http://www.zazzle.com/baseball+holiday+cards

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Winners are: Dustie Butner, Kylie Buchheit, Patrick Delaney

Goodreads Book Giveaway

It is one thing if a Uconn or other Big East program did this but for a mid-major to conquer these mega teams with unlimited budgets and massive stadiums (LSU had more fans in attendance last night than Stony Brook had all season), it truly is impressive.

There are no more excuses for teams now who consistently lose. You have to ask yourself how could Stony Brook, with a bunch of local New York kids, do what the likes of San Diego State, Pepperdine, and Kansas never do?

(copyright)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5hvoaH2-n0D6Qo6XolSMYADlWJcDg?docId=2b96306630104f368b29692846eb9c81&index=0

The level of play is finally evening out and it is no longer automatic for a top player to go down south. There are only 9 players who can play at a time which meant that night 20 LSU players (at least) were watching from the bench as their team lost. LSU and company only have X amount of scholarship dollars which means that a top player can get a much better deal from a northern program at times.

With the facilities (thank you Joe Nathan for your $500,000 donation for a new Stony Brook field), coaching, and players now playing all year in some form, there are more great northern players than there are spaces down south. I expect to start seeing more “Stony Brook Cinderellas” as time goes on.

One other interesting point is the 7 guys drafted. Clearly the strategy is to go after the guys just below the Big East/southern conference level and develop/coach them to the next level. Then you fill your team out with some JuCo guys. It does prove that there are enough guys in the north that you can compete with anyone.

Sure, it was very tough to be stuck in a dark gym for weeks at a time (with snow falling outside), when our competition was playing on green grass and under sunny skies. We tried to simulate real game situations indoors but it could only be replicated so much. Live at bats and simulated infield/outfield in the gym helped, but regardless it was always a strange feeling that first weekend being outside and in a real game. Literally within hours we would be transplanted from a “winter world” into baseball season.

No one mentioned either how depressing it felt to travel back from road trips and re-enter winter. It may have been in the 50’s inVirginia, but come Sunday night when we arrived back on campus it was dark and in the 20’s.  It usually took three or four weekend series to feel really comfortable and shake the rust off. The problem though with a college season is at that point you are already at least ten games into the season.

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(http://colleenlemasters.com/2008/12/page/3/)

I was looking for a school that met my academic, social, and athletic criteria. I had to ignore how pretty the campus was and/or where the school was located because these things were not as important to me. If I was able to get into a school that offered challenging courses in the area I wanted to focus on, had a group of guys on the team I could see myself spending four years with, and a place where I could excel on the baseball field, that was more than enough.

I wanted a place where upon graduation I would have a degree and baseball career that I was proud of. If that meant going to school in upstateNew Yorkin the snow belt, and going to study halls in between classes and practice, then I was willing to make that sacrifice. I think too often future student-athletes get caught up in going to a “big name” school and worrying too much about what the locker room looks like. It is not to say there aren’t important, but I think most players find that the baseball aspect and circle of friends you find on the team far outweigh in importance the extraneous factors that movies love to play up.

LISTEN HERE

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CBS radio’s “THE OBSERVATION DECK” – Early Spring Training

Ken Jacobi struggled through four years of Division I college baseball. Now, he is sharing his story so others can learn from his hardships.

Jacobi, who grew up in Milford and now lives and works in Stamford, published his book, Going With the Pitch: Adjusting to Baseball, School and Life as a Division I College Athlete in April 2011. The book follows his career as an outfielder and designated hitter for Binghamton University from 2005 to 2009.

“I wanted to share with baseball fans and athletes — especially players in high school — what it’s like to be a college baseball player,” Jacobi said. “And I don’t mean a top prospect who is at a big time school. This book is about the ins and outs, the struggles of an everyday player.”

Binghamton is far from a baseball power. The school boasts less than 12,000 undergraduates. Its baseball program has only played in one NCAA Tournament. It is a school, Jacobi says, where most players know their career ends when they graduate. He says that finality is the reality for most student athletes.

“That’s the mass audience this book appeals to,” he said. “Like me, most players play in college and then it’s over. Then you’ve got to go work for a living.”

The book chronicles both the highs and lows of Jacobi’s college career, from transitioning to college during his freshman year, to struggling for playing time, to winning the America East conference in 2009. He says his lowest point came during his junior year, when the grind nearly made him turn his back on baseball.

“I wanted to quit. I’d had enough,” Jacobi said. “I wanted nothing to do with baseball anymore.”

But he persevered. Eventually, he realized major league baseball wasn’t in his future and decided to enjoy baseball while he still could.

Jacobi kept a journal of his college career as “a way to remember” it when it was over. Little did he know he was actually writing his book.

And now he has a story to tell.

“I don’t go out and give direct advice in this book,” Jacobi said. “All I do is retell my story. And I hope people take something away from it and learn from what I went through.”

So far, Jacobi has seen some results. He says a man whose son plays at Cornell University e-mailed him about the book. Jacobi says the man explained how he and his son read the book and learned what to expect in the coming years.

“It was great to hear,” Jacobi said. “That’s what the book is all about.”

Jacobi estimates the book has sold between 1,000 and 1,500 copies so far.

“Going with the Pitch” is a four part chronicle beginning with author Ken Jacobi’s freshman year at Binghamton University, and culminating with his senior year. The book offers an insider’s view into the life of a college athlete. As Ken shares his experiences on the baseball diamond, in the classroom, and up in the dorm room, the entire college baseball experience comes to life.

“I am honored that my book has been accepted into the College Hall of Fame. I can think of no better home for “Going with the Pitch”  than in the Hall. I hope this will allow my story to be exposed to thousands more college baseball fans across the country that will now have the chance to hear about my experiences as a student-athlete. It means a lot to me and my support group that the CBBHOF has taken note of my work and am thrilled to be part of such an elite class”, said Ken Jacobi.

The National College Baseball Hall of Fame, located in Lubbock, Texas, is a museum operated by the College Baseball Foundation serving as the central point for the study of the history of college baseball in the United States. In partnership with the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library on the campus of Texas Tech University, the National College Baseball Hall of Fame inducts five former collegiate players and five former coaches in addition to two veteran players (from the pre-1947 era), annually.[1]

PRESS RELEASE- College Baseball Hall of Fame