NYCBL NEWS AND NOTES
FEBRUARY 16, 2006

NYCBL AT WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: A pair of NYCBL graduates have made provisional rosters for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Houston Astros reliever Brad Lidge is listed in the bullpen for Team USA. Lidge played for the 1996 NYCBL Champion Ithaca Lakers and is the highest NYCBL graduate to be taken in the Major League Baseball Entry Draft. He was selected 17th overall out of Notre Dame by the Astros in the 1998 draft. Former Schenectady Mohawk Valentino Pasucci is one of nine outfielders listed on the Italian roster. Pasucci played for the Mohawks in 1997 and was later drafted by the Montreal Expos. He currently plays in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Central League. The final 30-man rosters for the World Baseball Classic are due on March 2.  

AMES OWNS TWO NYCBL TEAMS: The Glens Falls Golden Eagles have a new owner. Last December, Roger Ames purchased the Golden Eagles and the North American Football League’s Glens Falls Green Jackets from Charles Adams. Ames, a native of Newport, Vermont, also owns the new NYCBL team in Little Falls. According to the Glens Falls Post Star, Ames’ two sons (Chris and Edward) and daughter (Jennifer) are going to be the co-owners of the Golden Eagles and Green Jackets. Glens Falls and Little Falls will compete in the NYCBL’s Eastern Division with Amsterdam and Saratoga.

ATHLETES IN ACTION MOVE TO BOLIVAR: Last season, the Alfred A’s (Athletes in Action) played their home games at Alfred State College. In late July, a vicious summer storm damaged the field, and its surroundings. The strong winds collapsed one of the dugouts. Thankfully, the team was out of town during the storm. This season, the A’s are heading west to Bolivar. The Bolivar A’s will play their home games at Bolivar-Richburg High School.  The field at BRCS features synthetic Astroturf. The facilities in Bolivar have also been used by the Allegany County Nitros.

MANAGERIAL NOTES: Three NYCBL teams will have new managers when the league opens play on June 9. Topping the list, the NYCBL champion Hornell Dodgers. Ryan Goodwin replaces 2005 NYCBL Manager of the Year Todd Interdonato. Goodwin is the pitching coach at Neosho Community College in Kansas. An old face returns to a new place in the Capital District. Former Saratoga Phillies skipper Matt Mueller travels to Amsterdam to take control of the Mohawks.  Mueller is an assistant coach at Santa Clara University. He led the Phillies during their inaugural season in 2004.  Speaking of Saratoga, the Phillies turn to a former Bomber to guide them on the field. University at Albany Assistant Coach Garrett Baron heads the 2006 edition of the Saratoga nine. Last summer, Baron coached the Spartansburg Stingrays of the Coastal Plain League to their first ever playoff appearance. He also coached the NYCBL’s Ithaca Classics in 2003. Baron played baseball at Ithaca College under long time Bomber coach George Valesente.

FORMER GOLDEN EAGLES COMBINE FOR NO-NO: Jimmy Dougher and Justin Mattes played last summer for the Glens Falls Golden Eagles. The two pitchers are teammates at Cortland State. Amidst cold temps and flurries in Newport News, Virginia on February 18, Mattes and Dougher combined to pitch a no-hitter in Cortland’s 5-1 season opening victory over Christopher Newport University. The game was stopped in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs because of snow. Mattes pitched the first three innings and allowed one run on five walks with two strikeouts. Dougher started the bottom of the fourth and pitched the rest of the game. The 2005 SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year struck out four and walked one in 1.2 innings. Cortland finished 2005 as the NCAA Division III National Runner-up to Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Red Dragons are ranked second in the 2006 Collegiate Baseball News NCAA Division III preseason poll.

Additional team and player notes can be sent to John McGraw at SaltCitySports@aol.com.