Jordan living up to famous moniker
The next Michael Jordan was on display this weekend at the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities World Series. But unlike the former Chicago Bulls superstar, the Miami Seniors player of the same name stands just 5-foot-4.
"The thing is, when anyone talks about Michael Jordan, I thought he elevated the NBA to a whole new level, and Michael Jordan our player is a guy that you watch him and he plays the game so well," said Miami manager Mario Rodriguez. "He's good at it. He gets hits, he throws people out, he can steal, he can play every position."
Because of his height, Miami's Jordan will never be confused with the basketball-playing Jordan, but he hopes to enter professional baseball like the hoops star once did after his first retirement. Due to his diminutive stature, at first glance, Jordan doesn't look like he'd be much of a fielder. But anybody who saw him during Friday's workout day or Sunday's semifinal game against Los Angeles -- when he threw a runner out from deep in the hole at his natural shortstop position -- knows that's not the case.
"At shortstop, he looks like a nine-foot giant," Rodriguez said. "He plays like he's seven feet tall, and some teams make the mistake of looking at his size. He does things that kids twice his size, twice his strength, wish they could do."
Added Jordan: "A lot of people are surprised. Most of the people I play against don't think I have an arm. They think just because you're short, you can't play baseball or you can't hit for power. We have just as much power as the big people do. When people say that size can't play, I try to prove them wrong that size can play; no matter how big or how small, you can as long as you've got a heart and a passion."
Nobody who's seen him play doubts Jordan has heart and passion for the game of baseball. Jordan dominated the RBI World Series at the plate by leading all Seniors with a .636 batting average, including a 3-for-3 performance in Miami's 5-2 quarterfinal win Sunday over previously undefeated Houston. That's not to mention his stellar defense at shortstop. But he got hit hard on the mound Sunday in the semifinals, giving up five runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief on top of allowing two inherited runners to turn a 3-0 deficit into an eventual 10-1 loss. Jordan clearly was hurt after the defeat. Tears welled up in his eyes as he blankly stared toward the outfield walls while the rest of his teammates gathered their equipment together.
"Michael is a tough fighter," Rodriguez said. "He's a little, small guy, and he gives you all he has. He's a smart kid on the baseball field, and the one thing you could say about him when he walks away from the field, he gives it his all. He doesn't hot dog it."
Alex Morin, the director of RBI in Miami, described Jordan as the "ideal" RBI player. Jordan is an inner-city kid whose family does not have much money, and he attended a high school with only one coach and no field to practice. RBI has helped make Jordan a baseball player by providing baseball equipment, instruction, a place to play and even some Marlins tickets from Morin, who's in charge of player relations in Florida's community affairs department.
"This is a kid that's really taken advantage of the RBI program, not just baseball-wise, but as a person, developed himself and become a leader out there," Morin said. "This gives [him] the opportunity that without RBI, [he] wouldn't be able to play baseball because [he] couldn't afford to play baseball."
Jordan, 19, has turned that RBI experience into a college scholarship at St. Thomas University in the Miami area, where he redshirted for the baseball team last year and ran track.
"He's matured tremendously in the four years that I've known him through the RBI program," Morin said. "This kid is a stud. He's a five-tool player. Besides the height, he's got it all, and hopefully that one person will give him that opportunity to go to the next step in his life."
Besides his incredible athletic ability, the Bulls' Michael Jordan became a six-time NBA champion by commanding the respect of his teammates as a leader who set the ultimate example. Standing 12 inches shorter, Miami's Michael Jordan shares that quality with the former NBA star from his leadership perch at shortstop.
"Even though these kids are much bigger than he is height-wise, when he tells the kids, 'Hey, let's do something,' they gravitate to Michael," Rodriguez said. "He has that X-factor you may see. When he talks to his teammates, they listen, they do what he says. He's a leader of example. He plays hard, he plays good, so it's much easier for him to become a leader because he plays the game the way it's supposed to be played."
2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P.
Booster Club ready for exciting year
With contributions like speakers and an amp for the high school gym, team uniforms and sports equipment, the Harlan Community Athletic Booster Club has made a difference for many sports teams in the district throughout the years. And as the school year nears, fund-raisers sponsored by the HCS Booster Club begin, with the annual golf tournament and annual meeting.
August 17 marks the annual golf tournament at Harlan Golf and Country Club, which officials say is always a good event for the Booster Club, raising significant dollars.
The booster club has been supporting Harlan athletics for 18 years through special events and concessions at the high school and middle school sports events. The funds received from these events go towards funding cheerleading, pom squad, tennis, track, golf, volleyball, softball, soccer, baseball, cross country, football, wrestling and basketball in addition to the junior/senior prom and medical needs.
The booster club donates from USD 45,000-USD 60,000 to the Harlan Community School District. Among the new items purchased last year were football equipment, softball and baseball equipment, wrestling travel backpacks and other equipment, two camcorders, girls and boys basketball equipment, cross country jackets, two wireless controllers for the gym, golf and tennis equipment, girls and boys soccer uniforms, middle school girls track tops and speakers and an amp for the high school gym. In addition to requests like new uniforms and updated equipment, funding from the Booster club allows for no admission fees for middle school events, and for reduced prices for high school games.
This year, the booster club will continue selling concessions and sponsor the annual girls and boys middle school basketball tournament. Booster club officials are encouraging businesses and patrons within the school district to join the booster club as a Cyclone Club sponsor, which gives each member a chance at sitting in the extra skybox at the football games. Patrons can register as a Cyclone Club Sponsor this month to be eligible for the skybox, where they will be in a climate-controlled environment, and provided with drinks, pizza and popcorn. One winner for each game will be drawn before the preseason football scrimmage on August 26.
Patrons can also register to be members of the Harlan Community Booster Club at the preseason football scrimmage, the first volleyball game on September 8 and at sixth and ninth grade orientations. Elections for board positions will be held later this year. Current board officers and members are: Steve and DeeDee Leinen, presidents; Dave and Lois Kramer, vice-presidents; Brian and Pam Gubbels, treasurers; Terry and Connie Arentsen, secretaries; Jeff and Karla Hundt, Bob and Julie Klein, Kevin and Cathy Campbell, Jamie and Mary Fahn, George and Jan Applegate, Howard and Tara Lansman, Tim and Jennifer O'Neill, Deb McLaughlin and Kelley Wegner.
Copyright 1995 - 2008 Townnews.com All Rights Reserved.
Baseball's Army of Authenticators
What does a game-used baseball have in common with a car? In many cases, they both have a unique ID that helps owners track their history. With a car, it's the vehicle identification number. With the ball, it's a hologram.
Major League Baseball sends trained authenticators to every game to certify that game-used baseball equipment, game-worn apparel and items autographed by the athletes are genuine. The authenticators give each item a unique alphanumeric ID and affix a tamper-proof hologram to the piece. The items' numbers and descriptions are logged on the Internet, so collectors can be confident they're buying bona fide memorabilia. It's all done in the name of cracking down on counterfeit baseball merchandise. "It's a significant problem, even in the collectibles and memorabilia market," says Ethan Orlinsky, senior vice president and general counsel for Major League Baseball Properties.
The MLB Authentication Program, created in 2001, is the byproduct of a three-year FBI investigation code-named "Operation Bullpen." Between 1997 and 2000, agents uncovered a large, sophisticated ring of forgers who flooded the market with phony autographs from sports figures and celebrities. At the time, industry experts estimated that upwards of 50% of sports and celebrity memorabilia were forgeries. The bogus signatures often came with forged "certificates of authenticity" to dupe consumers into thinking they had valuable collectibles.
In addition to baseball games, authenticators attend major memorabilia shows and sporting events. Over the three-day All-Star Fan Fest in New York earlier this month, 11 MLB representatives authenticated about 1,800 items, from game-used bats and balls -- even the bases. They only certify items that they saw in use or autographs witnessed in person, Mr. Orlinsky says. A fan showing up after the game claiming to hold a baseball caught that day won't get the official hologram because the authenticator didn't see the catch occur. So far, MLB is the only American professional sports league to systematically authenticate autographs and game-used memorabilia. Still, one of the league's biggest challenges is staying ahead of cagey criminals.
"Counterfeiters today are very sophisticated," Mr. Orlinsky says. "People have tried to knock off the hologram and have done a lousy job of it."
Over the past five years, MLB has seized more than 4 million pieces of counterfeit goods -- mainly unlicensed merchandise with team logos. (A different hologram appears on MLB-licensed merchandise.)
"You can't eliminate it," Mr. Orlinsky says of counterfeiting, "but you can maintain it, kind of like cockroaches."
Copyright 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Major League Baseball to discuss maple-bat safety
Major League Baseball's Safety and Health Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday in New York to discuss what many consider is an epidemic of maple bats exploding on contact with the baseball and the barrels becoming dangerous projectiles. Is maple on its way to becoming extinct from baseball and just another tree in the forest, or are there going to be restrictions on its use?
Everything will be under review by the committee, including putting netting in the stands up and down the base lines, discussing whether players are illegally modifying the weight-length ratios of the bats and whether kiln drying techniques are making the maple bats too light for collisions with baseballs thrown at 90-plus mph. Patrick Courtney, a spokesperson for MLB, said Tuesday's meeting will merely lay the groundwork for the discussion and the next steps in the issue. It is scheduled to include officials from around baseball and the players union, including MLB vice president Joe Garagiola, San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson and Cincinnati Reds GM Walt Jocketty. There will be no representatives from the bat companies present, but Courtney said another meeting will be held that will include them.
"I think they will discuss changing the modifications of the bat, the weight to the length," said Jack Marucci, whose Marucci Bat Company makes bats for players such as the Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, the New York Mets' David Wright and Jose Reyes, the St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Seattle Mariners' Raul Ibanez, among others. "We are going to be invited and involved in the near future," said Rick Redman, a spokesperson for Louisville Slugger, a 124-year old company that makes 1.8 million wood bats per year. "We have some things to bring to the table as far as knowing about the physics of wood."
Redman said 52 percent to 55 percent of the bats made for major leaguers by Louisville Slugger are maple, but he said the company has seen players switching back to ash. Marucci, whose company makes ash and maple bats, opposes a ban on maple, saying he has clients who have used the same maple bat for more than a month during the season.
"If they are designed right, dried right, they are fine," Marucci said.
Bill Acree, the Atlanta Braves director of team travel and the baseball equipment manager, has been with the club 42 years. He said it was once routine to see 35-ounce bats, but not anymore. He said the average weight of bats has dropped 2-3 ounces. MLB has a rule that allows only a minus-3½ ratio, or the difference between length and weight.
"We would be naive to think some of that isn't happening," Courtney said when asked if players may be taking additional weight out of the bat by shaving the handles and creating minus-4 bats, which could break more easily.
There would be an enormous flip in inventory for some companies if maple is banned because Marucci thinks 75% of big leaguers are using maple. For example, only four position players on the Braves ,Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Corky Miller, and Mark Kotsay, use ash.
"The model is more important than the wood you swing," said Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson, who started swinging maple in the minor leagues because he said it was more durable. "I don't think anybody can claim they are going to go into a slump if the wood changes."
When asked if he was worried MLB might ban maple, Ibanez said, "I'm not going to be worried over it, but I wish they wouldn't do it. See that bat over there. It's maple and I have been using it in BP since April."
Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
Youths can join Giants baseball
Children who enjoy baseball have the opportunity to get out and play the sport this summer by taking part in the Junior Giants Baseball Program. The five-week league for youths 7 to 11 is offered through the Sparks Parks and Recreation Department in cooperation with the National League San Francisco Giants Baseball Organization and the Truckee Meadows Boys and Girls Club.
The program will be at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays July 1-31, at the Oppio Park ballfields, 2355 18th St. With the support of the Giants Community Fund, the cost for the program is USD 5 per participant. Children are provided with the necessary baseball equipment and every player receives a Giants T-shirt and hat. More than 13,000 boys and girls participate in the Junior Giants program every year in more than 70 leagues serving more than 150 cities. It is a noncompetitive program that places higher value on character than on wins and losses.
"It's a relaxed program," said Kelli Hanson, Sparks youth sports specialist. "It's a fun way for children to learn and experience the game of baseball."
During the first week of the program, volunteer coaches go over the basic fundamentals, making sure players know how to catch, throw, hold the bat correctly and hit. Emphasis also is placed on teamwork, sportsmanship and skills.
"Our youth sports staff is involved in all aspects of the program, but we also rely on the help of volunteer coaches," Hanson said. "If we have players who are new to the sport, it gives us the ability to spend extra time with them."
As an added bonus, the Giants Community Fund provides tickets for participants to attend the official Junior Giants game day and take part in the parade of players across AT&T Field.
Copyright 2008 Reno Gazette-Journal. All rights reserved.
Johnny Bench Helps Kick Off Reds' Rookie League
The sound of dozens of youngsters chanting "Johnny!, Johnny!, Johnny!," filled the Avondale air Wednesday afternoon at the Rockdale and Harvey baseball field.
The voices of the boys and girls got louder and louder as three yellow DHL trucks drove onto the infield dirt. They reached a peak at Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench stepped out of the first vehicle and was quickly surrounded by children and the Reds Mascot "Gapper."
It was a splashy kickoff for the 6th season of the Reds Rookie Success League, sponsored by the Reds Community Fund in conjunction with DHL. The three DHL vans were filled with baseball equipment that is being given to the children and the Boys and Girls Clubs to organize teams for the league. Bench handed out bats, balls, gloves and catcher's equipment to the wide-eyed youngsters. Reds Community Fund executive director Charley Frank says the league will let 1,500 Tri-state youth play baseball this summer in a non-competitive, co-ed and character-building setting. Over 300 adult volunteers have donated their time to help with the teams.
"What a lot of people have not realized is what the Reds Community Fund has done with this Rookie Success League," Bench said. "Now, we're getting a little more attention because they are bringing sports, teamwork and responsibility to these young kids."
Games will take place at five locations in Cincinnati and also in Northern Kentucky, Butler County, Mason, Louisville and in the George Foster League in Western Hills.
"They're out here ready. They want a ball. They want a glove," said Bench. "We need to give them that opportunity," said Bench. "And with the success that this league has had and what Major League Baseball is doing in conjunction with that, this is going to be a very successful program."
The league kickoff also marked the launch of the Cincinnati Reds' annual equipment drive in partnership with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, which is a joint venture of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. Members of the community can participate in the equipment drive through July 5 by contacting the Reds Community Fund. The Rockdale and Harvey Field is one of 225 Cincinnati Recreation Commission playing fields that has been upgraded with money from the Reds Community Fund.
Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved.
Feliz enjoying new life in Philadelphia
For new Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz, a milk carton used to be an essential piece of baseball equipment. Growing up in his hometown of Los Toros, Dominican Republic, Feliz and his friends would look for empty milk cartons to use as gloves for their pickup baseball games. While those cartons were fine to use in the field, the empty cement bags that were scattered around his small town were the catcher's mitts of choice for those who settled in behind the plate. Feliz, who is in his ninth season in the Major Leagues and his first in Philadelphia, smiles when he tells the story of his youth. He talks about all of the ballgames he and his friends would play outside his home, how those games nurtured his love for baseball and still motivate him today.
Those memories not only motivate Feliz, 34, to work diligently on his craft, they also inspire him to constantly give back to the youth of the Dominican Republic each offseason when he returns home.
"It is different now in the Dominican, because there are so many baseball players who are from there and they bring equipment back for the kids to use," said Feliz, who signed a two-year contract with the Phillies in January. "I think that it is important for my generation to bring equipment back for the kids and influence them. Then, hopefully the generation behind me will do the same thing. Kids see us and see what we are able to do, it motivates them to work harder, and that's a good thing."
A shortstop while growing up, Feliz switched positions when he heard that the San Francisco Giants needed a third baseman in their academy in the Dominican Republic. He worked out for seven days at third base before the Giants signed him in 1994, and he hasn't looked back since. Feliz spent two years in the Dominican Academy before arriving in the States in 1996. After five years in the Minor Leagues, the last one being 2000 when he hit 33 home runs for Triple-A Fresno, he made it to the big leagues for good. In 2001, his first full season with San Francisco, Feliz played in 94 games, batting .227 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. Things didn't get any better for him the following year, when he hit just two homers and drove in only 13 runs in 67 games. While he was striving for consistency at the plate, his defense and strong work ethic were catching everyone's eye. By the time he began his third season in the big leagues, his offense was starting to find the same rhythm it had in the Minors, where he hit 78 home runs in five years. In just 95 games in 2003, he hit 16 home runs and collected 48 RBIs. That was the last time Feliz was a part-time player.
He settled into the Giants lineup on a full-time basis and went on to hit 84 home runs over the next four years. More than 600 of those at-bats came hitting behind Barry Bonds, the all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball history. Despite all of the issues surrounding Bonds, Feliz enjoyed his spot in the lineup and his front-row seat to history.
"It was unbelievable who wouldn't want to see a player like that?" Feliz said. "I enjoyed every time he did something. Even with all of the (distractions) and all of the bad things that have happened (to Bonds) over the last few years, you kind of put that aside and just concentrate on the game. You just try to enjoy the games."
Like Bonds, who wasn't re-signed, Feliz found himself in search of a team following last season after turning down an offer to re-sign with the Giants. Days stretched into months before the Phillies entered the picture and signed him to a two-year deal, with an option for a third year. Although Feliz is happy to be in Philadelphia, he was kind of surprised that there weren't more clubs interested in his services, and so was his new general manager.
"I was really surprised that he hung out there so long, but I think everyone assumed he was going back to San Francisco," said Phillies GM Pat Gillick. "There were some other third basemen that were, and are, out there on the market that could play. So, some people who needed help at that position were probably holding back to see who was available during Spring Training. That's why I think Pedro was still out there. He has shown gradual improvement over the last few years, so I think he is going to be a good addition to our lineup, not only offensively, but I think the fans will enjoy him over at the hot corner as well."
For Charlie Manuel, the addition of Feliz means a couple of things. Not only does he have a third baseman who is the equivalent to Abraham Nunez defensively, but the skipper has the luxury of having a legitimate extra-base hit threat as well. In addition to the home runs he has collected, Feliz has also recorded more than 30 doubles in three of the last four years. "We won last year with Wes (Helms), Dobbs and Nunez, and I was more than prepared to go with a platoon again this year," said Manuel, who last year used Nunez as a late-inning defensive replacement if Dobbs or Helms started. "But Feliz was still on the market, and he was a good find for us. He is going to play a big role in our success this year. He can also go nine innings, because of his defense. I won't have to make a double switch for defense and that means we will have more depth on the bench."
Feliz's defense sometimes gets overlooked because of his offense. Last year, he had a .973 fielding percentage, which was tops among National League third basemen. Feliz credits all of his managers for making him the player he is, but he gave special thanks to Giants bench coach Ron Wotus for helping him with his defense. This spring, Feliz was tutored by the greatest third baseman and hitter in Phillies history, Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. The 10-time Gold Glove Award winner spoke glowingly about Feliz's defense.
"I have been very impressed with him," Schmidt told the local newspapers before ending his two-week stint in Clearwater, Fla., as a special instructor. "He has tremendously impressive hands and a great arm. I think he is going to really help this lineup."
Feliz is hoping that his impact on the team will be felt immediately. As he looks around the diamond, with Jimmy Rollins at shortstop, Chase Utley at second and Ryan Howard at first base, he realizes that he is part of a dynamic left side, defensively, as well as a pretty potent infield, offensively.
"The whole team is a great team, but I can't wait to see our infield (this year)," Feliz, who lives in San Francisco with his wife, Niurka, and his four daughters, said earlier this year. "I think it is going to be great. I am happy to be here. This is a great team and great people. They make me feel like family."
2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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