Sept. 25, 2006
The calendar officially flipped to fall last week but a handful of summer baseball memories still need to be passed on from members of the Notre Dame baseball program, including today’s bonus entry: a farewell journal from the eternal wordsmith Tom Thornton, who reports on his first pro baseball season as a member of the Oneonta Tigers. With the annual series of Blue-Gold intrasquad baseball scrimmages set for next week (Oct. 5, 7 and 8), und.com will be providing several updates on the Irish baseball program during the next few days – including summer/fall diary entries from each member of the coaching staff.
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Thornton capped his stellar four-year career with the Irish by being selected in the 21st round of the 2006 Major League draft, by the Detroit Tigers. He ultimately was one of the top starting pitchers for the Oneonta Tigers of the single-A New York-Penn League, closing the summer strong en route to a 3.33 final ERA in 12 appearances (11 of them starts). Thornton allowed 55 hits and a .278 opponent batting average in 51.1 innings, with his trademark control yielding a 4.3 strikeout-to-walk ratio (39 Ks, 9 BB). He went 2-4 in his official decisions and allowed just one home run all summer.
Those who have followed Notre Dame baseball in recent years know that the 6-foot-6 Thornton (a.k.a. “Tall Tom”) reached legendary heights with his submissions during the 2003 and ’04 Summer Baseball Diaries (linked below, via the archive). In retrospect, we at und.com missed out on a chance to have Tom file a unique diary from the summer of 2005 – which he spent in Colorado, after earning a prestigious anthropology internship through the Smithsonian Society.
As things turn out, Thornton’s love for baseball is matched by his passion for anthropology and he now is preparing to spend nearly two months in Kenya while participating in another elite anrthropology internship. Those of us at und.com now plan to keep tabs on Tom’s progress and hope to provide forthcoming articles about his unique combination of career pursuits.
One of Thornton’s home-area newspapers, the Boston Globe, assigned one of its writers to file a feature story on Thornton last spring and it is linked below:
It was only fitting that Notre Dame honored Thornton with two prestigious student-athlete awards for 2005-06, as he was one of five to receive the Byron Kanaley Award (honoring senior student-athletes who are most exempary as students and leaders), in addition to being one of three student-athletes who received the Chris Zorich Award (recognizing community service excellence). He joined former women’s basketball standout Ruth Riley as the only individuals ever to receive both the Kanaley and Zorich awards.
Tom Thornton’s first summer in professional baseball was spent as a member of the Oneonta Tigers of the NY-Penn League.
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Without further ado, here is Thornton’s farewell diary entry – and be sure to check back over the next couple of weeks for plenty of Irish baseball coverage:
An archive of links to the 2002-06 ND Summer Baseball Diaries can be found at the following link: http://und.cstv.com/genrel/basebl-summerdiaries.html
Notre Dame Baseball 2006 Summer Diaries (updated schedule)
- Thur., July 20 – Mike
- Mon., July 24 – Brett
- Fri., Aug. 4 – Sam Brezovsky (Hays Larks; Jayhawk League)
- Sun., Aug. 27 – Wade
- Wed., Sept. 6 – Eddy
- Fri., Sept. 8- Jeremy
- Mon., Sept. 25 – 2006 graduate Tom (Oneonta Tigers; single-A New York-Penn League)
- Tues., Sept. 26 – Kyle Weiland (Delaware Cows; Great Lakes League/also Team USA trials)
- Wed., Sept 27 – head coach Dave Schrage
- Fri., Sept. 29 – assistant coach Scott Lawler
- Sun., Oct. 1 – 2006 graduate Craig Cooper (Eugene Emeralds; single-A Northwest League)
- Tues., Oct. 3 – assistant coach Sherard Clinkscales
- Thur., Oct. 5 – volunteer assistant coach John Fitzgerald
Notre Dame 2006 Summer Baseball Diary #7 (Tom Thornton ’06; Oneonta Tigers, New York-Penn League)
“Greetings and welcome to what – I promise – will be my final entry into the lore of Notre Dame Baseball’s summer diaries. My summer experience was in Oneonta, New York, playing professional baseball in the Detroit Tigers’ organization at their short-season A-ball location. It was an adventure of Homeric proportions, spanning three months and covering thousands of miles. From the polar bear paddock of the Chicago Zoo where I was on draft day, to the 100-degree heat of the Lakeland fields; from Coney Island and the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium in New York City with a ruckus crown of 9000 looking on, to the Back Bay of Boston and 32,000 of the Fenway faithful roaring in the background; then, full circle, back home to the small city of Oneonta, with its modest crowds and cool summer nights, set deep in a valley between the Catskill Mountains rolling hills of upstate New York.
“Following the draft, I reported to Lakeland, Florida, to sign my contract, take a physical and to participate in a post draft mini-camp prior to being assigned to short-season A-ball in Oneonta. Lakeland was very hot and I’m sure there was a lake or two down there rendering the area to be true to its namesake – but I never saw any. All that any of us saw down there was the sun, the field, the locker room and the cement holding cell that charitably doubled as our residence hall.
“My roommate for the mini-camp and I arrived on the same day. I was greeted at the airport at baggage claim by a Tigers intern and 10 minutes later my roommate came up the far end of the terminal. His name was Zach Piccola from the University of South Alabama but he originally hailed from the north. He was a Manchester, New Hampshire, boy with the shades, leather sandals, polo shirt and PUMA wristband to prove it, as I recall. He was a big, thick, barrel-chested fellow who possessed a waddle in his stride and a smile about his nature. We shared a jovial greeting and I knew we would be fast friends for the duration. Quickly we stowed the luggage in the intern’s ride and headed 20 minutes down the road to “TigerTown.”
“The “TigerTown” complex in Lakeland best compares to an Asian gymnastics commune – a flat space where all the buildings looked the same and the sidewalks only allowed pedestrians to move at right angles. It is a miniature campus with a dormitory, cafeteria and tiny recreational hall. When I got there, I immediately checked into my room. Up one flight of stairs, second door to the left – a quaint concrete room of modest proportions.
“Following that and the long flight in the morning, I was ready to feast with my newfound friend. We walked into the dinning hall just in time to catch the end of lunch before the afternoon workout started for drafted players who were able to get into camp earlier. Without hesitation and with great alacrity, I grabbed some tuna, lettuce, ranch dressing, lasagna, a banana, grapes, three rolls, yogurt, some carrots, peas and lima beans that were mixed together, and with inordinate persuasive skills, managed to talk the lunch lady into a second slice of lasagna to fit in just to the left of the first piece. Rapidly I grabbed the rest of the accoutrements needed to complete the meal, plus beverage and silverware, then sat down.
“Quickly, and without warning, I was surrounded by a great many Dominican players who enveloped me at my table and carried on their conversations in Spanish with no notice of me. I looked around, befuddled to say the least – apparently I had sat down at the wrong table. I tried to join in the conversation but my three semesters of Spanish at Notre Dame did little more good than my four years of high school Russian.
Tom Thornton’s first season of pro ball was filled with many memorable moments – both on and off the field (photo by Pete LaFleur).
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“To be sure, they had a good laugh at me. Several spoke English a little (most, it must be said, had better English than my Spanish) and between mouthfuls we managed to square things away. Apparently, as I thought, I was indeed sitting at the wrong table. But that was fine because – since I was as an outgoing American and an ardent liberal from New England – they had enjoyed themselves at my expense. Later, I would meet them all and some would be my teammates for the summer a week later as I got to know them all pretty well.
“In time, the Dominicans that I played with in Oneonta christened me “La Yarlda,” which I was told meant large and playful fellow. Upon translation, I decided that the nickname suited me and was indeed indicative of my persona. Throughout the season, when I pitched I could always hear the Dominicans yelling “La Yarlda, La Yarlda!” It was a great change of pace from the conventional and much more soporific cheers, which were always nice but can wear thin after eight or nine years of constant use.
“I was taken to my physical the morning after I arrived. It was an experience. However, after we got the rather extensive blood work out of the way, the next four hours of being poked and prodded were a snap. After that we went back to “TigerTown” to dot the I’s and cross the T’s on my contract, then hit the fields in the sweltering 100-degree heat for the first day of work-outs.
“The schedule during mini-camp was breakfast at 8:00 a.m. and the morning workout stretch began at 9:00 a.m. The morning consisted of drills for skills until noon. Lunch lasted until 1:00 p.m., then afternoon games would run to 5:00 p.m., followed by dinner from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Every day was the same and then, as quickly as it came upon me, the mini-camp was over and we jumped on a plane to Albany, then grabbed a bus to Oneonta to begin the season.
“The season could best be described as a 76 day whirlwind – 72 games in 76 days. Everyday you woke up, no matter where you were there was a game to be prepared for, played and reflected upon. On the road, I was fortuitously blessed with a terrific roommate from Oklahoma State named Deike Scram, who was with me the whole summer. Once we were well underway, no one ever knew what day of the week it was or sometimes even what the month was. The games were always unique, but the time away from the ballpark blended together.
“For most of the summer, we got to live in our own dorm room at Hartwick College about a mile-and-a-half uphill from the ballpark. It was a terrific setup – bathroom down the hall and kitchen one floor down and to the left, complete with 50-cent washers and dryers – not too bad I figured. And, for the most part, I was right. However, soon after I arrived some interesting challenges arose regarding the kitchen.
“You see, in order to adequately prepare for a 72-game short-season, the greatest attention to detail needed to be adhered to for proper nutrition. Throughout the summer, I began to take great pride in honing my kitchen skills to the pinnacle of their potential. I became, in fact, a culinary grandmaster of sorts. My previous affinity for peanut butter has been well documented in previous journal entries (and will be discussed no further), but this year I outpaced any former remedial cooking accomplishments and had some rather intriguing experiences along the way.
Tom Thornton saw his team win one of the longest games in pro baseball history, a 26-inning victory over Coney Island (photo by Pete LaFleur).
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“I spent many a night `chillaxing’ after a game, watching Baseball Tonight with a fresh bowl of wheat pasta topped with chopped artichoke hearts, grilled chicken and bathed in a pink vodka sauce (the sauce was courtesy of Ohio’s own, Paul Newman and technically I cannot take credit for that). It was lightly dusted with a thin cover of crushed wheat thins to add both texture and carbohydrate bulk, which was exclusively my idea. Tales of my wizardry trickled down and soon other teammates were attempting their own culinary creations and, frankly, met with little success.
“In order to succeed, the kitchen must be viewed as a continuation of the pitcher’s mound. It’s your domain, you have to own it and operate within it with a suave sense of style and flawless technical expertise. The paucity of effective cooking displays actually witnessed was unbelievable. One teammate couldn’t light the burner without setting off the fire alarm, another battled mightily with boiling water and yet a third could not fathom the colossal volume that is consumed with a full bag of rice as it balloons from tiny grain to fully fluffed state – although in his defense, doesn’t everyone struggle the first time they make rice, let’s be honest? Fortunately, I was right there to give him some encouragement and not have his kitchen confidence deflated on day one. I had to tell him to stay up, the next batch was bound to go better, and that he was really throwing himself into the culinary fire when he started with rice.
“However, as it turned out, unknown to me, there was another group of individuals who had culinary mastery on their mind … the Dominicans! Whoa Nelly! This was a battle for the ages – even bigger than the inter-Catholic football rivalries discussed in the Summer Journal entry of 2004! The Dominicans would move in and set up shop for hours at a time. There were five altogether, so preparing food took a little while. They also would alternate who would do the cooking for the group each day. They had a great system but I was determined to eat healthy and save money by cooking in that kitchen.
“Some days, it would be about whoever got out of bed first and won the footrace would get dibs on the kitchen. Other days, the tiny entrance to the kitchen would be casually and randomly blocked by a 35-pound bag of white rice that had been bought the previous night and that had not only been strategically positioned but would require the use of a forklift via Hartwick Security to move. We tried to cook simultaneously, but you have to understand that this kitchen could not have been smaller if it had been put together buy a seven-year-old playing with Lincoln Logs.
“But hey, I had to give them credit – they ate well and they saved money. As one of them told me, `We might miss a sign but we don’t miss a meal.’ And come hell or high water, every day they walked in with groceries and walked out with a feast.
“At first, I scoffed at their cooking and derisive tactics. `Ha!’, I thought, what could I learn about cooking healthy from them? But they were good and I soon realized that they knew what they were doing.
Tom Thornton delivered a clutch win over St. John’s that helped Notre Dame win its fourth straight BIG EAST Tournament title in 2006 (photo by Pete LaFleur).
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“Eventually, we found ways to work together. In good sport, we were always trying to out-do each other. They would concoct a seasoned dish of rice, corn and pinto beans and I would do couscous with tuna, salsa and cottage cheese – a terrific blend! They would cook fried bananas after a win – an amazing treat and the competitor in me would attempt Baked Alaska, with the brief searing of the ice cream at 400 degrees (this dessert, like the rice, is another toughy on the first try and the Dominicans had some more jollies at my expense). We even exchanged some foods, they gave me some fried bananas and I let them in on some of my wheat pasta – which did not have the desired effect I anticipated and had labored to create.
“Once we got fueled up and hydrated, we were ready to hit the field. Typically, on a home game our schedule would run something like the following. Any lifting that was to be done would begin at noon at the latest (if we had team fielding practice, otherwise 12:30). If we began at noon, 1:30 stretch and eat, 2:15 dressed, 2:30 stretch, 2:50 throw, 3:15 team fielding practice, 3:50 prepare for batting practice, 4:00 home team batting practice and pitchers conditioning, 5:00 visiting team batting practice – grab some food out of the clubhouse and go grab a notebook and watch the other team hit (especially if you’re starting later in the series), 6:15 full-game uniform dress, 6:30 final game preparations either in stretching, reviewing your own opposition hitting notes from the previous day or pre-game running for position players, 7:01 national anthem, 7:05 first pitch. Usually I was home by 11:00 or 11:30 at the latest, but doubleheader days can run much later into the night.
“Often at home, we would not command the large crowds we would play in front of on the road. While Staten Island, Brooklyn, Aberdeen, Albany, and Lowell would routinely draw between 4,000 and 9,000 fans at beautiful stadiums, Oneonta would draw between 400 and 750 to a field built in the 1950s that centered around a tired stadium. Despite having some definite rough patches, the field possessed some definitive vintage charm and a playing surface that could have a personality of its own, especially with groundballs. However, the field was located half an hour from Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame and the constant baseball camps there all summer would produce the odd night of a packed house. On those nights, the stadium would be filled with groups from all over that came to Cooperstown to play for the week and cashed in on Oneonta Tigers tickets that came with the camp as part of a packaged deal.
“Some of our greatest times would come on these nights. One night in particular will always stand out as being extremely unique. A Jewish baseball league of 13 and 14-year-olds from Brooklyn had brought eight teams up from the city to Cooperstown for the week. On Wednesday of that week, they all decided to make the half-hour drive west to see their first professional game. It was a sight to be seen, an experience that I don’t think any of the players ever will forget.
“Right away, we all knew we were in for a treat. When batting practice began at 4:00 that afternoon, the players noticed a strange site of fans arriving early! Everywhere we looked, youth with yarmulkes and pocket Torahs could be seen ducking in and out of the bleachers to get foul balls that had eluded the `turtle,’ then racing back to catch some more swings. This was indeed unprecedented, as fans rarely came early and when they did they were typically senior citizens who would look on silently and stoically. They were always polite but they could not match the energy and enthusiasm of the Brooklyn youth at their first pro game. The closer it got to game time, the more showed up. By 7:00, they had filled up a whole set of bleachers but it was their noise and energy that got everyone’s attention.
“The best part was the way they cheered, it was by no means ordinary. It was like a soccer game. Everything was either in unison or a call-and-response cheer between bleachers. Our starting pitcher that day was also from New York and Manhattan College and pitched a great game, striking out 13. The Jewish teams loved every strikeout and had a special cheer where they would say something in unison, clap three times, call and respond twice, then stomp the bleachers – it was phenomenal!
“Down in the bullpen, they could not believe it. Lauren Gagnier, from Cal State Fullerton, was quoted as saying, `When the group cheers began I didn’t know what to think. My initial thought was, wow, this is unlike anything I have ever seen outside of California.’ Welcome to upstate New York, Lauren. I think we won the game by eight runs and got a standing ovation and some Yiddish cheers – it was great.
Thornton next sets his sights on completing a prestigious anthropology internship in Kenya, before resuming his pro baseball career (photo by Matt Cashore).
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“After the game, many of the kids asked us to sign their yarmulkes. I did not know if that was permissible and, coming from Notre Dame, I had been asked to sign many things in four years but never a yarmulke. They assuaged my trepidation by telling me that it was definitely okay to sign the yarmulkes, just not to eat the hot dogs. Concessions was not amused by that Jewish reality. But that was all right because the players and the fans had a great time.
“Some other highlights from the short-season included a stoppage of play when our bullpen raced into the outfield and refused to return to the bullpen after a skunk emerged from the woods and set up shop right to the left of the mounds, not 10 feet in front of us. Another classic experience was when they had the pitchers do a photo shoot in silk boxers for a calendar to raise money for a hospice charity fund (we wallowed in what was our first and probably last calendar shoot.) We played on Doubleday Field in Cooperstown and met Sparky Anderson, that was a terrific day.
“Another highlight, or perhaps lowlight, was me taking too long to eat a McDonalds’ fruit-and-walnut salad at a rest area 50 miles outside of New York City and missing the team bus, only to have one of the Dominican players say 20 minutes later on the highway, `Donde es la Yarlda?’ Five minutes later, his comments made their way up to the bus driver but took an additional five minutes to be translated to, `Where is Tom?’
“Another highlight was playing the longest game in NY-Penn League history, a 26-inning affair in Coney Island, Brooklyn, which we won in the 26th, less than seven hours later. We also had a `Dance-Off’ with the Lowell Spinners (the Red Sox affiliate) during a rain delay. It morphed into and culminated with a tarp slide theatrics contest in front of 5,000 fans trying to enjoy themselves on a very rainy day in Massachusetts. Of course, pitching at Fenway Park in front of 32,000 energetic fans, including numerous friends and family, against Lowell was the ultimate highlight of the summer, despite losing 3-1.
“Some of you may know that I will be going to Kenya during the offseason, in order to make the best possible use of my major in anthropology while furthering my studies in human evolution around the schedule of the professional baseball season I will be interning with the National Museum of Kenya (NMK) in Nairobi, assisting Dr. Purity Kiura with her research. I will be working with other archaeologists outside of Nairobi, gathering all the information on Homo erectus fire use in east Africa as a continuation of my senior thesis research, which was directed by Dr. Agustin Fuentes of the ND anthropology department. I will be in Nairobi for nearly two months, renting an apartment through the NMK in downtown Nairobi. I will be lifting and conditioning during my time in Kenya and will begin throwing in December, well after I return to my beloved home state of Massachusetts.
“Well, I guess that concludes my final journal entry. On behalf of all the Irish baseball players that I played with in my four years, we want to extend a tremendous thank you to coach Paul Mainieri, coach Terry Rooney and coach Cliff Godwin for their years of service to Notre Dame baseball. They are three individuals who gave their best in time, energy and commitment, dedicated not only to baseball but, selflessly, to the education of numerous college athletes in what it meant to both play the game and live your life through the spirit of Notre Dame with pride, purpose and compassion both as a student and graduate. We all wish them well and know that their success at LSU is inevitable.
“On behalf of the graduating seniors, I also want to extend special thanks to four people who remain at the University and play vital roles in Notre Dame baseball. The first of these is our tireless SID, Pete LaFleur, for his thousands of hours of work in media relations and congratulations on your 2006 baseball media guide which was recently voted best media guide in the country. We also want to thank academic advisor Adam Sargent, strength coach Mike Joseph and athletic trainer Mike Bean for their years of hard work and dedication, without which even the smallest success on the field would never have been possible.
“At the same time, I want to welcome coach Schrage and his staff to Notre Dame. I know coach Schrage possesses an exceptional baseball mind and will be a tremendous fit at Notre Dame. Finally, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the fans of Notre Dame baseball. On behalf of the players, the exhilaration of the experience on the field at Notre Dame and on the road was always made possible by the zeal and passion of the fans that were with us every step of the way. In every capacity, from attendance to fan letters and emails, the fans of Irish Baseball vaulted the athletic experience at Notre Dame to phenomenal heights that I will always remember. For all your dedication to Notre Dame baseball, Irish fans always will have my sincerest gratitude.
“Furthermore, I want to encourage you to get back out there, as the end of March and the first Irish home game is right around the corner. I can promise you that the product on the field will be exceptional under the tutelage of coach Schrage and his staff. However, if March is too far away, check the Irish out this October, for a preview of coming attractions in their annual Blue-Gold series. Thanks for all your work, effort and support, Irish Fans. Take care and I wish you all the best.”
Tom Thornton