Summer Camps And Boot Camp A Huge Success

Richmond County

Baseball Club

1400 Travis Ave.

Staten Island, NY 10314

If you have any

interesting info or news

you would like included

in a future newsletter,

please email to

jim@rcbclub.com.

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Inside this issue:

Summer and Boot Camp Recap

1

August RC Tournament Recap

2

RCBC Teams At Tournaments

3

Coach Lope’s Baseball Thoughts

4

Featured Article—

A Day In The Life

5

Sponsor of the Month — Family Tree Service

6

August 2013

Volume 13-7

RCBC Newsletter

Richmond County Baseball, in conjunction with Johnny D’s 5 Tool

Baseball Academy, just completed three successful summer baseball

camps, two at our complex and one at South Shore Little League.

Staff members from both RCBC and 5 Tool provided professional

onfield instruction to the 120 young players who participated over

the three weeks.

RCBC also hosted our second annual free “Boot Camp” on August

26 for over 50 players moving up to compete on the 60/90’ field.

This is a great way to introduce new players to our program. If you

know of anyone at any age interested in playing for Richmond

County, either this fall or next spring, contact Coach Quinn at

george@rcbclub.com or Coach DeFendis at nick@rcbclub.com.

www.rcbclub.com

Richmond County Baseball Club Newsletter Volume 13-7

Page 2

Newsletter Title

Richmond County Tournaments

This month we hosted the 14U Slugfest and the 11U/13U/15U Summer Sizzler

tournaments at the complex.

The Northern Valley Ravens defeated the RCBC Nationals to take top honors

in the 14U Slugfest.

RCBC fared well in the Summer Sizzler with the

Falcons capturing the 13U crown, giving up only 6

runs in their 4 victories. Robert Hart tossed a one

hitter.

In the 15U division, the Nationals seemed to have

perfected winning the “white knuckler” game as

they captured the title, sweeping 4 games

including a dramatic 3-2 walk off win in the

championship game against the RCBC Prospects.

Standouts included pitchers Kevin Reed, Nick

Battaglia, AJ Tabanella and James Cadell and clutch hitting by Mike Postiglione

and Phil Russo who had the walk off hit in the championship game. Mike

Fidanza delivered several hard hits, had 2 saves and a win in relief and played

outstanding defense at shortstop.

The 11U division was won by the Long Island Vengeance.

Upcoming tournaments at the complex:

- 18U Labor Day Classic (August 31 — September 2)

- 14U September Showdown (September 6-8) - NEW

- 13U Transition Tournament (September 14-15)

- 10U Back To School Spectacular (September 14-15)

- 16U Future Prospect Fall Showdown (September 21-22)

- 9U Future Prospect Fall Showdown (September 21-22) - NEW

For more information and to view the full tournament calendar, visit our

tournament website at www.rctournaments.com.

Visit the Online

Apparel Store on

the RCBC website

for the end of

summer tee shirt

special—2 for $25.

Just enter promo

code Doubleplay

upon checkout

Need new equipment for the

fall season?Remember that Dick’s Sporting Goods discount

coupons are available to all

RCBC members. Good for all of 2013.

Go to the RCBC website to print.

Richmond County Baseball Club Newsletter Volume 13-7

Page 3

Newsletter Title

RCBC Teams In Tournament Play

RCBC teams also fared well in other tournaments during the month.

In the Branchburg NJ tournament, the 11U Falcons went 4-0 to take the title. Kyle Otten’s 3 run homer

led an offensive attack in beating Bridgewater 16-6. The 12U Falcons went 5-0 to win that division.

Solid pitching by Kyle O’Hare, Justin Silaro and Shane Lopez combined with a spectacular defensive play

by Alex Rapaglia and 2 home runs by Joe Esposito led the team to victory.

RCBC won the championship game 1-0 over host Branchburg.

In the East Brunswick (NJ) Slugfest, the 13U Nationals went 6-0 on their

championship run.

The 8U Nationals went 5-0 in winning the Neshaminy (Pa) Wildcats Summer Classic. Thomas

Panatierri went the distance in the 11-1 semi final win over the Porchester Pirates. Robert Salafia picked

up the win in the 11-8 title game triumph over Morrisville. Salafia (11 hits, 14 RBIs), Jordan Savinon

(8 hits, 8 RBIs), Christian Corsaro (9 hits) and Jake Weinstein (6 RBIs) led the way.

The 9U Nationals won the Throgs Neck (Bronx) tournament in convincing fashion, going 5-0.

The 13U Falcons won the Diamond Nation (NJ) Summer Finale,

posting a 6-0 mark.

The 12U Nationals traveled to Cooperstown for a week long

tournament. Coach Quinn’s squad posted a 5-1 record in

pool play, including 4 mercy victories. After an exciting 2-0

win in the quarter finals vs. Huntington Beach California,

the team succumbed in the semi finals to a talented team

comprised of players from Florida, Georgia and North and

South Carolina who were the eventual tournament champs.

Coach Mike Lopiparo College Placement

Coordinator Quality Control Coach

did a lot of mailing to players and

coaches over the past few months.

But in the end, it all paid off since

the showcase went off like clock-

work.” Guinta said he couldn’t be

happier. “The weather cooperated,

the players came, the college coaches

came and the fields were

immaculate. We couldn’t have

scripted it any better.” Mario

Rapaglia of Barios supplied the

coaches with an elegant lunch in the

air conditioned press box.

One difference about the RCBC

showcase was that the college

coaches not only observed and

evaluated the players, but they RAN

the workouts in uniform. The best

coaches in the area were hitting

grounder and fly balls, pitching

batting practice, running the bull-

pens and timing the participants in

the 60 yard run. The showcase had

a large does of professionalism. “We

figured the players would really get a

look at how a workout will be on the

college level” said DeFendis.

On the first day, the players were

tested on their skills and the second

day, two 7 inning games were

played. The players were evaluated

and a large number attracted interest

from the college coaches. “If players

end up getting their college choice

from this showcase,” said DeFendis,

“then this was a worthwhile effort.”

RICHMOND COUNTY’S

INAUGURAL COLLEGE

SHOWCASE CAMP

The expansion of the Richmond

County organization continues.

The latest is the first ever college

showcase camp which was held at

the complex on August 20-21. It

was a complete success ranging

from how it was put together, to

the player participation, to the col-

lege coach attendance to the

workouts themselves.

The showcase was the brainchild of

RCBC Executive Director Nick

DeFendis who stated “We always

want to give the players a chance to

show off their skills. Our teams go

to other showcases and

tournaments, so we figured it was

now time we hosted an event.”

The difference was that the work-

outs were open to players other

than those who play on RCBC

teams. More than 50 players

showed up along with over 20

college coaches, including Big East

representatives from Seton Hall

and St Johns. College World Series

participant Stony Brook was there

as well as other coaches from

Division I, II and III.

Organizing the showcase were

Anthony Ferrante and Peter

Guinta. Ferrante, who is a coach

on the 18U Nationals, said “We

Coach Lope’s Baseball Thoughts

Richmond County Baseball Club Newsletter Volume 13-7 Page 4

This month’s baseball quote:

Pete Rose once said

“I feel good when I think

about getting 4,000 hits;

until I remember that I also

made about 9,000 outs”

If you want to voice a

comment on anything I write,

email me at

mikelope19@aol.com

College Showcase Participants

Richmond County Baseball Club Newsletter Volume 13-7 Page 5

Volume 13-7

Featured Article — A Day In The Life Of A Baseball Player

By Coach DeFendis

A baseball player plays baseball. Bet you could have guessed that. Although very few people actually get to do this for a living, it is a dream job for so many. This internationally played sport attracts millions of viewers worldwide who admire, trust and respect the men who play the game. A baseball player’s career has two distinct and very different stages: the minor leagues and the major leagues. At the beginning of the overwhelming majority of players’ careers, they are usually ushered into the three-tier system of minor league professional baseball: Single A baseball (the lowest minor league level), Double A baseball (the middle level) and Triple A baseball (the highest level). Working in such exotic locations as Toledo, Norwalk and Columbus, baseball players follow the instructions of their coaches and work on specific baseball skills, general conditioning and emotional maturity. The last is the most underrated portion of the profession, but it is a significant factor in making it to the major leagues. Hours are long. Players pack and carry their own luggage for long bus trips to games. Many hold additional jobs in the off season to make ends meet, which can be hard to do on a baseball salary of about $180 per week. Satisfaction is low in the minors, but players enjoy a strong sense of camaraderie with other aspiring major leaguers. Many remain late after practices and games to work on skills or do weight training and conditioning. Major league players have the advantage of a strong union and the minimum salary for entry level players is $109,000 per season, which lasts roughly eight months from March through October. They do not carry their own luggage. Practices are plentiful in the spring but do not take place during the season. Players are required to show up at least one hour before game time, prepared to play, to be in reasonable condition and to obey the direction of their manager and coaches. Baseball players are under a great deal of pressure to perform during games. They lack job security. One significant injury, such as a torn ligament or an eye disorder, that prevents a player from playing at his best level, could mean the end of a career. On an even less dramatic level, playing inconsistently and losing the trust of your manager can lead to the same result.

Paying Your Dues

It takes skill, luck and hard work to have a shot at becoming a professional baseball player, and even then, your chances are slim. No academic requirements exist for baseball players. In fact, many are drafted immediately out of high school. First, you need talent — excellent hand-eye coordination, the right body type and specific baseball skills. Then, you need good coaching and training so that you stand out from the other millions of young people who play baseball. This can be accomplished through hard work and dedication in addition to your incredible skill. Then you need luck to play in a game where a scout or a college recruiter can observe you, and you need to play well on that day. If you make it to the minor leagues, you find that everyone else is as young, talented and highly thought of as you are. Around 700 players participate in the major leagues each year. Once there, the average career last 2-7 years.

Every day is a new way for you to make a difference.

Coach Nick

Richmond County Baseball Club Newsletter Volume 13-7

Page 6

Volume 13-7

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