Storm Baseball

Welcome to the new Storm Blog! This is the place where you will find all of your latest Storm related news. Once you’ve read the stories you have the ability to post your own comments about each one. In order to do so though, you will first have to create a username and password to login. This is all you need to Get Caught In It for the 2008 season. If you have any questions please call 951-245-HITS or e-mail us here.

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres announced today that PETCO Park will host their Single-A
Lake Elsinore affiliate for a minor league game on Tuesday, June 2, prior to the Padres game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies.
The official California League game begins at 2:30 p.m. PDT and pits the Storm against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim affiliate. The Padres-Phillies tilt begins at 7:05 p.m. Gates open at 2:00 p.m.
One ticket garners admission to both games. Tickets may be purchased at the PETCO Park Advanced Ticket Windows, online at padres.com and padresbeisbol.com, by phone at 877-FRIAR TIX and at all participating PETCO locations. Tickets are also available through the Storm by calling 951.245.HITS (4487) or by visiting the Storm ticket office at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore.
The Storm is 4-1 in five previous games played at PETCO Park. Next month’s game will mark the eighth consecutive year the Storm has played in San Diego.
Currently, Lake Elsinore boasts a 23-19 record, trailing California League South Division leader
High Desert by five games.

Do you have a problem with gas emissions in the world today? Well the Storm want to help. Every Tuesday home game at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, gas emissions and the economy will not be a problem.

As some of you might know, last season the Lake Elsinore Storm ran a Fat Tuesday promotion, which included an All-U-Can-Eat buffet in the left field Tiki Terrace for $13. However, this season the Fat Tuesday promotion is ballpark-wide. Every Tuesday ticket will cost $13 and include an All-U-Can-Eat menu available at every concession stand, with Tuesday, June 23 being the only exception.

You can probably deduce that All-U-Can-Eat ballpark food might lead to substantial gas emissions, which is where corporate sponsor, Subtle Butt, enters the picture. Made of activated carbon fabric, each disposable 3.25” square shield is held onto the inside of underwear with two self-adhesive strips. Subtle Butt effectively filters flatulence, absorbing and neutralizing its odor. “I am confident that this will help fans get through the Seventh-Inning Stench,” says Kim Leone Olenicoff, President of Irvine-based The Pond Inc., maker of Subtle Butt. “And I’m not only the President, but a satisfied customer.”

The first 250 fans each Tuesday will receive a free product sample of Subtle Butt, providing relief both for the environment and for the noses of those around them. Fans can enjoy all their favorite ballpark food (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, french fries and popcorn) and not worry about clearing out their section with untimely smells. “This will really help people out,” said Storm Assistant General Manager Allan Benavides. “I know personally when I eat all that I can, I have problems with gas emissions.”

The Storm front office members were used as guinea pigs to test the small patch in the off-season, and well, it works. Wives, friends and girlfriends are overjoyed at the relief Subtle Butt has brought them, and they hope that everyone else will feel the same.

For more information or to order Fat Tuesday tickets call the Storm Box Office at 951-245-4487 or visit stormbaseball.com.

With the release of the Madfriars.com list of the Top 20 Prospects for the 2009 season the Storm definitely precedent. With five from 2008, five from 2007 and one from 2006, the Storm are proud to say that these players have once put on a Storm uniform.
No. 20 - Josh Geer - RHP 2006
No. 18 - Steve Garrison - LHP 2007
No. 17 - Drew Miller - RHP 2008
No. 12 - Wade LeBlanc - LHP 2007
No. 10 - James Darnell - IF 2008
No. 8 - Matt Antonelli - IF 2007
No. 7 - Chad Huffman - OF 2007
No. 6 - Wynn Pelzer - RHP 2008
No. 5 - Kellen Kulbacki - OF 2008
No. 3 - Kyle Blanks - IF 2007
No. 1 - Cedric Hunter - OF 2008

Thanks to madfriars.com for compiling this list on an annual basis. Full list to come later…

Storm Broadcaster Sean McCall recently had a chance to talk with Peter Ciofrone on his experience in baseball and his once in a lifetime opportunity to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

SM: Congratulations on representing Italy in the World Baseball Classic. What proud feelings have you had as the official tournament games are scheduled to begin?
PC: “We were in camp in Florida preparing for the WBC and Mike Piazza (who played for Italy in 2006) gave a speech to the team. He talked about how his grandfather naturalized, and that this was where your family comes from. It hit me hard. I’m wearing the Italian uniform. It’s a great honor and I am excited to be a part of it.”

SM: With a name like Ciofrone, you must have strong roots. What is the family connection to Italian heritage?
PC: “My grandfather, my mother’s father, was born in Italy. He grew up in Calabria and moved to the United States at age nine…It gave me chills to put the Italian uniform on.”

SM: When did you find out that you would have the opportunity to play for Team Italy?
PC: “Actually I was contacted six months ago to make sure I was cleared to play, getting the proper paperwork and my birth certificate to the right people so they could verify the information.”

SM: On Saturday, March 7, Italy will play Venezuela in Pool C action live on national television. How excited are you and what are the chances that Italy can move on to the next round, knowing you are in the same pool with the United States and Canada as well?
PC: “I’m very excited. There is some serious competition. But on any given day in baseball, you never know. We have a great mix, some young guys and some older guys. If we play the game right, then I think we have a chance. I’m just honored and can’t wait to start playing.”

SM: For now, as you get ready for the WBC, who are the teammates that you are hanging out with?
PC: “Well I have the Long Island (N.Y.) connection. One of my teammates is Frank Catalanotto, a 13-year major league veteran who happens to be from my same home town (Smithtown, NY), went to the same high school (Smithtown High School, home of the Bulls) and lives only five minutes from my house. Also, a local player from a rival high school, BJ Lamura, is on the team. We have three Long Island guys from the area who are on the same team now playing for Italy. It’s a pretty good story.”

SM: Peter, Storm fans in 2006 saw you as a clutch-hitting outfielder and DH. But in spring training and much of last season at Portland (AAA), you played third base. How is the comfort zone at the hot corner and where do you see yourself at the major league level?
PC: “So far at Big League Camp with the Padres I’ve been playing third base, but with Italy I will be playing in the outfield. But when I get that chance to break in to the bigs, I’ll be hitting and playing different positions and doing whatever it takes. I can play third base, second base, first base, but I’m most comfortable right now playing the outfield.”

SM: As you get set for an opportunity of a lifetime, who will be traveling to Canada to root you on and share in these memories with you?
PC: “My brothers, Frankie and Paul, and a bunch of my friends will be in Toronto. I can’t wait. It’s going to be an awesome experience.”

SM: Your family and friends will be rooting for you, but remember the Storm family will be cheering you on as well. Good luck, play well, stay healthy and, if possible, would you please allow us a brief follow-up on your memorable World Baseball Classic experience?
PC: “You got it, any time. Call me a couple of days after it’s over and we can talk from spring training. Tell everyone that I said hello.”

Adam Jacobs, son of Storm Owner Gary Jacobs, will take the helm of the Cornell University Baseball Team as the starting Catcher for the 2009 season. The season was slated to start this past Sunday in Annapolis, MD against Navy. However due to inclement weather, the double header had to be postponed. The season will now start for the Cornell Big Red on March 8 in the form of a double header at Villanova University. Matthew Manacher, Sports Writer for the Cornell Daily Sun, wrote a nice article about the senior and the his take on the Navy double header, as well as the 2009 season. Read below.

February 27, 2009
By Matthew Manacher
(Writer for the Cornell Daily Sun in Central NY)

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Maybe this was a wise and brilliant saying in its day, but do not tell this to the baseball team. The 2005 season, when the Red won the Gehrig Division, is a distant memory while each of the past three seasons ended with Cornell in last place. However, when the baseball team opens up the 2009 campaign this weekend with back-to-back doubleheaders at the U.S. Naval Academy, the past three seasons will be the furthest thing from the players’ mind.
“Our big thing this year is that we’re not thinking about past years at all, said senior catcher Adam Jacobs. “We’re concentrating on this year. That’s our mindset. We go one pitch, one inning, one game at a time.”
Tomorrow marks not only the start of a new and promising season for the Red, it will also be head coach Bill Walkenbach’s ’98 debut as the new Cornell manager. Walkenbach, a former assistant coach and player, replaced Tom Ford last August while Ford assumed his current role as associate head coach.
“Coach Walk came in with a totally different approach,” said sophomore outfielder Mickey Brodsky. “He told me he wanted to come in and change the culture right away. We’ve been a very good program. We’ve won the Gehrig Division in 2005, but we really haven’t competed on the Ivy level year in and year out as we should. So, coach Walk came in and provided a real culture shock for us. Everyday we visualize winning a championship. I know a lot of people outside of the program don’t believe in us right now, but inside the program we’re expecting some pretty big things this year.”
Returning for his fifth year of eligibility after an elbow injury shortened his season last year, Jacobs has been around long enough to assess the changes in the clubhouse and notes the difference in attitude this year as opposed to years past.
“It’s a little bit different than in years past when some guys wanted to do their own thing,” Jacobs said. “Now, it is a complete team and everyone on the team is looking to do what’s in the best interest of the team and not necessarily what’s best for themselves.”
The Red will send junior southpaw Matt Hill to the mound in the season-opener tomorrow afternoon. Hill led the Red in 2008 with five wins, three complete games, 55 innings pitched and tied for the team lead with 36 strikeouts. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Taylor Wood will start the nightcap while junior Tony Bertucci and sophomore Corey Pappel will take the mound for Sunday’s twinbill.
“Less than three weekends ago [Wood] pitched in one of our intra-squad games in the turf room and he pitched lights out,” Jacobs said. “I believe he pitched three innings of no-hit ball. So, I said to myself, ‘He looks pretty good. Let’s see if he can back it up two weeks in a row.’ And, he did. Then, he did three weeks in a row as well. He was consistently hitting about 91 or 92 with his fastball. He has a really good changeup and really good curveball. If he keeps the same intensity he has during practice and doesn’t try to do too much, I think he’ll do just fine.
Although Cornell only lost two starting players from last season, some players may find themselves in a new position. Brodsky, who was selected as an Ivy League honorable mention in 2008 at first base, will move to a corner outfield spot to make room sophomore Jadd Schmeltzer at first base. Senior Nathan Ford, the Red’s top hitter from a year ago and only first team All-Ivy selection, will be manning the hot corner with the return of Jacobs behind the plate.
The top of lineup will most likely have senior shortstop Scott Hardinger or junior transfer second baseman Matt Langseth leading off. Ford, Brodsky and senior outfielder Dom Di Ricco will return to the heart of the order.
“It always takes a while for the offense to get going because we’re not used to playing outside,” Brodsky said. “Again, we will be lead by Nate Ford and Dom Di Ricco. They’ve probably had two of the best careers at Cornell and other than that we’re looking to just step up and have a better year than we did last year.”
Navy, picked to finish second in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, will prove to be a formidable opponent, having won over 30 games in each of the past three seasons.
We don’t know too much about [Navy] but we know that they’re in the Patriot League, which is pretty similar to the Ivy League,” Brodsky said. “So, we’re not going to go in there intimidated at all because they’re probably on the same level as we are. I am really excited to go to one of those military academies to play and to see what that’s like. The team got to play Army two years ago and they had a great experience there, so we’ll see what Navy has to offer.”

Lake Elsinore, CA, February 25, 2009 – The final rosters for the 2009 World Baseball Classic were released on Tuesday evening and the Lake Elsinore Storm is proud to announce that 14 alumni have been given the opportunity to represent their respective countries in the second running of the WBC. U.S. players will report to camp Sunday in Clearwater, FL. The tournament begins March 5 in Tokyo, and the United States will play its first game March 7 against Canada in Toronto. Each of the 16 teams in the WBC can carry 28 players, but the U.S. took only 27. The list was trimmed down from 43 players submitted on its initial roster that was announced last month.

The 14 former Storm, representing eight different countries, include seven pitchers, three outfielders, two catchers and one infielder. The list is highlighted by 2007 N.L. Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy and 2008 record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez. Peavy will lead a 14-man United States pitching staff with 10 major league relievers, including Storm alum Scot Shields.

In 2006 the United States was knocked out in the second round of the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The defending champions, Japan, beat Cuba in the championship game held at Petco Park. Once again this year Petco Park will host international competition when the first pool of the second round of the WBC takes place from March 15 – 19.

Here is a list of Storm Alumni Representing their country:
OF - Alfredo Amezaga; Mexico; C - Luke Carlin; Canada; INF - Ray Chang; China; OF/INF - Peter Ciofrone; Italy; OF - Luis Durango; Panama; RHP - Steve Green; Canada; RHP - Rodrigo Lopez; Mexico; RHP - Chris Oxspring; Australia; RHP - Jake Peavy; US; LHP - Oliver Perez; Mexico; C - Ben Risinger; Australia; RHP - Francisco Rodriguez; Venezuela; INF - Jack Santora; Italy; RHP - Scot Shields; US.

February 25, 2009 Lake Elsinore, CA - This past weekend Joe Garvey passed away from complications due to a long bout with Parkinson’s and diabetes. The 6-3 250-pound Garvey was the father of legendary Steve Garvey, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres from 1969 - 1987. Joe drove the Los Angeles Dodgers team bus for spring training in Florida for 25 years. “He loved the game,” Steve Garvey said of his father. “He listened to whatever powerful radio station he could get and tune into [Los Angeles] Dodger games. Then when more of our games were televised, he would watch and tell me what I was doing wrong. He was my personal coach. He retired in 1984 and moved to San Diego, then to Murietta and he would love to catch my kids play. He would go to Lake Elsinore Storm games and eventually became an usher and a greeter for six years;” as quoted by Steve Garvey on dodgers.com. Long-time Storm PA Announcer Joe Martinez remembers Garvey fondly. “He was easy to look up to, not just because of his size, but more so because of the way he carried himself. I always knew what to expect when I saw him - a strong handshake that made my hand disappear at the wrist and a big smile. He will be missed.”

The Lake Elsinore Storm extends it’s condolences to the entire Garvey family in this tough time. Joe was a great man and this organization will miss him.

January 23, 2009 Lake Elsinore, CA - If you ever tune into the channel Versus and watch the WEC you might recognize the voice of the official ring announcer. For the past three years Storm PA Announcer Joe Martinez has been “The Official Voice of the WEC,” as dubbed by ringside announcer Todd Harris. Eight to ten times per year Joe travels to venues throughout the country  to announce WEC events that are also broadcast live on Versus.  WEC, or World Extreme Cagefighting, is a thriving organization in the sport of mixed martial arts.  Catch Joe Martinez and the entire WEC fight card at the San Diego Sports Arena on January 25 at 6:30pm or watch the live broadcast on the Versus Network.

The Storm would like to send a thank you to Trevor Hoffman for all of the support throughout his career in San Diego. The Storm would also like to wish Hoffman luck in Milwaukee  as he takes on a new team and a new challenge. The all-time Major League Saves leader rehabbed with the Storm back in 2003. In three appearances for a combined three innings, Hoffman compiled a 0.00 ERA allowing only 2 hits and striking out four. Join the Storm in wishing Trevor the best of luck and post your messege to him here on the Storm blog.