What All High School Athletes and Parents Should Know.....

Fact #2 -  **FORGET STUDING ABROAD OR PARTICIPATING IN INTERNSHIPS IN MOST DI PROGRAMS**

According to Karen Weaver, director of Athletics for Penn State University-Abington and a TV color analyst for CBS College Sports and Big Ten Network, in most DI programs it is very unlikely that athletes will be able to participate in studying abroad or working in internships. However, in DII and DIII it is more likely that athlets can participate in studying abroad and internships, as well as, other campus extracurricular activities.


-Just some info to know while searching for colleges and univesities to attend.

What All High School Athletes and Parents Should Know......

Fact #1 -  **FOUR YEAR FULL ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS ARE A MYTH**



Contrary to what parents and high school athletes believe, guaranteed four year full ride scholarships are a myth. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) stipulates that athletic scholarships are good for one year at a time and are potentially renewable at the coach’s discretion. Coaches that promise full ride 4 year scholarships are not telling the truth. In addition, if an athlete is injured the athlete may lose their scholarship.


If you have any questions regarding education or schoalrships or recruiting, please email me at Liz.Vazquez@mlb.com.

Have a great one!

"Did You Know.....THURSDAY"

Compton, Calif. -- Fun history and baseball facts for Thursdays!

Today in BASEBALL....

Did you know that on this day, MARCH 24th,  100 years ago, Mrs. Helene Hathaway Britton became the first female owner of a Major League Baseball Club?

YES! When Matthew Stanley Robison, president of the Cardinals, died unexpectedly, in 1911, he left the club and a bulk of his estate to his niece. 

Today in HISTORY.....

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

March 24^th, 1989 marked the date of the largest U.S. territory, oil spill. The 53 million gallon tanker, Exxon Valdez, was traveling from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California when the efforts to avoid ice, failed, causing them to travel outside normal shipping lanes and ultimately causing the tanker to run aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An estimated 11 million gallons of oil were spilled. High wind and currents were part of the failed containment efforts that rendered 700 miles of coastline pollution and hundreds of thousands of birds and animals injured or dead. 

After years of negotiation, in October 1991, Exxon and Alaska settled by paying $25 million, less than 4% of the cleanup aid promised by Exxon.

Cutler, Cleveland (June 9, 2010), Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: from The Encyclopedia of Earth; Retrieved, March 24, 2011 from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill?topic=58075 

"Wacky WEDNESDAY"

First things first, the answer to yesterday’s “Trivia Tuesday” question....

Question: This player managed the Indians to become the First African American Manager in the Major Leagues.... Who is he and in what year did he Manage?

If you answered Frank Robinson in 1975, ding ding ding ding!!! You are CORRECT!

Here is a little bio on Mr. Robinson-

Born August 31, 1935 in Beaumont, TX. One of baseball’s greatest gamers. As Rookie of the Year in 1966 and an MVP (Most Valuable Player) in both leagues (with the Reds in 1961 and with the Orioles in 1966), he developed a reputation as an aggressive outfielder and hard-charging base runner. The American League Triple Crown winner in 1966, Robinson amassed 586 homeruns and ended his career just 57 hits shy of the 3,000 club. His intelligence and leadership helped him become the Major League’s first African-American field manager in 1975, when he skippered the Cleveland Indians. Elected into the Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1982. 

Compton, Calif. -- Every Wednesday, I will do my best to try to find a “wacky” or funny picture, video, poem, etc. related to baseball. I am also reaching out for help, if you have any home videos of something funny that happened to you or someone you know, while playing a sport email them to me at Liz.Vazquez@mlb.com and your video may be featured on this website. 

Here is a video to start “wackiness” off, courtesy of YOUTUBE....

"Trivia Tuesday"

Compton, Calif. -- I will do my best to have a trivia question EVERY TUESDAY by 11am, for now, this will just be fun and educational. I will do my best to try to come up with a prize to the first person to post the response below, in the comment section. The answer will be revealed on Wednesday morning’s blog. :) 

Here is the question for this week....

Question: This player managed the Indians to become the First African American Manager in the Major Leagues.... Who is he and in what year did he Manage? 

Urban Invitational Re-Cap

Compton, Calif. -- The 4th Annual Urban Invitational was a complete success. Thank you to everyone that supported the events and the teams. 

Here is a re-cap:

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Strength for the Future Event

MATCO/U.S. Army Top Fuel Driver, Antron Brown

VP of Youth and Facility Development, Darrell Miller

S-4 Logistics Officer, CPT Kenneth Singleton

U.S. Army Drill Sergeant, Sgt. Travis Crutcher