JUNE 17, 2004
New league worth seeing
You just don’t see a lot of walks in the NYCBL, which makes for quick games...
By MICHAEL LEWIS Local Sports, THE POST-STAR

After two weeks of play, here is what I can tell you about the New York Collegiate Baseball League:

This is really good, quality baseball.

The pitching is way ahead of the hitting.

And Glens Falls might be the best team in the whole league.

There's more I could tell you, of course, but it'd probably be better understood if you came out to East Field, or to Saratoga's East Side Rec, and saw for yourself.

You could see the rocket arm of Glens Falls shortstop Jeremy Goldschmeding, a University of Michigan player who goes into the hole with ease and comes out firing hard to first base.

You could also glimpse the smooth stroke of Saratoga outfielder Casper Wells, who has been one of the bright spots on a Phillies team that has struggled out of the gate.

Then there are the Glens Falls pitchers. Pick any of them to watch, and you won't be disappointed. From the blazing fastballs of Brett Zamzow to the just cruel offspeed pitches of Steven Calicutt and Jeremy Hall, the Golden Eagles' staff has put on clinic after clinic through the first 12 games of the season.

Now I know there are NYCBL skeptics out there, fans of the old Lumberjacks or another former inhabitant of East Field that are used to pro baseball.

But having seen these kids and low minor league ball in my life, I'm telling you there's really not much of a difference.

The defensive ability of the players is about the same, while the offense is definitely a little better in the pros.

But that's partly because these summer players are hitting with wooden bats for the first time in months.

And the pitching, at least on the Glens Falls team, is not that far off from pro-level. Each hurler on the Golden Eagles possesses a multitude of off-speed pitches, and what has truly amazed me is nearly every pitcher in the league has good control.

You just don't see a lot of walks in the NYCBL, which makes for quick games and forces batters to swing.

David Williams, a Golden Eagles outfielder from Rutgers University, admitted that the quality of the games has so far has surprised him a little.

"I knew this was a good league coming in, but it seems even better than I heard," Williams said. "Every team has two or three excellent pitchers, and it really makes you focus and concentrate every time up there."

The Golden Eagles have to be considered a big success story so far; at 10-2, they're in first place in the Eastern Division and are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into tonight's home game against Mohawk Valley.

Head coach John Mayotte has handled his team deftly so far, keeping everybody on the roster fresh by constantly rotating players in and out of the lineup.

The new and improved East Field has held up well so far, and the improvements made to East Side Rec have been noticeable as well (although something needs to be done about the infield; three or four balls on Monday night took Astroturf-like hops over fielder's heads).

The scene Monday in Saratoga Springs for the Golden Eagles-Phillies was picture-perfect. Fans of both teams filled the bleachers on a beautiful late spring night, and players on both teams played hard.

These kids are trying on every play, looking to impress any scout who might be in the crowd, and they're as respectful as you'd want your son to be.

So far, I'd say the NYCBL is a welcome addition to our summers here, and I think any fan even mildly curious would be impressed upon taking a stroll out to one of the parks (Heck, in Saratoga it's free).

The players may not be getting paid, but in every other sense, you're getting a chance to see pro baseball.

And you don't even have to drive to Fenway or into the Bronx.