Summer Stars
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The Enterprise’s 4UBST NFS ball League N Base V Cod 4 Cape e r Guide to th Vool.l. 22,, ##11 Yoouru Guide to the Cape Cod Baseball Leagu JJuneune 114,4, 22007007 INSIDE: PPreviewsreviews OOff AAllll 1100 TeamsTeams MMr.r. KKettleerettleer JJacobyacoby EEllsbury:llsbury: A PPhonehone CCallall AAwayway PRESORTED STANDARD U.S Postage Paid Falmouth Publishing Co. Now Batting...Season Two Former Cape League Star Welcome to our second season of Summer Stars. The Cape Cod League baseball season opened for us back in February when we began planning for this year. Over the last four and Jacoby Ellsbury On The a half months we have worked hard to prepare for the season and to make Summer Stars the leading source for Cape Cod Fast Track To Fenway Park Baseball League news. This year we will continue to offer the magazine for free at all the CCBL parks and through local businesses on Cape Cod, but in addition we will be offering subscriptions nationally. By doing this we will be bringing the excitement, fl avor and tradition of the country’s oldest amateur summer collegiate baseball league to audiences across the nation. This year Summer Stars will fi nd its way into every Major League Baseball front offi ce and most radio and television broadcast booths. Division I college coaches around the country will be receiving it, as will be player agents DON PARKINSON/ENTERPRISE and professional scouting agencies. Summer Stars will also be making a weekly trip to Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Pawtucket’s Our veteran staff or writers, and contributing writers have Jacob Ellsbury been following Cape League baseball for decades. They know the Cape, the parks and how to fi nd some of the best stories Page Three the summer will have to offer. Their feature stories will take you behind the scenes, and into the dugout, with the top col- legiate players and coaches in America, as well as introduce you to the people that make the Cape Cod Baseball League work. Mr. Kettleer: This summer we’ve added a ninth issue to our usual eight recapping the playoffs and championship series. So join us Arnold Mycock for a summer of Cape Cod Baseball League excitement, come Page Five out to the games, and then sit back and read all about every- thing else that is happening on and off the fi eld with Summer Stars. Dan Crowley, Editor Dan Crowley is also the Sports Editor for the Enterprise News- A Life In Baseball: papers and the author of the 2003 book Baseball on Cape Cod. Cape League Legend George Tsami 5 Page Eleven Teammates at Falmouth NNFS 5IF&OUFSQSJTFT 4V 4VN Page 7 6OL NFS *UNE 9OUR' 4 UIDETOTHE#APE#OD"ASEBALL,EAGUEU BST Photo Highlights US Military All-Stars Game S Pages 8-9 UB ).3)$% 4 0REVIEWS/F Bourne Braves right- !LL4EAMS League Preview East Division & West Division handed pitcher/outfi elder -R+ETTLEER Pages 11-14 and US Naval Academy *ACOBY%LLSBURY junior Mitch Harris has two !0HONE#ALL!WAY dreams. As a midshipman Look for this issue online at Annapolis, he dreams of @ www.capenews.net becoming an offi cer in the 02%3/24%$ Navy, but as a baseball player he dreams of playing 34!.$!2$ 530OSTAGE0AID &ALMOUTH 0UBLISHI Major League Baseball. Last week Harris was drafted in NG#O On The Cover: Ellsbury: From Falmouth to Pawtucket the 24th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Photo by Rich Maclone Draft by the Atlanta Braves. This spring Harris compiled a record of 8-5, with an ERA of 2.14 in 88.1 innings of work for the Midshipmen. His 119 strikeouts were a Patriot League record. At the publisher operations manager design services manager plate he hit .293. His eight home runs and 47 RBI led all William Hough Chuck Borge Christine Stutzman Patriot League hitters. He was selected for the 2007 All- sports editor Patriot League second team as a starting pitcher and sales manager design services designated hitter. In addition, this year he was awarded Dan Crowley Chris Avis Linda Stewart the Thompson Trophy Cup, which is presented to that photo editor Jill Spencer midshipman who has done the most during the year to Julia Balducci promote athletics at the Naval Academy. sales Don Parkinson “I thank the Atlanta Braves for taking me,” he said. Danielle Guay design & layout press supervisor “I have every intention of fulfi lling my military commit- Dawn Mitchell Elisabet K. Rodrigues David Pittman ment, and I’ll do whatever I have to do. But playing pro Trisha Herlihy ball has always been a dream.” Rebecca Whittingdon 50 Depot Avenue In September, Harris will enter his senior year at An- Nancy Medeiros Enterp e ri Falmouth, MA 02540 napolis and have a fi ve-year military service commit- Esther Buchanan h s e 508-548-4700 • 1-800-286-7744 ment. Pam deLala T Falmouth • Mashpee • Bourne • Sandwich Fax: 508-540-8407 Thursday, June 14, 2007 SUMMER STARS 3 FFormerFFormeroorrmmeerr CCapeCCapeaappee LLeagueLLeagueeeaagguuee SStarSStarttaarr JJacobyJJacobyaaccoobbyy EEllsburyEEllsburyllllssbbuurryy OOnOOnnn TTheTThehhee FFastFFastaasstt TTrackTTrackrraacckk TToTTooo FFenwayFFenwayeennwwaayy PParkPParkaarrkk On a typically sweaty August Jeff Trundy into the leadoff that he put emphasis on. afternoon in The Hub Jacoby spot immediately, Ellsbury “I shortened up my swing a Ellsbury had just worked out began to turn heads with little bit, it was a little longer for the Boston Red Sox with a his hustling style, breakneck than I wanted it to be, so I group of Cape Cod Baseball speed and fl ashy glove. Every made it more compact and League all-stars at Fenway night it seemed that Ellsbury worked on limiting my strike- Park. After slicing and dicing did something to help the outs to become a true, good BP fastballs in the cage at the team, and the team began to leadoff hitter.” little ballpark off of Landsd- ascend up the standings. On His work on fundamentals owne Street Ellsbury made his a team that was fi lled with and attention to detail has way across the street to one of high draft picks – including paid dividends at every level. the slightly overpriced souvenir Dallas Buck, Dan Carte and Ellsbury joined the Sox short shops near the ballpark. Cliff Pennington – Ellsbury season ‘A’ level club, the Like most baseball fans vis- stood out. Lowell Spinners, in July of iting Fenway for the fi rst time Statistically speaking, 2005 and hit .317 that sum- the Oregon State outfi elder, Ellsbury didn’t have eye-pop- mer. He then moved to the who would help the Falmouth ping numbers on the Cape. higher level ‘A’ team, in Wilm- Commodores to their fi rst He had a solid season, batting ington, North Carolina, for the appearance in the CCBL .245 as he averaged about a start of the 2006 season and championship series since hit per game while posting an hit .299 there over 65 games 1980 – three years before he on-base percentage of .376. before moving up to the Port- was born – had to pick up He had a couple of doubles, land Sea Dogs, and the ‘AA’ ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO some kind of memento from three triples and a homer and level. At Portland he hit at a Jacob Ellsbury while playing in 2004 for the Commodores his trip. It was at that moment knocked in seven runs from .308 clip for the rest of the that he became a fl edgling the leadoff spot. On a team season, playing in 50 games I know that the big league pen he also has a very good member of Red Sox Nation, that is not known for doing a there. The year 2006 proved club is doing real well and chance of being promoted purchasing a Sox cap that lot of running, he swiped 12 to a great one for Ellsbury on all I can do is to continue to the big league club after caught his eye. bases (in 15 attempts). And, several levels as he would to improve as a player, and September 1 when the MLB The lid bought in Boston Ellsbury played spectacular receive enough trophies to fi ll continue to develop. I’m still rosters expand for the fi nal would travel back across the defense as he chased down a shelf, being named the Red young, so even if I get there month of the season. country to Corvalis, OR. Dur- anything in the same zip code. Sox Minor League Player Of this year, next year, or the fol- “That’d be nice, just for the ing the preseason he began Ellsbury earned an all-star The Year and Baserunner Of lowing year, I’m going to keep experience, if anything, even to throw it atop his shortly nod and it was clear that he The Year. He was named to developing when I get to the if I don’t get into any games,” cut hair. It went from being was moving higher and higher the Carolina League’s All-Star big leagues as well.” the former Falmouth Commo- just a part of his college dude on MLB teams’ draft radars. team and named the Eastern Chances are that Ellsbury dore said. “Just to sit on the wardrobe and morphed into a The blip got much bigger when League Player of the Week could don a Boston Red Sox bench and watch, I can learn sort of “lucky hat.” he went back to OSU and (August 6-13). uniform sooner rather than a lot from just watching and Little did he know what it hit .406 the next year with 19 The 23-year old began the later.