The Pittsford Panthers are Hungry for Next Season

The Pittsford Panthers have had a memorable season to say the least. This year marks the fourth time in five years that they have made it to sectionals. Returning to sectionals was no easy task. Of the 10 games they played during the regular season, they played three of the top teams in the division all twice. The team finished their regular season 6-4.

Head coach, Keith Molinich got his Bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College. He went on to get his Masters in Counseling at Syracuse University. Molinich is primarily a guidance counselor at Pittsford Mendon High School. Besides being a counselor, he loves being the head coach for the Pittsford Panthers. 2014 marks Molinich’s eighth season as coach with a record of 52-22.

“Our kids battled [in] every game and that is all you can ask of your team. Compete and don’t give up,” says coach Molinich.

And they chose not to give up in the Section V game against Aquinas. The first half of that game was played on Saturday Oct. 25^th but due to a thunderstorm, the rest of the game was delayed until Sunday afternoon. At that point, Aquinas led Pittsford 30-7.

Outscored, the Panthers went into Sunday’s game knowing what they had to do.   “They knew they had to try to get back into this game,” coach Molinich said.

Shortly after the game started up again, the Panthers started to make a comeback. “It’s not over until it is over.” Unfortunately their momentum was not enough to take the win over the Little Irish. Aquinas came out on top 37-20. Molinich did however, believe that the storm helped them put a few more points on the board.

With their official season believed to be over, coach Molinich scheduled a consolation round game with Webster Schroeder that was to take place on Thursday, Oct. 30^th.   Even though their official season was over, they had practice on Monday.

On Tuesday, breaking news hit the Rochester area stating that Aquinas would have to forfeit due to breaking an eligibility rule. Section V and the Public High School Athletic Association (PHSAA) said that Aquinas’ starting quarter back, Jake Zembiec was not supposed to play in that game against Pittsford because he was not in uniform for three games of the regular season.

In the second week of the regular season, Zembiec broke his non-throwing hand during a game. He was eligible to play for the last game of the regular season but was benched. That being said, he only played in two games.

The news of the possibility of Aquinas having to forfeit the game hit on Tuesday, Oct. 28^th around 1p.m according to Molinich. “When we found out from Section V that we would need to cancel the Schroeder game, we started prepping for the Rush Henrietta game.”

Aquinas appealed the forfeit and the case made it to the New York State Supreme Court. Aquinas claimed that Section V informed them that Zembiec was eligible to play in sectionals. The original judge assigned to the case recused himself due to a conflict of interest. This however, did not delay the trail and so the court made a decision on Oct. 30^th siding with the PHSAA stating that Zembiec was ineligible therefore Aquinas must forfeit their win.

With Aquinas officially having to forfeit, Pittsford took the win over the Little Irish as respectfully as they could:

“We really did not count the forfeit as a win. Aquinas was the better team and in my opinion, the best team in our Section (perhaps in the state). We pushed forward to the semi-finals with Rush Henrietta as it was our responsibility to do so,” coach Molinich says.

Moving forward to play Rush Henrietta was not easy. Earlier in the season these two teams faced off resulting in a RH win over Pittsford 41-34. Losing by a single touchdown shows the competitive nature of these two teams. “Games with RH are always extremely competitive. We are never worried about playing them but we prepare for them with great focus and respect.”

Pittsford defeated RH in the semi-finals 42-28 pushing them forward to face Victor in the section V finals. Victor came out on top 23-0 in the season finale for Pittsford. The final score however, does not represent the intensity of the game. Pittsford believed that they could not win with just field goals so every time they were fourth and goal, they went for it.

Pittsford is losing 22 seniors during the off season. This includes their star players: Jack Wallman QB, Brandon Barker LB, Thomas O’Grady C, Stephen Rhodes RB, and Brady Hoyt LB.

Jack Wallman went 3 for 4 during the regular 2014 season as quarterback. He made 24 out of 38 attempted passes and threw seven touchdown passes. He threw for 394 yards. During the playoffs, he went 1-1 making four out of seven passes and threw for 123 yards.

Brandon Barker played only in one regular 2014 season game having 56 rush yards and scoring two touchdowns. He also only played in one playoff game against RH. He scored one touchdown and had 65 rush yards.

Stephen Rhodes played in three regular 2014 season games scoring three touchdowns and running 314 yards. During the playoffs he played against RH and Victor. He ran for 373 yards and scored four touchdowns.

With the Pittsford Panther’s season officially coming to an end, the Panthers already started working for next season. “Our seniors passed on great examples of worth ethic, competitiveness, teamwork and brotherhood on to the younger players.” The potential 2015 team was back in the weight room just four days after losing in the section V finals.

The team is hungry to return to the playoffs and to win the sectional title. “The kids only have one goal for 2015. There are many teams to beat out there. This year was the third straight year that Aquinas faced Pittsford in the playoffs. Rush Henrietta is also a quality competitor. These kids got a taste of what a Section V championship looks like. They will, without a doubt, be working very hard to make it as far as they did, if not further.

Brockport Skates past Potsdam

Two Freshmen score their first collegiate goals in Golden Eagle’s ice hockey:                                                         Nov. 9 2014

BROCKPORT – The Brockport Golden Eagles defeated SUNY Potsdam Saturday night in their fourth game of the season 3-2 for their first win of the season.

Emotions ran high going into this game. After losing their first three games of the season, this was a must win situation for Brockport. With that said, this game was a nail-biter to the very end.

Brockport had a slow start. Potsdam’s Matt Thompson scored a goal off of an assist by Vinny Caligiuri 40 seconds into the first period. Four minutes later, Brockport freshman Zac Sikich scored with an assist off of Chase Nieuwendyk for his first collegiate goal. By the end of the first period, Brockport was almost getting out shot three to one (16 vs 6).

Trouble came for Brockport during the second period. The Golden Eagles recorded four penalties in the second period in which Potsdam only was able to come up with one goal from. Potsdam’s Trevor Cope with the assist from Erick Ware, scored with a power play goal with a five on three offense.

Brockport was unable to answer by the end of the second and were down 2-1. Brockport improved their shots on goal but Potsdam remained on top 16-9.

In the third period, penalties started stacking up on Potsdam. They had four penalties stacked against them with another penalty on the team for having too many players on the ice. Brockport was able to capitalize by scoring twice on power play goals.

12 minutes into the third period, Chase Nieuwendyk with an assist from Chris Luker scored his second goal of the season.

At 15:51, freshman Dylan Shapiro scored his first collegiate goal. “I have waited my whole life to play college hockey so to get my first goal felt awesome,” said Shapiro.

The Brockport hockey team had a great game in the end and it is important to remember that a game is not over until it is over. “College hockey has been, that the teams that typically get a lot in early, sometimes can get a couple of calls late that hurt them. We fortunately drew them into a couple of penalties and tonight was a good night for a power play goal,” said coach Dickinson.

The Golden Eagle’s hope to continue their uphill climb to victory on the 14^th and 15^th at home with the Saves for a Cure games. Families and fans can bid on jerseys and the proceeds go to the Golisano Children’s Hospital. Game time on Friday is 7p.m. against Geneseo.

A Tribute, to a Great Coach: A Canandaigua Legend

When the day comes, Canandaigua athletics will never be the same when Arlene DeVinney decides to retire. DeVinney has coached three sports every year since 1971. She is known for coaching tennis, indoor track, and outdoor track.

DeVinney graduated college from Ohio Northern University with a BA in Health and Physical Education in 1971. That summer she decided to come back to her hometown to take a job teaching physical education. “There weren’t many opportunities for girls back then, when I took a coaching class, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” says DeVinney.

“DeVinney is a mentor,” says former Canandaigua track athlete, Ashley Johnson. “She not only pushed her athletes, she also guided them in every aspect of their lives.” This is the mentality that DeVinney brings to every practice. There are athletes who refused to listen to her, “There were some that thought they knew more than me, that’s okay. As long as they were successful, whatever works is what I can say,” DeVinney adds.

In 2003, DeVinney turned to another coach with a very similar coaching style. Coach Robert Dedrick joined forces with DeVinney to start the indoor track program. The very next year, the indoor women’s team won the Section V title. The women’s indoor track team won in 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

Indoor track and field is different than outdoor track. Indoor is an individual sport until there are tournaments, such as Sectionals. Every outdoor track meet is a team meet. The main similarity is the points system and how boys and girls are still separate teams. DeVinney had to change her coaching style to tailor towards an individual sport. “I think a team sport is more difficult to coach especially since I am somebody who wants everybody to play. The higher you get in a team sport, the more selective a coach has to be. Fortunately in sports like track, everybody gets to play.”

In 2011, coach Dedrick joined DeVinney in coaching outdoor track. Dedrick focused more on throwers and runners while DeVinney focused on athletes in her favorite events, long and triple jump. With the addition of Dedrick, DeVinney was able to do more team bonding activities that she might not have done otherwise. She believes that it is harder to do team bonding when the team is over 100 athletes. “DeVinney is the kind of coach that gets to know everybody, not only the good ones,” says Johnson.

In the fall of 2011, coach Dedrick announced that he was leaving the Academy to work at Hobart. This left DeVinney without her wing man for both indoor and outdoor track. One month later, Dedrick fell ill with stomach cancer. Most of DeVinney’s athletes knew Dedrick very well. DeVinney took it upon herself to create a t-shirt and have bracelets produced that say, “Good Deeds” on them. She sold them to raise money for Dedrick’s medical treatment.

The hardest time that DeVinney ever had as a coach was bringing her indoor team to indoor track Sectionals. The entire track team wore their Good Deeds t-shirts to the meet. The girl’s team ended the night with a sectional trophy.  DeVinney’s favorite moment as a coach is when, “we stopped the bus in front of Dedrick’s house and presented our trophy to him.”

Getting over 100 student athletes through such a difficult time came at no problem for DeVinney. She sees herself as an inspirational speaker. DeVinney also tries to get to know everybody. “I think that when you have paid attention to every single kid, it helps and improves your leadership abilities because it shows that you cared about them,” DeVinney says. After the girl’s indoor track championship, the outdoor track team won their first outdoor title.

About a month after the celebration for the outdoor track team, Bob Dedrick passed away. This came as a devastating blow to DeVinney. “I think we were alike. We are very passionate about what we do and we care about the kids. I’m not sure if I can find anyone quite as passionate about the sport and kids as he was.” Since Dedrick’s passing, cross country coach, Matthew Oberst has tried to fill the void that Dedrick left.

In the fall of 2014, at the Canandaigua Academy homecoming football game, coach DeVinney was inducted into the Canandaigua hall of fame. “DeVinney deserves it after what she has done for us athletes and for where she has taken the track program,” says Johnson. “It is very humbling,” DeVinney added. DeVinney has accomplished so much. She hopes that she has given good memories from track. She also hopes that her athletes have learned life lessons and skills from track.

DeVinney has been working in athletics for over 40 years. With her induction into the Hall of Fame, her career as a coach is nearing the end. DeVinney is currently working very hard on promoting and educating Canandaigua citizens to learn about the capital project. The capital project has two parts. Part one, if it is approved, will give the track team a new track. A locker room will also be built between the upper and lower fields. This part of the project will not cost taxpayers any money. The money will come straight from the reserve fund that the school has. Part two of the project is to turn the field in the middle of the track into a turf field. It also will give the Middle School eight new tennis courts. “All of these renovations are necessary. We haven’t had a home track meet in two years because our track is so out of shape. That means we haven’t had a senior night in three years.”

DeVinney continues to work hard on getting this passed. If both parts pass, the renovations would not be completed until 2017. “I don’t know if I will be here when it is done. I would like to be, so I will take one year at a time and see at my age while still working full time and coaching three sports brings. I would like to still be here, but you never know.”

 

 

Aquinas vs. Pittsford Playoff Game Oct 25th-26th

I wanted to post this immediately after the game but something felt wrong after Pittsford fell to Aquinas.

It turns out, the Little Irish’s starting star quarterback, Jake Zembiec was an in-eligible player.  He broke his non-throwing wrist in game two of the regular season.  He was out for six weeks.  The last game of the regular season he was cleared to play, but didn’t.  He got into his uniform, but failed to put his helmet on.

On Tuesday, Oct. 28th, Section V officials along with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) informed the public that Aquinas would have to forfeit the game to PIttsford due to the rule that every playoff player has had to have played (or been in full uniform) for at least three games.  Zembiec played in two games and was in uniform for the last game of the season besides wearing his helmet.

Immediately after the call was made, Aquinas filed a motion over the forfeiture of the game.  The motion was against Richard Cerone, Chairman of Section V Football, and Edward Stores, Executive Director of Section V Athletics.

To continue the drama, the initial judge assigned to the case recused himself.  We do not know why he did.

On Halloween, Oct. 31st 2014, at 4p.m. the verdict became public.  Pittsford will be moving on to play in the next round of the playoffs.  For Aquinas, this decision means their season has come to an end.

All-in-all, this has to be one of the most bizarre playoff game decision/situations to have ever happened.  To learn more about the game stats and see how badly Pittsford was beaten by Aquinas, continue reading.

Aquinas Dominates in Section V AA Football Quarterfinals

Lightning delay caused the game to continue Sunday at 1p.m.

October 26 2014

The Aquinas Little Irish defeat the Pittsford Panthers in the Section V AA quarter finals 37-20.  The game was forced to be completed on Sunday when a lightning storm passed through at 9:30p.m. last night.  The game resumed with 5:24 left to play in the third quarter.  The Little Irish lead the Panthers 30-7.

“The storm helped us get a few more points on the board,” Panthers head coach Keith Molinich said.

For Aquinas, this game marked the return of their star quarterback, Jake Zembiec.  Zembiec was named the 2013 New York State player of the year.  The junior, “broke his non-throwing wrist during the second game of the season,” says Thomas Zembiec, Jake’s father. The injury left his left arm in a cast for six weeks.  This is the first game he is starting in since the injury.

This is the third straight year that Aquinas and Pittsford have faced each other in the playoffs.  Every year has been a battle.

Two minutes into the first quarter, Aquinas scored a field goal off of a kick by Devin Dizikowicz.  With four minutes left in the first quarter, Zembiec threw a 55 yard pass to Earnest Edwards into the end-zone.  The one point conversion was no good leaving the Little Irish on top of Pittsford, 9-0.

In the second quarter Pittsford fumbled the ball and Aquinas recovers it.  Six minutes into the second quarter, Aquinas scores their second touchdown off a pass to Terrance Richards who ran into the end-zone.  Aquinas led Pittsford 16-0.

With 3:45 left to play in the first half, Pittsford’s Stephen Rhodes was hit hard to his left leg.  “I got hit hard, then someone’s helmet hit my leg,” Rhodes said.  Rhode’s father says that he has had trouble with his leg all season, “I was shocked that he was able to get up and even start playing minutes later.”

2:37 remained in the first half when Zembiec threw a pass to Terrance Richards for a 46 yard drive.  Aquinas led Pittsford 23-0 into half time.

“They know they have to get back into this game,” Molinich said.  “It’s not over until it is over,” Rhodes added.

During the opening drive for Pittsford in the third quarter, Rhodes ran 27 yards into the end-zone.  Rhodes put Pittsford on the board.  Aquinas still led Pittsford 27-7 in the third quarter.

Aquinas got hold of the ball and Little Irish touchback, Taylor Riggins, ran 58 yards for a touchdown with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Aquinas led Pittsford 30-7 when the lightning storm forced the game to be pushed to Sunday.

With two minutes left in the third quarter, Pittsford’s Josh Mack 12 yards for a touchdown.  The one point conversion was blocked by Aquinas making the score 30-13.

Aquinas responded to Pittsford’s touchdown with one of their own.  Terrance Edwards scored a touchdown when Zembiec threw a 34 yard pass.  The third quarter ended with Aquinas leading Pittsford 37-13.

The fourth quarter was quite until Pittsford scored a touchdown off of a 25 yard sprint to the end-zone. The final score was 37-20 Aquinas.

With today’s loss, Pittsford’s season is over.  Aquinas moves on to the next round.

Brockport Field Hockey Loses on Senior Night

Katherine Weyant prevents shutout for the Golden Eagles late in the second half.

“We haven’t won a game like that all season,” said head coach Tracey Houk. The Ithaca Bombers defeated the Brockport Golden Eagles on senior night 7-1.

At 2:32, Ithaca’s Caitlin O’Brien scored the first goal with an assist off of Lauren Delia off of a penalty corner. O’Brien assisted Michaela Donohue for Ithaca’s second goal at 19 and a half minutes.

The Bombers continued to dominate during the first half
Seniors: Stefanie Scheib, Abby Eschen, Alyssa Mills and Kayla Kulzer along with families and coaches

when Colleen Keegan scored off of a rebound. With four minutes left in the first half, Ithaca’s Kelly Consadine scored with an assist from Danielle Coiro.

According to Brockport defenseman Katherine Weyant, “During halftime, Brockport head coach, Andrea Zurlo, told players they, ‘need to move the ball and communicate better as a team.’ We can do better, but this wasn’t our game.”

Ithaca continued to show dominance in the second half scoring three goals. The first goal was scored by Danielle Coiro with an assist from Hannah Gerber off of a penalty corner after a minute and a half of play. A second goal was scored from a penalty corner by Natalie Lynch with an assist from Lauren Delia.

Brockport switched goalies from Lindsay Farrell to senior, Kayla Kulzer. At 42:08, Ithaca’s Taylor O’Neil scored off of her own rebound against Kulzer.

With 15 minutes left of game time, Brockport’s defenseman, Katherine Weyant scored a goal unassisted to prevent a shutout.

Weyant is a sophomore at the College at Brockport. The team celebrated when she scored. “It is my first goal ever,” Weyant said.

Even with today’s win, Ithaca will not be moving on to the Empire 8 conference. “We didn’t make it this year, even though we’re playing, what I believe, stronger than we have in a number of years. We had to reset our goals. Our goal is to come out as a .500 team,” head coach Houk said. “Having multiple different people score and everybody played contributes to our momentum.”

Brockport’s last game of the season is on Oct. 29^th against Houghton. Ithaca has two games left, one against Geneseo on Oct. 28^th and one against Hartwick on Nov. 1^st.

Churchville at Canandaigua Football

CANANDAIGUA – The Canandaigua football team defeated Churchville 55-14 on Saturday afternoon.

“These guys are a really coachable group, they work hard in practice,” says defensive coordinator Matt Walters. They performed well today, their hard work was evident.

The first quarter started as a dog fight. Canandaigua’s Coron Broomfield scored the first touchdown in the opening drive. Three minutes later, the Saints’ Aaron Monroe scored during their first drive. One minute later, the Canandaigua star, Nick Johnson scored his first touchdown of the game. He would later go on to score two more touchdowns.

The Braves continued to pile on touchdowns in the first and second quarter. With 40 seconds left to play in the first half, the Saints’ Malek Williams scored his second high school touchdown. The end of the first half came with the Braves leading the Saints 34-14.

Canandaigua had to keep their momentum going strong going into the second half. “There were some poor assignment jobs during that play. When we were in the locker room we talked about how to stop their offence to prevent them from coming back.”

That they did. The Saints kicked off to start the second half. Nick Johnson was on the return and brought the ball to the Saints 10 yard line with a 76 yard return. 11 seconds into the second half, Johnson scored a touchdown.

Senior, Patrick Coyne scored the next Canandaigua touchdown after intercepting the ball. “I just ran, ran like the wind hoping they couldn’t catch me.”

As Canandaigua gained momentum, Churchville-Chili lost it. In the fourth quarter, the Saints threw one interception, and fumbled twice. In the past, Churchville-Chili has been a tough team to beat for the Braves. “They are great athletes, I think that right now they are a little down. They fought and played well but we executed a little better than they did,” says coach Walters.

Canandaigua senior, Nick Johnson scored three touchdowns of the game. He was excited about the win. “Hopefully we can win our next few games to make it to sectionals and then win three more [to win states].” When asked if he planned on playing football in college, he says, “I want to play lacrosse in college and will [likely] give up football.”

Canandaigua has two more games of the season left. Next week they are playing at Irondequoit. Their last game of the season, senior night, is in two weeks against Brighton. Both are tough teams. “We hope to finish 5-2,” coach Walters says.

Brockport Ice Hockey Season Preview

BROCKPORT, NY – The College at Brockport men’s ice hockey team is excited for the upcoming season.

Last season, the Golden Eagles made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.  Brockport placed as the 5^th seed but lost to Buffalo State 7-2.

Head Coach Brian Dickinson says, “We got a taste of the playoffs last year.  We have a chip on our shoulder.  We need to be ready to play.”

Due to a change in NCAA rules at the Division III level, this year the team starts their official practice on Oct. 20^th.  In seasons past, they traditionally started on Oct. 15^th.  Their season opener is set for Halloween night against Hobart.

Brockport has an advantage playing non-league teams opening weekend.  The points don’t count but Dickinson says, “We have to be ready to play every night,” even though these aren’t league games, “we need to treat those games with the respect that they deserve.”

The first SUNYAC game for the Golden Eagles is Nov. 7^th against Plattsburgh.  Brockport has beaten Plattsburgh at home three times in franchise history.  Dickinson says, “We should be treating [this game] as a national championship style game.”

The team named Steve Mallaro as their new assistant coach.  Mallaro previously played for the Oswego Lakers.  Mallaro played as a defenseman which is a huge benefit for the Golden Eagles.  Dickinson was a goal tender when he played and he says it is an advantage having Mallaro because, “We haven’t had a true defenseman coaching our defensemen yet.”

Defenseman Matt DeLuca and forwards Steve Sachman, Brendon Rothfuss and Bobby Conner all graduated at the end of the 2013-14 season leaving the team looking for leadership.

“We’ve got great leadership, great experience.  Skilled players are all returning,” says Dickinson after a question on the loss of the four seniors.  “They were great guys. They were leaders.”

The team is looking to name a captain for the season.  They have strong leadership.  John Demme and Aaron Green are in the running for captain.  Dickinson describes both players as, “guys that hold players accountable.  They work extremely hard and understand right from wrong both on and off the ice.”  Green cannot be named captain for games because you cannot have a goalie talking to the referees due to NCAA rules, but he can be someone for players to go to and look up to.

Players unofficially started training for the season in early August.  They hit the ice three times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  Mondays are also their heavy lifting days at 6:30 in the morning.  Thursdays are their light days where they can take advantage of yoga.  Dickinson is excited for the season because he sees the hard work of his leadership team.  He has noticed the team sticking together for work outs and bonding events.  “They seem focused and they seem excited about what they are doing and they want to spend time together.  It’s a welcomed change from what I’ve seen in the past.”

As the team gets closer to the season opening up, Dickinson reminds us of the team motto: “Get 1% better every day.  When you improve every day, your week is that much better.”

Cardinals make the playoffs

As of yesterday, the St Louis Cardinals made the playoffs with the Milwaukee Brewers loss.  The magic number to clinch the division is five games.

Fun Cardinals facts:

-In the last 20 games, the Cardinals have won 15 games including a six game win-streak from Aug. 30th to Sept. 4th.

-This is the first time in franchise history that the St. Louis Cardinals have made the playoffs in four straight seasons.

-This is the 11th time since 2000 that the Cardinals have made the playoffs.

-Since 2,000, the Cardinals have had four seasons that resulted in them participating in the World Series.  Two of which, they won: 2006 and 2011 (Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers).  Lost: 2004 and 2013 (Both to the Boston Red Sox)

At this point, the Cardinals and the LA Dodgers are in a tight race to see who will have home field advantage for the National League Division Series.

I will be live tweeting each game.  Follow me @amiezwecker on Twitter.  #goCardinals!

Andrew McCutchen named National League MVP

Three candidates were in the running for the National League MVP: Yadier Molina, Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt.

Many are disappointed in the fact that McCutchen won.  His numbers are much lower than anyone else who was in the running.  His batting average for the season is .317.  He had only 21 home runs and only 84 RBIs.  Compared to the American League MVP winner, Miguel Cabrera, he had .348, 44 and 137 respectively.

Many believed Molina deserved the honor.  To have a catcher have a great season like Molina’s, it is a great feat.  Catcher’s hands are constantly getting beat on by the pitches thrown by the pitcher.  This affects their batting performance.  This didn’t hurt Molina this year.  Even though he lost, this is what he had to say about McCutchen’s win:

For those that can’t read the photo:

“Just seeing my name on the ballot as a top three finalist for the Most Valuable Player title in the National League brings me great satisfaction because this accolade means a lot.  You go out on the field every day and play hard to accomplish goals.  Let’s be realistic, what player doesn’t want to be named MVP?  Even more when you are selected by baseball writers.  As a child, one dreams about becoming the MVP of your team.

I am truly thankful for my health that has permitted me to obtain optimal results in my career.  Every day I wake up thinking how fortunate I am to play for an exceptional team, to be guided by a great leader and surrounded by some of the best players throughout the years.  What can a guy ask for?  I extend a heartfelt congratulation to Andrew McCutchen for winning MVP.” – Yadier Molina.

Related articles

• McCutchen wins MVP award, Molina and Carpenter come in 3-4 (stltoday.com)
• Andrew McCutchen, Miguel Cabrera win MVP awards and should continue to be regular contenders (mlb.si.com)

David Ortiz wins World Series MVP title

EDIT:

David Ortiz was named MVP of the World Series.  It wasn’t exactly a shocker after Ortiz had a stellar post season.  He batted an amazingly high .688 with two homers.  He had seven walks (three intentional).  He struck out only once bringing his average down from .733.

Between Games 3, 4 and 5, Ortiz tied Billy Hatcher’s World Series record (1990 Cincinnati Reds) by reaching base nine consecutive times.  Hardballtalk.com shows the stats of the nine other players on the roster to prove that Ortiz clearly was deserving of this award:

.250 (Jacoby Ellsbury)
.208 (Dustin Pedroia)
.688
.154 (Mike Napoli)
.118 (Jonny Gomes)
.154 (Shane Victorino)
.238 (Xander Bogaerts)
.158 (Stephen Drew)
.188 (David Ross)

Now we wait for March when a new season begins.  Here is how all true baseball fans feel:

Related articles

• David Ortiz Named 2013 World Series MVP (bleacherreport.com)