The tired blogger is back.
Can’t pass up such a special occasion as Opening Day in the region, without blogging.
First up, some old hoop business. The Carson Desrosiers fire is again being re-stoked.
Heard that Georgia Tech, Providence and, oh shoot, one other big timer that has shown mega interest was in this week to see him. Why I have somehow blanked on the third, I do not know.
I do know that it wasn’t the Cuse. Hey Jimmy B. Get your butt down here, and put the press on the big fella. I just have the feeling that CD will look good in Orange.
Next I want to address some great points on the blog by Centralfan.
I too am so disgusted with the proliferation of the radar gun.
I believe he called it “velocity inflation.”
First off, this is not new.
The folks surrounding Jeff Juden at Salem, Mass., High had the future big leaguer at 96-97 regularly in high school.
I have first-hand knowledge that those 96s were more like 91s, still phenomenal but not inhuman.
Even Pinkerton’s Jay Yennaco, who I think threw harder than anyone I’ve seen in the region … and I apologize for never seeing Londonderry’s Brian Wilson in H.S. (those were my news editor days, two-time NE Newspaper of the Year under my reign by the way … but I digress) … was consistently 88-91 in h.s., topping out around 93.
The problem these days, first and foremost, is that there are more and more guns out there.
Who can you trust?
I watched Lawrence’s Yunior Vasquez send the pro scouts, who had put their guns away when the Weisman kid from A-B finished for the day, scurrying for the equipment.
Vasquez, the aforementioned LHS phenom who is the hot commodity at DBs as the CC fan mentioned, was dealing gas, and it was popping at 88.
Can he throw 88-90 for strikes regularly? We’ll see.
Look, I’ll bet that Farrell and Carlson at Andover can throw it 90. That, these days, is a license to say they are in the 90s.
They are studs, the two of them, future pros most likely, but that doesn’t mean they’re humming bbs in there at 95.
Again, Farrell’s words, he threw his hardest last year against Tewksbury.
The balls that the Redmen hit off him in that one still ring in my ears. But the kid learned a cutter or sinker to go with that heat. All of a sudden, he’s off the charts, same with Carlson.
The guns will be out all spring. Go to a backstop when these guys pitch, just don’t be disappointed when Farrell is mowing teams down with 87 mph heat on the knees.
You know, there is no shame to beat people at 83-85.
Two champion high school pitchers that did that come to mind, Andover’s Jim Hanning and Salem, N.H.’s, Terry Doyle, who is currently a White Sox minor leaguer.
Walk into either gym and you’ll see their banners.
Pitching is more than power. It’s about competing and location.
I think about Marc Pelletier’s one sectional title team at Central.
The dominating pitchers on that club were Ryan Kearney, one of the greats in the region for all time who went on to play in the minors with Cleveland, and Al Blackington, one of the grittiest competitors I’ve ever seen.
Blackington, at his best, couldn’t have busted 75, but man did he deal when the Raiders needed it.
And Kearney was 84 in h.s, 88 at UMass Lowell and then 90 in the pros, until his arm went.
Kearney, Doyle, Hanning … they were all competitors, better at the handling the one-on-one fight between pitcher and hitter than 99 percent of the athletes out there.
I see a lot of those guys in Tewksbury’s Ronnie Wallace. As his coach says, Ronnie paints on the black at 82, but he never gives an inch.
Dave Koerner last year with Methuen … just a fighter. Remind me never to get in a Wiffle Ball game with him.
Which brings me to my Wednesday date with Brooks and Pingree over on the lake at North Andover.
Thumbs down to the Pingree coaching staff, which held back Methuen’s Jolmi Minaya-Suriel.
Look, if I’m going out and freeze my bones off, I deserve to see the Richmond-bound Minaya vs. the Dartmouth-bound Michael Johnson.
Brooks coach John Fahey explained that Pingree was saving Minaya for league action, but that means so little to a man like me. I say this with complete understanding folks. Crank up your sarcasm meter.
We’ll start with Johnson, who might as well have been throwing 90 in that icebox.
The southpaw opened with 8 straight strikeouts, then a stick out the bat grounder to short.
In the fourth, he got K No. 9, then got Minaya on a foul pop and struck out the No. 3 man in the lineup. A dropped third strike extended the inning, though.
He then gave up a bloop over the second baseman for the first hit and a clean two-run single, before a fly to left ended his debut on the hill.
His line 4 ip, 2r, 0er, 2h, 0bb, 10k. All this in tundra-like conditions.
Yikes.
I spoke to Johnson and shot some video, that hopefully my tech folks will post on Thursday right here on this site.
On to Minaya.
The kid just exudes “ballplayer.”
He was 0 for 2 with a walk, but made as sweet a play as you’ll see ranging deep into the hole, leaving his feet to snag a hot shot and coming up with a laser to first.
All right, that’s it. I’m going to turn in, but I won’t be able to sleep, thinking of the third school in to see Carson that I missed.
Remember, it’s Methuen at St. John’s Prep today, Thursday, at 3:30.
Think the Rangers are going to get another dose of talented townie (or since it’s Methuen, fellow city-ie) Chris Carmain.
If I know Prep coach Pat Yanchus, I say absolutely.
Hopefully, the weather clears.
HL
