ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â JUNE Â 20, Â 2013
KARL LINDHOLM
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
BĂŠisbol  Paradiso produces  another big-Âtime  talent The  name  doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  exactly  roll  off  the  tongue,  like  Mickey  Mantle  or  Bo  Jackson,  the  players  he  is  be- ing  compared  to.  Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  pretty  good  company.  He  can  also  be  compared  to  the  great  Negro  League  Hall  of  Fam- ers,  Oscar  Charleston,  perhaps,  or  even  more  precisely  his  countrymen,  CristĂłbal  Torriente,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;The  Cuban  Strongboy,â&#x20AC;?  or  â&#x20AC;&#x153;El  Inmortalâ&#x20AC;?  Martin  Dihigo.  Meet  Yasiel  Puig  (yah-Âzeal  pweeg).  Puig  successfully  defected  last  year  from  Cuba  to  Mexico,  where  he  performed  for  major  league  scouts.  He  took  batting  practice,  ran  the  bases,  and  made  some  throws.  On  that  alone,  the  Dodgers  held  their  breath  and  signed  him  up  for  seven  years  and  $42  mil- lion.  Sportswriter  Phil  Elderkin  ob- served,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;The  Dodgers  didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t  scout  him.  They  got  him  out  of  Central  Casting.â&#x20AC;? He  played  23  games  in  the  minors  last  year,  in  Arizona  and  Rancho  Cucamonga  (Calif.),  batting  a  com- bined  .354,  which  earned  him  a  spot  on  the  Dodgersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  40-Âman  roster  and  an  invitation  to  Spring  Training  this  year.  He  batted  .517  this  spring,  but  was  sent  down  to  Double  A  Chatta- nooga  for  seasoning  anyway. ,QMXULHV WR RXWÂżHOGHUV &DUO &UDZ- ford  and  Matt  Kemp  hastened  Puigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  call-Âup  after  fewer  than  40  games  in  Chattanooga  (eight  homers,  37  RBI,  13  steals).  In  the  majors,  he  is  batting  .479  with  four  homers  and  10  RBI.  His  on-Âbase  percentage  is  .500  and  his  slugging  percentage  is  .771.  He  has  eight  multi- hit  games  in  his  Yasiel is the ÂżUVW )RU WKH SHUVRQLĂ&#x20AC;FD- uninitiated  sta- tion of the tistically,  thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  very  good  in- VR FDOOHG deed. Five-Tool Just  22  years  Player, old  (OK,  maybe  who runs, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  24),  he  has  throws, played  in  the  big  leagues  for  SOD\V GHonly  two  weeks,  fense, hits for average, but  there  are  al- ready  calls  for  DQG KLWV him  to  be  named  for power. to  the  National  The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whole League  All- Star  team.  He  7RROVKHGÂľ has  earned  the  is the way nickname  the  another â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cuban  Mis- sportswriter sileâ&#x20AC;?  (when  he  GHVFULEHV comes  up,  op- posing  pitchers  him. face  their  own  Cuban  Missile  crisis). Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  a  new  rock  band  in  L.A.  FDOOHG Âł3XLJ 'HVWUR\HUV ´ 7KHLU ÂżUVW song  is  an  acoustic  number  called,  â&#x20AC;&#x153;One  Man,  Five  Tools.â&#x20AC;? <DVLHO LV WKH SHUVRQLÂżFDWLRQ RI the  so-Âcalled  Five-ÂTool  Player,  who  runs,  throws,  plays  defense,  hits  for  average,  and  hits  for  power.  The  â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whole  Toolshedâ&#x20AC;?  is  the  way  anoth- er  sportswriter  describes  him.  He  runs  like  the  wind  and  has  a  cannon  for  an  arm.  The  Dodgers  have  him  playing  center  and  right  ¿HOG DQG EDWWLQJ OHDG RII WKRXJK DW 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122;3â&#x20AC;?,  245  pounds,  heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  the  size  of  an  NFL  running  back. ,Q KLV ÂżUVW PDMRU OHDJXH JDPH RQ -XQH KH VLQJOHG KLV ÂżUVW WLPH XS then  got  another  hit  in  the  sixth  in- (See  Lindholm,  Page  2B)
SAWYER  KAMMAN  SWINGS  into  a  pitch  during  Legion  baseball  practice  in  Middlebury  Saturday  morning.  The  Addison  County  team,  which  competes  in  the  Northern  Division  of  Vermont  American  Legion  Baseball,  opens  the  season  on  Thursday. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Ball  team  tunes  up  for  Legion  season AC  nine  begins  play  on  Thursday By  MARSHALL  HASTINGS MIDDLEBURY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  As  the  cal- HQGDU Ă&#x20AC;LSV WR WKH KRWWHU PRQWKV so  too  begins  the  summer  baseball  season.  And  for  many  of  the  areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  top  baseball  players,  the  summer  means  one  thing  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  American  Le- gion  baseball. For  Addison  County,  the  con- tingent  of  Middlebury,  Mount  Abraham  and  Vergennes  union  high  school  ball  players  join  forc- es  once  again  as  they  compete  in  the  Northern  Division  of  Vermont  American  Legion  Baseball. Like  the  seasons  before,  the  expectations  in  2013  are  lofty  for  AC,  a  group  that  lost  only  a  hand- ful  of  players,  although  all  proved  to  be  key  pieces  to  their  success.  Tommy  Nelson,  Mark  Dickerson,  Ian  Campbell,  Collin  Curler,  Nick  Richer  and  Nick  Ouellette  are  the  individuals  who  will  not  be  return- ing  this  summer. Nonetheless,  head  coach  Mike  Estey  and  assistant  Jim  Lutton  are  FRQÂżGHQW WKDW YHWHUDQ SOD\HUV DQG leaders  will  help  an  AC  roster  that  will  see  seven  new  faces. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m  excited  about  the  season,â&#x20AC;?  Estey  said.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;A  feather  in  Mar- shall  (Hastingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;)  cap  with  what  he  brings,  what  Devin  (Hayes)  brings,  the  leadership  they  bring  â&#x20AC;Ś  they  will  be  the  guys  that  kids  ORRN XS WR QRW RQO\ RQ WKH ÂżHOG but  in  the  dugout  as  well.â&#x20AC;? Although  the  veterans  will  be  leaned  on  to  help  the  team  be  suc- cessful,  the  impact  of  rookies  on  the  squad  is  equally  important. Âł6RPH RI WKHP DUH JRLQJ WR ÂżOO holes  for  us,â&#x20AC;?  said  Estey.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;We  lost  key  kids.  Some  of  them  are  going  to  play  big  roles.â&#x20AC;? The  seven  newcomers  for  AC  are  Aaron  Smith,  Tyler  Delancey,  Josh  Stearns,  Josiah  Benoit,  Chris  Leach,  Dylan  Raymond,  and  for- mer  Otter  Valley  athlete  Colton  Aines. And  although  AC  does  return  the  majority  of  their  starting  nine  from  the  season  before,  there  are  WADE  STEELE  SCOOPS  up  a  ground  ball  at  a  recent  American  Legion  Baseball  practice  in  Middlebury.  VWLOO KROHV WR EH ÂżOOHG LQ WKH LQÂżHOG This  yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  team  welcomes  seven  new  players. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tommy  Nelson  was  solid  for  Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell (See  Baseball,  Page  2B)
Popular  triathlon  series  kicks  off  June  30 S A L I S B U RY / L E I C E S T E R  lon  Series,  which  consists  of  four  ² :LWK VXPPHU RIÂżFLDOO\ DUULY- races.  Triathlons  may  sound  in- ing  this  week,  the  weather  getting  timidating  to  someone  thinking  of  warmer  and  the  sun  shin- running  a  10K  race  or  ing  brightly,  people  are  riding  in  a  30-Âmile  group  All the getting  active  outside.  bike  event,  until  you  look  Runners  and  bikers  can  be  triathlons closer.  The  Vermont  Sun  seen  on  roads  and  paths  DUH KHOG DW Triathlon  consists  of  a  all  around  the  county. 600-Âyard  swim,  a  14-Âmile  EHDXWLIXO $V WKHLU ÂżWQHVV JURZV %UDQEXU\ bike  and  a  3.1-Âmile  run.  many  recreational  ath- State Park With  a  moderate  level  of  letes  look  to  participate  in  ¿WQHVV VRPHRQH ZKR KDV events  for  fun  and  to  mo- on Lake a  bike  and  knows  how  to  tivate  them  to  stick  with  Dunmore in swim  can  complete  one  their  exercise  routines.  6DOLVEXU\ of  these  events. Vermont  offers  a  wide  va- Vermont  Sun  Fitness  riety  of  events  for  these  â&#x20AC;&#x153;weekend  Center,  located  in  Middlebury,  has  warriors.â&#x20AC;? been  putting  on  these  events  for  28  One  is  the  Vermont  Sun  Triath- years.  This  summer  they  will  run Â
three  of  these  â&#x20AC;&#x153;sprintâ&#x20AC;?  triathlons  on  one  Sunday  each  month:  June  30,  July  21  and  Aug.  11.  In  addition,  on  Aug.  11  they  also  hold  The  Bran- bury  Classic  Triathlon,  which  is  an  Olympic-Âdistance  race  consisting  of  a  0.9-Âmile  swim,  a  28-Âmile  bike  and  6.2-Âmile  run.  This  event  does  require  more  training  and  a  higher  OHYHO RI ÂżWQHVV All  the  triathlons  are  held  at  beautiful  Branbury  State  Park  on  Lake  Dunmore  in  Salisbury.  Race  organizers  said  this  is  a  perfect  spot.  The  water  is  warm,  usually  80  degrees  or  better.  The  bike  course  circles  two  lakes  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Dunmore  and  Fern  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  on  lightly  traveled,  paved  (See  Triathlons,  Page  3B)
Middlebury  Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Greer nominated  for  national  honor MIDDLEBURY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Recent  Mid- dlebury  College  graduate  and  North  Hampton,  N.H.,  resident  Lauren  Greer  has  been  named  one  of  six  NESCAC  Women  of  the  Year  nomi- nees.  A  committee  of  conference  administrators  will  select  the  NES- CACâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  representative  for  the  NCAA  Woman  of  the  Year  Award,  which  honors  outstanding  athletic,  academ- ic  and  community  achievements. The  NCAA  award  honors  graduat- ing  student-Âathletes  who  have  distin- guished  themselves  throughout  their  collegiate  careers  in  the  areas  of  aca- demic  achievement,  athletics  excel- lence,  service  and  leadership.  The  award  has  been  given  annually  since  1991.  The  2013  NCAA  Woman  of Â
the  Year  will  be  announced  on  Oct.  20  in  Indianapolis. Greer  was  a  four-Âyear  member  RI WKH 3DQWKHU ÂżHOG KRFNH\ DQG LFH hockey  teams.  She  served  as  a  team  captain  for  both  squads  while  men- toring  students  on  and  off  campus.  Greer  graduated  with  a  dual  degree  in  Film  and  Media  and  in  English  and  American  Literature,  while  earn- ing  the  title  of  All-ÂAcademic  from  numerous  organizations.  She  was  named  NESCAC  All- Academic  six  times  between  her  two  sports  and  was  honored  on  the  Na- tional  Field  Hockey  Coaches  Associ- ation  Academic  Squad  all  four  years.  A  three-Âtime  Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  List  member  (See  Greer,  Page  3B)
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Bates  and  Stone  are  winners  at race  track WEST  HAVEN  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Middlebury  drivers  Hunter  Bates  and  Todd  Stone  each  won  25-Âlap  feature  races  on  Fri- day,  June  14,  at  Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Bowl  Speed- way. Recent  high  school  graduate  Bates  continued  his  strong  start  to  the  sea- VRQ E\ ZLQQLQJ WKH ÂżUVW RI WZR ODS NASCAR  Whelen  All-ÂAmerican  Se- ries  Bond  Auto  Parts  features.  Bates,  who  won  a  30-Âlap  Late  Model  feature  at  Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Bowl  on  0D\ ZDV DKHDG RI WKH ÂżHOG RQ ODS 12  when  contact  between  second- place  Jamie  Proctor  and  third-Âplace  Jessey  Mueller  triggered  a  massive  crash  that  involved  half  of  the  20- FDU ÂżHOG DQG QHFHVVLWDWHG D UHG Ă&#x20AC;DJ period.  Several  cars  were  forced  out  with  damage. Ron  Proctor  of  Charlton,  N.Y.,  ¿QLVKHG VHFRQG ZLWK 9LQFH 4XHQQ- eville  Jr.  of  Brandon  in  third.  Stone  rebounded  from  the  lap-Â12  crash  to  ¿QLVK IRXUWK DIWHU ZLQQLQJ KLV TXDOL- fying  heat  and  the  Sunoco  Race  Fu- els  Semi-ÂFeature.   6WRQH ÂżQLVKHG ZKDW KH VWDUWHG LQ the  second  25-Âlap  feature,  driving  from  the  17th  starting  position  to  pass  Jamie  Proctor  with  seven  laps  remaining  to  take  the  lead  and  sail  to  his  second  victory  of  the  season.  3URFWRU RI 6FKX\OHUYLOOH 1 < ÂżQ- (See  Race,  Page  3B)
Sports BRIEFS
Local  girls  named  lacrosse  all  stars ADDISON  COUNTY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Six  PHPEHUV RI WKH 'LYLVLRQ , ÂżQDO- ist  Middlebury  Union  High  School  girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  lacrosse  team  received  postsea- son  recognition,  as  did  a  Ferrisburgh  resident  who  played  for  the  D-ÂII  champion  Rice  squad. 7ZR 7LJHUV HDUQHG ÂżUVW WHDP ' , all-Âstate  honors,  senior  defender  Tif- IDQ\ 'DQ\RZ DQG MXQLRU PLGÂżHOGHU Emily  Robinson.  One  Tiger  received  recognition  as  a  member  of  the  D-ÂI  second  team,  sophomore  attacker  Emily  Kiernan.  Three  Tigers  were  awarded  hon- orable  mention:  junior  defender  Hannah  Hobbs  and  sophomore  PLGÂżHOGHUV 6RSKLD 3HOXVR DQG -XOLD Rosenberg.  (DUQLQJ ÂżUVW WHDP ' ,, KRQRUV ZDV senior  Emily  Cutting,  a  high-Âscoring  attacker  for  the  Green  Knights. Â
Foursomes  vie  in  weekly  golf  contest MIDDLEBURY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  The  foursome  of  Bert  Phinney,  John  Quinn,  Jeff  Stetson  and  Fred  Belanger  earned  a  one-Âstroke  victory  in  the  June  13  menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  golf  competition  at  Ralph  Myhre  Golf  Course.  Their  score  of  138  proved  to  be  just  good  enough  to  edge  the  139  carded  by  the  quartet  of  Tim  Harvey,  Pete  Mulgrew,  Louis  Sanchez  and  Marsden  Van  Order.  Harvey  and  Mulgrew  posted  the  best  low  individual  net  score  on  the  evening,  both  coming  in  at  72.  Mike  Adams  had  the  low  individu- al  net  on  the  Par  5  holes,  14.  Earning  skins  on  the  day  were  Be- langer  on  Hole  No.  4  and  Phinney  on  Hole  No.  11. Â
Bristol  hosts  Little  League  tourney BRISTOL  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  Mount  Abraham  Little  League  has  been  selected  to  host  this  summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  District  1  (Chit- tenden  and  Addison  counties)  Little  League  All-Âstar  softball  tournament  and  the  9-  and  10-Âyear-Âold  Vermont  State  All-Âstar  softball  tournament. Mount  Abe  Little  League  hosted  the  District  1  softball  tournament  last  year  and  representatives  say  they  are  happy  to  host  them  again  this  year,  both  as  an  opportunity  for  more  local  girls  to  play  and  as  a  way  to  bring  more  people  to  Bristol. Tournaments  run  from  June  22  through  July  22  at  the  Bristol  Rec- reation  Field.