What the Game is All About

November 2009 Taken from St. John's Stormfront Student Newspaper

It is every young little league baseball player's dream to play for a Major League team. The ambition to play professionally drives young children to do great things in any sport. The only problem is that the odds of making a professional baseball team are not just slim, they are nearly impossible. This past summer, Staten Island has a loval team compete in the Little League World Series. The boys from South Shore Little League advanced all the way to the semifinals before losing to the Southwest Regional Champions from San Antonio. According to a study done by the NCAA, only 0.5 percent of high school senior baseball players are drafted by a Major League Baseball team. Being drafted by a professional team doesn't necessarily mean you will play for the team because you must work your way through the team's minor league system and eventually graduate to the Major Leagues. The same study found that 0.015 percent of high school senior players actually get to play in the Major Leagues.

This past July, while on vacation in Mexico, my grandmother mentioned that one of the workers are the resort was a professional baseball player in Mexico. We arranged a meeting so I could learn about his life as a baseball player. I sat down with Abraham and I didn't have to ask many questions because he was eager to tell me about his playing days. Abraham has been playing since he was a young boy. From what he told me, I determined that he was a speedy centerfielder with a strong arm who hit for average rather than power. He explained to me that he would rather hit for average than for power, like Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter do. Abraham told me about his ratty glove and unstable cleats. He said that at the time he was drafted by a Mexican team at sixteen years old, he was still using the same glove and cleats as when he was a little kid. Abraham had to make a decision whether to leave home and pursue his dream, or stay home with his family. As his mother cried and begged him to stay, Abraham knew that he had a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The first team Abraham played for was called Plataneros de Tabasco, which was located in Southern Mexico. Abraham played for four different teams in his eleven years as a professional ballplayer. The most famous team he played for was called Diablos Rojos de Mexico. This team from Mexico City has had players such as Rodrigo Lopez, Esteban Loaiza, and Joakim Soria go on to play in America for Major League teams. Before Fernando Valenzuela had tremendous success with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Abraham had the chance to face him in Mexico. Abraham was able to get hits off of Fernando, but he laughed while describing Fernando's curveball. He told me that it was the toughest pitch he has ever faced. Four of Abraham's close friends went on to play professionally in America. Some famous players from Mexico that are currently in the MLB are Alfredo Aceves, Jorge Cantu, and Yovani Gallardo. It is easy to wonder how many other great talents are hiding somewhere in Mexico, just waiting to be discovered.

In 1988, Abraham played his last season because both of his knees were worn out and it was tough to stay in shape and run. When I asked Abraham what he missed most about playing, he told me that he misses the friends he made throughout his career. He told me that he loves to see MLB players having fun because having fun is what the game is all about. Abraham had fun and enjoyed playing the game the same way the Little League team from Staten Island did. They are two separate teams from two different countries, but the game is played for the same reason. The game is played for the right reason.

The Curious Case of Derek Jeter

October 2010 Taken from St. John's Stormfront Student Newspaper

If you've watched any Yankee game in the month of September, you would clearly see that they haven't been the same team as they were all season. All year, the Yanks and Tampa Bay Rays have been neck-and-neck for first place in the AL East. For the most part, the Yankees have had the best record in the entire league but on September 24th, the Rays knocked them out of first place.

After losing two in a row to the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees had the chance to gain some ground on the Rays. The Rays lost on Sunday, so the Yankees could get within a half game of them with a win Sunday night. Going into the 9th inning, they were up by one run with the great Mariano Rivera closing. Mariano blew the save and almost lost the game for his team. But, a walk-off walk in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Yankees a crucial win. This game was extremely crucial for two reasons. The first is that the Rays keep winning and if the Yanks want to win the division, they need to win every one of their final seven games. The secondf reason is that the Red Sox were still mathematically alive coming into Sunday night. After leading the MLB in wins most of the season, there was a chance the Yankees could have missed the playoffs if they lost the rest of their games. But, with Sunday night's win, the Yankees guaranteed themselves a tie for the Wild Card at worst. You still have to be concerned with this team with the way they have recently played. But who can you blame for this month? There has to be a reason. Rookies like Colin Curtis and Ramiro Pena starting games every few days show that the Yankees are lacking in depth. They miss guys like Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera. A weak bench makes it tough to rest your players and limits your options in regards to pinch hitters and runners. Brett Gardner has his moments of making things happen, but hasn't produced enough. Andy Pettite has been hurt and gave up seven runs in his second start back from the disabled list. Even Yankees' ace C.C. Sabathia got knocked around in his last start. Javier Vasquez has been coming out of the bullpen and recently hit three batters in a row. I won't even get started with A.J. Burnett's recent performances. Phil Hughes has been inconsistent, but shows glimpses of greatness.

There has actually been some great play from a select few in the last few weeks. Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson have all been hot at the plate. And what can you say about Robinson Cano that hasn't already been said? He's been hitting excellent all seasons and is definitely an MVP candidate. But, the most unusual part of the Yankees season, by far, has been the play of Derek Jeter. In Jeter's fourteen seasons, he has never batted below .292 and has never hit less than 10 home runs. With seven games left in the season, Derek is batting .267 with 10 home runs. Not only are his statistics "O.K.", but he has been anything other than the clutch guy we've grown to love. It has become routine for Jeter to groundout in big situations as he is leading the league with most groundout double plays. Many thought that his fielding abilities would diminish sooner than his hitting, but he has actually been pretty good at shortstop this season. Sure, his range isn't what it used to be. But, Jeter only has 6 errors this year, which would be a career best if the season ended today. It truly is puzzling as to why Derek is struggling so much this year. After the season, he will be a free agent and it will be interesting to see how much longer he wants to play. All you could hope for, as a Yankee fan, is that Jeter forgets his regular season and comes to life in the postseason.

The Yankees have a lot of things to smooth-out before the playoffs start. Their pitching needs to be more consistent and they need their bench to play better when needed. If the Yankees can get hot at the right time, they can still be the best team in the league. So just sit back, relax, and enjoy October baseball.