Results tagged ‘ Hudson Valley Renegades ’
Fun Team 2010 Forever
Editor’s note: For all of the regular readers of this blog, I wrote this specifically for my summer co-workers at the Hudson Valley Renegades. It is filled with inside jokes and memories that I will hold onto for a long time.
It’s been a long summer for us, Fun Team. Countless games of whack-an-intern, store your stuff, and put it in the can basically defined my summer. But I’m really glad I got to meet and get to know each and every one of you this summer and I figured I’d write something about everyone to remember this eventful experience.
Here I go…
Jay: You are a good boss. I’m sorry I almost took your head off with that line drive during batting practice before one of the Home Run Derbies. I still laugh when I think about you trying to go around multiple times on the lazy river at Splash Down. That girl should have just let us stay on the ride for as long as we wanted!
Ellissa: I don’t know of anyone who could have manned the Pitch For Kids corner like you. Every single game you were in there, rolling dice and handing out prizes. Honestly, I would have gotten bored with it on the second night, but you have a lot of patience, which is admirable.
Jeff Helion: Like Jay, you are a good boss. Tough, but very fair. Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom at Lily Logan’s that night and I’ll certainly use you as a reference for future jobs. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
E.D.: I’m glad I did this internship because I got to know you. When we were both at OLL, I really didn’t know you very well and now I do. You did an excellent job getting the contestants into the pits. “Follow those lads there.”
Crash: Thank you for driving me around a few times this summer, especially the night of the party. You did a lot for me these past two months and I’m really glad I met you. I’ll never forget the softball game with “The Mad Hatter!!!!” I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around Yorktown a lot more now.
Dice: I know I’ve said this a million times, but I’M SORRY I missed the first Fun Team Frenzy party–words cannot express how disappointed I was that I missed it. I guess I made up for it with the second party, though. Whenever you have your next gathering, just let me know. It doesn’t matter what I have going on at the time, I’ll be there. I promise.
Kevin: Without any sarcasm, you threw the absolute BEST party I have ever been to in my life. I know I was a little out of it that night, but thank you for not killing me with the arm bar.
Yetti: The water fight we started with Derek Dietrich on your last night (Rain Delay Night) was a lot of fun. You’re a funny kid with a great sense of humor. I also laugh every time I look at the picture of you and that random guy who looks like you…Dice: “Yetti, is that your dad???”
Sizzle: Thank you for (at least trying) to get me sober at the party. I enjoyed it when you squirted Jared Sandberg’s lineup card with the water gun and Yetti got blamed for it. It’s all good, because he later told me he was just messing with us.
Dog: You are a good guy with a lot of hustle (according to Sandberg). The other night when the little kid was asking us for a ball and Sandberg told him to guess your nickname–that was awesome. Especially when he started whistling to give the kid a hint. “Is his name Kyle?” I have no idea where the kid came up with that name. It was so random.
Dan Vincenzi: I had a lot of fun quoting movies and the Andrew Dice Clay/CNN video with you all the time. “You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”…”You’re supposed to be a news guy. Running a gym???” You also came prepared to the party with the flask of Jameson. That…was epic. You also saved me the first night of training. I couldn’t find the Gold’s Gym, I crossed paths with you at the Mobil station, and you got me there. What can I say? You ran me to the gym…
Emma: I am truly disappointed that I never got the opportunity to witness (first hand) your amazing pie-eating contest super powers. However, the game that you were Rascal and I was handling you all night was one of my favorite nights of work. I was very happy you didn’t fall out of the car during Honda Ball Toss and the two of us got everything right that game.
Marissa: No matter what you say, Dan and I dethroned you and Emma as flip cup champs at the party. In all seriousness though, you are a great person and getting to know you was just awesome. I really enjoyed all of our conversations about our future goals. Just always remember…journalism is better than public relations.
Hort: It’s too bad I didn’t get a chance to get to know you or talk to you as much as some of the other Fun Teamers. But the night we all had to be mascots was great. I’m sure the crowd laughed when they saw Thomas the Tank Engine (you) dancing with Captain America (me). Driving home that night, I thought to myself, “I’m sure that was a sight to behold for the fans–a train dancing with a super hero.”
Ben: You were one of the hardest working members on the entire Fun Team. Giving out those build-a-bears the other night was a pain in the neck, but thankfully we got out of it after awhile. You were a master at selling those tennis balls and you really know how to connect with people.
Louis: I’m really happy that, like Dan Vincenzi, I was able to get you hooked on the “Running a Gym?” quote. I cannot express how much I loved talking about Family Guy and the Chuck Norris jokes every day. I really wish I could have been there when you got pied in the face (for about four straight innings) on Groundhog Day night (I was in Playland). And just so I understand this completely…at no point were you running a gym?
Conor: The first night of training at Gold’s Gym, it was really cool to hear that you caught Jorge Posada’s grand slam ball. I also think it was cool that you got to drive the player from the Jamestown Jammers to the airport, even though he didn’t talk much. You are a really great kid and I’m really happy I met you.
Nick at Nite: Here’s to the fastest runner on the Fun Team! I enjoyed both of our races, even though my left knee received extreme physical trauma as a result of our first race. You beat me fair and square in the second race, though. I said last night that you are a good kid and I meant it.
Alex Kamen: I really don’t have much to say to you except…we do things the “Alex Kamen way of doing things: guaranteed to work every time.” According to Crash, you want us to come to your school to party and visit. Sounds good to me!
Honest Abe: I am not very happy that you left the Fun Team and then showed up to more games after you quit. I really don’t think that made a lot of sense and many of the other Fun Teamers were annoyed with the decision you made. But thank you for taking the photo of me in the Captain America costume. It’s one of my favorite pictures.
Slim Jim: You made an excellent Rookie on the night of the mascot wedding vow renewal. You are a nice guy and good luck with everything at Penn State.
Stevie Wonder: You are truly talented, my friend. You were the centerpiece of the Thriller dance and the Under the Sea dance. You also have a lot of courage; after all, it takes guts to grab your crotch like Michael Jackson in front of a packed stadium. I enjoyed working with you this summer and your outgoing personality is admirable.
Tyler: It’s unfortunate that you could not stay with us for the whole summer. But I am very happy you found another internship with the New York Jets. I really hope that went well for you and good luck up in Cortland.
Padre: I heard stories about your experience from the first Fun Team party and (going back to what I said to Dice) I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I laugh every time I think about you dressed up in the Cookie Monster costume the night of the mascot wedding and you’re a good guy. I hope everything works out for you in terms of football.
Bob Hand: You are one of a kind. I’ll always remember you for your rally belly and affinity for beer. When the majority of the Fun Team went back to college, you helped us out in a major way. I am sad that the Renegades didn’t walk off with any wins toward the end of the season, meaning I didn’t get the chance to pie any of the players in the face. I’ll get one of them someday, though…
Curious George: I remember (ever so vividly) when you were given your nickname the first night of training at the Dutch. You climbed that gate and Jay called you Curious George. You wanted to be called A.D.D. Adam, but trust me; you went with the better nickname.
J.D.: Your parents are really cool. They went out of their way to feed us sandwiches and cookies that one night, which was very thoughtful. And you are a lot like your parents J.D., because you are really cool. But we are never putting you in the ticket office again. “So that’s what that button does…”
Little Lurch: I will say that you are a little strange (dressing up in all those crazy costumes) but you have a lot of spirit. I would have never gotten on the dugout to pump up the crowd the way you did; your actions showed a lot of heart. We also made a great team bagging and numbering tennis balls.
Jeff Allison: The best memory I have with you is probably the party. Like Sizzle, you were valiantly trying to sober me up and I really enjoyed working with you.
Lucas: Technically, you weren’t on the Fun Team but you helped me out a lot when you weren’t in the Rascal costume. I loved handling the mascots because you never complicated anything; it was a simple job and it never became difficult. Plus, the mascot dance parties were always great. I’m glad I met you this summer and good luck with running track at Lourdes (my alma mater, as I always pointed out when you mentioned school). I loved when me and you (Rascal) played frisbee on the field before baseball buddies and the reliever intercepted your throw. Good times.
And last, but never the least…
Bri-man: We had a great team, and a great team is nothing without a great captain. After every game you gave us motivation to keep moving forward with your speeches, which meant a lot to every Fun Teamer. We would have been nothing without you this season and it was so nice getting to know you, Bri-man. I have learned that you have a great heart and a sensitive soul, but you also possess a deep passion for success.
We had a great run this summer and I will never forget this experience. There’s not much left to say except…
Fun Team 2010 Forever.
A Nice Baby BoSox Player
The world might be ending. I never thought I would say nice things about a potential Boston player.
I am just about finished with my summer internship with the Hudson Valley Renegades these past two nights have been eventful, in terms of speaking with more players. I wrote the other night about the Staten Island Yankee who interestingly enough hates the big Yankees and how he wanted to go home.
To close out the season the Renegades are playing the Lowell Spinners, a farm team of the Boston Red Sox, in a three game series. In game one on Friday night, the Spinners beat the ‘Gades 11-3.
At one point in the game, the Renegades pitcher came set to deliver to one of the Spinners. Right before he was about to throw the pitch, the batter called time and stepped out of the box. Our man on the mound said, “Are you going to get in the box and hit or stand there and watch it all night?”
That didn’t go over very well.
After that exchange there was a little bit of a standoff between both sides. The Renegades stayed in their dugout (albeit their defensive players were on the field, obviously) but the Spinners looked ready to pounce. They all came out of their dugout and stared down the Renegades before order was restored.
However, one player toward the end of the dugout looked at me. I was working in the third base pit, standing less than five feet away from him. He smiled at me and some of the other interns who were working. One of my friends smiled back and jokingly said, “You guys need backup?”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
I wound up talking with him for the better part of the night. His name is Garrett Rau, an up-and-coming reliever. Honestly, he was a nice guy. He was asking me where the best local bars were, because he was contemplating a night out after the game. I told him about a bar down the street from the Stadium and gave him the drink prices.
“$3.50 for a bottle of Bud Lite,” I told him.
He nodded, as if to say, “Not bad.”
I saw Rau again tonight, as I was back in the third base pit for tonight’s game. The Renegades won 6-2.
“Did you go out last night?” I asked.
“No, I was just too tired to go out, so I nixed the idea,” he replied.
“I hear you,” I said, sympathizing with the exhausted feeling after last night’s game.
We chatted for a little while longer about the silly games that take place on the field in between innings. The Renegades have a different theme every night and tonight was (no joke) “Child Please Night.” We honored the end of summer and the start of the NFL season with different football style games on the field.
One contest was the touchdown celebration game. We picked contestants out of the crowd and gave them a football. They had to do their best touchdown celebration and the winner was decided by loudest ovation from the crowd.
None of the celebrations were all that original.
Rau looked at me said, “That was lame.”
I agreed.
“They should have come up with something cool, like Terrell Owens falling asleep on the ball,” I said.
Rau agreed. He then said that we at least change up the games every night. According to him, the interns at the Spinners’ ballpark in Massachusetts conduct the same contests every night and the players get tired of them.
It’s good to know we are at least providing everyone with new material on a nightly basis.
The ‘Gades and Spinners will play the rubber game tomorrow night to finish off their 2010 New York Penn League seasons. Rau was a little annoyed about the start time of tomorrow’s game. Before the game ended tonight, he asked me what time tomorrow’s game started.
“Seven, I think,” I answered.
“Great,” he sarcastically remarked. “It’s our last game of the season and we’re going to be starting later than usual.”
Normally Sunday games begin at 5:00 but since it’s the last game of the year, it starts later.
Perhaps I’ll see him again tomorrow, but driving home I got to thinking: is it bad that I was conversing and almost cultivating a friendship with a baby Red Sox player? After all, I am one of the most die-hard Yankee fans there is, so is it wrong for me to be talking to this guy?
I guess it doesn’t matter. It’s not his fault he was drafted by Boston. It’s just like the Staten Island Yankee who hates the Yankees–he is not playing for the team by choice, he is only playing for them because they drafted him.
Maybe one day Rau will make the majors. If he does happen to go all the way and he becomes a member of the Red Sox, I will not like him so much.
But for now, I’ll say that he’s not a bad guy.
A Baby Yankee Hates the Big Yankees
This isn’t going to be a long entry, to begin. This particular exchange happened tonight, I found it amusing, and I figured I would write a small blog about it–just to let everyone know what happened.
Tonight I was working at Dutchess Stadium, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades. I blogged earlier in the summer about the internship opportunity they afforded me.
The ‘Gades were hosting the Staten Island Yankees , the short season Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, in a doubleheader.
At one point in the night I went with my buddy Dan Burckhard (A.K.A. “Crash”… it’s his nickname. Long story) to open up a gate behind the opposing bullpen for an on-the-field activity in between innings.
We wound up getting a chance to speak with some of the relief pitchers on the Staten Island Yankees. One of them looked right at me and then asked me a strange question.
“Do you have a gun? I’d like to shoot myself now.”
“No,” I responded. “I’m guessing you want to go home?”
He laughed and said, “Yes. We’ve been here for way too long.”
No argument from me. I wanted to leave, too.
He continued, “Can you get me a beer?”
I laughed and said, “If I could I definitely would. And I would have a drink with you, since technically you are a Yankee and I am a huge Yankee fan.”
Here’s when it happened.
“I F-(expletive) HATE the Yankees,” he said.
“But…you play for them,” I responded.
“Yeah, but not by choice,” he said.
Wow. I laughed pretty hard when he said that. A player on a team of baby Yankees hates the adult Yankees. I just found it rather ironic and it was quite interesting to me.
It made for good conversation, at least.
When I got home I looked him up. His name is Michael Recchia from Crestwood, Illinois. Maybe he’s a White Sox fan? Or maybe he likes losing. He could be a Cubs fan.
And if you were wondering, the Renegades beat the Yanks 2-1 in the first game and crushed them 15-1 in game two of the twin bill.
So Much to Say!
There has been so much going on lately!
Instead of writing a whole bunch of different blog entries, I decided to write a little different this time–just for this time, since there are so many topics I want to cover.
First things first…
- We lost a legend today. Bob Sheppard, at the age of 99, passed away. I put this
loss up there with losing Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio in 1995 and 1999, respectively.
Sheppard was the voice of Yankee Stadium for over 50 years and life will just not be the same without him; it hasn’t been, ever since he stopped announcing games at Yankee Stadium in 2007. He officially retired back in November.
Mr. Sheppard, you will ALWAYS be remembered as a classy, dignified, and honorable man. They say true legends will live forever, and you will certainly live forever in the minds of the Yankee fans.
“I have one style of speaking. It’s the same, whether it be at Yankee Stadium, at home, in the classroom, or when I lector at Mass.“–Bob Sheppard.
- I have been especially busy this week at my job with the Hudson Valley Renegades. After a walk-off win on Friday night, we were beaten on Saturday night at the hands of the Auburn Doubledays.
Although we lost, there was a little ceremony before the game that really made me think. At Dutchess Stadium, there is a Scout’s Hall of Fame; a place dedicated to honor important people who helped recruit players.
Last night the Renegades honored Bob Miske, a scout who worked for the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, among other organizations. He told a cool story about Tommy Lasorda for his induction speech, and how he became friends with him.
Yet before he spoke, an excellent point was brought up: why is there no Scout’s Wing to the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Of course all the legendary players and great writers are enshrined in Cooperstown, but where is the recognition for the people who pick out the young players who go on to become larger-than-life superstars?
It’s a great point. When you think about it, someone picked Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez out of a ton of other players. From there, they went on to become who they are today. Shouldn’t the person who discovered them get some credit?
I think they should.
The baseball scouts also dedicate their lives to the business. They travel around the country going to high school and college baseball games with nothing but a book, a pen, and a radar gun, looking for the next top player. Since they dedicate such a big part of their lives to the game, they should certainly be recognized for it.
Congratulations to Miske on being honored by the Renegades. We appreciate your effort.
Also on a side note, Renegades’ manager Jared Sandberg (who I recently found out is Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg’s nephew) was standing right next to me during the ceremony…I snapped a picture of him via my camera phone very discreetly before it ended.
- How nice has CC Sabathia been? His victory over the Seattle Mariners today marked his eighth win in as many opportunities.
The Yankee ace has a total of 12 wins this season and only three losses. He is traditionally known as a “second half player,” meaning he usually puts up his best work in the second half of the season after the All-Star break. It’s pretty scary to think how many wins he could potentially reach if he keeps winning the way he is.
I’m not necessarily saying he’ll win another 12 games over the second half of the year and reach a mind-numbing 24 wins, but 20-21 wins is certainly looking possible at press time. As far as the Cy Young Award goes, it could be him. David Price certainly has a little bit of an edge halfway through the season, but as I said if Sabathia keeps going the way he is, he’s a definite candidate.
It’s great to have an ace/horse like him on our side. If his good friend Cliff Lee had become a Yankee (as it looked like he was going to be on Friday) it would have been VERY scary; to have two number one pitchers like Lee and Sabathia on the same team is frightening. To have them on the same team that already has the best record in baseball, is just plain terrifying.
But of course the Lee deal fell through and he went to the Texas Rangers. But wait until next year. The Rangers are never going to be able to pay him after this year and it’s quite possible Lee will be in pinstripes in 2011.
As for Sabathia, it’s just business as usual. He is slated to pitch again on Friday vs. Tampa Bay at home. If he wins that game, it’s pretty much a given that he’ll at least reach 20 wins this season.
- In the fifth inning of today’s game Marcus Thames crushed his third homer of the year, a long shot high off the foul pole in Seattle.
It was kind of a bittersweet home run for me.
Thames hit that home run off Brian Sweeney, a fellow alumnus of my alma mater Mercy College and a journeyman pitcher from Yonkers, N.Y. I recently had the chance to talk to Sweeney, and he agreed to do an interview with me for the blog. (He is such a nice guy, by the way!)
Sweeney also pitched on Thursday night; he got Jorge Posada to bounce into a double play and got through the eighth inning without giving up an earned run. I’ll admit I was rooting for him. I wanted him to get the Yankees out. After he surrendered the homer to Thames today, he got Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Nick Swisher, and Rodriguez out.
He gave up two runs in the fifth but went 1-2-3 in the sixth. I was proud.
To me, Sweeney serves as an inspiration. He has made me realize that graduates of my college CAN really go on to do great things. I sometimes have very little faith in myself, especially now considering I’m a recent college graduate struggling to find a real job (I like working for the Renegades, but it’s an internship; it’s going to be over by the end of the summer).
But I look at Sweeney, pitching for a Major League Baseball team. He came from the same place I did and has reached a great place in life. It gives me hope and encouragement and makes me believe that I can do something great with myself, if I work hard enough.
When I heard John Flaherty mention Mercy College on the YES Network this afternoon and on Thursday night, it made me smile; it made me very proud. It also made me wonder if Flaherty would mention when he visited Mercy last year; I interviewed him and wrote a feature article about him when he came, as I was the sports editor of the school paper.
It was, by far, my favorite story that I wrote in college.
I’m actually still trying to get in touch with Flaherty; I’d like to send him the story I wrote on him. Unfortunately, I can’t find a way to get in touch with him at the moment. I’ll keep trying though and eventually I’ll get a hold of him. I’d like for him to see all the nice things I wrote about him.
As for Sweeney: I am proud of him, and I’m sure the rest of the Mercy College community is, too. I’ll be talking to him soon and when I get my interview with him, it’ll be posted here right away!
Lastly, I’d like to thank my good friend Micheal Robinson for coming up with a new picture for the Yankee Yapping Facebook page. He is a wonderfully skilled person when it comes to graphic design and he is a genius with photo-shop.
It looks great, buddy. I love it and thank you once again!
Hudson Valley Renegades: Fun Team is Fun
It’s about 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I got home from work about an hour and a half ago–well, my internship anyway. This summer I am a part of the Hudson Valley Renegades’ “Fun Team.” I have just completed my first week, and I can say that it is a well-rounded internship with a lot of work involved.
For starters, the Renegades are a Single-A, short season farm team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays in the New York Penn League. A number of current and former Major League Baseball players have come from the Renegades, including Evan Longoria, Scott Podsednik, Wade Davis, and Josh Hamilton, among others.
So yes, we have produced some big-name big leaguers.
As for my internship: I really do like it, but there are some things that could be better. As a member of the “Fun Team” I feel as though I am an important person in making things happen. One of our main jobs is to entertain the fans in between innings with silly, ridiculous games which take place on the field. You may think it is easy just watching from the stands, but it’s actually pretty difficult.
Every game has to end within 90 seconds–that’s pretty much all the time we have before the half-inning begins. It’s hard to get everything on and off the field so quickly. Difficult yes, but I can’t say it’s not fun. It’s pretty cool to be on the field as the players are warming up!
Along with being on the field, I have had to help out with the tickets and even walk the mascots around, almost as their bodyguard. When it rained on Tuesday night when the Staten Island Yankees were in town (yes they’re a Yankee farm team!) I had to help pull the tarp over the infield with the grounds crew.
I can tell you (now from experience) that yes it is fun, but it’s pretty hard! There’s a reason so many people are needed to pull the tarp, because that job requires a lot of strength. It’s pretty much “all hands on deck” when it comes to rain delays at our ballpark.
I also love hearing about the different backgrounds of the players. For example, the Renegades have a young infielder by the name of Burt Reynolds (no, he is not the actor, but his name is spelled the same!) As it turns out, Reynolds is Robinson Cano’s second cousin, and they have worked out together in the off-season.
In fact, Reynolds wears the number 24, just like Cano.
I’d like to ask Reynolds if he wears 24 because of his cousin; in fact, I’d like to do a whole interview with him! But I don’t think I’m allowed to. The Renegades’ manager, Jared Sandberg (a member of the Devil Rays from 2001-03) does not want his players “fraternizing with any staff members.” So in other words, I can’t talk to the players.
Well, I at least can’t hold long conversations with them.
Today Geno Glynn, one of their backup infielders, said hi to me and one of the other interns while we were on the field before the National Anthem. I politely said hi back, nodded my head, and smiled. I wanted to say more and maybe start a little conversation with him about baseball, but I obviously didn’t want to get him or myself in trouble, so I didn’t.
Sandberg actually told his players that if they talk to the staff they will get fined. I think that’s kind of pushing it and honestly a little ridiculous. I don’t see the harm in talking to staff members, so the rule (to me) is stupid. Yet I don’t want them to get in trouble, so unless they speak to me, I won’t speak to them.
The last thing I want to do is to cause them any problems with their manager.
It’s been pretty exciting to this point and a number of neat things have happened. Consider Wednesday night when the Brooklyn Cyclones (a farm team affiliated with the New York Mets) were in town. My fellow Mercy College alumnus Mookie Wilson was at our game–signing autographs. He isn’t part of the Cyclones team, so I could have talked to him.
I wanted to talk to him, but unfortunately I was so busy with work that I wasn’t able to. It would have been nice to ask him how he liked Mercy; if he enjoyed the school as much as I did. He also got his degree from Mercy 10 years after he won the World Series with the Mets in 1986, so I would have asked him why he went back to school.
Again, it could have made a great interview.
Speaking of the Cyclones, they have a player named Corey Vaughn. He is the son of Greg Vaughn (who played for the San Diego Padres) and the nephew of Mo Vaughn (who played for the Mets, Angels, and Red Sox as a journeyman). It’s pretty interesting that some of these youngsters have such a good baseball lineage. Again, it all goes back to the background of each player.
Tonight the Renegades beat the Cyclones 4-3, capping a three-run, ninth-inning comeback. The Stadium went wild for the walk-off victory. According to my boss and everyone else within the organization, not only was tonight the largest crowd in the team’s history, but it was their first walk-off win in three years.
Talk about a good night for the ‘Gades on and off the field.
It has been a week into this job. I have gotten to know a lot of new people and I have made some new friends. I am having a good time with the internship and I think it fits me perfectly, because I am such a “baseball buff,” if you will.
I can only hope the best is yet to come with this internship. I’d like to have more adventures over the summer and who knows…maybe when it’s all over they will offer me a full-time position. Many of the other interns are still in college. I just graduated from college, so I might have a good shot to stay on board after the season ends in the beginning of September.
Again, I can only hope. Until then, I’ll just be working as hard as I can.
Go Renegades! (If you’re wondering they are 4-3 this year, good for second place in their division–we haven’t lost a game at home yet, either. Maybe I’m their good luck charm…?)
A.J. Martelli
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