Post by admin on Aug 25, 2010 6:28:34 GMT -5
nt.gmnews.com/news/2010-08-25/Sports/Freehold_boys_a_hit_at_Cooperstown_tourney.html
Freehold boys a hit at Cooperstown tourney
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
The Boro Boys from Freehold Borough left Cooperstown, N.Y., better all around for the experience. The baseball team made up of 12 players from the Freehold Intermediate School learned a lot about themselves and played plenty of baseball when they took part in a tournament at the home of the baseball Hall of Fame.
“The idea was that we wanted to give a group of kids an experience they could share together,” said coach Will Smith, who coached the team during the Freehold Intermediate School season. “It was an incredible experience to see them mature and jell and come together. It was really a pleasure to see.”
Sam Cubero, who as a graduated eighth-grader was one of the older players on the Boro Boys, said the Cooperstown trip helped him get to know his teammates better and to bond with them.
“I got to hang out with friends for an entire week,” he said. “I think I know them (teammates) better. We could connect better. We got close.”
The Boro Boys competed in the 13-U division even though most of the players are 12 years old. They more than held their own against teams from throughout the country and the Virgin Islands. The Boro Boys went 3-3-1 in seven games played over four days (one game was rained out).
“It did feel really good to represent Freehold,” said Cubero, adding that he thought the team did a very good job representing the town.
In addition to bonding as friends, the real reason for the trip was baseball. The Freehold Intermediate School team had a tough season in 2010, playing many sixth-graders against middle school teams that had players from the seventh and eighth grades, and in some cases just the eighth grade.
Smith was looking to build some momentum for the 2011 season and he wanted to help the players erase the memories of a one-win season. He heard about the Cooperstown tournament, which was held during the first week of August, and decided it would be good for his team.
He could not have predicted how well things turned out.
“They played with heart, they played smart and they played with pride,” said Smith. “They felt they could compete and were competitive in every game.”
The Boro Boys’ offense was more productive in the tournament than it was during the 2010 season and that effort helped the team go .500 in Cooperstown and build a solid foundation for 2011. The team will have eight players from the Cooperstown team returning to the Freehold Intermediate School squad next spring.
“We left on a very positive note,” said Smith. “I am looking forward to next season.”
An added bonus to playing in the tournament is receiving a pass to visit the baseball Hall of Fame. For the players it was a history lesson they were eager to receive.
“One thing I noticed is that they (players) do have a good sense of the players of the past, that was good to see,” Smith said, adding that the hall’s Roberto Clemente display was a big hit with the Hispanic players on the team.
Cubero had been to the Hall of Fame before and looked forward to seeing the plaques of the players who have been added to the Hall of Fame since his first trip to Cooperstown.
“I like to look at the plaques and find players I didn’t know,” said Cubero, who listed Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as his favorites.
The reactions of his teammates who had never been to the baseball Hall of Fame were not lost on Cubero. He recalled “seeing the smiles on their faces and their interest in learning about the older players.” The visit had a positive impact on the team.
Inspired by their visit to the Hall of Fame, the Boro Boys won two of their three games afterward.
Playing and practicing baseball as much as they did in Cooperstown made the Boro Boys better individually and as a team.
Cubero, a pitcher who will be a freshman at Freehold High School, benefited from playing against strong international competition (among the team’s opponents was St. Thomas, Virgin Islands). He hopes to play baseball for the Colonials and said facing that type of competition was just what he needed.
“It was challenging,” he said. “I did gain confidence. I seemed to do better than during the (school) season. It showed I’m improving.”
Every player on the team could say the same thing as the trip to Cooperstown proved to be a home run for the Boro Boys.
The Boro Boys were Sam Cubero, Jomar DeJesus, Elijah Milligan, David Nassar, Nick Belka, Mike Nardone, Caleb Schreier, Aaron Valenti, Jake Curry, Vinnie Hynes, Ryan Kudish and Dannie Smith.
Also joining the team for its trip to upstate New York was coach Brian Belka.
Freehold boys a hit at Cooperstown tourney
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
The Boro Boys from Freehold Borough left Cooperstown, N.Y., better all around for the experience. The baseball team made up of 12 players from the Freehold Intermediate School learned a lot about themselves and played plenty of baseball when they took part in a tournament at the home of the baseball Hall of Fame.
“The idea was that we wanted to give a group of kids an experience they could share together,” said coach Will Smith, who coached the team during the Freehold Intermediate School season. “It was an incredible experience to see them mature and jell and come together. It was really a pleasure to see.”
Sam Cubero, who as a graduated eighth-grader was one of the older players on the Boro Boys, said the Cooperstown trip helped him get to know his teammates better and to bond with them.
“I got to hang out with friends for an entire week,” he said. “I think I know them (teammates) better. We could connect better. We got close.”
The Boro Boys competed in the 13-U division even though most of the players are 12 years old. They more than held their own against teams from throughout the country and the Virgin Islands. The Boro Boys went 3-3-1 in seven games played over four days (one game was rained out).
“It did feel really good to represent Freehold,” said Cubero, adding that he thought the team did a very good job representing the town.
In addition to bonding as friends, the real reason for the trip was baseball. The Freehold Intermediate School team had a tough season in 2010, playing many sixth-graders against middle school teams that had players from the seventh and eighth grades, and in some cases just the eighth grade.
Smith was looking to build some momentum for the 2011 season and he wanted to help the players erase the memories of a one-win season. He heard about the Cooperstown tournament, which was held during the first week of August, and decided it would be good for his team.
He could not have predicted how well things turned out.
“They played with heart, they played smart and they played with pride,” said Smith. “They felt they could compete and were competitive in every game.”
The Boro Boys’ offense was more productive in the tournament than it was during the 2010 season and that effort helped the team go .500 in Cooperstown and build a solid foundation for 2011. The team will have eight players from the Cooperstown team returning to the Freehold Intermediate School squad next spring.
“We left on a very positive note,” said Smith. “I am looking forward to next season.”
An added bonus to playing in the tournament is receiving a pass to visit the baseball Hall of Fame. For the players it was a history lesson they were eager to receive.
“One thing I noticed is that they (players) do have a good sense of the players of the past, that was good to see,” Smith said, adding that the hall’s Roberto Clemente display was a big hit with the Hispanic players on the team.
Cubero had been to the Hall of Fame before and looked forward to seeing the plaques of the players who have been added to the Hall of Fame since his first trip to Cooperstown.
“I like to look at the plaques and find players I didn’t know,” said Cubero, who listed Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as his favorites.
The reactions of his teammates who had never been to the baseball Hall of Fame were not lost on Cubero. He recalled “seeing the smiles on their faces and their interest in learning about the older players.” The visit had a positive impact on the team.
Inspired by their visit to the Hall of Fame, the Boro Boys won two of their three games afterward.
Playing and practicing baseball as much as they did in Cooperstown made the Boro Boys better individually and as a team.
Cubero, a pitcher who will be a freshman at Freehold High School, benefited from playing against strong international competition (among the team’s opponents was St. Thomas, Virgin Islands). He hopes to play baseball for the Colonials and said facing that type of competition was just what he needed.
“It was challenging,” he said. “I did gain confidence. I seemed to do better than during the (school) season. It showed I’m improving.”
Every player on the team could say the same thing as the trip to Cooperstown proved to be a home run for the Boro Boys.
The Boro Boys were Sam Cubero, Jomar DeJesus, Elijah Milligan, David Nassar, Nick Belka, Mike Nardone, Caleb Schreier, Aaron Valenti, Jake Curry, Vinnie Hynes, Ryan Kudish and Dannie Smith.
Also joining the team for its trip to upstate New York was coach Brian Belka.