Andre Dawson and Jennie Finch both have bad news for well-meaning parents who are pouring money into their kids’ athletic careers by hiring personal instructors in the hopes of them being an All-Star, or playing in college.
Save your money.
Current Major League Baseball All-Stars say the same thing.
Take it from people who lived it, or live it currently. Dawson is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Finch is one of the best softball players ever.
On Monday morning at the Texas Rangers youth practice facility in West Dallas, they worked with youth softball and baseball teams through a program sponsored by Gatorade. A few hours later in Arlington at Globe Life Field, the 2024 MLB All-Stars met with the media.
They all come from different backgrounds, and yet their answer to the question if all of these expensive personal lessons and pricey 1-on-1 instructors for kids are worth it is unanimous.
“I have two perspectives on this, and one is as a parent of a 16-year-old son. So, no,” Oakland A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Monday. He played in the majors from 1997 to 2013.
“But saying that statement, as a parent trying to provide your child every avenue if you have those means, then you are going to argue that it is.”
At a minimum, hiring the personal coach is another way to keep the kid playing a game on a field, which is better than just watching them playing a game on their phone.
There is a hard truth to “making it” in sports that is as easy as swallowing a rock; that no amount of money can “fix it.”
If the player can play, they can just play. Some additional instruction can never hurt, but ultimately a teacher can only do so much.
“You can’t teach athleticism,” Dawson said. “It’s something where talent and ability comes out. That (personal instruction) is not going to make that much of a difference. It is acquired knowledge, and it’s going to be in the back of your mind, but it’s different when it’s game action and it’s live.
“It has it’s place, but it’s not going to be a deal breaker. It’s not going to take you from ‘here to here.’ ”
In the last 20 years, the price to play sports as a kid in America has gone from affordable, to semi-affordable to its current state of, “Gross.” Travel ball. Select teams. All-Star teams. Multiple uniforms. Bats. Gloves.
“I think the amount of money being shelled out for youth baseball is not worth it, for your average family,” said Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg, who grew up in New Braunfels.
“It hurts me to look at travel ball teams of 6, 7 or 9 year olds. Even in that 10 to 12 group; is it really that important to spend thousands of dollars to take up a full summer of just baseball at that age? I think the parents are wanting it more than their kids at that age.”
Westburg said he didn’t come from a family who had “the means” to take this route if he wanted to; he did say he’s happy it wasn’t even an option. It gave him the chance to have a more “normal” summer routine.
“When parents start to compare their kid and what they are doing compared to other kids, it robs the kids’ joy,” he said. “You don’t want this to feel like a job; if their parents are pushing to keep up with John Doe’s kids next door, that’s a dangerous game to play.”
Uptown Brewery to host Art Market
STAFF
Uptown Brewing Company is a craft brewery located in Downtown Greenville, NC, and on Sunday July 14, they hosted their first art market.
The Uptown Art Market is an event presented by Uptown Brewing Company and was hosted on Sunday by Jam Stancil, a bartender working at the brewery.
“I thought it was really important to give local artists in Greenville a safe place to be able to one, sell their art but even just to show off,” said Stancil “Especially with us not doing the Umbrella Markets anymore and there's just not a lot of events in the summertime, so during such a slow season, it's just important to have artists around at all.”
The market will be held at Uptown Brewing Company every Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. for at least the rest of the summer, in hopes that the market will be something that continues to happen in the future.
Since it was the first art market Uptown held, the vendors that participated in the event were reached out to individually from recommendations from other artists. Moving forward Uptown hopes to provide a sign-up sheet and post on their social media with the amount of vendor spots open for the event.
Jam Stencil also says she and Uptown are very happy to see local people in the community come together, make connections and encourage other artists to make more art.
After 19 years with East Carolina University, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Curt Kraft announced his retirement.
“I knew this day would come,” Kraft said in a statement, “this is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. It was important to me to retire while I am still impactful and effective and I am at peace with my choice knowing that I have made the decision for all the right reason. I made this decision because of my wife of 40 years, my two children and my grandchildren. It’s time to plan trips with them rather than the team and it’s time for a new voice to lead the program I have loved for the last 19 years.”
Kraft started his coaching journey as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. He became an assistant coach for Nevada in 1991. This would lead to a head coaching opportunity, which Kraft accepted in 1994 to coach Nevada. Nevada under Kraft’s guidance, won four conference championships while winning conference coach of the year. In 2003, he was named the NCAA Division I Mountain Region Coach of the Year.
In 2005, Kraft decided to come to ECU. Kraft spoke about this in a statement.
“I want to thank Terry Holland and
Rosie Thompson for hiring me 19 years ago and Jon Gilbert and Mike Hanley for being such a great support system for the program in recent years. I also wanted to thank all of the student-athletes and great coaches that I have had over the last 40 years.”
“I wish that I could name them all here, but I know that all of the success that I have enjoyed is because of the great people who surround me. I have been blessed to do something that I have a passion for and to do it for an entire career. When you do something you love and have passion for, it is hard to consider it a job. The number
one thing I think I will miss the most is all of the relationships with the student athletes and the assistant coaches. I have such a high regard for those relationships which I have built over a 40-year career.”
For almost 20 years, the Pirates were exceptional statistically under Kraft. They won three Conference-USA conference titles. His teams managed to set and break 45 indoor program records and 40 all-time records outdoors. Kraft won league coach of the year on three separate occasions.
UNC System to award money to nursing education
The University of North Carolina System has awarded nearly $29 million to expand nursing education at 12 public universities and North Carolina’s Area Health Education Centers. The grants will fund everything from new faculty positions and equipment, allowing nursing schools to expand class sizes and create more effective, high-quality training.
ECU REI to host summer learning exchange
On Wednesday educators from across the eastern North Carolina region attended as part of an effort to recognize and encourage partnership between ECU’s Rural Education Institute and local school districts.
Stansbury, Wallen identified as leaders in UNC System
Chris Stansbury and Dr. Michele Wallen are two members of the East CArolina Community and were selected to represent ECU in the fifth cohort of the UNC System’s Executive Leadership Institute. This institute is designed to develop future leaders from all institutions in the UNC System.
They will participate in various leadership development opportunities during the 10-month institute. This cohort will consist of 33 participants.
Concerns for the safety of important figures rise
Seema Mehta TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday raised questions about security protocols and how a gunman could open fire so close to the presumptive GOP nominee.
The shooting, which left a spectator dead and injured Trump and at least two others, stunned operatives of both political parties who have seen firsthand the level of precision, care and detail the Secret Service takes in safeguarding its charges. American presidents and former presidents are among the most protected politicians in the world, with multiple layers of security — some visible to the public and others covert.
Democrat Bill Burton saw the intricate level of protection while accompanying thenSen. Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign and then as a member of his White House administration.
think any of us want to live in a country where that is a reality for our leaders."
At campaign rallies and official White House events, the level of security for spectators is greater than at an airport checkpoint. Items as innocuous as umbrellas are often confiscated.
For reporters and others in close proximity to the president or a prominent candidate, the security is even more in-depth, with background checks and trained dogs smelling bags and equipment.
In addition to such publicly visible efforts, agents are often perched on rooftops with long guns when a protectee appears in public. Motorcades are guarded by federal, state and local law enforcement. Buildings and event sites are screened and safeguarded in advance, and intelligence about potential threats is vetted.
the agencies coordinating security for the event.
"We cannot be a country that accepts political violence of any kind — that is not who we are as Americans," Evers said on the social media platform X.
As Trump addressed supporters on Saturday, shots rang out. The former president clapped his hand to the side of his face and ducked, with Secret Service agents quickly surrounding him and whisking him away as blood dripped near his right ear.
One spectator was killed and two were critically injured. The shooter, perched on a rooftop outside the event perimeter, was killed by Secret Service agents, according to the Associated Press and other media outlets.
ECU to hold "Taking the Leap" program
& CLARIFICATIONS
If you feel there are any factual errors in this newspaper, please contact Jaylin Roberts at editor@theeastcarolinian.com.
"In the political world, people often ignore the humanity on the other side, but ultimately, former President Trump came within an inch of losing his life today," said Burton after watching the story unfold live on television monitors during a layover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. "And regardless of what these next months and years hold, I don't
The assassination attempt took place on the cusp of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which starts Monday, with Trump expected to accept his party's nomination on Thursday.
Security during such events is extraordinarily tight and is certain to grow stricter after what occurred on Saturday.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said he and his staff are communicating with
"Quite frankly, I don't know how he would have gotten to the location where he was, but he was outside the grounds," Butler County District Attorney Richard A. Goldinger told CNN. "And I think that's something that we're gonna have to figure out how he got there."
"We haven't seen this since Reagan," he added. "It's mind blowing. You know, maybe we got a little lackadaisical about it, that this wouldn't happen to a president or a former president. But it's crazy. Sadly, maybe it's just the state of our current political situation."
ANNA MONEYMAKER I TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Donald Trump rushed offstage by Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
TOMORROW
Duck-Rabbit Friday Night Trivia
Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery 4519 W. Pine St., Farmville, NC 27828
7 to 11:59 p.m. (252) 274- 4512
SATURDAY
Get Poison’d - A Tribute to Poison The State Theatre 110 West 5th St , Greenville, NC 27858
7:30 to 11:59 p.m.
Mid Atlantic Reptile Expo Greenville Convention Center
303 SW Greenville Blvd, Greenville, NC 27858
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (252) 321 - 7671
Pride Paddle
Knee Deep Adventures
105 E 1st Street, Greenville, NC 27834
2 to 4 p.m. (252) 714 - 5836
SUNDAY
Barbershop at the MAC Magnolia Arts Center 1703 E. 14th Street, Greenville, NC 27858
3 to 5 p.m. (1888) 622 - 3868
LGBTQ+ Women of Greenville & Friends Picnic Greenville Convention Center
303 SW Greenville Blvd, Greenville, NC 27858
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (252) 321 - 7671
Sunday in the Park Greenville Toyota Amphitheater
105 E. 1st St., Greenville, NC 27858
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (252) 758 - 7246
Sunday Unplugged Pitt Street Brewing Company
630 S Pitt St., Greenville, NC 27834
1 to 5 p.m. (252) 227 - 4151
Pitt Street Book Worms Book Club Pitt Street Brewing Company
630 S Pitt St., Greenville, NC 27834
4 to 6 p.m. (252) 227 - 4151
Cook’s Closet partners with Backstage Coffee
Cook’s Closet is a vintage clothing store that is partnered with Backstage Coffee. This shop is owned by Joseph Cook and sells men’s and women’s gear ranging from the 50’s through the early 2000’s, handmade clothing and jewelry. The store also carries a variety of shoes, hats, scarves and vintage decor.
“While I was attending ECU and majoring in business, I saw the lack of sustainability amongst local college students and the opportunity to not only start a business but to also make a positive impact environmentally,” said Cook “Fast Fashion negatively impacts not only our local areas but a multiplicity of countries across seas.”
Cook’s Closet is located inside of Backstage Coffee in Downtown Greenville. They had been looking for a retail space for months and were approached by the owners of Backstage Coffee.
Cook said the Backstage Coffee owners were super supportive of the ideas Cook's Closet had and the idea of welcoming a partnership that not only brings a vintage clothing store to Greenville, but it also allows for three small businesses to partner with cool and unique experiences.
While Backstage Coffee is open Monday through Friday, Cooks Closet is open on Wednesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The prices for the items inside of the store range from $5 all the way up to $100. “We try and provide unique and affordable items so everybody can find something they like,” said Cook.
It is important to have a shop like this in Greenville because “it provides a spot for the community to shop a curated and sustainable collection of goodies that are hard to come by in today's world.”
As Cook’s Closet is growing and expanding, much of their proceeds have gone towards local programs and charities. “We hope to grow our outreach not only as a business but in giving back to the community.”
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.
Hot weather is more dangerous than you think
Jonathan Bethly was upbeat as he helped his friend clean out some storage units for extra cash on a hot summer day, laughing and joking as he worked.
He later went to take a nap in his friend’s Cobb County apartment and never woke up, relatives said.
The county medical examiner’s office concluded the cause of death was asthma-related, and that a heart condition contributed. Also leading to his death was the fact that Bethly, who recently had come to metro Atlanta from Michigan, had physically exerted himself in the Georgia heat before he was acclimated to it, according to a report on the death investigation.
Temperatures were in the 90s for a few hours leading up to Bethly’s death on Sept. 6, 2019. He was only 33.
“Nobody thought that was going to happen because he was so young,” said his wife, Latasha Bethly, adding that she rarely sees public health warnings about heat in her home city of Detroit. As human-caused climate change continues to increase the frequency of heatwaves in Atlanta and across the country, experts agree that public messaging and warnings about the health risks have improved in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National
Weather Service, for instance, recently launched a tool that forecasts nationwide heat risk over a seven-day period. And earlier this month, the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University launched a new dashboard that provides both public health and climate-related data on a county-by-county level across Georgia.
Even so, experts say the warnings don’t always reach the most vulnerable residents and are not tailored to individuals based on their specific living conditions or their varied health conditions. Other barriers include a lack of accurate weather data reflecting differences in temperatures across neighborhoods. Then there is this simple fact: Many people fail to recognize that heat and humidity can kill.
“You never think it’s going to happen to you,” said Kim Cobb, a professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Brown University. “It’s creeping into the daily lives of more and more Americans. It’s representing more and more of a threat across multiple regions at the same time now.”
Another challenge is that the human body doesn’t have an efficient way to signal that core body temperature is rising, said Kristie Ebi, a professor of health and global environment at the University of Washington. Given that one of the
early signs of heat illness is confusion, some older people who feel disoriented might not realize the heat is the cause, she said.
“People often don’t realize that they’re starting to suffer heat strain until they are in trouble,” Ebi said.
According to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health, 205 Georgians died from heat-related causes from 2009 to 2022. The data, obtained through a request under the state’s Open Records Act, also show there were more than 35,000 heat-related emergency room visits among Georgia residents over the 14-year period.
Of the ER visits, 55.7% were by white patients and the second-highest percentage, 38%, were visits by Black patients — which is considered disproportionately high, given that only about 31% of the state’s residents are Black, according to U.S. census data from 2020.
In metro Atlanta, heat deaths over the years included people who were experiencing homelessness, individuals with dementia who wandered off in the heat, older people who were doing yardwork outside and young children left in hot cars, according to a review of autopsy reports over the past five years.
Jaylin Roberts TEC STAFF
CONTRIBUTED BY COOK'S CLOSET
Cook's Closet is a vintage clothing store that sells men's and women's gear, handmade clothing, jewlery, shoes, hats, scarves and vintage decor.
CONTRIBUTED BY COOK'S CLOSET
This store is located inside of Backstage Coffee in Downtown Greenville.
OUR VIEW
We, the editorial staff of The East Carolinian believe with the bird flu going around, Americans should investigate and pay attention to what might be affecting the meat they eat and what exactly is in the food that is being consumed everyday.
Even though the bird flu isn’t directly affecting humans through the meat, learning that this is something going around on dairy farms is still concerning.
It is a constant reminder that everyone should be paying attention to what is happening to the animals many consume and other food products that are on the shelves in stores.
It is also alarming that many do not question the things that they are consuming. If more people researched what was in most of the products that are being sold in stores, they would find that almost everything that is consumed should not be allowed.
Many health problems that Americans have today are because of consuming ingredients in food that should not be consumed on an everyday basis. There are ingredients within our foods that are banned in other countries because they are so harmful.
There should be more research and investigations going on about the things that are being consumed in America and many should decide for themselves if what they find inside of food is worth the risk to their health.
PIRATE RANTS
Why is the train so louddddddddd omg
I don’t understand crypto currency. Why would you pay money to make a different kind of money worth more money?
Chipotle is incredibly overrated. Be normal and go to Moe’s. Literally everything tastes better there and you have way more options.
Why do we pay so much in tuition and yet there are still a lack in parking spaces reserved for students
CyberTrucks are ugly. You bought a “Truck” to look cool, it doesn’t serve a purpose. I can’t see anyone pulling up to do work or hauling trailers with that thing. It’s going to die when you try to haul something. Then you have to charge it for a day. What’s the point?
I’m so tired of this HEAT!!!!!!!!
I hate how crowded the gym gets once classes start. GO HOME!!!!! Greenville is crazy you can have freshman on on side of your apt and then a married couple with kids in the next
The cute couple locks at the Town Commons make me want to throw up For my incoming freshman
don’t walk under the
Wake Up America!
On Saturday July 13, Former President Donald J. Trump was shot in the ear during an assaination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, at one of his rallies.
I found out via TikTok as I was doing my daily doom scrolling on vacation. I came across a video from a news source with breaking news. As I continued to scroll through TikTok I was hit with video after video of the events from the rally.
I ran down stairs to tell my friends to turn on the news. With disbelief everyone stared at me as I yelled “TRUMP WAS SHOT, TURN ON THE NEWS!”
When CNN was turned on a cloud of shock, disbelief and fear fell over the room. We were silent, not knowing what to say or what to think.
There were two major feelings in the room during the time, the first was the fear of not knowing how bad this was going to impact us as a nation and concern for our safety being in
South Carolina, a historically known red state.
We watched the news for about an hour flipping between CNN and Fox to see what each side was saying to weigh out the severity of this event.
Some may agree with me when I say Fox tends to blame the left for a lot of things, including if the shooter was on the left or on the right side of the political party.
This was the question my friends and I had asked as we were anticipating what the shooter’s motives were.
We also wondered how the secret service failed to protect Trump and the people at the rally being that the snipper for the secret service was staring right at the gunman and attendees were pointing to the gunman on the roof.
We decided to stop watching, as the news was just invoking anxiety amongst the group and decided to go to dinner, with a pact that the group was not to talk about what happened.
Coming back from dinner we turned on CNN to hear if there was any news about the motive of the gunman and to see if the identity
of the gunman was revealed.
Thomas Mathew Crooks, 20, was confirmed dead by investigators at the Trump rally after injuring three and killing one. We were all in shock that he was registered as a Republican and shot at former President Trump.
To me this proves that it doesn’t really matter what party you’re in, but also shows the neglect for the surrounding area and the safety of Trump and his supporters. This event also showed me how much we need to unite together instead of blaming each party, whether you are a Democratic, Republican or a part of a third party. We are all people, yes we have different circumstances, but this was truly a wake up calling.
President Biden spoke to Trump after his rally wishing the former president well wishes and a speedy recovery. Trump urged Biden to grant candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secret service given the circumstances to the Kennedys.
Nia Cruz is a senior majoring in Fine Arts and Communications and a TEC columnist To contact her, email opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
FAFSA is a nightmare for homeless students
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is an annual requirement that most college-bound and enrolled college students dread. But for homeless youth it can be a nightmare because the requirements don’t take into consideration their unique circumstances. In some cases their applications have been invalidated because they lack a permanent address, don’t have enough financial information from parents or cannot get approval to file independent of a parent.
Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 because lawmakers recognized that the long, complicated form discouraged students and families from applying for financial aid, and many couldn’t afford to
attend college without it. The act was also supposed to remove many of the obstacles that homeless students face, but they continue to encounter difficulties. An estimated 1.5 million undergraduate and graduate students are homeless, according to federal data.
The 2023-24 FAFSA application was updated so that if a student indicates he or she is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, then the application automatically overrides the request for parent information and a home address, making the applicant file as independent of a parent, meaning they don’t have to submit parental financial data and can become eligible for more financial assistance. But students are still required to have a valid mailing address to submit the
form, so the applicant must find a place where they can reliably receive mail, regardless of circumstances.
Completing the FAFSA is one of the best predictors of whether a high school senior will go on to college, according to the National College Attainment Network. Students who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to enroll in higher education, and for lowincome students, FAFSA completion had been associated with a 127% increase in college enrollment.
The application process is confusing for even housed students and their families. It’s more difficult for students experiencing homelessness.
Candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face, surrounded by Secret Service agents, as he is taken
The FAFSA application automatically overrides the request for parent information if the students indicates that they might be homless or at risk.
Nia Cruz TEC STAFF
Whats Hot With Nia
Classifieds & Puzzles
NOTICE
NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY
The East Carolina University Police Department gives notice that certain items of unclaimed property have been in possession of the police department for over 180 days. These items were found, confiscated, or seized during lawful investigations and included various types of property such as but not limited to scooters, skateboards, documents, duffel bags/book bags, suitcases, keys, wallets/ purses, electronics, car stereo equipment, clothing, power/
HOROSCOPES
Aries (March 21-April 19) —Today is a 9—Reach out to make a long-distance connection. Try new flavors and cultural views. Explore culinary, visual and musical arts. Learn from an unexpected source.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is a 9 — Together, advance your shared financial plan. Align on priorities and determine who will do what. Resolve how to meet upcoming expenses. Replenish reserves.
Gemini (May 21-June
20) — Today is a 9 — Share the tricks you’re learning with your partner. You can make your own luck. Talk about what you love. Discover unexpected synchronicity. Pull together.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)— Today is a 9 — The workload increases and so does the tempo. Put your heart into your actions. Focus on the present moment for an excellent performance.
hand tools, home décor, home improvement items, U.S. currency, Glock handguns, Canik handguns, and bicycles. Some matters concern property in which the case has been disposed of in the judicial system and the property is no longer considered evidence in this matter. Persons who may be entitled thereof are required by law to make such a claim within (30) days of this notice. Owners may contact the ECU Police Department at (252) 737-4106 or (252) 3286787 or in person at 609 East 10th Street, Greenville, NC.
A description of the property along with the serial number or reasonable proof of ownership
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Have fun with people you love. Express your passion and creativity. Persistent, steady action gets farther than luck. Get playful. Discover hidden beauty.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is an 8 — Sink into domestic comforts. Focus on home and family, before looking farther out. Make renovations and organize the space. Give away what’s no longer needed.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Pay a kindness forward. Ask for what you need and get it. Give and take. Share inspiration. Provide excellence. Network connections open new doors.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — You can sense long-term potential. Avoid emotional spending, risk or conflict. A good idea may not work in practice. Invest wisely. Keep it simple.
will need to be provided in order to claim property. After (30) days, the property will be administratively forfeited and disposed of according to law. Property items of value that remain unclaimed will be turned over for auction to Property.room.com, all bicycles not claimed will be donated to non-profit charities and all remaining items will be destroyed.
References: N.C.G.S. 15-11.1, N.C.G.S. 15-12 through 15-16
First Date of Notice: July 18, 2024
Last Date of Claim: August 17, 2024
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Your energy could surge from power and confidence to self-doubt. Articulate what you want. Take extra care of yourself. Private time recharges you.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 6 — Slow to consider the options. Complete one project and put things away before beginning the next. Review budgets, schedules and plans. Savor private rituals.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Community action gets results. Connect with your team and pull together. Write your representatives and share your views. Show up and be counted.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 9 — Anticipate professional changes or challenges. Look for lucky breaks and prepare for grabbing. One opportunity could prove especially lucrative. Get team support as needed.
Former ECU Pirates and their 2023 performance in NFL
The Pirates had their fair share of players in the National Football League in 2023. After final rosters were set, former ECU players Keaton Mitchell, Zay Jones, Ja’Quan McMillan, and D’Ante Smith found themselves with a spot on their respective teams.
Here is a break down of how the 2023 season played out for each of them:
Jones entered this past season coming off a solid year with the Jacksonville Jaguars statistically putting up the best numbers in his career as of yet. Jones caught 82 passes for over 823 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2022. Unfortunately, injuries would only allow Jones to appear in nine games for the Jaguars in 2023, posting 34 receptions for 321 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the offseason, Jones signed a one-year $4.25 million dollar deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
Mitchell found himself as the fourth string running back for the Baltimore Ravens after being signed as an undrafted
free agent in the 2023 draft class. Sitting behind J.K Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill at the beginning of the year, there might not have been too many opportunities for Mitchell to see the field in 2023. However, an injury that ended Dobbins year as a starter and Edwards unable to replace his style of running, the Ravens turned to Mitchell in week nine against the Seattle Seahawks. Mitchell ran for over 138 yards in just nine carries and scored his first touchdown of his career in game.
Following a few more outings for the Ravens, Mitchell would see his season cut short, after tearing his ACL in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mitchell narrowly missed the 400 rushing yard mark on 47 total carries and two rushing touchdowns. At the moment, he’s on the physically unable to perform list for practice (PUP).
Smith is an offensive lineman for the Cincinnati Bengals. While not being the starter, Smith is utilized in the run game by the Bengals. In packages in which an extra offensive lineman is needed, Smith is used to help block on those plays. For the past couple of seasons Smith has sat behind Bengals offensive left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
made it to the highest level, and they know.
Originally being used as a practice squad member, McMillian got the chance to play for the Denver Broncos, making a week 18 start against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022. This past season, McMillian got more runs as a nickel corner, and recorded his first two interceptions of his career while also deflecting five passes. He also forced two fumbles on defense while recovering two on separate occasions.
Two more former Pirates have also signed to NFL rosters for this upcoming season. Julius Wood was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys after going undrafted, as was the case with Jaylen Johnson signing with the Los Angeles Chargers. If both players manage to earn a spot on their teams, ECU will have six active NFL players on a roster for the upcoming 2024 NFL season.
This has been a common criticism for years, and most people who want to change it are powerless to do so. Parents get caught in a vortex of spending and don’t know how to get out of it without feeling like a terrible mom or dad.
There is big a market for the professionalization for youth sports, and moms and dads are willing to pay even if that means the kids’ career ends at 18.
In this evolution has sprouted the “personal coach.’ The swing coach. The hitting coach. Goalie coach. Fielding coach. Throwing coach. The mental coach. They charge an hourly rate, and they are not cheap.
“I never took a private lesson. I didn’t play travel ball until I was 15,” New York Yankees All-Star pitcher Clay Holmes said. “It’s probably engaging in some regards, but as far as pure athletic skill development, no. There’s a middle ground. It’s going overboard. Just seeing people playing travel ball at 8 is crazy, in my opinion.
“There is the talent component. The game you play when you are fully developed is different than early on. You don’t even know what your body can do yet.”
These are all accomplished players who
They know you can take a talented shortstop and give him the most expensive instruction, and that won’t make him Elly De La Cruz.
They know that no 1-on-1 tutor can make a pitcher Paul Skenes.
They also know despite their credentials, and their thoughts, the trend of youth sports madness is not apt to stop.
The swing guru will find a client. The personal goalie coach will have their customer. The private pitching coach will be busy.
“I coach my daughter’s team, and we have two boys who are in the circuit, so I see all of it,” Finch said. “Some kids benefit greatly from (the extra, personal instruction), and some kids don’t need that.”
You’ll notice the overwhelming the majority of those who “made it” are the ones who don’t need it.
The East Carolina Baseball Team had four more former players introduced into Major League Baseball.
The Pirates had their most selections in a MLB draft since 2019, where five of their former players were taken. Former ECU players Trey Yesavage, Carter Cunningham, Jacob Jenkins-Cowart and Ryan McCrystal all heard their names called. Yesavage was the first Pirate to be drafted, going in the first round at pick 20 by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Up next to be drafted was Jenkins-Cowart. The outfielder was selected in the 8th round of the draft by the Miami Marlins. Jenkins-Cowart led the Pirates in runs batted in last season with 79 RBI in total, along with ranking third in hits for the team and second in home runs, only behind Cunningham. If the current situation for the Marlins hitting woes don’t statistically resolve themselves in a couple of years, Jenkins-Cowart numbers could add a little bit of assistance.
McCrystal had his name called in the ninth round, going to the Cincinnati Reds. McCrystal had a solid regional run, most notably in his performance for the Pirates in the second game against Evansville, in a game ECU needed to win to have one more chance to make it out of the regional. McCrystal opened up the scoring in that game, hitting a home run to put ECU in front 2-0, and then knocking in runs off of a double and single to bat in five total runs in a game the Pirates won 19-5.
Cunningham was the final Pirate to have his name called in the draft, getting selected in the 10th round of the draft to the Toronto Blue Jays. Cunningham led ECU in home runs as mentioned previously, while also leading in hits and total bases. Cunningham joins Yesavage on a Toronto team that has a 44-52 record currently at the time of All-Star break.
Trevon McGlone TEC STAFF
Keaton Mitchell at the ECU vs Navy game on November 19, 2023. Mitchell, an ECU alumn was signed to the Baltimore Ravens as a running back and undrafted free agent in the 2023 draft class.
COACHES continued from A1
TOM FOX I TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Andre Dawson (left) watches batting practice before the HBCU Swingman Classic baseball game.
