Latest Articles

Bergenfield Opening Day 2012: Where Baseball is at the Heart of the Matter

Matthew Orso, May 8, 2012

There are only 32 Major League Baseball teams in the country. Not every state or town gets to go to opening day on the Major League level. Yet there are teams that still represent our greatest dreams in baseball. Our dreams that led us to pick up a bat and ball for the first time and take the field; those dreams can be seen every season in every town. Bergenfield, New Jersey is no differen...

Do Not Let Fear Be A Factor In Your Sport

Stan Popovich, May 8, 2012

Sometimes, fear and anxiety can get the best of us in sports. The key is to know how to manage that fear and anxiety. As a result, here is a brief list of techniques that an athlete can use to help manage their fears and every day anxieties. Occasionally, you may become stressed when you have to perform in an important event. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind. ...

Joe Nardini, May 1, 2012

With such emphasis these days on speed of delivery and pitch velocity, the once dominant, old time, drop curve is rarely seen anymore. Unless a pitcher can make a ball move while still registering high radar gun numbers, that pitcher is not likely to turn scouts’ heads in the current baseball market. The rising fastball, the fastball with a tail, the slider, and the cutter have become necessa...

Jonathan Rivera: Persevering for the Future

Tom McCullum, May 1, 2012

Jonathan Rivera is the perfect example of hard work and perseverance paying off. After transferring from Steinert High School to Nottingham High School, Rivera commented on the progress he’s made since coming to Nottingham. “I’ve been making more contact at the plate. I think hitting off the tee in practice has helped,” he said. In 2011 he made only one error in fifteen games. Rivera f...

NJ Barons: Royalty on the Diamond

Tom McCullum, May 1, 2012

The passion for playing the game of baseball doesn’t evaporate when you graduate college. This is most apparent in Adult Amateur Baseball here in New Jersey. The Jersey Barons, who play in the Mel Ott League, are one of the state’s most successful franchises. The team was founded ten years ago by Phil Barone of Hamburg. The league is extremely competitive, and hitters use metal bats. To pla...

Hope Denied: Why Ugandan Little Leaguers Can’t Achieve Their Dreams

Matthew Orso, May 1, 2012

Africa has been through the worst that humanity has had to go through. Children are starving and people are dying at any given moment. Don’t you believe that this nation has gone through enough? Then imagine a distraction comes; a distraction that can unite a nation from the despairs of tragedy. This distraction was the Uganda Little League Baseball Team making it to the Little League World ...

Ed Kovac: The Integrity of the Game

Staff Writer, May 1, 2012

Great hitters are often measured by the distance that their home runs travel. The prospect of seeing balls flying out of ballparks arguably draws more fans to Major League stadiums than any other aspect of the game. And, the great sluggers of the game are probably as well known for their prodigious blasts as for their fan following. None of them can say, though, that they hit seven balls in one...

Ask The Ump

Ask the Ump – Play 27 Play: With a runner on 2nd and one out, the batter hits a soft liner over the shortstops' head into short left field for a single. The runner on 2nd does not run, thinking that the...

Ask the Ump – Play 26 Play: As a pitcher, how can I lengthen my stride to the plate? Do you know any drills that I can do to work on this? Ruling: One way that ‘Ask The Ump’ has seen hard thrower...

Ask the Ump – Play 25 Play: Runner on third one out. batter hits ball to left field which is caught. Runner stays at third. Ball thrown in to third baseman. The Batter who is out continues to round firs...

Ask the Ump – Play 24 Play: The catcher, seeing that the runner from 3rd is attempting to steal home, reaches out over the plate to catch the pitch and then tag the runner. Is this a balk? Ruling: Th...

More from New Jersey Baseball Magazine

Passion for Baseball: USA and Japan

Matthew Orso, April 9, 2011

Baseball has always been America's pastime. It started from the days of Babe Ruth and lasted all the way to the struggles of the steroid era. Americans and Baseball are like Peanut Butter and Jelly. They just go together. There has also been another nation posed to become a favorite to the eyes of t...

Overcoming Odds: The Jim Abbott Story

Matthew Orso, April 9, 2011

September 4th 1993 brought Yankee fans a lot of worry before their scheduled game against the Cleveland Indians. In his previous start against the Indians just six days ago, Abbott only lasted three innings and gave up over five runs. The Yankees were in the midst of a playoff push in the AL East. T...

Leaving No Doubt

Staff Writer, March 23, 2011

New Jersey Baseball Feature Story It has been said that perspiration is the mother of aspiration. If you accept the truth of that statement and package its meaning, you will surely turn out an athlete like Jonathan Rivera every time. Involved in sports “since the age of five,” as Jon explains, ...

New Game in Town

Staff Writer, March 22, 2011

New Jersey Baseball Feature Story Central Jersey Sports (CJS) is the real deal. Jim Bumstead and Ben Fonseca have teamed up to create what will soon become one of the premier baseball training academies in New Jersey. Just ask the 80-plus players, parents, and coaches who attended CJS’ first e...

Garden State Pride

Matthew Orso, March 9, 2011

NJ’s Greatest Baseball Players STARTING PITCHER EDITION New Jersey doesn’t have a Major League Baseball team. However the players born in the Garden State have major league talent. There are so many proven big leaguers that were born in New Jersey and have thrived in a winning environment. In ...

Managing Your Anxieties In Baseball

Stan Popovich, March 7, 2011

At times, our worries and anxieties can overwhelm us. In addition, our worries can distort our perception of what is reality and what is not. Here is a brief list of techniques that a baseball player can use to help gain a better perspective on things during their anxious moments. Sometimes we ge...

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