Month: April 2023

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Source: heraldtribune.com

Meet Connor Longò, aka “Mr. One Million.”

That’s the sixth grader’s new nickname around St. Joseph Catholic School after what happened to the 12-year-old last Sunday at LECOM Park.

Connor was the 1,000,000th fan through the ballpark gates since the Bradenton Marauders began playing in 2010.

Luck played a part, too.

It so happens he and mom Valerie were running late after dropping off dad Lenny for work at the family printing company, but the delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

“The game was a Mother-Son event with St. Joe’s and we were supposed to meet some friends there,” shesaid. “So Connor is walking in front of me and – WHOA!!!”  

They were greeted with a celebratory shower of confetti, streamers and party poppers, hugs from Marty the Marauder, and applause by cheering Marauder staffers.

“It was pretty crazy!” Connor said. “Took me awhile to realize what was actually happening.”

He received season tickets for life, a Marauders jersey, threw out the first pitch and he and Mom were fussed over by Marauder staff all afternoon.

“They treated us like royalty,” Valerie said. “Connor kept saying, ‘This is the best day ever!’”

· That wily ol’ stork is en route for Lian and Kevin Haddon. Daughters Lily and Emme will become big sisters in October.

· Good luck to the Manatee School District’s new principals: Kate Barlaug, Dr. Mona Jain Middle School; Dr. Melinda Lundy, Bayshore Elementary; Dr. Melissa McCullough, Daughtrey Elementary; Irene Nikitopoulos, Haile Middle; Melissa Porco, Kinnan Elementary; Lorie Starkweather, Sugg Middle; and Adrienne Vos, Blackburn Elementary.

The changes take effect next school year.

Barlaug was Haile’s principal since 2017.

Lundy served in the district’s human resources department since 2022.

McCullough was Daughtrey’s assistant principal since 2020.

Nikitopoulos received the county’s 2022 Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award while at Lincoln Memorial Middle.

Porco was Palmetto Elementary’s assistant principal since 2018.

Starkweather had been Sugg’s interim principal since Ann McDonald’s retirement earlier this year.

And Vos was the district’s Assistant Principal of the Year at Johnson K-8 School.

· And Jane Bacher is 39. Again.

· Uh, oh! Jodie Kerns is one year shy of the Big 4-0!

· A bow to Katherine Oswald, Volunteer of the Year at Blake Medical Center, and to Dianne Evans, who surpassed an astounding 6,000 hours as a Blake volunteer.

· And Tom Donegan is 53. Sheesh, a kid!

Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944. Twitter: @vinmannix.

Source: heraldtribune.com

<!—->

Don Laible•

Ben Pokorny’s baseball dream has begun with the Bradenton Marauders. Like so many going to college, working internships, and dreaming in their beds at night to one day become an MLB radio or TV (of both) voice, Pokorny is among the hopeful. 

Beginning in Barrington, Illinois, a small village 32 miles northwest of Chicago, calling balls and strikes is all Pokorny has wanted to do. With the start of the 2023 Florida State League season, Pokorny has reached his career’s starting line with the Marauders.

Working in Single-A baseball for an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates represents exciting times for Pokorny. 16 games into the 132-game season, and the rookie 22-year-old is learning the ropes of his profession quickly.  His responsibilities are numerous.

During my visit last week to LECOM Park, Pokorny impressed me with his energy and promptness as I arrived at the Marauders’ home field. More than three hours before the first pitch for a game between the host Marauders and visiting Daytona Tortugas (Cincinnati Reds affiliate), Pokorny is on the move.

After greeting me at the locked gate behind home plate, Pokorny, who reminds me of the lead TV voice of the Chicago White Sox Jason Benetti, who I first met during his days calling Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs games, directs me to a secure parking lot.

We sit in a conference room down the hall from the Marauders’ clubhouse, the same room used by the Pirates during spring training. His story and aspirations are uplifting.

“During spring training, I spent a lot of time being around Joe Block and Greg Brown (Pirates’ lead TV and radio talkers)”, remembers Pokorny. “It’s awesome to come to work each day.”

Getting pointers from veterans on the Major League level only enthused Pokorny when it was his time to go solo on Marauders broadcasts. All Bradenton games can be heard at bradentonmarauders.com and all 66 Marauders’ home games are telecast on MiLB.TV.

Since receiving the phone call from Marauders’ Assistant GM Rebekah Rivette that he was the broadcaster chosen for this season, the excitement hasn’t worn off for Pokorny.

He continues to do his homework on learning about the organizations that will encounter the Marauders this season. The 10-team league has stops in Clearwater, Fort Myers, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and all points between. Pokorny’s on-going baseball education is more like getting extra credit on a paper that he already received an A+ for.

But Pokorny’s ease into his one-man broadcaster job for the Marauders shouldn’t come as a surprise.  He has been preparing for this season since his early teens.

The necessary dedication to possibly get an interview and be hired by a professional baseball club has been no stranger to Pokorny.

“I’ve been 100% in for this for the past few years,” explains Pokorny, who attended the World Series parade in the fall of 2016 for his beloved Chicago Cubs.”

All in for Pokorny to reach Bradenton consisted of making sacrifices. Many sacrifices. Not going home during college break periods to call baseball, softball, and other events, to get experience behind the microphone, he is always looking forward.

Between calling Northwoods League collegiate summer baseball games, and sporting events at the University of Missouri and Arizona State University, Pokorny arrived in Bradenton well-prepared for his professional starting line. Showing up for work at LECOM Park and its 8,500-seat capacity and earning his stripes by educating his audience on clubs named Hammerheads, Tarpons, and Flying Tigers can be tagged a success, early into the Single-A season.

As this week’s six-game road trip for the Marauders with the Dunedin Blue Jays concludes, Pokorny’s baseball IQ has no doubt grown.  Along with calling the games, Pokorny keeps busy with posting on Twitter (graphics are simple and sleek). He is the voice and face of the club to those watching and listening to the future Pirates on the field.

Riding the buses back and forth to games, spending late nights and early mornings with baseball on his mind, dreaming one day of having home audiences in Pittsburgh, Chicago, or any of the 28 other MLB markets, Bradenton will always have a special place on Porkorny’s resume. 

The anticipation and euphoria experienced by Pokorny when receiving “the call” from Rebekah Rivette will always be priceless to him.

“I’ll never forget that call. It’s indescribable. It was everything that I ever wanted.”

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Source: thebradentontimes.com

The De Soto Grand Parade has been canceled for bad weather for the second year in a row, officials announced at the pushed-back start time of 7:45 p.m. Saturday.

Lightning was still a threat, and the storm front had not yet pssed through the area.

“The safety of both participants and spectators is of outmost importance,” Hernando De Soto Historical Society posted on its Facebook page. “After consulting with emergency personnel, we have made the hard decision to cancel the 2023 De Soto Heritage Festival Grant Parade.”

The parade also was canceled in 2022 because of the threat of severe weather.

Parade officials said that, like last year, there will be no reschedule date.

“Unfortunately, because the permitting process takes months and requires approval from the Florida Department of Transportation, we cannot reschedule the parade,” parade officials said in an email Friday.

Parade participants had lined up floats early and sheltered in Manatee High School’s cafeteria to wait for the line of storms to pass, but the front did not move through quickly enough.

This story will be updated with more information.

Source: news.yahoo.com

Source: patch.com

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) – REMINDER! The De Soto Grand Parade is today, weather pending!

Roads will close beginning at 5 p.m. The parade begins at 7 p.m. Roads will reopen after pedestrian traffic is clear and the streets are clean.

Road closures are as follows:

🚧 Green Bridge (both directions)

🚧 Manatee Avenue W. between 1st St. W. & 43rd St. W.

🚧 39th St. W. between 9th Ave. W. & Manatee Ave.

🚧 9th Avenue W. between 30th St. W. & 39th St. W.

Copyright 2023 WWSB. All rights reserved.

Source: mysuncoast.com

Playing in the ACC with Georgia Tech, Tres Gonzalez was one of the best hitting players in all of college baseball, picking up 78 hits in 60 games his junior year before getting drafted by the Pirates.

He got in a few games with Bradenton last year, and despite his advanced experience, began the 2023 season in Single-A once again. 

Gonzalez has been one of the better hitters in the Bradenton lineup this year, even slotting in as the team’s cleanup hitter. He’s shown that advantage approach at the plate you’d expect from college hitter, walking (15) more than he has struck out (11), while slashing .317/.453/.417.

While it might be easy to point out his success may be a direct result of his playing a level that he shouldn’t be at — which is fair considering he’s 22-years-old — you still have to go out on the field and produce.

Which is what he’s done, and did so again Friday night. Although he isn’t known for his power, Gonzalez launched his first professional home run against Dunedin. With an exit velocity of 102.5 mph, it was one of the hardest hit baseballs in the game.

A lot of players throughout the system were held back a level to start the season, and it looked like the Pirates wanted to get an extra look at some of the High-A outfielders getting a second shot in Greensboro.

Gonzalez was the 138th ranked prospect in the 2022 draft on MLB Pipeline, so there is some pedigree there. He’s done everything you could have asked for in Bradenton, and once the Pirates start to shuffle some players up and down, he could be one of the first to get a look.

Prospect Notes

— One of the players getting a second look at Bradenton this year was Deivis Nadal. He struggled at the plate last year, not really putting any power behind anything but showed off a really strong arm in the field. 

He still isn’t hitting great this year, but did hit his second home run of the season after going deep just once in 56 games last season.

— Speaking of players a little too advanced for their level, another 2022 draft pick Thomas Harrington improved to 3-0 on the year after pitching six shutout innings. He’s made four starts this year, and hasn’t allowed a run in three of them, spanning 16 of his 18.2 innings he’s pitched this year.

Daily Video Rundown

[embedded content]

Owen Kellington‘s first Bradenton start wasn’t streamed live, but this was his last appearance where he came out the bullpen.

It is fair, it is gone. 💪

Josh Palacios is 3-for-3 tonight, including this two-run bomb and two doubles. pic.twitter.com/hRxMoVwsJA

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) April 29, 2023

Josh Palacios was recently moved up to Indianapolis from Altoona, and has adjusted quite well in Triple-A.

[embedded content]

The biggest key for Kyle Nicolas has always been to throw strikes. He did that pretty well in his start against Bowie last week.

PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY 

By Tim Williams 

It was a quiet Friday as rain washed away a lot of games, including the Pirates. They play two today, with the first game at 1 PM..,z.

Prospect Watch: Strong Start for Thomas Harrington; Rain Spoils Two Games

SONG OF THE DAY 

[embedded content]

Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. After bouncing around many websites covering hockey, he refocused his attention to baseball, his first love when it comes to sports. He eventually found himself here at Pirates Prospects in late 2021, where he covers the team’s four full season minor league affiliates.

Source: piratesprospects.com

Playing in the ACC with Georgia Tech, Tres Gonzalez was one of the best hitting players in all of college baseball, picking up 78 hits in 60 games his junior year before getting drafted by the Pirates.

He got in a few games with Bradenton last year, and despite his advanced experience, began the 2023 season in Single-A once again. 

Gonzalez has been one of the better hitters in the Bradenton lineup this year, even slotting in as the team’s cleanup hitter. He’s shown that advantage approach at the plate you’d expect from college hitter, walking (15) more than he has struck out (11), while slashing .317/.453/.417.

While it might be easy to point out his success may be a direct result of his playing a level that he shouldn’t be at — which is fair considering he’s 22-years-old — you still have to go out on the field and produce.

Which is what he’s done, and did so again Friday night. Although he isn’t known for his power, Gonzalez launched his first professional home run against Dunedin. With an exit velocity of 102.5 mph, it was one of the hardest hit baseballs in the game.

A lot of players throughout the system were held back a level to start the season, and it looked like the Pirates wanted to get an extra look at some of the High-A outfielders getting a second shot in Greensboro.

Gonzalez was the 138th ranked prospect in the 2022 draft on MLB Pipeline, so there is some pedigree there. He’s done everything you could have asked for in Bradenton, and once the Pirates start to shuffle some players up and down, he could be one of the first to get a look.

Prospect Notes

— One of the players getting a second look at Bradenton this year was Deivis Nadal. He struggled at the plate last year, not really putting any power behind anything but showed off a really strong arm in the field. 

He still isn’t hitting great this year, but did hit his second home run of the season after going deep just once in 56 games last season.

— Speaking of players a little too advanced for their level, another 2022 draft pick Thomas Harrington improved to 3-0 on the year after pitching six shutout innings. He’s made four starts this year, and hasn’t allowed a run in three of them, spanning 16 of his 18.2 innings he’s pitched this year.

Daily Video Rundown

[embedded content]

Owen Kellington‘s first Bradenton start wasn’t streamed live, but this was his last appearance where he came out the bullpen.

It is fair, it is gone. 💪

Josh Palacios is 3-for-3 tonight, including this two-run bomb and two doubles. pic.twitter.com/hRxMoVwsJA

— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) April 29, 2023

Josh Palacios was recently moved up to Indianapolis from Altoona, and has adjusted quite well in Triple-A.

[embedded content]

The biggest key for Kyle Nicolas has always been to throw strikes. He did that pretty well in his start against Bowie last week.

PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY 

By Tim Williams 

It was a quiet Friday as rain washed away a lot of games, including the Pirates. They play two today, with the first game at 1 PM..,z.

Prospect Watch: Strong Start for Thomas Harrington; Rain Spoils Two Games

SONG OF THE DAY 

[embedded content]

Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. After bouncing around many websites covering hockey, he refocused his attention to baseball, his first love when it comes to sports. He eventually found himself here at Pirates Prospects in late 2021, where he covers the team’s four full season minor league affiliates.

Source: piratesprospects.com

Source: thebradentontimes.com

Source: patch.com