Vagabond Weehawken baseball team enjoys best start…with no home games
Tony Colasurdo finally realized what Murphy’s Law was all about – namely, whatever could go wrong eventually does go wrong.
The veteran Weehawken High School baseball coach was finally anticipating a fine season for the Indians when he started to receive one bit of bad news after another.
First, Colasurdo learned that Wilson Veras, a promising player who exploded onto the scene a year ago, was declared academically ineligible to play and would miss the entire season. The loss of Veras was a devastating blow. But it wasn’t the last.
Colasurdo then learned that Weehawken Stadium, the Indians’ home field, was undergoing some gigantic drainage problems that needed to be remedied as soon as possible, which meant that the field had to be torn up and sod needed to be replaced. And that meant that the stadium would not be available for action for the first full month of the season.
"I couldn’t ask for more bad news," Colasurdo said. "I sat together with my assistant coaches (Jimmy Stratton, Jim Panepinto and Joe Crandall) and we wondered what else could go wrong. We were starting a bunch of new kids and we didn’t have any home games for the first month of the season. It wasn’t going to be easy."
Not only were the Indians without a home field for games, but they were also without a site to practice.
Colasurdo had to make the best of a tough situation. He decided that the best way to make up for a lack of workout time would be to have the team practice before school started at 7 a.m., and then continue workouts after school as well. The idea would take an enormous amount of commitment because getting kids out of bed for baseball practice at the crack of dawn can never be easy.
"We knew we had to work hard and we didn’t have much time or a place to work," Colasurdo said. "We were going to have to share the gym with other teams, so we did the drudgery things in the early morning, like batting practice and skull sessions. We had to make as much extra time as possible. We didn’t have anyone missing. No one even bothered to complain about the early starts. I truly believe that they all wanted to be there."
What helped was the chemistry of the team. Colasurdo had a good mix of dedicated seniors and eager youngsters, both of whom managed to push each other through the tough times.
"It really helped," Colasurdo said. "I have three senior captains, Anthony Rendine, Fernando Fuentes and Mike Maione, who are good leaders. They got everyone else going. They’ve all done a great job with the kids, getting them going, making sure that they do everything right. I couldn’t ask for more from my seniors."
The dedication of the seniors combined with the energy of the youngsters have proved to be a fine mix for the Indians, because the team is enjoying the best start in Colasurdo’s 12-year tenure – even without a place to call home.
The Indians are a surprising 8-3 and have been doing it with a fine mix of explosive offense and precise pitching.
Leading the way has been Fuentes, the talented senior catcher who is currently batting .429 with two homers and 17 RBI. Several major league baseball scouts have watched Fuentes closely, as he is considered to be among the best prospects in New Jersey.
"I think he’s like any kid and tries too hard when he knows the scouts are there," Colasurdo said. "And he knows. It’s hard to keep it from him. He really tries to do too much when they’re there. The other thing that hurts is that other teams are constantly intentionally walking him, so he’s getting fewer chances to hit. But he’s doing everything you would expect in a leader."
Maione has been rock steady at first base, batting .326 with five RBI. Rendine has been the team’s pitching ace and draws all the best competition.
Colasurdo has been bolstered by the performances of other players, like pitcher Grevin Rodriguez, who has won four games on the mound. Senior third baseman Scott Burke, playing his first year of varsity, is batting .414. Football standout Nadyr Albri never played baseball on the high school level, but he’s been a welcome addition.
"Nadyr would run through a wall if you asked him," Colasurdo said. "He is just raw talent and has been helping us a lot."
Lucas Abreu was simply a junior varsity player before this year, but he has emerged as a player to watch.
The youngsters have also performed better than Colasurdo could have imagined. Sophomores Alex Montanile and Chris Jodice have formed a great double play combination, with Montanile at shortstop and Jodice at second base. Freshman Danny Lopez is the starting left fielder and he’s hitting .409. Sophomore Willie Morel has also been a pleasant surprise.
"We’ve really been blessed," Colasurdo said. "I’m wondering whether the roof is going to collapse tomorrow. We’re off to the best start that I can remember and we’re doing it with young kids and no home field. In the past, we’ve struggled just to get to .500. Knock on wood, I don’t want to jinx anything. Winning on the road has been a big plus.
Colasurdo added, "Now, when we get Weehawken Stadium back, we’ll play 10 of our last 11 games at home, so that will be a huge help. No question, it will be a benefit to us down the stretch."
So perhaps Murphy’s Law doesn’t apply to the Weehawken baseball team after all.