How Cervelli's Mother Helped Him Get Through the Tough Times

It all started when Francisco Cervelli was fifteen years old, sitting at his kitchen table with his mother in Venezuela, telling her he was going to be a big league catcher someday in the future.  That is some big dream, right?  There are many young boys who say that, hoping to emulate their favorite player's careers in the  major leagues.  Cervelli wasn't just any young boy, though.  He made his dream a reality.

When Cervelli was playing in the Dominican Republic for the Yankees he called his mother crying, "I don't like the food. I'm not eating anything. It's tough here.' She said, 'Oh. You told me you wanted to play baseball,' and she hung up the phone."  Tough love, eh?  

Cervelli's mother has also been one to show what true love and strength is.  Damelis Cervelli has that mother's instinct; always knows when something is bothering her son.  Completing error after error in the International League, striking out in the batter's box left and right, Damelis knew something wasn't right with her son.  Once she received the phone call from him saying that he was fine and that nothing was wrong, her motherly instincts kicked in.  Right then and there Manuel and Damelis Cervelli hopped on a plane from Valencia, Venezuela all the way to Buffalo, NY.  

Once in his mother's embrace, it fixed everything for Cervelli.  Her instincts were right.  He needed his parents emotional support right now because he was having one tough season in the International Leagues.  Cervelli's parents didn't necessarily tell him what he wanted to hear at first, but after all the up's and down's we all realize that all our parents want is the best for us, just as Cervelli realized when his parents came to visit him.  

On the last day of spring training in the 2012 season, Cervelli was prepping to become the back-up catcher for the New York Yankees, behind Russell Martin. That was until the Yankees made a move and traded for catcher Chris Stewart.  This move sent Cervelli down to Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where the team had to play all their games on the road because the ballpark was in the midst of a big renovation.  Cervelli was down on himself for the way that he was playing.  He had a batting average in the .100's and lead the league in past balls.  Damelis Cervelli stepped in and said, "No matter what, just play. Baseball is so beautiful."  That was all Cervelli needed to hear.  

The Cervelli's traveled for three weeks, while Francisco was in the Minor Leagues last year.  Before Damelis left, she told her son that he better keep playing his game because baseball is his passion.  The minute he stops doing that, Cervelli's parents told him they are bringing him home with them.  

He has never seen his mother shed a tear in her life, even if she is upset, she does not show it.  She has always given Cervelli the tough love he needed.  As Cervelli rejoined the Yankees in the Major Leagues this past year, he faces another tough challenge: a fractured right wrist that he suffered on April 26th.  Cervelli's parents traveled to Florida where the X-rays were taken.  Although they had originally intended to go back home to Venezuela, they instead stayed by Cervelli's side when he went in to surgery to repair his wrist. As Cervelli stated, "I've always been a mommy's boy."

Hope you all enjoyed the light-hearted story just Mother's Day is approaching this Sunday. On that note, I wanted to say a Happy Mother's Day to my mom. Cervelli and I may have to compete, though, because I believe my mom is the strongest woman I have ever known.  

Exemplary Blog

When I was creating my blog, I first researched around the Internet to find other Yankee blogs that I find exemplary.  I'm a visuals-type of person.  I like using visuals when I'm working on a presentation or blog, and looking at visuals when I read an article. When I came upon the Pinstripedbible blog, it really struck my interest.  The graphics that the author used really caught my eye.  It didn't seem like just an ordinary blog.  I actually went and looked at the link to every recent graphic that had been posted.  There are 310 blogs that have been posted.                                                          

 

 

                                                               Pinstripedbible

 

 

On the Pinstripedbible website, fans are allowed to post as many comments as they would like through the Fan posts link.  Although there are certain rules for the Yankees community, known as Community Guidelines.  There is no cursing or offensive cursing allowed in any blog post.  Fans are also able to purchase tickets through the link on the website. 

 

Anything you need to know about the Yankees games or players, this blog has it.  about what is going on with the team?  Your tweets may just show up on their homepage!  After all, there is a reason why it is called the Pinstripedbible.

Yankee Stadium: Oh, What an Experience It Is!

Remember those days when bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium would cost 75 cents, hot dogs would cost 50 cents at the most, and the Subway fare was only 15 cents? Ninety years ago, John Phillip Sousa's band played the National Anthem. The Yankees ended up winning 4-1 to the Boston Red Sox. Now I'm not talking about the Yankee Stadium that the Yankees currently play in; this post is about the original stadium.



Though it was called the "House that Ruth Built," it was actually the second stadium, located at 161st street and River Avenue in the Bronx.  It was in the same location as the first one, which was built in 1923, but was remodeled in 1973.  The seating capacity was extended from 58,000 to 67,000 once the remodel was completed.  The wooden seats and beams that would block many peoples' view were removed for a more updated look.  Yankee Stadium lost a little bit of its charm during that the time of the remodel, but still retained most of its character.

 Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez, and Andy Pettitte have all played in the old Yankee Stadium where Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Whitey Ford, and Joe DiMaggio both started and finished their amazing careers.  Yankee Stadium has hosted a number of other sporting events including the historic Joe Louis and Max Schmeling boxing match in 1938. "Did you know that underneath second base in Yankee Stadium there was (removed in 1976) once a brick vault fifteen feet wide that contained electrical, telephone and miscellaneous equipment for boxing events?" (Baseball Almanac)


One of the most important features that the old Yankee Stadium had was its own Monument Park in center field.  It was basically like an open museum for everyone to see every time they came to watch a game at the stadium.  Monument Park contained plaques, monuments, and the uniform numbers of the retired, Hall-of-Fame players.  A replica of Monument Park was created in 2009 for the new Yankee Stadium.

As former Yankee Bernie Williams stated about the closing of the old Yankee stadium,"concrete doesn't talk back to you---it's the people in the stands who made this place magical."  The new stadium may not have the same charm and character that the original stadium had, yet history is still being made every game.  After all, it is the people that wear the clothes; the clothes don't wear the people.  Just as it is not the wooden seats, nor the steal beams or concrete walls that make Yankee Stadium magical; It is the thousands of cheering, screaming, die-hard fans that do.

                                                    

Calling Preston Claiborne to the Pitcher's Mound!

 The New York Yankees brought up twenty-five year-old pitcher Preston Claiborne from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last Friday to help boost the bullpen.  Claiborne is set to replace the injured Joba Chamberlain, as well as bullpen David Robertson.  Robertson has been dealing with discomfort and soreness in his left hamstring.   Relief pitcher Cody Eppley was designated for assignment in order to make room for Claiborne on the Yankees limited 40-man roster. 




  According to manager Joe Giardi, Claiborne's has a good fastball that can reach up
to 95 mph, along with a strong slider and change-up. 

  During his time in the minor leagues Claiborne had an era of 3.48, with three saves in three outings.  He's also allowed fourteen hits in 10 1/3 innings, with ten strikeouts. 

 "It's always a different animal coming from Triple-A and pitching against guys up here," Claiborne said. "Obviously I don't have the extended experience pitching at this level, but pitching in Spring Training and getting a little taste of what it's like and what veteran hitters are like, having that limited experience is definitely beneficial."

  Claiborne's first outing in the big league's was almost as perfect as they come.  He managed to retire all six batters, allowng the Yankees to come back and make it a 4-4 game.  The A's eventually broke the tie and edged out the Yankees 5-4.

My9 News: Yankee Stadium Trip

Story time, everyone!  I am sure that just from reading my blog you have noticed that I love talking about sports, especially the Yankees.  Why the Yankees?  Where did I get my passion for sports from?  Well, in this post you will learn the story of how I went from being just an athlete, to fulfilling a dream of mine to become a sportscaster in the Metropolitan area.

Here is the inside scoop:

 It all started in my Sophomore year of college when I was still undecided about my major.  I was watching the FOX 5 news, as I do every morning before school, and for some reason I was studying the anchors a little more than usual.  I thought to myself, I wonder how a news program is run, and how it all comes together.  At that moment, it all clicked.  From that time on, I knew I wanted to become a sportscaster. 

Why sports?  Ever since the age of five I have played sports.  Whether it was soccer, track, cross country, baseball, softball—you get the point.  Stemming from being an athlete, I began to have passion for sports.  I could honestly sit and watch sports all day.  I knew I could combine my two interests: speaking in front of the camera and, of course, sports.  This is where my quest to become a leading sportscaster began!

That spring, I enrolled in a class at school that was taught by a My9 news anchor.  Cool, isn't it?  I studied all of the in's and out's of becoming a news anchor, had to film news reports on camera, and even wrote my own scripts.

So what does this all have to do with the Yankees?  I'm getting to it, don't worry!

I took this picture at Yankees Stadium when I was given the press pass for My9 news.  Yes, for My9 news.
 

 

Spring turned into summer, and I needed an internship.  I took up the opportunity to pass my resume along to someone at the news station through my professor at school.  I received an email back just a short time later, went in for the internship interview, and was accepted into the program.  I made it known to the internship coordinator that I loved sports.  While working on the assignment desk at the news station, I would also sometimes work sports when there was a home game for the Yankees.  One afternoon, right when I arrived to my internship, I was told that I was going to Yankee Stadium with a reporter and cameraman.  As one can imagine, I was more than excited.  Driving to the stadium in a press van was an experience.   Once we finally arrived, my job was to scope out die-hard fans and ask them to be on camera. I was pretty successful,  if I may say so myself! 

 

Towards the last few innings of the game, with my press pass in hand, we went to the press room to watch the last moments of the game.  Better yet, it was a Subway Series game (Mets vs. Yankees).  I first saw Kim Jones, who was the former commentator for the New York Yankees. Once the game was over, Joe Girardi and Jerry Manuel (former manager of the Mets) walked in for a press conference.  Girardi was not happy at all because the Yankees lost, so he did not talk much.  After the press conference the cameraman gave me a tape to run to the our other cameraman on the field.  As I was walking out, Jerry Manuel approached me and talked to me for a short time.  Before walking into the hallway to the field, a security guard actually asked me if I was a sportscaster because I resembled one. 

 

Once on the field, I handed the cameraman the footage.  While we were hanging out on the field, I was able to go inside the Yankees dugout and walk around on the Yankees home turf. 

 

All in all, it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  It enlightened me as to the in's and out's of what it takes to me in the news industry.  Most people might back away from the limelight, while I chose to go forward.  This is only the beginning of my quest to become a sportscaster in the New York market.

The Jason Collins Story

This week history was made.  A current professional NBA player admitted that he was gay.  Some may not see it as a big deal; others may even be against it.  Regardless of the difference in opinions, Jason Collins became the first active player in a major American sport to declare that he was gay.

In a sports world where men are required to play the dominant masculine role, people are definitely going to judge Collins, just as they would a female basketball or softball player.  That is why many female athletes wear nail polish, dress up whenever they are off the court or field, have long hair, or wear make-up.  Do I agree that they should judge him?  Absolutely not.  In a world that is ever-evolving, we must accept people for who they are and not judge.  Yes, of course we are all going to have different opinions and not agree on any specific topic, but what Jason Collins did was courageous.  No one current male athlete has had the guts to do what he has just done.

For 34 years Collins had to basically live a lie.  He has had to live with the guilt eating away at him every day because he was afraid to tell anyone, even his closest friends and family, the truth about his sexuality.  The interesting fact is that all of Collins relationships were with females.  He was even engaged to be married to a female basketball player.  The relationship ended suddenly after approximately ten years.  Collins hid the truth from her, too.  She never knew the real reason behind the break-up until just the other day when Collins came out. 

Collins, who has a twin brother Jarrod, graduated from Stanford University.  It is a rare thing that twin brothers would be drafted in the same year, let alone in the top three rounds of the NBA draft.  Interesting fact is that Collins' uncle is the owner of the Harlem Magic Masters.  My father is actually very close friends with his uncle.  He had the opportunity to speak with the uncle, Jack, about it after the story broke, and he was more than accepting about the situation. 

Many of you reading this may ask, what does this have to do with the Yankees?  It turns out to be the biggest sports story of the week, the month, or maybe even the year.  Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it perfectly: "I believe as men and women, we're called to love others [regardless of] their race, their religion, their thought process, whatever they do."

In a world where there can be so much hate, it is finally nice for people to accept others for who they are.  Of course there is always going to be public backlash, as there has been with the Jason Collins story already.  We all have the right to have our own opinions, but when it is all said and done, it is easy to say that our nation is ever-evolving.  Years ago this would have never have happened.

The New Yankees Are Making A Name for Themselves

  Listen up all you doubters!  Yes, you who said that the Yankees wouldn't go anywhere this year because of some of the players' ages.  Now is the time to let the Yankees do the talking.  Although they have been faced with injury after injury, ten players to the disabled list to be exact, the new players have certainly stepped up to the plate.
 
  As of right now, the Yankees are seven games over .500.  Considering the Yankees had lost four out of their five games at the start of the season, it is easy to say the team is exceeding expectations.  Within the first month, the Yankees have a winning record of 16-10.  The team is also the American League leaders in home runs, with a total of 38 as of Wednesday night's game against the Houston Astros.  Robinson Cano currently has eight home runs, the most homers for the line-up; newcomers Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Travis Haffner, and Brennan Boesch have a joint total of eighteen home runs.  The four of them also combine to have 46 out of the Yankees 110 RBI's.

"They brought in really good dudes," Hafner said. "Just a lot of veteran guys and good character guys. I think we've kind of known each other over the years, and the clubhouse has been great. Everybody gets along well and it's been fun." Excluding Hafner, the newcomers were picked up by the Yankees because other major league teams were no longer interested in them.  Wells, Overbay, and Boesch were all released from the Angels, Tigers, and the Red Sox. 

Not only are the new guys power hitters; they are also smart baserunners.  That was shown in Wednesday's game all thanks to Vernon Wells.  "They know how to play the game," Girardi said. "They're not going to get frazzled by situations. That's really important, because those situations are going to come up time and time again during the season."

This goes to show you can't count the Yankees out yet!  They have always been known as the comebackers for a reason.  Losing the first four of their five games and then coming back in the same month to be seven games over .500, now that is what you call a comeback.