Cape Cod, MA, in the summer, is a place where the true meaning of baseball is preserved. With no charge to enter the game, the smell of freshly cut grass, and the athletes there playing for nothing but pride—this kind of baseball seems to take you back in time to when baseball was just a game instead of a business. Fans of all ages can see top college athletes and the future of Major League Baseball play in small high school fields across the Cape. From the stands of Veteran’s Field in Chatham, fans can see the future Derek Jeter run the bases or maybe the future Josh Beckett throw a no-hitter.
Since I was a little girl I have been traveling to Cape Cod and would watch these games from the outside, but this past summer I had an inside look at the league and meet the college athletes that are there in search of greatness. Going into this summer internship I believed these athletes to have baseball on their minds all the time. They must be thinking about all the Major League scouts in the stands looking for rookie prospects, but for some of these athletes, it seemed to be the last thing on their minds. Some players only cared about who was buying the beer after the game or where the girls were going that night. Drinking all night and sleeping until noon does not prepare you for the big game the next day, making it obvious in the Chatham A’s dismal home field record of 7 – 15 and overall record of 19 – 26. Not seeing disappointment in their faces after the games, and instead hearing about the plans for the next party was disconcerting. One night in the neighboring town of Brewster, the partying went a little too far when two of their players were involved in a DUI incident, putting one in the hospital and ending the other’s baseball and college career for good. This incident could have put things in prospective for the A’s, but nothing seemed to change as they continued to lose and party. Thinking with “that could never happen to me” mentalities were not helping themselves or the team.
As the playoffs approached, some of the A’s players kept their fingers crossed that they wouldn’t make the playoffs so they could go home. Would that not be the highlight of their summers? Playing in the most prestigious summer baseball league, in the most important games, all scouts’ eyes on them and thousands watching from the stands? The A’s got their wish and they did not have enough wins to make the playoffs. But one player from the A’s stood out to everyone as one of those future baseball stars. Grant Green, a shortstop from the University of Southern California who played with heart and determination. Green’s batting average was in the top 3 of the league and he led the league in hits. Green was named the MVP of the Cape Cod All-Star Game after putting his team back to contention with a game-tying homerun. He also was given the Robert A. McNeece Award for the top pro prospect of 2008. Green is thought to be the number one draft pick of 2009, and I would not be surprised to see him playing in “the show” in the near future.
Some opportunities come once in a lifetime. Playing professional baseball is the hardest out of any professional sport to get into and make a decent salary. Only the elite few who choose to realize their potential and jump at the opportunity at hand get chosen. These players in the Cape Cod Baseball League are given a rare chance to play with wooden bats in front of scouts that have the ability to make their entire lives change. These players were handed talent and all the tools to make something of it. When life gives you a winning hand, don’t burn it all away or be too afraid to cash it in.
Category Archives: Sports
Cross Country Finishes 2nd in San Francisco Invitational
On Saturday August 30 both the women’s and men’s cross country team finished in 2nd place at the San Francisco Invitational. The cross country team has not shown a higher finish in the invitational since the 2006 season. The top two women finishers were senior Michelle Born who came in 2nd and sophomore Nicole Bowler who finished in 10th place. The women’s team came in 2nd overall with 80 points, beating out Santa Clara by one point, and fell behind Berkeley. As for the men’s team, the top two finishers were freshman Ganbileg Bor who finished in 8th place, and freshman Jeremy Grace finishing 11th. The men’s team came in second behnd Stanford with a score of 66. Their next meet is on September 13 at the Sacramento State Open at Granite Regional Park.
Student Athletes Recognized for Academics
Over the summer, USF athletes were recognized for their hard work outside the lines and in the classroom. 60 USF athletes were placed on the 2007-2008 WCC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. These student athletes had to meet three criteria to qualify for the honor roll: Each athlete must have a varsity letter in their sport, a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 grade point scale, and they must have completed 12 credits per semester. The students could qualify for Gold Honors (4.00-3.75), Silver Honors (3.74-3.50), or Bronze Honors (3.49-3.00).
The USF athletes recognized for their academic achievements are as followed:
Gold Honors
San Francisco Bobby Ethel Baseball Chemistry 3.91
San Francisco Casey Gee W. Golf Finance 3.79
San Francisco Tavo Hall Baseball International Studies 3.89
San Francisco Jennifer-Lee Heinser W. Tennis Marketing 3.92
San Francisco Drew Johnson Baseball Accounting 3.93
San Francisco Christine Jowaiszas W. Cross Country Exercise Sport Science 3.87
San Francisco Lauren Maris W. Soccer Exercise Sport Science 3.91
San Francisco Jacob Marx M. Cross Country Media Studies 3.77
San Francisco Elizabeth Noey W. Cross Country Chemistry 3.96
San Francisco Lisa Olden W. Basketball Accounting 3.92
San Francisco Anika Steig W. Soccer Politics 3.88
Silver Honors
San Francisco Zuzana Bednarova W. Volleyball Finance 3.53
San Francisco Kara Breithaupt W. Soccer English 3.73
San Francisco Eric Conner M. Soccer Sociology 3.74
San Francisco Jennifer Hartford W. Cross Country Visual Art 3.61
San Francisco Heidi Heintz W. Basketball Exercise Sport Science 3.65
San Francisco Christian Hernandez M. Basketball Business Administration 3.72
San Francisco Katie Hoban W. Soccer Business Administration 3.50
San Francisco Chaneng Joe W. Golf Marketing 3.64
San Francisco Alex Nelson M. Cross Country Mathematics 3.73
San Francisco Kurt Nino M. Golf Finance 3.67
San Francisco Nykia Peace W. Basketball Psychology 3.72
San Francisco Derek Poppert Baseball International Studies 3.62
San Francisco Jessica Potter W. Golf Exercise Sport Science 3.73
San Francisco Kyle Schlumpf M. Soccer Accounting 3.63
Bronze Honors
San Francisco Samantha Brand W. Soccer Exercise Sport Science 3.24
San Francisco Darcy Carroll W. Volleyball Marketing 3.32
San Francisco Dominique Carter W. Basketball Accounting 3.34
San Francisco Danny Cavic M. Basketball Marketing 3.28
San Francisco Torin Ching M. Tennis Politics 3.20
San Francisco Conor Chinn M. Soccer Business Administration 3.08
San Francisco Jeremy Coupe M. Soccer Mathematics 3.26
San Francisco Chris Cunningham M. Golf Accounting 3.21
San Francisco Jessica Duty W. Soccer Business Administration 3.36
San Francisco Kristina Hall W. Soccer Architecture 3.28
San Francisco Edward Han M. Golf Accounting 3.29
San Francisco Jesse Henderson M. Soccer Entrepreneurship 3.06
San Francisco Falko Huettenberger M. Tennis Business Administration 3.42
San Francisco Hunter Jarrett M. Soccer History 3.24
San Francisco Jenny Jarvie W. Soccer Nursing 3.24
San Francisco Moses Kahalekulu M. Golf Marketing 3.23
San Francisco Alex Kalogrides Baseball Business Administration 3.35
San Francisco Justin Kendro M. Soccer Finance 3.33
San Francisco Zach Kim Baseball Business Administration 3.21
San Francisco Laurel Kleiber W. Cross Country Psychology 3.30
San Francisco Sarah Mandala W. Volleyball Exercise Sport Science 3.25
San Francisco Mylene Martin W. Tennis Media Studies 3.41
San Francisco Fiona O’Sullivan W. Soccer International Studies 3.01
San Francisco Sarah Oudomvilay W. Tennis Mathematics 3.37
San Francisco Natasha Podmore W. Golf Entrepreneurship 3.38
San Francisco Keonna Robinson W. Soccer Psychology 3.08
San Francisco Jeff Russell M. Soccer Entrepreneurship 3.10
San Francisco Jenny Sperry W. Tennis Politics 3.49
San Francisco Alaina Sully W. Volleyball Nursing 3.37
San Francisco Emma Taylor W. Tennis Exercise Sport Science 3.30
San Francisco Chase Tigert Baseball Exercise Sport Science 3.23
San Francisco Thong Tu M. Tennis Finance 3.30
San Francisco Bryan Vancura M. Soccer International Business 3.45
San Francisco Mary Verran W. Cross Country Business Administration 3.34
San Francisco Sasha Verruno W. Soccer Entrepreneurship 3.26
(list courtesy of USF Athletic Dept.)
The Student Newspaper of the University of San Francisco 