.

Russell went back to work. The heart of Italy’s lineup had done damage throughout the tournament, but left the plate with broken hearts after their first at-bats. The third batter of the inning tried to bunt one by the American pitcher, but Russell darted off the mound and made a strong through to first base. Italy had nothing to show for their six weak at-bats.

“Looking back it was tough to say who had the upper hand early on. It was a pitcher’s duel from the word go.”—U.S. coach Tom Doyle 

Vennero didn’t give the next three batters in the U.S. lineup any chances. Two strikeouts and a fly out later and the Italians were back in their dugout. The pitchers weren’t letting up and neither was the weather.

The temperature at the top half of the third inning was nearing 100 degrees. Tournament officials debated on whether to let the kids keep playing or have them take a break from the heat. Russell was on the mound throwing warm up pitches before they could rule one way or the other. The game continued and so did Russell’s dominance.

“There is no other way to put it folks, this kid from Connecticut is the real deal.”—ESPN television announcer 

Russell actually threw three balls to the first batter he faced in the third. He quickly found his focus again and blazed three straight fastballs by him. It would turn out to be the only three-ball count from either pitcher. Another strikeout followed. Dante and company headed back to their dugout after Russell left the last batter in Italy’s lineup crying for pasta.

All of the American parents thought Vennero was finally going to falter in the bottom half of the inning. All they got was three groundballs and a smile from the Italian pitcher.

“This guy, what’s his name, Franco? He wasn’t making things any easier for me.”—Patrick Russell 

Italy’s first batter the next inning became Russell’s sixth strikeout victim, and his fourth in a row. The next batter fouled out to catcher Kurt Saucier, affectionately known as Pig Pen. The last batter of the inning upped Russell’s strikeout total to seven. Vennero got Dante to hit into a nifty double play to end the bottom of the inning. It seemed the game had lasted mere minutes.

As the U.S. team trotted out the field once again, it began to dawn on them that their pitcher was unscathed. With only six more outs left in the game, the players behind Russell were 100 times more focused and serious about winning. And they didn’t say another word to Russell. Well, with one exception.

“After the fifth, I was the only one who could get away with talking to him.”—Jocelyn Nocera 

The heart of Italy’s lineup gave Russell his first scare. The crowd held its breath as it heard the high-pitched ping! emanate from the bat of Italy’s cleanup hitter. Tim Nix dove for the ball headed for the outfield, snared it in his glove, and stepped on first base.

“Let’s just say, whenever we play poker and we go up against each other on a hand, Russell always folds.”—Tim Nix 

Another Italian batter tried to bunt his way on base. Russell once again made an easy play to get the out. Three strikes latter the last batter of the inning was wearing his glove again.

Vennero was too busy trying to get outs that he didn’t realize at first what was going on. It wasn’t until the bottom of the fifth inning that he felt the electricity of the crowd reach another level. Instead of being intimidated, Vennero used the crowd noise as fuel to strike out the next two batters. Russell and Vennero exchanged smiles as Russell made his way to the batter’s box. He was a great hitter, but up to that point hadn’t done anything worth remembering with a bat that day. The crowd buzzed with anticipation that the game was about to be decided by the two kids who had so far defined it.

“Yeah, no would believe this story if it hadn’t actually happened. There’s video footage, and I still have trouble believing it.”—Dante Cimadamore 

The young competitors showed no sign of fear. Russell fouled off two pitches and eyeballed two others out of the strike zone. Russell knocked the dirt off of his cleats with his bat and stepped in to face Vennero’s next pitch.

“Here’s the pitch from young Franco Vennero…Russel takes a swing and launches one to deep center…the fielder is drifting back…the outfielder just hunched over…that ball is gone! On the verge of pitching a perfect game, Patrick Russell just gave his team a one-run lead with a monster homerun! The only thing hotter on this field is this kid from Connecticut!”—ESPN television announcer

The entire stadium was shaking. No one was sitting down, not even Italy’s cheering section. Russell stepped on home plate and was out of breath because he had run the bases so fast. Everyone low-keyed the celebration at home plate because there was still work to be done. Russell looked back to the mound and Vennero was still smiling at him. The two pitchers tipped their caps to each other and Vennero finished his near-perfect outing with a strikeout. He didn’t feel anything but pride in himself and his country as he walked off the mound to a hearty applause.

The temperature at the start of the top of the sixth pushed past 100 degrees. It seemed everyone in the crowd was pounding Gatorade. Russell looked unperturbed as always, and finished up his warm up pitches. He wasn’t afraid, he wasn’t anxious, and he wasn’t unfocused. He was ready. The first batter struck out. The crowd gasped as Russell lost his grip on a pitch and it came close to hitting the next batter. Once the batter recovered from the accidental brush back, he saw Russell mouth a silent “sorry.” Three pitches later, the batter was headed to the dugout. The next batter stepped to the plate eager to put an end to perfection.

“He had our number all day and I felt like I was going to be the one to steal his glory.”—Italian Little Leaguer 

Confidence would get the young Italian nowhere this day. Russell fired a quick strike. The next pitch beautifully caught the outside corner for strike two. If anyone was still sitting in the state of Pennsylvania, they were deaf, blind, and dumb. Russell didn’t hear any of that. His focus was on Pig Pen’ glove. It looked as big as a beanbag chair. He went into his pitching motion and fluidly threw the ball toward the plate. The batter put his head down and ripped the ball to the gap in right center.

Neither Dante nor Tim heard the other call for the ball because the crowd was so loud. The two boys collided. Dante was about to spring up and chase after the ball that undoubtedly skipped past the two outfielders when he heard Tim whisper,

“Sorry, pal. You got the homerun record, but I caught the ball that won us the Little League World Series.”

“Bastard.”—Dante Cimadamore 

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Dante replied. “Oh, you might want to show the umpire you caught the ball so we can start celebrating.” Tim smiled and shoved his hand in the air. The pure white baseball was clutched in his dirty hand.

“I really could have used all the Gatorade in the park at that point. My teammates pig-piled on top of me instead.”—Patrick Russell 

The U.S. team that year started out as underdogs and ended up perfect American heroes. The players stayed on that field for as long as they could before worried officials and parents made them return to the shade. However, they would always stand in the summer sunshine of glory and their story became baseball legend. 

For more from Pastime, check out: 

• The Great Little League Homerun Race

Summer Reading/Viewing List Part 1

Summer to me has always been a time where my appetite for devouring any book, movie or television show put in front of me knows no bounds. In that spirit, during the next couple of months I'll offer up my recommendations for your lazy, summer days and nights. This inaugural list is mostly baseball related, but I plan on highlighting a wide range of diverse genres to satisfy as many people as I can. If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to send them my way. Long live summer!

Summer Game and Five Seasons by Roger Angell





I read Summer Game and Five Seasons by Roger Angell late last February and doing so made me crave the start of the baseball season like never before. Angell’s writing made me feel like I was sitting next to him in a bar having a conversation over watered down light beer.

Summer Game chronicles the years 1962 through 1971, an era that saw the demise of the great Yankee championship teams, rise of the Baltimore Orioles and two former New York teams in sunny California. One of my favorite chapters is the one in which he goes into statistical detail on 1968’s “Year of the Pitcher”. In a year in which the great Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched to a record 1.12 ERA, the two leagues combined batting average was .232 and there were 340 shutouts recorded.

Angell’s heart though lies with the woeful infancy of the New York Mets which is sweetly apparent in every chapter devoted to New York’s second team. At a game early their inaugural 1962 season (in which the Mets lost a record 120 games), Angell struggles to figure out why the Mets fans surrounding him are cheering and rooting on such an inept team. He realizes that the Mets symbolize the antithesis of the mighty Yankees; that “there is more Met than Yankee in every one of us”.

Five Seasons picks up right where Summer Game left off in 1972. Some of the highlights include the greatest World Series every played in 1975 between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, three faithful Detroit Tigers fans and the three year dynasty of the Oakland A’s. Like Summer Game, the Yankees are strangely absent from the scene (until the 1976 season detailed toward the end of the book). It was refreshing to read about a time in which my favorite team couldn’t just demand the center of attention. I liked reading about characters such as Vida Blue, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Brooks Robinson, none of whom donned the Yankee pinstripes.

The Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler


I caught bits and pieces of the eight-part ESPN special a couple years ago, but not enough to really understand what happened in the sultry summer of 1977 in New York City. I picked up the book by Jonathan Mahler in a bargain section of a bookstore and blew through it in little over a week. Intertwined with the Yankees impressive World Series run is the story of a much different city than the one I live in now. Crime was rampant, a blackout inflamed the ghettos in Brooklyn and the Bronx and there was a serial killer on the loose terrorizing young couples for a year. The city was decaying and being fought over during a bitter mayoral race won eventually by Ed Koch. Also interesting was Mahler’s detailing of Rupert Murdoch’s purchase of the New York Post and how it set off a newspaper war the likes of which not seen in decades. He makes the larger than life persona of appear more human, well, until his three World Series homeruns made him a hero to New Yorkers who had vilified him all season long. Mahler lets the facts of that year speak for themselves, hardly adding any of his own dramatizations. Even non-Yankee fans will appreciate how far the city has come since those dark days and how our problems now are not insurmountable.

ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia



This is my Bible. It’s where I get all of my stats whenever I do a Player Spotlight. Currently, I’m using ESPN’s fourth edition which came out after the 2006 season, but I was weaned on my older brother’s 1980’s edition. I used to lug that tome around to both of my brother’s practices and ask my dad a million questions about players he watched as a kid. After complaining for years that I didn’t have an updated copy, I finally walked down to the Barnes and Noble near St. John’s and picked one up. I could barely afford my rent at that point, but it didn’t seem to matter because fresh statistics from the past ten years were now at my finger tips. Now I know that Mike Gallego has a lifetime batting average of .239, Jim Abbott won 87 games with only one hand and Ron Karkovice hit 96 career homeruns. It’s been an invaluable tool and if there are fans as nerdy and opposed with meaningless stats as I am out there, this book is for you.

Baseball, directed by Ken Burns


Baseball, directed by Ken Burns, is a masterpiece. There is no other way to describe it. Each decade of baseball’s history is detailed in Burns’ signature style and highlights the changes in the country during baseball’s rise as the national pastime. More importantly, however, is the treatment that Burns gives to the Negro Leagues. He does not shy away from the truth that the best ball players might not have been playing in the white Major League. Players such as Josh Gibson, who was characterized as a “black Babe Ruth” and the great pitcher Satchel Paige finally get their due as integral parts of baseball’s history. With more enlightened background information, I was able to even more fully appreciate the heroism of Jackie Robinson.

As a New York fan, I was impressed with Burns’ portrayal of the great New York Yankees, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1950s. For a decade, all three teams were great and were seemingly always battling each other for a championship. I’ve heard some criticism that Burns is too New York centric, but there is no way to separate the city from baseball’s history and I think he does more than an admirable job of balancing everything.

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn



This book in no way shape or form has anything to do with baseball, but I felt it necessary to include it on my first list. This book should be required reading for all Americans. This is one of the first books I read when I started to gain a passion for our nation’s past. Expecting to find the same stories that I had learned throughout my schooling, I quickly found out that this wasn’t my father’s history book. After reading it, you’ll never think the same way about race relations, labor unions or Christopher Columbus. Zinn sheds light on side of history that has for too long been obscured. Our rise to being a superpower has not been easy or preordained and was done primarily on the backs of the people the Constitution and Declaration of Independence claimed to protect. This book affirmed my belief that lessons for the future can indeed be learned from the past and that history does not need to repeat itself. It may not be good beach reading, but it should be a book that finds its way into your hands sooner rather than later.




Happy Fourth of July!

Being a patriotic fellow, the Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a kid, I remember fondly the barbeques my aunt would host every summer without fail in which she made enough hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salads and Whoopee pies to feed most of Southern Connecticut. Not so fond are the memories of me clinging to the side of the pool in the shallow end while all the “big” kids were having fun in the deep end. Of course, no Fourth of July is complete without fireworks and my cousins always put on quite a show despite the cringing from my aunt and my mother.

That being said, the Fourth gives us pause to remember not only how our great country came to be, but also the men and women who have given their lives to ensuring our democratic freedoms. My undying gratitude and hearty well wishes go out to all the service men and women who are stationed across the globe and here at home in the United States; especially one Airman in particular who is upholding a proud Ford tradition in the armed services. Patrick, we miss you, we’re proud of you and we look forward to your graduation in August.

Wishing everyone and their families a happy, healthy and safe Fourth of July weekend!

Hardball Heart Guest:Dustin Hockensmith

Throughout my time working with the baseball team at St. John’s, I became close to an unbelievable array of talented people, none more so in my opinion, then this week’s Hardball Heart Guest. He brought a welcome blend of wittiness and spirit when he became the Sports Information Director and blew us all away with his writing skills. We bonded on crappy road trips to places like Lubbock and South Bend, drunkenly guided each other home after benders in the city and survived more than one meal together at Qdboa. Welcome fantasy sports writer extraordinaire Dustin Hockensmith!

Dan: I wanted to get this question out of the way as soon as possible. What is your favorite embarrassing story about me when I was the manager for St. John’s Baseball?

Dustin:Trying to think here, and I can only come up with one embarrassing story about myself and one general, embarrassing theme for you. It's not one story as much as a collection of stories about you that comprise your interesting, to say the least, relationship history. This isn't a good forum to relive all those, but it is to relive the day at the old “The Ballpark at St. John's” when the national anthem tape wouldn't play. I had to have cursed, what, 50 times in 30 seconds, just furious about the fact that all 9 fans in the house were gawking up at us in disbelief. Then, turns out, it wasn't a technical malfunction at all, just the stupidest kind of operator error. Who knew the volume knob had to be turned up when you wanted sound to come out???

Dan: Where did your passion for sports originate from? What sports did you play growing up and what player(s) did you look up to? Which sport would you consider your favorite?

Dustin:I can't even think back to a day when I didn't have a passion for sports, and older brothers are the reason for that. They went off and found their passions first, then it was hard to not follow suit. Their interest level in sports was, and still is, through the roof, and mine has been the exact same. But, since I was the bat boy for their T-ball teams at the tender age of 2, I've felt some kind of cosmic connection to baseball. And when the time came where I could no longer play, I made a real point of staying connected to the game. In college, it was getting involved with the Penn State program, then traveling and learning from a scout, then working with the Maryland program, covering the Baltimore Orioles, working at St. John's, and now, writing a baseball blog at ImaginaryDiamond.com.

Dan: You went to Penn State for your undergrad degree and worked as a sports information assistant for a couple of years. What was that experience like and how did you develop your interest in writing? Who were some of the writers that you looked up to?

Dustin:I knew Penn State was where I wanted to go, didn't even consider other schools. Part of me knew that some kind of opportunity was around the corner in sports, that such a big athletics program could give me a good chance to get involved. The experience didn't disappoint, either. Once I transferred from a tiny branch campus to State College my junior year, I got involved with the field hockey team, and a couple of months later, I was flying with them to Louisville to do PR at the national championship game. At that point, I realized that a.) maybe I had some kind of talent for this, and b.) maybe it was worth my 100 percent dedication to see if I could make a career of it.

I have no regrets about the fact that I studied finance and economics in college, but I wish I'd explored writing a little further. The business program at Penn State required very little coursework in English, and my studies involved next to no writing. It didn't dawn on me until after graduation that, yeah, I can write a little bit, and, yeah, maybe I should explore that talent.

Dan: Your first job out of school was at the University of Maryland? What was that like?

Dustin:Maryland was really an awesome experience. Working with the baseball program was a fantastic opportunity to see what legitimate talent looks like and to live life in one of the premier baseball conferences in the country. What I couldn't have seen coming was just how incredible and interesting life would be on the road with the team. You can attest to the fact that 25 collegiate baseball players make up the funniest, goofiest, craziest travel party you can imagine.

Working with the football program was really cool, too. I was in the locker room five times a week, getting to know the players, watching practices, seeing games from the sidelines. All kinds of things that the average fan would love to do. And a couple of the things I always find myself bragging about are a friendship I had with linebacker Shawne Merriman, who's now a stud in the NFL, and watching Merriman and tight end Vernon Davis, a top 10 draft pick turned dud in the NFL, do battle against each other in practice.

Dan: After your stint there, you worked at ESPN for a couple of months as a reporter for their Sports Ticker. Did you enjoy that experience and how did it help you hone your craft?

Dustin:Eye-opening, without a doubt. I knew right away that kind of journalism wasn't for me, especially when I'd nearly crap my pants every time I walked into a major league clubhouse. The first question I asked was at Victor Martinez of the Cleveland Indians, who responded “Don't ask me about my hitting.” Uhh, okay Victor, "what's your favorite breakfast food, and why?" I didn't really say that, just walked away from him with my tail between my legs.

One of my other signature moments as a SportsTicker reporter was kicking Paul Konerko's water bottle over as I approached him for an interview. He couldn't stand the thought of talking to me anyway, then I was a clumsy moron and he immediately hated my guts.

I will say, though, that walking around a clubhouse was a great place to people watch, to see how players acted off the field. I remember being impressed by Coco Crisp, thinking he didn't act or talk like a guy named "Coco." Jhonny Peralta’s demeanor impressed me, too, he just looked like he'd be a solid major leaguer. Todd Helton was tiny and kind of a jerk. CC Sabathia was as big as a house and hit 100 on the radar gun at Camden Yards.

Dan: You came to St. John’s during my senior year. You started working for the two consistently winning teams in the athletic department, baseball and soccer. You also worked with the basketball team during the winter as well. What are some of your memories from your time there?

Dustin:Well, it was a tough gig. Not a lot of personal time, and not a lot of opportunities to catch my breath during the year. From mid-August until mid-June, I was working at least six days a week. I don't know of another position in the athletic department that required such involvment from start to finish of the sports season. Still, I have no complaints about it. I got to work closely with the three most appealing sports that St. John's has to offer.

My best memories were with the baseball program, no question. It's a hell of a lot of work, and you have to work every, single day from February through June, but it never felt like work. All the travel, even when the trips were logistical nightmares, was my favorite part of the job. I loved arriving at the ballpark, playing catch in the outfield, shagging fly balls at practice, sitting in the dugout, just having the chance to get to know the guys and spend so much time with the team.

Dan: You also worked with the basketball team, which gets all of the attention when they are in season. How different was it working for them and then coming out on the road with baseball? Talk to me about the long train ride you had when you joined us on the road in South Carolina one weekend.

Dustin:From strictly a job perspective, the difference between working with the baseball and basketball teams was night and day. Promoting the baseball team practically involved begging for attention, even though it had so much success. Promoting the basketball team involved less work in that regard, but there was more scrutiny on the players and coaches and more pressure on you.

I made the decision to make that long train ride from New York to South Carolina, which was brutal by the way. My services were needed in both places, so I elected to stay with the basketball team as it fought to make the Big East Tournament, then make the trip to South Carolina on my own. Little did I know, it was going to be 12 hours of planes, trains and automobiles to actually get there.

Dan: Other than me providing unintentional comedy on a daily basis, we had a lot of characters on the team we worked together with. What stands out in your mind?

Dustin:Everybody on the team had a personality. Scott Barnes - the aloof talent. Justin Gutsie - the dumb guy, who wasn't as dumb as he let on. Matt Tosoni - the typical Canadian. Jeff Grantham - the scholarly shortstop. Sam DeLuca - the big leaguer. Anthony Smith - the proud son of gung-ho parents. I could keep going. Each player and coach had something about them that I won't ever forget.

Dan: Since we were on the road quite a bit during the early spring, you, Brien (“The Big Guy”) our athletic trainer and I became pretty good friends. Is there any story that you remember more than others involving the three of us?

Dustin:Hmm ... not really, to be honest. Three years later, and the specific memories just kind of fade away. I'll always remember your personalities and having a blast on all the road trips, but I'll need some help with the specifics. The question is, is there any story that YOU remember more than others?

Dan:I remember feeling like crap on a trip to Norte Dame and Brien introducing me to Blue Moon beer. That was a life altering moment and we all ended up getting pretty drunk. That brought to mind a story involving just me and you. We were at a real dive bar in Queens and watching the Floyd Mayweather -Oscar del a Hoya fight with a really rough crowd. They gave us our Blue Moon in the most flamboyant glasses with a huge orange slice hanging off the end while everyone around us had bottles of Rolling Rock and Miller High Life. I have never been that self-conscious drinking a beer.

Dan: Of the players we worked with who are playing in the minor leagues, who has impressed you the most?

Dustin:Well, Scott Barnes was the most gifted. He had good stuff -- not elite, can't-miss stuff -- but he was so athletic and so capable of repeating his delivery over and over again. And as Texas Coach Augie Garrido said at the NCAA Tournament last year, he just got tougher and tougher with runners on base. It's easy to see why he's regarded as one of the San Francisco Giants' top prospects now.

Rob Delaney, you just have to be happy for him. He was pretty average his senior year, let's be honest, but he's gone on and had quite a bit of success in the Twins' organization. Time will tell if he ever puts on a big league uniform, but he's given himself a chance after signing as a free agent. That's impressive.

Brendan Monaghan, same deal. He may not have the athleticism or reach the big leagues or have an extensive career, but he had just incredible leadership ability and work ethic. He also was mature, studied hard and treated people with respect.

Once again, I'd have something positive to say about all of them, so I'll just stop right there for the sake of saving space.

Dan: How much Aquista’s, Double J’s and Q’doba do you think you ate during your time at St. John’s? Which one made you feel the worst?

Dustin:Great question, typical Daniel Ford humor. I ate disgusting amounts of all three. Aquista's at every home baseball and basketball game. Double J's for lunch at least three times a week. Q'doba for lunch and dinner at least three times a week. It was more of a surprise when I was eating anything but that stuff.

Buffalo chicken pizza from Aquista's made me feel the worst, I think. A close second was Q'doba, and the sensation it gave you that an army of exotic spices was tearing you apart from the inside. But damn, it was good going down.

Dan: In August 2007, you decided to leave St. John’s to start your own website that focused on fantasy baseball. What led to that decision?

Dustin:What didn't lead to that decision? It was about family, it was personal, it was professional, it involved a lot of things. I wanted a job that led me closer to my family, and launching a web site allowed me to choose where I could live. After some pretty stressful years after college, I also needed to take some time and "find myself." And lastly, I wanted to try and write on a full-time basis, to just dedicate myself to the craft and improve as much as I could.

Turns out, there couldn't have been a worse time to a.) take about 70 percent pay cut, and b.) get involved in the newspaper business. Live and learn, I guess.

Dan: What’s the name of your site and how has it evolved since you launched it?

Dustin:The last of our sites still standing is a baseball blog called Imaginary Diamond. We got started covering baseball, basketball and football, and we got to a point where we had three mediocre sites and not one great one. So, we trimmed down, focused on baseball, and started seeing some better results. Recently, we signed a partnership with a group of guys who created Yahoo! Sports, left, and started a site called SportFanLive.com. For the first time, we have a semi-steady, if very moderate, revenue stream.

Dan: Why do you think fantasy baseball has taken off the way it has in the last ten years? What goes into planning your fantasy draft and how early do you start that process? What’s your best finish so far?

Dustin:Fantasy baseball has been around for a long time, but the progress of the internet and fans' senses of entitlement have played big roles in its surge in popularity. Fans want, even demand, to be part of the action, and fantasy baseball lets them do it in any way they can possibly imagine.

Having a successful draft is a process, for sure. I use average draft rankings -- i.e., the study on where other drafters are selecting players -- and practice a few times before the real thing. What I end up with is the market for players, when I can expect them to go off the board, my opinions, and as much information I can possibly gather on players. So much happens in the off-season, it's a real chore to catch up on all the news.

Dan: What do you think about all the new stats that have come out in recent years, such as WHIP, OPS and all the defensive stats? Why do you think stats seem to mean more in baseball than they do in other sports?

Dustin:Baseball is by far the most numbers-driven sport there is. Just by nature, you can assign probabilities to practically everything, then have a big enough sample size for the numbers tend to hold true.

And because so many baseball actions are so quantifiable, innovation in statistics can create an advantage for managers and general managers. A team like the Oakland A's, made so famous in the book ”Moneyball” have used all kinds of measures to find underrated free agents and amateur players. And just as they brought on-base percentage and OPS measures into the mainstream, they shifted to defensive statistics and started finding value there.

So many great minds are dedicated to baseball statistics now; it's mind-blowing how far they've come in a short amount of time. Statistics will continue to evolve as long as innovators keep finding new ways to quantify the game.

Dan: You came over to the dark side when we were working together and became a Yankee fan. What do you think of the year they’ve had so far and do you think they will be in the playoffs this year? What other teams do you think are good this year?

Dustin:The Yankees have dealt with a lot so far. And in typical Yankee fashion, they sling money around, get a bunch of ill-fitting, high-priced parts, and hope they fit together. I'm not sure that this group fits together well enough to make the playoffs, let alone win the American League East or be worthy World Series favorites.

But, the best days are ahead of them. Mark Teixeira is a slow starter. CC Sabathia, at least in the last two seasons, is a slow starter. Alex Rodriguez is just coming back. There's still a chance, but that's a tough division to give away games early and hope to come storming back.

Even with Manny Ramirez being suspended for 50 games, I still like the Dodgers in the National League. I also like the Cardinals and Phillies, two teams that weren't getting nearly as much attention as they deserved.

In the American League, I saw the Royals' success coming. Never saw such dominance from ace Zack Greinke, but liked the balance in their lineup, their efforts to improve the bullpen, and the abilities of young closer Joakim Soria. Those pieces, combined with an unpredictable AL Central, give them a chance to make a Tampa Bay Rays -type run this season.

Dan: You are also the online editor for the Patriot-News a local Pennsylvania newspaper. What’s been the most interesting story you’ve covered so far?

Dustin:Well, the editing process, which I'm told is where the money is at in journalism -- I've still yet to see any -- is more about facilitating, training, reading, generating headlines, stuff like that. So, since I've taken this post, I've done next to no writing. Prior to that, I was working as a part-timer and a stringer in the sports department, and I covered every kind of story imaginable. Boxing, mixed martial arts, swimming, bull riding, semi-pro football, softball, lacrosse, you name it.

This is no doubt an interesting time for newspapers. We either sink or we swim. And if we swim, we may just be treading water until we actually sink, too. Nobody is quite sure. We're in OK shape with our circulation numbers, but where we're struggling is in advertising dollars. When times are tough, the first cuts usually made by businesses are in their advertising budgets.

Dan: On Facebook, I noticed one of your interests is bowling. Are you any good?

Dustin:Some friends and I got into a "winter" bowling league last year that actually lasted from September until April. I got off to a slow start, peaked about two-thirds of the way into the season, then just crashed and burned down the stretch. My average finished just below 170, which is OK for a first try, I think.

I was good and bad in bowling for the same reasons I was good and bad at sports like golf and baseball. I'm competitive and mildly athletic, so the motions and techniques are never the problem. I also just happen to be a head case that gets too caught up in the moment and consumed with doubt.

I can understand perfectly where guys like Dontrelle Willis and Zack Greinke are coming from. The body can be willing, but sometimes the mind just gets in the way.

I'm willing to bet that was way more than you bargained for with such a simple question.

Texas Nightmare, Frank Viola and Mom

I slumped into my seat on the bus.

My head throbbed and I could feel my blood seeping into the paper towel I had pressed up against my forehead. I was doing my best not to make eye contact with anyone sitting around me. I could hear snickers and I’m sure they were meant for me. I tried to put them out of my mind and relax as the bus started to drive out of the stadium’s parking lot.

Suddenly I panicked.

I bounded out of my seat and looked in the overhead compartment. I rifled through the bag I had on the seat next to me and came up with nothing. I nervously sat back down and tried to think of some way to tell the coaching staff the bad news. I forgot to grab our expensive brand new digital video camera when we left.

“Do any of you have the camera?” I asked the coaches courageously. “I think I left it by one of your bags, but I don’t see it here.”

No response. I started to break into a sweat.

I retraced my steps starting from when the game ended. I remembered I put the camera case down near the coaches’ bags so I could go get the bats that had been confiscated by the umpires for being too dented. Eager to get back to the team bus as soon as possible to get a head count, I sprinted toward the umpire’s locker room that was behind the home team’s dugout underneath the bleachers. I ran head first into a low hanging steel beam.

My knees buckled immediately and I bit my tongue hard. The next thing I knew I was flat out on the ground and seeing stars. Everything was fuzzy when I stood up. A parent from the other team came up to me and asked me if I was okay. I nodded, which hurt like hell. After collecting the bats and getting strange looks from the umpiring crew, I rushed into the bathroom, wiped my forehead off and walked as fast as I could to the bus.

“We have to go back!” I yelped. “The camera is on the field, I left it there. We need to go back and get it!”

I watched as the coaches looked at each other. Coach Hampton, the head assistant, turned around in his seat. I braced for my well-deserved tongue lashing.

Instead, he reached behind him and presented me with the lost camera.

“Let one of us know next time that you need us to grab the camera for you,” he said, a smile starting to break out on his face. “You should have heard yourself just now. And what happened to your head?”

Too embarrassed to explained, I told him it was nothing and slumped back in my seat in disgrace.

I was on my second road trip as the equipment manager for St. John’s University Baseball. I had accepted the job the previous fall and spent much of the early practices and scrimmages trying to wrap my head around what I had gotten myself into. I tried to absorb enough knowledge from my friend Derek who had the job before me, but it was in large part a trial by fire.

Between going to class and doing homework, I had to more or less be a team mother to over 25 players, many of whom were four years older than me. I did everything from laundry, videotaping hitters and pitchers, field maintenance, study hall monitoring and deflecting the practical jokes thrown my way.

By the time of our first road trip to Arkansas, I felt like I had already worked for a full season and was ready for a break. That first trip actually went smoothly. I survived my first ever plane flight; I didn’t forget any gear or lose any uniforms; and I managed to organize every meal in the hotel without a hitch. I did, for a minute, think I left Coach Hampton’s brand new phone in the visiting team’s locker room, but was excited to find it in my jacket pocket.

Going into our second trip, a week in East Texas, I knew I probably wasn’t going to be as lucky. I was right. Almost getting knocked out cold was only the start of my Texas nightmare. After taking two of three from Lamar University (who was ranked in the top 25 going into that weekend), we were headed to play Sam Houston State. We stopped to eat at McDonald’s before setting out on our two and a half hour bus trip. After getting something in my stomach, I felt a lot better about things and vowed that the rest of the trip was going to be mistake free.

That, unfortunately, did not last long.

Since we were in between hotels, all the players and coaches had their suits hanging up around the bus as it’s a school policy to travel in suit and tie on an airplane. Coach Blankmeyer asked me to get a head count before we got on the road. I got up from my seat and peeked around the obstacles to ensure that everyone was on board. I gave the bus driver a thumbs up and the bus roared to life. I sat back down eager to get some shut eye after what had already been a long day.

“Hey, we’re missing someone,” a player said from the back of the bus.

My skin went ice cold. My eyes shot open and the bus screeched to a halt. All of the coaches looked back in my direction. I sheepishly looked out the window and back toward the McDonald’s. Sure enough, three very confused St. John’s players were standing by the door holding ice cream cones.

“What’s the matter with you today Danny,” Blankmeyer said mockingly. “These suits can’t play baseball.”

The entire bus exploded in outright laughter. I couldn’t shrink down in my seat far enough. For the rest of the ride I remember gazing out into the nothingness of Texas and wanting to jump off the bus with it going as fast as possible. I’d either be crushed by the wheels or be left to wander the Texas heartland forever.

I didn’t talk to anyone the whole way to our dinky roadside hotel. I remember rushing off the bus, flopping down on the bed and hoping never to see the outside world again. I pulled the flat, overused pillow over my head and was determined to pass out until we had to leave for our team dinner.

Of course, the phone rang minutes later. Our volunteer assistant coach, Chris Carminucci wanted to have a word with me. I hung up with a horrible feeling in my stomach. I thought they were about to fire me in the middle of nowhere in Texas and leave me to find a way home all by myself. I expected the worse when I walked slowly and insecurely into his room.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. He spent a half hour pumping me up. He understood that I was having a tough time trying to learn the job. He gave me tips to improve my management skills such as being early to the bus to keep track of everyone getting on and off. He assured me that the coaches all liked me and things would get easier everyday. He told me story after story how awkward he was when he started out coaching and that staying positive was what got him through the rough stretches. Call it cliché if you will, but everything he said hit home at that moment. I left the room feeling more confident and was resolved to make my stamp on the job.

I wish I could say the trip was all roses after that, but it got even worse. However, it became a collective nightmare instead of just mine. We lost a few close games and got blown out by a team that we should have murdered and left for dead. I had to spend our off day washing uniforms using the hotel’s tiny washer and dryer since there wasn’t a laundry mat within 100 miles. The last four days in Texas, we had to eat Subway because it was the only thing open when our games ended. It didn’t help that the hot sandwiches we ordered earlier ended up being cold by the time we picked it up. I don’t know how many of you would feel after eating a cold foot-long meatball sub everyday, but we were on the edge of mutiny by the end of the trip.

The one good thing I remember clearly from that trip, other than leaving, was after we won our first game of the season against Lamar. I was standing outside the hotel in Beaumont waiting for Pizza Hut to deliver 33 pies and Coach Hampton walked by.

“Winning feels pretty good, doesn’t it Danny?” he asked.

“It’s the best feeling in the world Coach!” I said exuberantly grinning from ear to ear.

He looked at me for a moment, shook his head and couldn’t help but smile back.

“You’re good shit Danny,” he replied. “I don’t care what they say about you.”

We returned to New York with only a couple of wins to feel good about, but certainly not empty handed. We all learned more about each other and what we were capable of. I kept on learning that year and, in spite of finding new ways to humiliate myself, endeared myself to the whole team. I got to watch 25 talented players win more than their fair share of great baseball games and learn how to be a man all at the same time.

I'm sure I'll share more stories from my time at St. John's, but for now, I'll leave you with this one. I think I'll raise a toast to Texas and pray I never have to go back!

Player Spotlight

St. John’s Baseball has a long history of producing Major League Baseball talent. Two of the most famous alumni are John Franco and Frank Viola. Both were drafted out in the 1981 MLB Draft (Viola in Round 2; Franco in Round 5) and both went on to have distinguished Major League careers. For the first of what I assume will be many St. John’s related posts, I wanted to focus exclusively on Viola. I actually had a chance to talk with him after he did the telecast of one of our games that was broadcasted by ESPN. What I’ll remember the most though is shaking his hand. He had the most enormous hands I’ve ever seen in my life. My hand literally disappeared when we shook.

At St. John's, Viola won a combined 20 games in his last two years with E.R.A.'s of 2.16 and 0.87. In 1980, he guided the Johnnies to an appearance in the College World Series and pitched a four-hitter to win their opening game against the Arizona Wildcats(who ended up winning the Series that year).

Viola had his best years in the Major Leagues as a member of the Minnesota Twins. In 1987, he won two games in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, including the deciding seventh game to give the Twins there first championship in Minnesota (they had won the Series previously as the Washington Senators in 1924). He ended up being awarded the World Series MVP. The next year, he had one of the great seasons for a pitcher in Major League history. Viola won 24 games, had an E.R.A. of 2.64 and pitched seven complete games, including two shutouts. He was awarded the Cy Young Award at the end of the year.

After a rough 1989 season, during which he was traded to the New York Mets, Viola rebounded with another 20 win season in 1990. He led the league with 249⅔ innings and 35 games started. He finished with an E.R.A of 2.67, seven complete games and three shutouts. He finished third in the Cy Young Award voting.

Viola played one more year for the Mets and then spent the last five years of his career with the Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. He ended up with 176 career wins, 74 complete games and 16 shutouts. He finished with a career E.R.A. of 3.73. He retired in 1996.

Frank Viola after beating Arizona in the 1980 College World Series (photo courtesy of St. John's Baseball).

Happy Mother's Day

I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my mother. She knew exactly how to deal with her four baseball obsessed boys and ended up becoming a bigger Yankee fan than all of us combined. She yells at the TV, gushes over Jeter and closes her eyes when the game is on the line in the ninth inning. My life wouldn't be the same without her. Enjoy your day Mom and I love you very much!





Baseball Sunday Guest

Throughout my time working with the baseball team at St. John’s, I became close to an unbelievable array of talented people, none more so in my opinion, then this week’s Baseball Sunday Guest:. He brought a welcome blend of wittiness and spirit when he became the Sports Information Director and blew us all away with his writing skills. We bonded on crappy road trips to places like Lubbock and South Bend, drunkenly guided each other home after benders in the city and survived more than one meal together at Q'dboa. Our conversation went on longer than either of us thought, so I decided to let it stand as its own post. Please come back tomorrow to check out my conversation with fantasy sports writer extraordinaire Dustin Hockensmith!