Mike Gedman Has Whirlwind Week With NCAA Regional And Game-Winning Homer; Coaching Has His Heart

Ask any minor league baseball player—Independent or affiliated—his primary goal, and the answer is very predictable.  “I want to play in the major leagues”.  One might think the proclamation would be doubled if your father had a 13-year career in the bigs, primarily as a bulldog catcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Mike Gedman , one of the baseball-playing sons of Rich Gedman , has a different thought pattern, even mere hours after striking what proved to be a game-winning home run for the Rockland (NY) Boulders of the Can-Am League.

“I love coaching,” the 6-foot-4, 230-pound first baseman-designated hitter said.  His tone was very emphatic, too.  “I can’t see myself doing anything else.  I’m playing to be a better coach.”

Now don’t jump to conclusions that Mike Gedman, a lefty, does not have talent.  He was a rare two-way player at both LeMoyne College (Syracuse, NY) and in three seasons at the University of Massachusetts and was an all-star in the talent-laden Northwoods (collegiate) League when he hit .313 and had a 3.02 earned run average.

It has been quite a week for the Framingham, MA native because Bryant University , where the 26-year-old is the year-round hitting coach, just finished its first trip to the Division I NCAA playoffs.  The Bulldogs made a statement by upsetting heavily-favored Arkansas before bowing out in their next two games at Manhattan, KS.

College duties had limited Gedman to playing in only five of the league-leading Boulders’ first 16 Can-Am games (he also missed part of the exhibition season), but he got back into the lineup Tuesday and led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a tiebreaking solo homer.

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Praise for the Can-Am and a Little Philosphy

I did not even have to ask.  Veteran St. Paul, MN Manager George Tsamis took it upon himself to praise the Can-Am League , which is in the second season of interleague play with the American Association , which the Saints call home.

“This league is just as good as our league”, Tsamis said this week near the end of a grueling road trip to the Canadian cities of Quebec and Trois Rivieres plus Rockland, NY.   “Quebec’s pitching is as good as any in our league.”

Tsamis, who has a championship and three other narrow championship series defeats since joining the Saints 11 years ago after guiding the New Jersey Jackals to two league titles, proved he still has plenty of fire in his belly when he offered, without prompting, during our conversation, “who wants to be mediocre.”  The key to winning:  “This game is about who hits with runners on base”.  Enough said.

A Quick Trip Around the Base

Caleb Thielbar (St. Paul, MN, American Association) , still with a perfect earned run average after eight major league innings spread over seven appearances for Minnesota, admitted he had a number of friends on hand when he picked up his first American League victory when the Twins rallied for a walk-off win.  What about family?  Not so much.  “I think they had things to do today,” he deadpanned to The St. Paul Pioneer Press.  The loss went to former Golden Leaguer (Tucson, AZ) Tom Wilhelmsen… It was somewhat surprising to see Dane DeLaRosa (Southern Maryland, Atlantic League; El Paso, TX, American Association, and four Golden League teams) sent back to Salt Lake City Thursday.  He had been so strong in the Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen (1-1, one save, 4.05, 27 appearances) and was not charged with an earned run in his last six outings.  The Angels also returned Jerome Williams (Lancaster, PA, Atlantic League; Long Beach, CA, Golden) to the bullpen despite five consecutive quality starts.

By BOB DUTTON The Kansas City Star

Updated: 2013-03-26T05:37:57Z

             (This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.  Forty columns are planned during 2013.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com , enjoy added stories on the blog www.IndyBaseballChatter.com , or comment to RWirz@aol.com .  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)