Coach Googs

09/30/2023

Yeah, he rakes!

09/30/2023

Miss it everyday. When my heart mattered, because it got me there. ⚾️

Canadian-American Professional Baseball League

09/30/2023

What a ride! ⚾️

Can-Am Professional Baseball League

09/28/2023

Big news in the coming weeks…fingers crossed! 🤞

09/27/2023

🏆 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 🏆

Judge Robert Devlin, Jr,, a 1968 East Haven graduate, is currently the Deputy Chief...

09/22/2023

12 Things I Would Tell Myself as a Young Player

1. The work you put in away from your team is where real growth happens. Take your personal development into our own hands. Stop waiting for others to help you.

2. The game will be hard on your body. Take care of it.

3. Accountability will be one of your biggest weaknesses. Get better at it ASAP!

4. Everyday you play catch you are a pitcher. Even if you’re not slated to pitch that day, while you play catch, be a pitcher. Work on your throwing mechanics, throw your off speed pitches and hit spots on your partner.

5. THROW YOUR CHANGE UP!! Start learning it from day one. Experiment with different grips. Keep it out of your palm. Play catch with it EVERYDAY you throw the ball. It will be a very important pitch you need later. Develop it and your confidence in it early on so you don’t need to later.

6. GET STRONGER!!

7. Be a student of the game. When you watch the game on TV, watch it more like a student than a fan. Watch how they move their bodies. How they move around the field. Read up on mental toughness. Seek out those with more experience and ask questions.

8. You’re a pitcher. Just because you threw a pitch, your job is not over. The only time you should find yourself still standing on the mound after a hit ball is if there is no one on base and a GB is hit to your 3B or SS. Any other time you are either moving towards 1B to cover if needed or backing up a base somewhere. Stop spectating!

9. Your headspace will separate you from your competitors. Please start learning this at a younger age! Mental toughness, baseball IQ, competitiveness and emotional control need to be a constant focus.

10. You will have some great coaches in your life and some who have no business being in that position. But you can learn something from all of them, even if that means learning how you DON’T want to be as a coach someday.

11. Playing with and through discomfort is part of it. You shouldn’t have to feel 💯 to give 💯. You better develop some toughness in that area if you want to last.

12. Enjoy the Game!! Someday you will play in your final game. Be grateful for what the game gave you. Respect the game. Remember as much as you can. Enjoy your teammates and when you’re ready, give back as much as you can.

09/20/2023

471,025 high school players participated nationally during the ‘10-‘11 season.

Top 0.0006% of hitters in the country.

09/20/2023

The pitcher was MY PREY.

The ball was MY B****.

Target…wait…POUNCE.

Hard work doesn’t warrant smiling for me.

I wanted pitchers to s*** their un**es when “Lurch” came to the plate.

09/04/2023

How did I get here?

Anyone who knows me & my family understand we are very hard-working people; Mom is a Medical Assistant, Dad is a carpet/floor installer. Pretty blue-collared family.

Had no phones, tablets, w/ limited television; “Go outside and play” is rightfully what I got. At the tender age of two, my Grandma noticed I had a weird knack for hitting a ball; lots of practice in the backyard & basement.

She saw something, so she told my parents & Mom recommended to Dad that he should sign me up for baseball.

AND SO IT BEGAN!

From five to the age of twenty-seven, BASEBALL WAS IT! I focused on becoming a professional baseball player, and nothing was going to deter me from that goal.

Little did I understand how much work needed to be done. I was overweight, socially awkward, couldn’t throw due to arm issues, had heavy feet, couldn’t hit for HR at the time, too afraid to make a mistake, couldn’t accept failure gracefully…

…but that same kid earned a full scholarship to a Division 1 school. What was the separator? What did they see that I couldn’t!? THE INTANGLIBLES!

I was the first to show up, the last to leave. I put in the most work…and most of the time, I did it alone; I wanted to win & get better every single day so I put my feelings of loneliness to the side. I had more drive, more love for the game, and more willingness to be coached without being disrespectful; I had more passion & heart than most. Baseball was it for me; failure wasn’t an option.

So I “gutted out” every practice & game I was ever involved in; I had to. My skill set didn’t allow for anything less. I took every tongue-lashing. Every insult. I took every version of a coach’s or manager’s “disciplinary actions,” both physically & mentally.

I earned the right to get drafted, to play pro ball, to live out my dream…but it was halted when my name didn’t show on the draft board. All that hard work out the window…

…well, temporarily anyways. Once I signed my first Independent Baseball contract, it was a bittersweet day. All that hard work for an INDY BALL CONTRACT? That’s what my hard work had to show for? Devastating.

So the chip on my shoulder was big; I had to prove the scouts made a mistake. I never got the chance to play affiliated, but I get to say I earned the right to play professionally for six different teams across three different leagues for five years.

I met people I never would have if I did get drafted. And I still earned my stripes among my peers; they saw the hard work and assured me the scouts made a HUGE MISTAKE.

I missed parties, weddings, funerals, special occasions…those were voluntarily put to the side. And I hated it. Not fun to miss out on leisure. But I slowly understood, as I grew older, that if I really wanted to pursue ball, if I wanted to ba successful, those things HAVE to be put to the side. TRUE family & friends will always be there, as I learned through the years.

To any kid out there who was like me growing up, in a blue-collared setting w/ limited resources and self-doubt…

…I was just like you. And I made it. Look what you can achieve! All it takes is action & heart. ❤️⚾️🥎

09/02/2023

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 (𝘾𝘾𝘽𝙇) - 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧

Huge congratulations to you, Anthony Dadio (Gettysburg Bullets) on being voted CCBL Pitcher of the Year ‘23!

Tony proved why he was Gettysburg’s workhorse, setting the appearances record in his freshman campaign.

This summer, he posted a 4-0 record w/ 4 SV, a 1.06 ERA in 23.1 IP, & posted a 13 BB / 32 K ratio.

He only gave up 3 ER in 102 batters-faced, while opponents only mustered a .198 AVG against him.

Our long talks on the phone paid off this summer! I’m very happy & proud of you, Ant! You are learning how to play the game at a rapid pace!

I don’t think you realize how good you can be! Keep winning your chess matches, and nothing can stop you from achieving your life/baseball goals!

09/01/2023

Fun fact: faced him in Queens w/ the Long Island Black Sox…

…double off the fence, 83 MPH knuckleball; part of a 4-4 showing w/ a HR & 3 RBI.

He was part of the Josh Hamilton trade! ⚾️

SD@CIN: Herrera tosses two perfect innings of relief