BB: SUNYAC

[JQV]

I knew he was lefty but I can see how my post was misleading.  I just wanted to qualify the superlative before someone from some place I have never heard of popped in to point out that their park is 505 in dead center or something. 

Lefty or righty, the wind in that part of the park keeps all but the biggest of flys in play.

When you guys were playing in 1995 I was playing my last year of Little League, getting ready for high school, and had never heard of either Ithaca or Cortland.

[pudge27]

I don't usually feel too old until somebody busts out something like that.  I agree with your point on that part of the field.  We did have a right handed hitter put one over that sign, but he was a beast.

[John McGraw]

1998: Cortland 15 Ithaca 3, Cortland 12 Ithaca 11
1999: Cortland 8 Ithaca 6, Ithaca 13 Cortland 3, Cortland 8 Ithaca 3*, Cortland 11 Ithaca 3*
2000: Cortland 6 Ithaca 5 (10), Cortland 6 Ithaca 0**, Cortland 6 Ithaca 1**
2001: Ithaca 4 Cortland 3, Ithaca 6 Cortland 5, Cortland 14 Ithaca 2***, Cortland 5 Ithaca 4***
2002: Ithaca 4 Cortland 1, Ithaca 6 Cortland 3, Ithaca 3 Cortland 2^
2003: Cortland 2 Ithaca 0, Ithaca 8 Cortland 4, Cortland 9 Ithaca 4^^
2004: Cortland 6 Ithaca 2, Ithaca 8 Cortland 5^^^
2005: Ithaca 10 Cortland 8, Ithaca 2 Cortland 2, Cortland 9 Ithaca 8$, Cortland 9 Ithaca 7$
2006: Ithaca 16 Cortland 4, Cortland 10 Ithaca 4, Cortland 8 Ithaca 3$$
2007: Cortland 9 Ithaca 4, Cortland 8 Ithaca 5%, Cortland 9 Ithaca 4%

*1999 NCAA Regionals, Colonie, Cortland wins twice on final day
**2000 NCAA Regionals, Auburn
***2001 NCAA Regionals, Auburn
^2002 NCAA Regionals, Colonie, Ithaca knocks out Cortland and then loses to Travis Teeter-led RPI in title game
^^2003 NCAA Regionals, Troy, teams met in the losers bracket after Trinity (Conn.) and Mt. St. Mary shocked IC and Cortland in first round
^^^2004 NCAA Regionals, Troy, Ithaca knocks out Cortland and loses to Brockport in championship game
$ 2005 NCAA Regionals, Auburn, Cortland takes winners bracket game and then beats Ithaca in title round
$$ 2006 NCAA Regionals, Auburn, winners bracket final
% 2007 NCAA Regionals, Auburn, Cortland wins twice on final day to get back to World Series for first trip since 2005

Information provided by http://www.cortlandreddragons.com

[jdex]

      Is there a better 1-2 catching punch than CSt's M. Zaccardo-A. Gardner. Both swing lefty, and actually Zaccardo had gotten off to a rather slow start offensively. Gardner on the other hand has sizzled. One catches, the other dh's. Zaccardo will be an absolute pro pick

     In Bob "Sparky" Wallace's early coaching career he had a catcher the longtime coach might consider his best, maybe of any position player -- Dick Cameron. Real slugger.

     But if someone asks Cortland's, and perhaps SUNYAC's, best, here's a vote for Craig Kerner. He's currently on coaching staff. Was a hitting machine in the 90'sand played in Expos' organization

[John McGraw]

      Is there a better 1-2 catching punch than CSt's M. Zaccardo-A. Gardner. Both swing lefty, and actually Zaccardo had gotten off to a rather slow start offensively. Gardner on the other hand has sizzled. One catches, the other dh's. Zaccardo will be an absolute pro pick

     In Bob "Sparky" Wallace's early coaching career he had a catcher the longtime coach might consider his best, maybe of any position player -- Dick Cameron. Real slugger.

     But if someone asks Cortland's, and perhaps SUNYAC's, best, here's a vote for Craig Kerner. He's currently on coaching staff. Was a hitting machine in the 90'sand played in Expos' organization

That's a tough choice because so many great players have come through Cortland over the last 5-10 years. I think Kerner is certainly up there on the list of maybe the top three, but I didn't see enough of him as a player to say that he's the best. Of the teams I broadcast games for and the players I saw, I'd say the best at least recently was Andy Mead. Well, Andrew Mead, now. ("It's Don Most now")

Here's a guy that's a four-year starter that got better every year he was at Cortland. He started as a speed guy ("Mr. Speed" dubbed by Gordon Mann), a lot like Anthony Coromato is now, except not at that level. And by his senior year, he was a power guy at the plate that could put the ball over the fence. And from what I remember, he had a solid outfield arm.

As for sluggers, of which Mike Zaccardo is now, I think I'd take Jeff Flegler in the slot before him. But, if Zaccardo takes a second SUNYAC Player of the Year award or has a monster regional, he may pass Flegler on my list.

[StarvinMarvin]

jdex, what round was kerner drafted in and was he drafted as a junior or a senior? 

[FranElia]

Starvin - Craig Kerner was drafted in the 13th round of the 2000 draft by the Expos after his junior season. We've had a number of very talented players at Cortland in my 17 years, but he's perhaps the best I've seen (especially among the position players).

John - To Andrew Mead's defense, he never asked to be called Andy. When he first arrived, Coach Brown listed him as Andy on the roster he gave us. We ask players on their info forms what name they want listed on the roster, and he never put down Andy, but we called him that due to what Coach listed. It wasn't until late in his career that we finally realized that he preferred Andrew, so we switched.

Being the person he is, Mead never said one word about it. Not a surprise - he is one of the best people I've gotten to know over the years among all the Cortland student-athletes I've met, and I'm glad he's still doing well in the White Sox farm system.

Fran Elia
Cortland SID

[JQV]

Starvin - Craig Kerner was drafted in the 13th round of the 2000 draft by the Expos after his junior season. We've had a number of very talented players at Cortland in my 17 years, but he's perhaps the best I've seen (especially among the position players).

I was thinking Kerner too.  He was very fun to watch.  I was just going to keep my opinion to myself having not seen these other kids but I have a strict policy of always agreeing with Fran so I will go ahead and chime in.

[Bob Maxwell]

Hot soup...

I didn't say he was better... I said he was faster.

Someone asked a question about Meola and his being removed for a pinch runner.  I answered the question.  Both Meola and Micheals are good players and had been splitting time at second.

Right now both are in the lineup as Micheals has moved over to third so both are in the lineup.

[StarvinMarvin]

Fran, thank you very much for the info.  I never saw the kid play but I trust your opinion.

[scuba16]

Fran is right on the $ as usual. Kerner is the obvious choice, the offensive #'s the guy put up in only 3 yrs and MORE IMPORTANTLY the # of wins cortland had in the 3 yrs he played are uncomparable. Add in the fact that he is the highest draft choice of anybody from a SUNYAC school (that I know of) and there u have it, discussion over!
Some other (Position Players) guys to throw into the discussion are:

Scott Bartucca- 1995 Oswego, 1B 6'5 Lefty/Lefty drafted 2x's, once out of high school and once out of JUCO transferred to Oswego from St Johns. Was a force to be reckoned with

Alex Steele- 1995-1997 Cortland, Tigers 15th, 6'3 Rght/Rght OF, Cannon, dropped bombs. Led the NY Penn leagued in HR's 2 yrs before tearing his Labrum

Mark Duncan 1993-1994 Cortland Signed Non Drafted Free agent. Hit .495 for Cortland in 1994

Those were some of the position guys I played with and against that were the best!

[John McGraw]

I was just joking about Mead since that's an amusing story. I didn't quite remember the whole thing. He certainly looks more like an Andrew here...

http://www.intimidatorsbaseball.com/clubhouse/players.asp?playerId=158

[HotSoupTrio]

whatever happened to Wanamaker at Cortland? i think he was there late 90's early 00's

[jdex]

    Cortland 14, Oneonta 2, 1st of dh

[sunyacguru]

plattsburgh 12, 3      fredonia 5,2

second game i believe went extras, brockport splits with sunyit, cortland sweeps oneonta, and NP and Oswego split