By this time it would have been impossible for anyone not to have seen the video showing the head basketball coach Mike Rice grabbing, verbally abusing, and throwing basketballs at his players. Was I shocked at the video? The answer is no. First, let me say that even though most of my postings involve baseball …
After saying goodbye and thanking Rico Brogna for his talk on scouting to my class, I picked up my wife and we were off to West Point. I was scheduled to give a talk on batting streaks to Father Costa’s sabermetrics class the next day at 7:30 AM. Father Costa is a rare combination. He …
From 9 am on March 26th to 12 PM on March 27th, I had the privilege of spending time with two special people. One man, Rico Brogna, was a former Major Leaguer; the other man, Gabriel Costa, is a Catholic priest and mathematician. My 27 hour adventure begins with Rico Brogna’s visit to my baseball …
My friend, the talented artist, John-Norman Tuck, http://john-normantuck.com/ , who I spoke about in an earlier blog posting bought four tickets to the Yankees –Rays spring training game in Port Charlotte, Fl. Whereas I am a huge Yankee fan, John-Norman is just as big a Rays fan . The date was March 12; 2013. The baseball gods …
After retiring in 2001 as an active player, Rico spent a short time figuring out what a 32 year old retired ballplayer will do with the rest of his life. He continued his connection to Major League Baseball scouting for such teams as the Rays, Rockies, and Diamondbacks. He returned to his roots and coached …
Here we are with our friends, John-Norman and Marcia Tuck at the Charlotte Sports Park.. Of course, it was the only chilly, rainy day all week. Read my preceeding blog for game details.
After signing his contract with Detroit, it was off to Bristol, TN, the Tigers Rookie League affiliate. At the age of 18, Rico was forced to adapt quickly to living on a monthly paycheck of $250.00 after taxes. That year he appeared in 60 games batting .254. The next year he was off to Lakeland, …
A brief biography for Rico Brogna goes as follows. Rico was born on April 18, 1970 in Turner Falls, Ma. He attended Watertown High School in Watertown Ct. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round, pick number 26, of the amateur draft. He signed with the Tigers on June 18, 1988. He …
The record paid for a home run baseball is $752,000. This was the amount fetched for Barry Bonds’ record breaking 756th home run. Clearly, Jose Molina’s home run, the last home run hit at Yankee Stadium, will not get anywhere near that amount. In fact, an auction held in 2008 with a minimum starting bid of …
Note: The following blog was written by a woman in my Baseball and Statistics course. Please comment on this touching story or supply your own story of how baseball/softball changed your life. The first time I picked up a softball was my first t-ball game. From that moment I became addicted to being on the diamond. …