HS Then & Now: Aspiring Stars Properly Awed By Oriole Park

By: Keith Mills

The first thing Kyle Judson of Quince Orchard High School in Montgomery County thought when he saw the umpires for Sunday's Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game at Camden Yards was that he had indeed made the big time.

"Six umpires!" Judson said. "Are you kidding? We're lucky to have just one." The last thing Chris Moore of Chesapeake was thinking when he stood a few feet from the third base bag and gazed out at the daunting sight of the warehouse, the Jumbotron and the plush green outfield grass of Oriole Park was winning one of the game's MVP awards.

"I can't believe I'm really here," Moore said a few minutes before Ryan Rivers of Eastern Tech threw the first pitch. "I can't believe it. This is what you dream of, and I'm standing here about ready to play on this field. Unbelievable."

Moore had the look of a kid at Christmas who just received his first glove. A few hours later, he had the look of a poised and veteran closer as he tossed two innings in the South's 5-4 win over the North to win the game's Most Outstanding Pitcher Award. Judson was named the Most Valuable Player after getting two hits, stealing two bases and playing a flawless shortstop.

The awards could have gone to a variety of others who made the all-star showdown one to savor. Matt Baden of Huntingtown High School in Calvert County drove in Chris Henry of Northeast with the first run of the game and scored the third on a double steal. Brian Green of Parkside drove in the fourth with a hit and made a sensational play at short in the third inning, robbing Matt Greene of South Carroll of an infield hit.

Kevin Jacob of Parkville struck out five of the six batters he faced. Austin Harclerode of Centennial drove in two runs and hit the game's only home run, a solo shot in the seventh inning over the 410-foot sign in center to cut the South's lead to 5-4.

Meanwhile, fellow Howard County senior Steve Lombardozzi Jr. of Atholton played a superb game for the North. He had two hits, including a double down the left field line, stole a base, started a double play and made a diving catch to end the first inning.

Through it all, Dave Norton, the coach at Mount St. Joseph and the game's chairman and driving force, had the look of a proud father as he watched this latest group of high school seniors experience an afternoon of baseball they will never forget.

"A lot of parents came up to me and said thanks for all the work," Norton said. "But for me to watch the kids when they're getting their bats before the game and when they meet one of the Orioles. Or when they do something well in the game, just the look in their eyes makes it all worth it. It is really great to see that."

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Brooks Robinson never saw a major league baseball game while growing up in Little Rock, Ark.

"I didn't see a big league game until I got to Baltimore," Robinson said.

That was in 1955, when Robinson signed with the Orioles and began a Hall of Fame career that has made him a Baltimore institution. And even at 70 years old he's still an icon, now to a new generation of fans who grew up listening to their mothers and fathers talk about the legend of No. 5.
"I heard a lot about him, and to meet him and shake his hand is pretty awesome," Rivers said.

Rivers will continue his career next year at North Carolina-Charlotte. Last Sunday, he was the starting pitcher for the North in a game that began back in 1982 as the Crown All-Star Game.

"This is a big thrill for these kids," said Robinson before he welcomed the 30 seniors at a pre-game press conference at the warehouse. "A lot of guys have used this as a springboard to college and even pros."

The game has produced 14 players who have gone on to the major leagues. Among them are Billy Ripken (Aberdeen), Brian Jordan (Milford Mill) and Denny Neagle (Arundel). Jay Witasick (C. Milton Wright), Mark Teixeira, Gavin Floyd and Mike O'Connor of Mount St. Joe are playing now.

Many of this year's all-stars will continue their careers next year in college. McDonogh's Joe Yermal, an alternate for this year's game, was drafted last week by the Orioles. Adam Kolarek, a left-handed pitcher and outfielder at Catonsville, is headed to Maryland and Lombardozzi will go to St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida.

Both Kolarek and Lombardozzi were exposed to the big league way of life at a young age. Kolarek's father, Frank, is a former farmhand and scout with the Oakland A's who pitched batting practice for the Orioles in the mid-1990s. Lombardozzi's father, Steve Sr., played second base in the major leagues for six years, four with the Minnesota Twins and two with the Houston Astros. He hit .412 in the 1987 World Series, helping the Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

"He's my practice buddy," said the younger Lombardozzi, who played amateur baseball for his dad with the Howard County Renegades. "He has helped me with the physical side of the game but even more with the mental side. He has given me techniques to use in pressure situations that guys don't learn really until they get into pro ball."

"I remember my dad taking me down to the clubhouse and introducing me to the guys and seeing the behind-the-scenes things," said Adam Kolarek, whose dad was pitching batting practice for the Orioles when Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record. "I remember seeing that it's more than just a game, it's a passion. They take everything very seriously but they still love it."

***
"I remember going to Travelers Field in Little Rock," Robinson said. "We didn't have a major league team, but the Cubs and Cardinals would play there every year and it was a big deal."

The Little Rock Travelers were a minor league team in the American Association in the early 1950s. They were affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and the Orioles, after the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore. Robinson was playing American Legion baseball when he signed with the Orioles in '55 and though he was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1983, he never forgot his amateur roots.

"These kids love to play the game," Robinson said. "That's part of being a big league baseball player, making that commitment. I advise them now to get on the best team they can and play as much as they can. They're at a point in their lives now where the better the competition they play, the better it's going to be for them."

It is advice well taken. Rivers plays for the Maryland Orioles Under-20 team coached by Dave Kaplan. Kolarek plays for the Maryland Monarchs summer team, an elite Under-19 team coached by Arundel's Bernie Walter and Archbishop Spalding's Steve Miller. Walter helped start the all-star game 26 years ago and was one of the coaches for the South team in last Sunday's game.

"Dad has always talked about the Crown All-Star Game," said Kolarek, who pitched two scoreless innings Sunday,. "and now just to be on the field is pretty amazing."

"Brooks is a legend," Lombardozzi Jr. said. "He's the person everybody wants to be, and it's a real honor to play in his game."

As for Robinson, he gets a kick out of being recognized by a new generation of baseball players and fans.

"I get a lot of people who come up to me and say, 'Hey, I thought you were dead,' or "˜Didn't you play with Babe Ruth?' It never stops," he said.

"It's amazing. Kids come up to me and ask for an autograph and say, 'My dad said you're a Hall of Famer and you're getting old and you might die soon and this autograph might be worth something.' It's great I love it."

UNDER ARMOUR LAX ALL STARS
Saturday's Under Armour All-America High School Lacrosse Classic at Geppi-Aikens Field at Loyola College will include two local coaches and 20 area players. Brian Kelly of Calvert Hall will coach the boys' South All-Stars and Brooke Kuhl-McClelland of Mount Hebron will coach the girls' South All-Stars.

Kelly is a graduate of Calvert Hall who went on to North Carolina and played on the Under-19 U.S. National Team. He has won 108 games in his 11 years at Calvert Hall, including the 2003 MIAA A-Conference championship.

Kelly can call on four local players: Loyola midfielder Tim Donovan (Johns Hopkins), Severn midfielder Nick Elsmo (Virginia), McDonogh attackman Andrew Feinberg (Brown) and Boys' Latin attackman Travis Reed (Maryland).

McClelland's South team will feature three members of her Mount Hebron squad, which won 103 straight games and an 11th straight state championship.

Midfielder Jackie Doherty (Notre Dame), attacker Jacqueline Giles (Georgetown) and defender Bria Eulitt (Richmond) played for the Vikings this spring. Eulitt will play for the U.S. Under-19 National team in this summer's world championships in Ontario, as will Jordyn Kirr and Katie Janian of Bryn Mawr, who will also play in Saturday's game. Other local players include McDonogh's Kirstyn Atkinson (Northwestern) and Carolina Spearman (Duke), St. Paul's School's Ellen Cook (Maryland), North Harford's Corey Donohoe (North Carolina) and Laura Lesnick (Penn St.), Centennial's Corcoran Downey (Boston), Maryvale's Brooke Lipinski (Johns Hopkins), Friends School's Brooke Matthews (Northwestern) and Hereford's Mary Wittelsberger (Georgetown).

Issue 2.24: June 14, 2007