When Brooklyn diocesan hero Mike Piazza retired after the 2007 MLB season, there was really only one question: Would he wear a New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers cap after being voted into the Hall of Fame five years later on the first ballot? However, following the vote of the Baseball Writers’ Association of […]
The Diocese of Brooklyn’s two new auxiliary bishops — Bishop Paul Sanchez and Bishop Ray Chappetto — are two passionate men. They are passionate about doing everything in their power to help others and spread the mission of Jesus Christ throughout the diocese. However, the two auxiliaries share another passion: baseball, America’s pastime. From a […]
In baseball, it’s common for players to adorn their gloves with personal symbols such as their initials, their autographs, the area code where they grew up or the flag of their country of origin. Brooklyn Cyclones lefty relief pitcher John Mincone, a Huntington, L.I., native, has followed this trend — however not by using any […]
It took the New York Mets 8,020 games, but on June 1, 2012, lefty ace Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in franchise history. Santana was the star that evening, but it was an incredible defensive gem from Whitestone native Mike Baxter that preserved the no-hit bid. Baxter, a graduate of Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, […]
The game of baseball has been uniting father and son since the game’s inception in 1846. This past Father’s Day, June 18, scores of young ballplayers expressed their gratitude to their dads for sharing a mutual love of America’s pastime. One of those ballplayers was J.J. Franco, the son of long-time New York Mets lefty […]
“Behind every great man, there stands a great woman.” Such is the case for the iconic Gil Hodges. On Dec. 26, 1948, Hodges married East Flatbush’s own Joan Lombardi. The soon-to-be 85-year-old Joan Hodges was born a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so meeting Gil just seemed right. The couple had four children – a boy and […]
Though scores of young men love the game of baseball, very few earn the chance to play the sport professionally. Of those lucky enough to make the big leagues, a miniscule percentage play for their hometown team. However, for Whitestone’s Mike Baxter, not only did his dreams of playing professional baseball come true, but he […]
