Archive for July, 2012

The Youngstown State football program is one of just two FCS squads with two players on the Walter Payton Award Watch List, The Sports Network announced on Thursday. Senior tailback Jamaine Cook and junior quarterback Kurt Hess both represent the Penguins.

Cook and Hess joined Sam Houston State juniors Timothy Flanders (running back) and Richard Sincere (all-purpose) as teammates who made the preseason list.

Twelve of this year’s initial 20 nominees were finalists for the award last year, including finalist Shakir Bell of Indiana State. Ten running backs, six quarterbacks, three wide receivers and an all-purpose performer make up the preseason Watch List group.

Cook, who earlier this week was tabbed a third-team preseason All-America by the Sports Network, rushed for 1,386 yards on 271 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. In 2011, Cook was seventh in the FCS in rushing (126.00) and 14th in all-purpose yards (145.36) per contest.

Hess passed for 2,468 yards while completing 187-of-288 attempts in a breakout campaign during the 2011 season. He averaged 245.8 yards passing per contest and his 164.9 passing efficiency rating was fourth best in the FCS. He set school records for single-season touchdown passes (26), completion percentage (64.5), 200-yard games (eight), touchdown passes in consecutive games (11) and touchdown passes in a game (five vs. Missouri State).

The Payton Award Watch List can undergo revision during the 2012 season. Ballots will be sent to a panel of about 175 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries following the regular season on Nov. 19. The top three vote-getters will be invited to The Sports Network FCS Awards Presentation.

Going into Monday’s game with Connecticut, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers were a little under the weather.  Manager Ted Kubiak and players Joey Wendle, Jeremy Lucas, and Joe Sever were all flu-stricken.  Tyler Naquin (above) and Jake Sisco proved to be a good pair of aspirins to keep his team on the winning track, but the Scrappers bullpen was queasy in the 5-4 loss.

Sisco started the game off in grand fashion.  The Scrapper starter (below) struck out the first three Tiger batters he faced.  Sisco would end up throwing six complete innings.  51 of his 80 pitches thrown were strikes.  More impressively, he was in command and able to get ahead of Tigers hitters all night.

Offensively, the Scrappers got going in the second inning.  Richard Stock singled to start the inning and two outs later, Evan Frazer walked.  Robel Garcia and Jairo Kelly produced back-to-back RBI singles.  Naquin then drilled a triple over the right fielders head to score Garcia and Kelly post the Scrappers to a 4-0 lead.

Robbie Aviles came out of the Scrapper bullpen to start the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead.  Unfortunaly, Aviles could not get an out in the eighth inning and was replaced by Luis Head.

Connecticut would score in the top of the seventh inning off of Avila.  Jordan Dean singled home a run.  Moments later, Dean appeared to be out by a mile stealing second base, but the umpire ruled him safe.  Kubiak went out to argue, but it was pitching coach Greg Hibbard who was ejected by the home plate umpire.  Hibbard got his money’s worth before exiting.

The crowd of 2,532 at Eastwood Field saw the Scrappers bullpen implode in  what seemed to be a comfortable lead.

Naquin finished the game with the two-RBI triple and a single.  Kelly also collected a pair of hits for the Scrappers.

Head inherited runners on second and third with nobody out.  The right-handed pitching prospect’s first pitch was laced to center for a single.    Tyler Hanover tried to score from second, but Naquin fired a bullet to Charlie Valerio and cut down Hanover by a couple of steps to minimize the damage.

Devin Travis had a single with two out in the eighth that drove home a run to make it a 4-3 game.  Patrick Smith then collected his only hit in four AB’s, an RBI-double that tied the game.  For the second consecutive night, the Scrappers bullpen blew a four run lead. In the ninth, with Head still pitching, Hanover got a bit of revenge, singling in the go-ahead run.

In the bottom of the ninth, Frazer started off with a single.  Garcia bunted pinch runner Erik Gonzalez over to second.  Kelly then struck out looking bringing Naquin to the plate in another crucial situation.  Naquin proved to be human striking out to end the game.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers managed to stay on a roll.  For the second night in a row, the Scrappers disposed of the Connecticut Tigers,5-4, using pretty much the same game plan – balance.  Everybody chipped in.

Tyler Naquin drilled a two-out single up the middle to lift the Scrappers to a win.  The Scrappers held a 4-1 lead, but the bullpen was unable to hold it.

Trailing 1-0 in the third, the Scrappers seized a 2-1 lead.  Robel Garcia doubled with one out.  Aaron Siliga whizzed one up the middle to knock Garcia home and tie the game.  Siliga later scored when Tigers starter Endrys Briceno unleashed a wild pitch.

In the third, the Scrappers tacked on two more to increase their lead.  Jeremy Lucas singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Erik Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and Garcia walked to load the bases.  Lucas scored on a Siliga groundout to make it 3-1.  Charlie Valerio then drew a bases loaded walk to force in another run and give the Scrappers a 4-1 advantage.

Mahoning Valley got a fantastic defensive play by Gonzalez in the sixth.  Connecticut had men on first and second with nobody out when Tyler Hanover hit a bullet down the third baseline.  Gonzalez made an amazing fully-extended stop on a ball that would have scored at least one run.  He also made a great throw to second and record an out.

Geoff Davenport (top photo) had a good start for the Scrappers.  The crafty lefty only allowed three hits and walked nobody, while surrendering just one earned run.  Davenport struck out three.

Connecticut, however, managed to tag Scrapper relief pitcher  James Stokes for a couple of runs in the seventh.  Stokes was his own worst enemy during the inning as he hit a batter, walked a batter, and unloaded a wild pitch.  Rafael Homblert pitched the eighth and gave up a game-tying run.

Siliga (above) had a very productive game for the Scrappers.  The second baseman went 3-5 with a stolen base, a run, an intentional walk, and a pair of RBI’s, and continues to show marked improvement in areas he struggled with last season.

Enosil Tejeda pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give the Scrappers a chance to win in their final at-bat.  With the top of the order up (Siliga, Tyler Naquin, and Valerio), Ted Kubiak had to like his chances, but no one in the batting trio found their way on.

Jack Wagoner came in to start the 11th inning for the Scrappers to notch the win.

Gonzalez walked and would score on Naquin’s clutch two-out single to boost the Scrappers.

 

Kelly Pavlik made it known with a third tune-up fight that he is ready to take a step up in competition at the 168-pound level.  Pavlik’s experience proved to be too much for a game Will Rosinsky, and the former middleweight champ continued his progression as a boxer instead of a fighter successfully.

Pavlik caught Rosinsky with a short right hook in the second round.  Rosinsky bounced back up seemingly unhurt but Pavlik managed to score a 10-8 round sandwiched in between a close first and third round.

Pavlik got cut over his left eye in the fourth round on an unintentional head butt.  The cut seemed to awaken Pavlik into being more aggressive and throwing more punches, especially lefts to the body in round 5.

Rosinsky seemed to be running after throwing a good punch every ten seconds or so. Pavlik was dictating the pace of the fight through the seventh round.  Pavlik landed more punches with greater frequency from the fifth round until the end of the fight.

Despite a lack of national exposure, Rosinsky had a very positive amateur career, but had never been in the ring with anyone even close to the level of a Kelly Pavlik. Nevertheless, he [Rosinsky] showed guts and potential, he was no soft bye week for Pavlik.

In the tenth round, Pavlik head some blood streaming down his left cheek parlayed with a right cauliflower ear and if you had just turned the television on, you would have thought Rosinsky’s unharmed mug would suggest he was winning the fight.  It was just the opposite though, Pavlik won the fight, all but maybe two rounds of it.

The thing that Pavlik fans need to be concerned with is that The Ghost did not hurt Rosinsky.  He did knock Rosinsky down once, but there has to be concern that Pavlik can really have issues against better competition.

At the end of the day, it is a win, a nationally televised win on boxing’s biggest stage for Pavlik.  The judges saw it 97-92, 98-91, and 98-91 to give Pavlik the unanimous decision.

“I didn’t counter like I wanted to, but it is a ‘W’ and I’ll take the rounds”, said Pavlik.  “I am still a young guy, but I need to get better.  It is time to make a move, I don’t think I need too many more of these fights.”

Up next for Pavlik, a return to the big spotlight, potentially to face Andre Ward or possibly Carl Froch.  Details will probably be more readily available within a month.

All photos courtesy of Miguel Salazar, and a special thank you to Team Pavlik and Mike Romeo for getting them to me.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Aberdeen Ironbirds played the final game of their trilogy Friday night at Eastwood Field.  The Scrappers kept fighting back to claim  leads when trailing, but ultimately, Torsten Boss‘s pinch-hit, two-run homer proved to be the final nail in the coffin.

Trailing 1-0, the Scrappers found a lead in the second inning.  Charlie Valerio started the inning with a single and Joe Sever (below, with Ted Kubiak) walked.  Aaron Siliga then singled to load the bases with nobody out.  Jeremy Lucas then hit a sac fly to right that brought Valerio home.  Erik Gonzalez, who made some snazzy plays at third base, singled to bring Sever home and give the Scrappers a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the third inning, Aberdeen tied the game.  The Scrappers would answer to reclaim the one-run lead in the bottom of the inning.  Joey Wendle, perhaps the hottest Scrapper hitter, knocked his fifth double with one out.  He proceeded to steal third and advanced home on a throwing error.

In an entertaining game, the lead would change hands again as Aberdeen plated two runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.  Scrappers starter Ryan Merritt would be chased from the game and relieved by Cody Penny.  The line for Merritt could have been better or worse, depending on which statistics matter the most.  Merritt gave up four runs, three earned, and got touched up for eight hits.

Mahoning Valley again responded unconventionally to reclaim the lead.  The Scrappers scored once in the fifth and once in the sixth to go ahead 5-4.  In the fifth, Wendle tripled with two outs.  Valerio then singled to bring Wendle home and tie the game.  In the sixth, Marcus Bradley walked with two outs.  Bradley stole second and then advanced to third and later home as Aberdeen looked like a mediocre little league team throwing the ball around.

That lead held until the eighth inning.  Torsten Boss delivered a big pinch hit two-run homer off of Jack Wagoner to give Aberdeen a 6-5 lead.

Mahoning Valley had a chance to tie the game or take a lead in the eighth, but Jairo Kelly popped out to short to halt the rally.

Enosil Tejeda pitched the ninth inning for the Scrappers.  Tejeda walked the leadoff hitter, Creede Simpson, and then threw a sac bunt way past the first baseman, which set the Ironbirds up with second and third and nobody out.  Simpson scored on a groundout to make it a 7-5 deficit.

Tyler Naquin started the ninth with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Wendle struck out but Naquin advanced to third as the catcher had to throw the ball to first to retire a hustling Wendle.  Valerio then walked to put runners on first and third.

That brought Sever to the plate, who singled home Naquin.  Siliga was next with men on first and second with one out.  Siliga hit a grounder to second but beat out the double play.  That would bring up Lucas with two out and the tying run 90 feet away.  Unfortunately, Lucas hit a high fly to the deepest part of the park and the game ended.

 

Tim Pozsgai doesn’t not rely on voice coaching or technique when broadcasting Mahoning Valley Scrappers games for AM-1570.  Pozsgai has a much different approach and it a refreshing take compared to all of the cardboard cutout styles society has grown so accustomed to.

The first year media relations director commutes about an hour to and from Eastwood Field.  He is an avid wrestling fan and is looking ahead to July 29 when Matt Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, Carlito, And Rhino will be part of an annual promotion.  Pozsgai is still a Stone Cold Steve Austin fan through-and-through.

The 32-year old Pozsgai, pronounce (POZE-guy) is happily married and is dad to two young ones.

Paneech:  How did you become so involved and so passionate about this sport?

Pozsgai:  I got into the broadcasting about three years ago.  I played baseball and was as high as some of the independent leagues until I got released.  I wandered around for awhile and was lucky enough to meet some good people in the Indians organization who helped me out a lot.  I took a shot with it, they liked what I did, so here I am.

Paneech:  I have been fortunate enough to catch a couple of games and I like your unique style.  Can you explain it?

Pozsgai:  My approach is completely different than what you would get from most kids.  You get these kids right out of college and they are all taught to talk the same way and use a fake radio voice.  My approach is that I feel like I am sitting in a bar with a buddy watching a baseball game and we are going to talk about it.  I am going to be a homer because thy are paying me and I am around these guys everyday and am emotionally attached to their performance.

Paneech:  What has been the most pleasant surprise so far?

Pozsgai:  The biggest surprise so far is probably how good of a team we have here.  We have a lot of high round draft picks and you always wonder how they are going to gel.  The other side of that is that from the number one pick down, they are all genuinely good people.

Paneech:  What is the one thing that you are maybe a little disappointed with?

Pozsgai:  The only disappointment for me this year is that we are not going to Staten Island or Brooklyn this year.  Those are supposed to be two of the best ballparks in the league.  I am partial to Eastwood Field, I love it here.

Paneech:  Who do you find yourself getting close with?

Poszgai:  Our pitching and hitting coaches, Tony [Mansolino] and Hibby [Greg Hibbard] are good guys and we have played golf on the road.  Ted [Kubiak] is a good guy too.  There is obviously a little bit of an age difference, so I am not as close with him as the other two coaches.  Ted is a great guy too.  I talk with Tyler [Naquin] quite a bit and will talk with any of the player during the bus rides.

Paneceh:  How much separation is there based on nationality and language between the players?

Pozsgai:  Really there is not as much separation as there seems.  The Dominican guys are making a good effort, the American guys are doing the same and everyone seems to be getting along very well.  On the outside, it may look like they are somewhat segregated, but they really are not, they are getting along as a team should.

Getting along is something Tim Poszgai seems to be doing very well.  In fact, he is excelling.  Listen to an entertaining broadcast of the Scrappers the next chance you have!

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have waited two weeks for this kind of an offensive display.  The Scrappers amassed 12 hits and scored 11 runs.  Every Scrapper starter scored a run and hits were almost effortless.  Combine that with a good start from Luis DeJesus and the result is a 11-4 thrashing of Aberdeen.

DeJesus, who has been referred to by Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak as a ‘slow starter’, lived up to his billing.  Aberdeen loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning.  It can’t be much more of a slow start than that.  A strikeout and a heads-up double play by Joey Wendle at third base got DeJesus off the hook with no damage.

In the bottom of the second, the floodgates of offense finally opened. Aberdeen starter Cameron Coffey entered the game with a 10.51 ERA that probably increased to about 12.00 before he exited.  Charlie Valerio got the party started with a single.  Joe Sever followed that with a single.  Valerio and Sever both trotted home when Aaron Siliga doubled.  Erik Gonzalez and Robel Garcia then had back-to-back RBI singles to post the Scrappers to a 5-0 lead.

After the Ironbirds scraped out a run against DeJesus, the Scrappers went back to work in the fourth already leading 5-1.  The big blow in the six-run fourth was a triple by Juan Romero that saw the Scrappers forge ahead to an 11-1 lead by the time the smoke cleared.

One of the best stories of the year has been Joey Wendle.  The sixth-round choice of the Indians in the 2012 Draft has quietly made a very smooth transition to third base.  Ever since Kubiak tried that experiment, Wendle has made a great defensive play to kill the opposing team’s momentum almost each night.  So far it has been a terrific move by Kubiak.  Wendle is also hitting about .400 against left-handed pitching.  He may not be in a Scrappers uniform very long.

Luis Encarnacion relieved DeJesus to start the sixth inning.  DeJesus scattered five hits and walked four.  The Ironbirds seemed to hit the ball hard off of him, but usually right at a Scrapper.  DeJesus has had better outings, but it is a win for the 6′ 3″ rightie.

Aberdeen picked away at the Scrappers bullpen and managed to score a few runs in the sixth to make it 11-4.  Staying focused has to be hard with that big of a lead.

Frustration set in for the Ironbirds when this game was already pretty much decided.  First baseman, Cameron Edmon, was ejected for arguing a called strike three.  Aberdeen Manager, Gary Allenson, followed Edmon to the showers after a lengthy display of dissatisfaction with the umpires.  Later in the same inning, Field Coach, Brad Komminsk, was tossed out for debating a timeout granted to a Scrappers hitter.  I think the bus driver for Aberdeen was calling pitches by the eighth inning.

Things escalated when Valerio hit a long fly to the warning track in center field in the bottom of the eighth.  As the ball was caught and Valerio decelerated between first and second, either the pitcher or second baseman said something to annoy Valerio.  Both bullpens and benches emptied but no punches were thrown

Luis Head pitched a scoreless two innings of relief in a good appearance for the Scrappers.  James Stokes pitched the ninth.

The word hot had many meanings on the Fourth of July at Eastwood Field.  The temperature was balmy and in the mid-90’s, and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers were riding a six game winning streak.  Their opponent, the Aberdeen Ironbirds were hot too, scoring 21 runs just one night earlier.

A rain delay that lasted an hour and a half forced both teams to put new pitchers in.  Rafael Homblert had a rough ninth for the Scrappers and took the loss.  Jose Nivar pitched the ninth for Aberdeen and earned the win, a 3-1 Aberdeen triumph.

Aberdeen lit up the scoreboard first in the second inning.  Joel Hutter singled with one out.  Doug Bream then singled to put runners on first and second.  Lucas Herbst then singled to drive in Hutter.  Scrapper starter Jake Sisco avoided further harm and escaped the inning with just one run given up.

The Scrappers scored a run to tie the game in the third.  Erik Gonzalez singled to start the inning.  Ironbirds catcher, Pedro Perez, then sailed a pickoff attempt at first base into right field allowing Gonzalez to advance to third.  Jairo Kelly then doubled home Gonzalez to tie the game.

Aberdeen and Mahoning Valley battled through a few scoreless innings and lightning started rearing its ugly head from the West around the beginning of the seventh inning of a 1-1 game.  3,217 fans mostly stuck around through Mother Nature’s own Fourth of July display.

Cody Penny started the sixth inning out of the Scrapper bullpen and threw two quality innings.  Penny was relieved by Jack Wagoner to start the eighth.

The thunder and the sound of fireworks being shot off nearby were hard to differentiate, but it was starting to become obvious from the lightning that a race was on to finish the game.

In the bottom of the eighth, Two of the hottest Scrapper reached base with two outs.  Joey Wendle gathered his second hit of the game, a double, and then Charlie Valerio walked to put runners on first and second with two men out.  Juan Romero, who leads the league in homers, struck out looking to end the inning.

With nobody out in the the ninth, the wind kicked up, and the umpires had no choice with the storm closing in but to stop play.  The grounds crew hustled to get the tarp up and radar was looking ugly.

After an hour-and-a-half rain delay, play was set to resume.  Rafael Homblert took over pitching duties for the Scrappers when play resumed and would be the pitcher of record.  Torsten Bross walked and Hutter bunted to put men on first and second with no outs for the Ironbirds.  Bream then bunted and the ball went right through Homblert’s legs.  Anthony Vega singled to right knocking in Bross.  Hunter Jones threw out Hutter at home trying to score from second.  A wild pitch made it 3-1.

Trailing 3-1, the Scrappers were unable to really in the ninth.

The Dominican Republic has been a longtime hotbed for Major League Baseball talent. The Cleveland Indians are aware of the trend and their short-season affiliate, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers currently have eight players on their roster who call the Dominican Republic home.  One of these young men, Charlie Valerio, is really enjoying the chance and getting by just fine with everything, except, well, interviews.

While trying to interview Valerio, we came across that frequently crossed path of language difficulty.  Hunter Jones did his best to serve as interpreter (below) and I thought the interview went well, all things considered.  The ending impression you should take away about Valerio is that he is a very happy-go-lucky and free-spirited person who wants to get better and is willing to work hard to get there.

Paneech:  Which Dominican players do you admire that are currently playing in the majors?

Valerio: Carlos Santana.  I like the way he plays the game when he is hitting and catching.  He is very aggressive and I like the way he plays the game.  I think that Manny Ramirez was the best hitter to come from the Dominican Republic.

Paneech:  You have many choices of places to eat here.  What is your favorite place and do you have those choices in the Dominican Republic?

Valerio:  No, there are no restaurants there, I ate a lot of my mother’s home-cooked meals.  She made a lot of good dishes with rice, chicken, and beans.  I like Chipotle and have eaten there a couple of times.  I get the bowl with the chicken, rice, guacamole, cheese, and beans.

Paneech:  Are the fields you played on at home as nice as this field?

Valerio:  It is really the same, the field is nice, the big difference is that we didn’t have all the seating and bleachers that we have here.

Paneech:  You are married.  How difficult is it for you to be married and away from your wife?

Valerio:  It is very difficult.  I have a daughter too that I love with all of my heart.  I try to communicate with them every day.  I miss them both all of the time, she will be coming here in a month.

Paneech:  How far can you see yourself going with this whole baseball life?

Valerio:  I am working very hard to play in the Major Leagues someday.  I am enjoying the fans and I sign autographs all of the time.  I am getting used to these new people I am meeting on this team.  I am friends with people now like Hunter [Jones].

Paneech:   When the game is over at night, what do you like to go home and do?

Valerio:  I don’t play video games (laughs).  I watch Sportscenter every night.  I will also text and talk with my wife and talk with my mother.

Paneech:  What do you like to drink?

Valerio:  I like Red Gatorade!

Paneech:  What could you hope for for yourself and your new teammates this season?

Valerio:  I would be happy if my friends make it.  When my teammates are having a bad day, it hurts my heart.  Even if I have three hits, it hurts me if one of them have a bad day and do not get a hit.  We all want to do well and want to win, but most of us want each other to do well too.

Paneech:  Which current Scrapper that you did not know have you gotten close with?

Valerio:  Hunter Jones has become a good friend.  I have gotten closer with him faster than all of the American players.  All of the Spanish-speaking players sort of hang together because we can communicate better.  It isn’t because we don’t get along, but we are kind of grouping to understand each other, where maybe we can’t always understand a player who does not speak the same language.

Paneech:  Talk about your coaches.

Valerio:  Coach Ted Kubiak is very good, a good manager.  Coach Mansolino is a very good hitting coach and I am enjoying working with them.  Coach Hibbard is a joker, very funny man,  and keeps things fun when we need that sometimes.

Valerio says the speed of the game is much faster here, but he is doing all he can to adapt.  He is always smiling, win or lose, but more when the Scrappers are winning.  The free agent signed in 2011 and is really enjoying the experience of a new culture, a big opportunity to fulfill his childhood dreams, and a lifestyle he had never known.  It is hard not to root for Charlie Valerio.