Aaron Pitts is one of twelve Youngstown State University Seniors on the 2009 football team.  He has lettered the past two seasons and is looking forward to 2009.  The Marion Harding product is 6’3″ and weighs 195.  The thing that impressed me most about Pitts was his love of college.  If YSU Football pieced together an academic challenge team and I got to pick who would be on it, Pitts would probably be my first pick.  He is an accounting major.  In 2007, he received the Gateway Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award.  I got to talk with Pitts after a recent YSU practice.

Paneech: As a two-year letterman, you bring some experience to the team, what kind of expectations do you have for this year?

Pitts:  We had a disappointing season last year.  I got to go to the Final Four in 2006, and I want to go back and win a National Championship, definitely. 

Paneech:  Tell me what it is like to be one of only twelve seniors.

Pitts:  We are very outnumbered as far as how many of us [seniors] that there are, but sometimes they say it’s not the numbers but rather the type of people that you have who are the leaders.  I think we have a real tight-knit senior group and that we will be able to go out and surprise some people by winning games.

Paneech:  How does the enthusiasm compare from this year to other years in camp?

Pitts:  I think we’re pretty hungry this year.  We went 4-8 last year and alot of the guys were disappointed so we are out here trying to get it the best we can.

Paneech:  How excited are you guys for the Pitt game?

Pitts:  Really excited.  I was there in ’05, but I was redshirted so I didn’t get to play.  We’re trying to go in there and shock the world.

Paneech:  What other schools recruited you coming out of high school [Marion Harding]?

Pitts:  I had a few MAC schools interested, like Dayton.  When I came here on my visit, I just loved the atmosphere, I knew about the tradition that Youngstown had, and I wanted to play for a winning program.

Paneech:  What is it like playing for Coach Heacock?

Pitts:  I like it alot.  He definitely cares about his players.  Alot of coaches at other schools just see players as their guys.  Coach Heacock takes time out to meet you as a person and he definitely cares about us as people.

Paneech:  How about the rest of the staff?

Pitts:  The rest of the staff is great.  I have loved my time here and a part of that has been the coaches, they will try to help you out as much as they can.  My position coach is Coach Elliott, he is relaxed and isn’t a yeller or a screamer, but he expects us to go out there and do the best that we can.  We respect that, so we go out there and play for him.

Paneech:  In an average practice, how many times do you catch a football?

Pitts: Other when we do like perimeter and team, we do alot of ball drills as receivers.  I would say I catch anywhere between 50-100 balls a day.

Paneech:  Are you a possession type or a gamebreaker?

Pitts:  Right now I’m in the possession-type category, but if someone goes to sleep on me, I’ll definitely try to break it.  I like to run a post-corner, kind of giving a double-move, get ’em leaning one way and then go the other way.

Paneech:  Who is your best friend on this team?

Pitts:  I would have to say Donald Jones.  He is one of our other wide receivers.  We are roommates too, we have been best friends for over a year and we have been pretty close.

Paneech:  Have you ever seen the movie The Program  where a fumbler has to carry a ball everywhere, have you ever been that guy?

Pitts:  Actually, I have.  In middle school, I played QB, and every now and then when I ran the ball I would hold it like I was about to throw it, so my coach made me carry a ball around the middle school and everyone would try to knock it out of my hands.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal?  Lunch, that’s when I eat the most.

Why Accounting As a Major?  Love numbers, it’s like a puzzle to put together.

Favorite NFL Receiver?  Chad Ochocinco

Favorite Team:  Cincinnati Bengals (and yes, he’s watching Hard Knocks on HBO)

Best Madden 2010 Secret?   Pass the ball every play

Favorite Area Restaurant?  Definitely the MVR Club, great Italian!

Scoring Avg. From High School Basketball Days?  18-20 PPG

Best Class Taken At YSU?  Advanced Acoounting

Favorite Television Show: SportsCenter

Could Keep One CD, What Would It Be?  It would be a mix of Gospel, Kanye West, John Legend

Pitts is a guy who would be tough to dislike.  He is engaging and articulate in his conversation and general demeanor.  He wants the best for his team above himself and is respectful and humble about where he is and the people that got him there.  He is the kind of athlete that people root for to do well because of his charisma and loyalty.  So when #83 pulls one in this season, clap a little louder, he deserves it.

Rashard Mendenhall was drafted out of Illinois as the 23rd pick overall in the 2008 draft.  He was billed as a durable back who could handle a heavy workload and take a hit.  Ray Lewis changed that description by knocking Mendenhall out for the season with one hit.

Mendenhall, only the second running back drafted in the first round by the Steelers (the other was Tim Worley from Georgia in 1989), is still an unknown commodity.  Willie Parker has proven he cannot handle all the carries, he is just not big or durable enough.

Going into Thursday’s preseason opener with the Cards in a pseudo-rematch of last years Super Bowl, Parker was ailing and Mendenhall saw some live action.  He ended the game with 24 yards on 9 carries (2.7 yards per carry average) with his longest run going for 7 yards.  It was not an earth-shattering performance by any means, but it at least showed the Steeler faithful that he is ready to accept a role with this team in 2009.

Limas Sweed, the 22nd pick in the second round ithe 2009 Draft, seemed like the guy they wanted when they picked him against the Cards Thursday.  He used his size to outjump defenders twice and made a great catch.  Sweed ended the game with two receptions for 56 yards, one reception was good for 45 yards.  Where was this guy last season?  He only caught 6 passes all year and missed the first five games.  I think he will put up significantly better numbers this year.  Someone surely had to tip Tomlin that the skinny guy from Texas can jump.  After all, Sweed was a four-year track star in high school with his best event being, what else, but the hurdles.

The only thing I don’t like is his number.  #14 should be on a quarterback or a placekicker.  Steeler fans will say he can wear number #103 if he can garner over 1,000 yards receiving in the next couple of seasons.

Mendenhall, Sweed, and Dixon are the future in Pittsburgh.  In my opinion, the future looks pretty bright.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers played an uncharacteristic game against the Lowell Spinners on Friday night.  The Scrappers gave up four unearned runs and an error contributed to another run later in the game.  Lowell took a 6-3 lead to the ninth and barely held off the obviously frustrated Scrapper team to win the game 6-5 in front of 4, 244 fans on fireworks night.

In the first, Jordan Henry singled and moved to second base when Kyle Smith walked.  After Henry stole his franchise record-tying 15th base of the season, Kyle Bellows drilled a single through the right side which was misplayed by the Spinners RF Alex Hassan, allowing Smith to also score putting the Scrappers up 2-0.

Chris McGuiness cut the lead in half when he homered to RF in the second.  In the third, McGuiness struck again with a two-run double.  During the nightmarish third inning, the Spinners scored four unearned runs to take a 5-2 lead.

Greg Folgia smacked a solo homer in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-3.

In the ninth inning, trailing 6-3,  Jesus Brito and Rafael Vera doubled to cut the lead to 6-5 with one out and runners on second and third.  Unfortunately, the home team was unable to take advantage of a good situation, a problem Manager Travis Fryman has continually addressed as an achiles heel of this years team. 

Preston Guilmet (pictured above, photo courtesy of Nick Mays) dropped to 5-3 on the season.  Guilmet lasted just three innings giving up five runs on four hits.  Only one of the runs, however was earned.  New acquisition Matt Packer pitched three perfect innings of relief and Tyler Sturdevant closed out the game for the Scrappers.  Fryman talked about Guilmet and the start, “He [Guilmet] has been pitching really well for us, he obviously wasn’t that sharp tonight, but you are allowed a bad outing every now and then.”

Fryman also said he was pleased that the team was able to rally in the ninth and put themselves in a position to win despite falling a bit short.

* Kyle Smith left the game in the third inning when he injured himself fielding a ground ball, his status for Saturday is unknown.

* Jason Smit told me after the game that an MRI shows a torn labrum which will end his season.  Smit has still been working on drills that he can participate in, but his live AB’s for the Scrappers are likely finished this season.

* I was happy to see Rafael Vera come through in the ninth inning.  Vera has played so many positions all season and is settling in as the Scrappers go-to utility guy.  “I prepare myself everyday before the game at each position.  If I know I am playing one, I will practice there all day.  If not, I’ll take some time working in the outfield.  I’m getting pretty comfortable playing just about anywhere.  I’m more comfortable in the infield, the outfield is still kind of new to me”, said Vera after the game.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have announced that ticket packages for the 2009 New York-Penn League playoffs are now on sale as the Scrappers try to clinch a playoff spot.

With a maximum of 4 potential playoff games, each box seat playoff package is priced at $28 and offers an $8 savings off the regular ticket price by purchasing in advance. Tickets can be purchased at the Eastwood Field Box Office during regular business hours or by calling the ticket office at 330-505-0000. Seating priority will be given based upon the receipt of your order. Fans will receive a refund for any playoff games that are not played or a credit for the 2010 season.

For more information on purchasing tickets, contact the Scrappers Office.

The playoff format is interesting.  The regular season ends on Sept. 6.  If the Scrappers make the playoffs, they would begin a three-game series on Sept 8 at the lowest of the two seeds home field.  The next day is a travel day and the remainder of the series is played at the higher seeds park.  The championship series follows the same format but can only begin when both first round series would end.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers will be well represented at this year’s NYPL All-Star Game.  The game is going to be played on Tuesday, August 18 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes. 

Travis Fryman and the staff of The Mahoning Valley Scrappers will serve as the coaching staff of the AL All-Star team.  By having the best record in their division, the Scrapper Coaching Staff is automatically named to coach the contest.

Five Scrapper players were named to the team. 

Pitchers Marty Popham, Clayton Cook, and Cory Burns, were all named to the piching staff.  Popham(4-1, 2.33 ERA) and Cook(4-2, 2.06 ERA) have turned in great start after great start all season.  Burns has been stellar in relief with 7 saves and an ERA of 2.00.

CF Jordan Henry is among the league leaders in stolen bases (15), runs (35), and hits (47).  Fryman has referred to Henry as “one of the best contact hitters with two strikes on him”, and maybe the best baserunner he has ever coached.

SS Kyle Smith is as tough of a defensive shortstop you will see at this level.  He is also among the league leaders in hits (47), and has provided spark in the clutch all season.

Tickets to the NYPL All-Star Game can be purchased by calling the State College Spikes Box Office toll-free at (877) 99-SPIKES.  Visit MILB.com for complete rosters for the contest.

The 2008 season was a disappointing one for the Youngstown State University Penguins and Head Coach Jon Heacock.  Heacock has assumed the duties of defensive coordinator, the position he held under Jim Tressel in the 90’s,  for the 2009 season.  I recently caught up with Coach Heacock and talked about what we can expect to see from YSU this Fall.  He also discussed the importance of playing a big team like Pitt every year and what it does to a program.

In the sweltering August heat, I watched an enthusiastic bunch of players practice.  Many of those players were around last year and tasted some success late in the season.  To my surprise, practice was upbeat.  Crowd noise was piped over the PA system, and array of songs ranging from “We Built This City” to “Back In Black” played during the practice.  YSU is getting ready to face a new challenge, a new day.  September 5th, the Penguins travel to Pittsburgh to face the tough Panthers.

I asked Coach Heacock if he had high expectations for the season.  “The expectations are high, they are always high.  The standards here are high and in turn, that makes the expectations high.  Aim for the moon and if you hit a star that’s good, we are aiming for the moon.”

I asked Coach Heacock about the enthusiasm level to which he replied, “I think this group has worked hard, they had a long season a year ago and they are working hard.  We are not a very veteran team, so there is alot of competition going on, that obviously contributes to some of the enthusiasm.”

This YSU team has only 12 seniors.  Heacock commented on the importance of thir leadership, “There are only twelve of them so there is nowhere to hide, it is critical that they play well.  It’s like I tell them all the time, there are no mulligans when you are a senior, you get one shot at it and they have done a good job so far.”

We then started talking about whether or not it makes sense to play teams like Pitt or Ohio State, sometimes referred to as ‘money beatings’.  I asked Coach Heacock if he was in favor of these type of games, and whether or not the big check is worth risking a demoralizing loss or injury.  Heacock replied with, “There’s alot of different thoughts in that process.  One, we do get a substantial check, and obviously that’s part of the reason we are doing it.  It [the money] supports all of our athletic programs, it helps track, helps soccer, helps volleyball, and so we are contributing to that.  On the selfish side, it forces our players to get ready to play a strong football team early in the season.  I think it has motivated our practices, so I look at it is getting us ready to play the rest of the season.  I don’t think that I, or any of the players, ever go into one of those games expecting to lose.  There is alot of different philosophies there, I understand some of it and some of that is true.  I think it’s a great challenge for us because I think it helps us judge where we are as a football team.”

Coach Heacock says he wants this to be a team that takes care of the football and minimizes turnovers this season.  He also said there are accountability drills for those who do cough up the ball, but ther are also rewards for those who protect it.  Heacock made refrnce to the 1991 season saying that in YSU’s first seven games, the turnover margin was +0.43 and the record was 4-3.  Winning their last eight games, the turnover margin was +1.75.

Heacock knows Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois will be tough opponents but says every game is important and that is how 2009 will be handled, one game at a time.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers release all of their promotions before the season starts, they are on the schedule.  Ex-US Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. release night has been on the schedule since June.  The event was scheduled to be held at the Scrappers September 2 home game, the same night Traficant is released from federal prison.  There was no opposition to the promo until this week.

The Youngstown Vindicator has started the media circus which will definitely surround Traficant’s freedom.  In an article from Sunday’s August 9th edition, an article highlighting different Traficant events was printed.  In the article, a party to honor Traficant’s release at Mr. Anthony’s, a local banquet facility, boasted of a festive celebration welcoming Jim home.  In the same article, the Scrapper promotional plan was listed, causing a swarm of phone calls to the Scrapper offices.

Scrappers General Manager, Dave Smith, decided to pull the plug on the promotion after receiving over 100 e-mails and phone calls speaking out against the planned night.  “Unfortunately, I feel that most people misunderstood the intention of the promotion,” said Smith.  “The night was never planned as a celebration of his release, yet it’s obvious that is how it is being perceived.  It will surely be a topic of great debate in the coming months and we were planning to provide a public forum for both supporters and detractors to have their voices heard.  In hindsight, there are likely better venues than a baseball game for the community to share their thoughts and feelings on Jim.”

Smith said that 95% of the calls received were negative.  Once the promotion was cancelled he noted that a woman called and said she wanted reimbursed for the tickets she had purchased for Traficant Night.  The support calls coming in are much less in quantity than the negatives received prior to the cancellation.

Traficant, who is completing his seven year sentence for racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion, was never expected to show up at the game, and the concept was to show slides of the idiotic and brilliant moments of his time spent in Washington.

Sigh.  Beam Me Up.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Brooklyn Cyclones hooked it up for a series-clinching matchup at Eastwood Field Thursday.  The Cyclones came away winning the series with a 2-1 victory over the Scrappers.  The series had playoff implications as these two teams have the best records, and for the most part, this game was highlighted by great pitching and solid defense.

The Scrappers got on the scorebord in the sixth inning.  Chun Chen hit a ground-rule double to the deepest part of Eastwood Field, dead center.  Rafael Vera knocked in Chen with a sac fly to put Mahoning Valley up 1-0. 

Brooklyn was the benefactor of a gift in the eighth inning.  With a runner on second, Cyclones LF Alex Gregory hit a double to deep left-center.  The relay throw went home but was a bit late.  Gregory took too wide of a turn rounding second base and Chun Chen fired the ball toward second from home.  The ball bounced short of the base and skipped into the outfield, where nobody was backing up the throw.  CF Jordan Henry and LF Rafael Vera converged at the ball on the warning track in the left-center gap.  Gregory scored from second uncontested, giving the cyclones a 2-1 lead.

Brett Brach had a good start going 5 1/3 innings and giving up no runs.  Brach was relieved by Jimmy Johnson who pitched out of trouble in the fifth and went 1 1/3.  Nick Kirk was called upon for 2/3 of an inning.  Cory Burns then finished out the contest, and unfortunately had to get pinned with a loss that wasn’t entirely his fault.

Manager Travis Fryman was not pleased with the defense that allowed the winning run to score.  ” Our situational hitting is very poor, and our defense was very poor.  I’m not sure why we were not backing up second base like we’re supposed to, somebody was probably thinking about their at-bats more than playing defense.”

Friday, the Scrappers welcome the Lowell Spinners.  The Scrappers will send Preston Guilmet, last weeks NYPL pitcher of the week to the hill.  Before the game, there will be an actual wedding on the field.  Scott Capron and Holly Hinzman will officially tie the knot.  The couple have been a host family for the Scrappers the last two seasons.  Marc Means will return to the air on AM-1390 with the first pitch and some wedding commentary at 6:45 PM.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05, and it is fireworks night to boot!

Kelly Pavlik is going back to his second home, Atlantic City, to defend the Middleweight Championship against Paul Williams.  After weeks of tireless negotiations, the two sides finally agreed on dollars to make the fight a reality on October 3.  Joe Scalzo, the Youngstown Vindicator Boxing Reporter broke the story late yesterday.

The dynamics of this fight are fascinating.  These guys are both tall and narrow and have one thing in common ~ big punch potential.  The belief that Williams cannot take Pavlik’s best punch is countered by the fact that Williams is a southpaw, something Pavlik has not faced in awhile.  Williams is a very active fighter and throws punches from bell to bell.

Williams recently fought Antonio Margarito and came out ahead.  The early predictions I have read all seem to go with Williams.  Call me a homer, but these are the same experts who picked Edison Miranda and Jermaine Taylor.  My money is always on Pavlik, and I’m ahead.  Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer,  will create ways, as he has before, to offset Williams’ strengths.  I expect more counter-punches and more body shots to keep Williams off balance. 

The fight is scheduled for October 3 and will be televised on regular HBO.  Pavlik was hinting to many that he wanted to be on HBO and not on a PPV, which I think is greater exposure setting up bigger paydays later.  HBO will be calling this their fight of the year if these two guys bring their A-games.

Tickets for the fight go on sale August 18.  I will be posting much more leading up to the fight.

 

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers improved to 34-19 on the season as they strengthened their hold on first place with a 12-1 clubbing of the Brooklyn Cyclones.  After dropping last nights contest, Mahoning Valley evened the series at one win apiece setting the stage for a Thursday finale.

The Scrappers got busy early as their first three hitters,  Jordan Henry, Kyle Smith, and Jason Kipnis, all singled.  Henry would score on Kipnis’ single putting the Scrappers up 1-0.

With two outs in the third, Kyle Bellows (pictured)  tripled on the thirteenth pitch of a great at-bat.  Bellows ended up tripling again in the fourth and ended the game with a season-high 5 RBI night.  “I hit it [the first triple] in the right spot at the right time and helped our team win and thats all that matters.  Everybody contributed today.  The pitching was great, the defense was great, and the hitting was great”, commented Bellows on the dominating team performance.

Clayton Cook, named earlier in the day to the New York- Penn League All-Star team, looked like exactly that – an All-Star.  Cook hurled five scoreless, yielding just four hits and lowering his ERA to 2.06 in picking up his fourth win for Mahoning Valley.  Austin Adams and Jose Urena threw two innings each in relief of Cook.

Manager Travis Fryman was pleased with the hitting party in the victory, “It was good.  Bellows, obviously had a big night.  Kipnis in our lineup is coming around which gives us a different look, which is encouraging. [Greg] Folgia had a good night too which was encouraging.  It was a good night for our guys, they bounced back after a pretty tough loss last night.”

The Scrappers and Cyclones hook up one more time on Thursday, Buck Night.  Eastwood Field will see a huge crowd as two top teams will battle to untie a defining series.  Marc Means will call the action on AM-1390 for those who get shut out or are unable to attend beginning at 7:05.