Around the League
May 17, 2021 - Frontier League (FL)
New Jersey Jackals News Release
Remember Gary Collum?
He was one of the original Jackals when businessman Floyd Hall started the team in 1998.
He was also one of the few natives of New Jersey to take the field that year.
A 35th-round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1993, Collum was from Camden, and he holds a special place in Jackals history - hitting the game-winning home run in the team's very first home game at still-under-construction Yogi Berra Stadium.
Remember Frank Eufemia? A former star at Ramapo College, he had pitched in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins, then retired from the game for five years before joining those '98 Jackals as a 38-year old right-hander, going 5-1 in 11 starts.
Over the years, however, there have been few Jersey Guys to suit up for the local squad.
And, this year is no different, with just four Garden State names on the current roster.
The only slightly-familiar player is infielder Andrew Dundon, from Morris County's Lincoln Park. Now 27, he played a handful of games here in 2016, then returned to play in 30 games in 2019.
The other three Jersey Guys on the roster will be making their first appearances in Little Falls this year: pitchers Ryan Evans (Bloomfield) and Hamly Suero (Bayonne) and infielder T.J. Ward (Jersey City.
That's the Jersey contingent at the moment.
Meanwhile, the current roster shows eight players who grew up in Florida, seven from New York, two from Texas, two from the Dominican Republic, one from the Bahamas and one from Venezueala.
By Sunday, May 23, manager Brooks Carey must trim his roster down to 28 active players, then the roster must comprise 22-24 names during the regular season, which begins on the road on May 27, with the home-opener on Saturday night, May 29.
Root for the Jackals in Augusta
That's right. In Augusta, when the Jackalss go on the road to play the Sussex County Miners.
Skylands Stadium is a great little place. Very different than Yogi Berra Stadium, but a great little place. The 45-mile drive from Little Falls to Augusta becomes more scenic and peaceful by the minute, especially one you reach the Sussex County border driving north on Route 15.
Skylands was built in 1994 as the home of the New Jersey Cardinals, a Short-Season Class-A affiliate of the St. Louis big-league organization. The Cards drew a solid attendance, but longstanding financial disagreements finally caused the team to relocate to State College, PA, after the 2005 season.
A new Can-Am team, the Sussex Skyhawks, occupied the ballpark from 2006-2010, then folded, leaving the 4,200-seat gem in the cornfields empty and abandoned until Essex County businessman Al Dorso bought the place and started the Miners in 2015.
Yogi Berra Stadium has 3,784 seats, with a lawn capacity going up to 5,000. It's the second-smallest venue in the Frontier League. Skylands is third smallest.
Two big similarities: First, both are owned by Dorso and are very family-oriented from the top to the bottom.
Second, go to either of these little ballparks on the right night with the right sunset and the right smell of mustard in the air, and you'll think you're in Iowa... only better - we've got real pizza and real bagels.
Speaking of Yogi
As a daily newspaper writer, I met Yogi several times here and there over the years, and he was always just plain nice to everybody.
Once, I wrote some stories about a special-ed school, and the school people surprised me by seating me right next to Yogi at a fund-raising lunch. The meal was terrible, but it was definitely one of the best lunches of my life.
Yogi was funny, as advertised, but he was also very thoughtful, very up on the news, very knowledgeable about a lot of topics. Mostly, we talked about food and wacky relatives.
Earlier that morning, I went into several special-ed classrooms with Yogi, and he was sensational with the kids. A real softy. Some of them hugged him as he left their room.
A U.S. Navy vet and winner of the Purple Heart for bravery during D-Day in World War II, Yogi became one of the all-time icons of the game, and the Yogi Berra Museum is a must-visit for any baseball fan.
I think of him every time I attend a Jackals game, not just the baseball hero, but a very nice gentleman who always had time - and a smile - for everybody.
Something Completely Different
The Jackals are off on Monday, July 12, so here's a suggestion: Make the 36-mile drive up the Garden State Parkway to Pomona, N.Y., home of the New York Boulders to see an exhibition game between the Boulders and the national team of Israel.
The star of Team Israel is Ian Kinsler, the four-time all-star with Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers.
Unlike the U.S. team, Israel has already qualified to play in the Tokyo Olympics later in the summer.
By Carl Barbati, former sports editor of the New Jersey Herald, Daily Record and The Trentonian.
Frontier League Stories from May 17, 2021
- Otters Reveal New Uniforms for 2021 - Evansville Otters
- Around the League - New Jersey Jackals
- Jackals Open Camp, Prepare for Frontier League Debut - New Jersey Jackals
- Slammers Increase Capacity for Opening Night - Joliet Slammers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
