Pride Competes Against Former Pro

  The Northeast Pride Collegiate travel team in their inaugural year competing in the Hudson Valley Collegiate Baseball League recently competed against a former professional major league baseball  scouts knowledge as they weighted their chances in  making the league playoffs.
  Maintaining tradition and keeping an older professional active in the amateur collegiate sport of baseball is certainly a big part of the Wappinger Yankees team success as was evident after witnessing 76-year-old Eric Gluck working with pitchers on his team giving them both offensive and defensive strategy.

                                                               

  Eric serves this team as vice-president of player personnel and also works with the pitchers and catchers providing them with his 50-years of baseball knowledge including 20 years of major league experience as a scout for the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. He also provides help with defensive mechanics.
  During his professional scouting years he scouted many well-known players including Roy Smith, Al Leiter, Shawon Dunston and Manny Ramirez.
  Gluck  noted that as a youngster he grew up in game of  baseball as "my dad was a tremendous athlete and he taught me the basics from day one."
  Eric pointed out that he played the outfield in high school baseball and is a graduate from Yonkers High School and went on to graduate from Ithaca College but did not play college baseball.
  He indicated his baseball skills did not meet college standards and that "I was more concerned about academics where I obtained my degree in Health Science and Human Performance and received my Master credits at City College in New York and started my scouting career at the age of 20."
  Gluck pointed out that he never would have become a professional baseball scout if it hadn't been for " Ralph DiLullo who was one of the most famous baseball scouts this sport has ever seen and when DiLullo spoke baseball managers listened to him."
  "He spent a lot of time with me and taught me what I needed to know and  it was he who opened the door for me with the White Sox," Eric said.
  DiLullo had a book written about him and made TV appearances on the David Letterman show.
  Eric said he was mentored by DiLullo who was a professional baseball player, manager and scout whose career in the sport spanned some 60 years and received the high honor of being elected to the Professional Baseball Scout's Wall of Fame.
  Gluck is also associated with a baseball instruction academy, has been inducted into the Dutchess County Baseball Hall of Fame and is about to be inducted into the Dutchess County Sports Hall of Fame.
  In the recent game against the Yankees played at the SCCC General's Field two pitchers both bearing 44's on their jerseys, Pride's Jeff Prouse (Brockport State) and Yankees Brandon Nylin (Onondaga College) hooked up into a pitching dual through the top of the sixth inning when the Yankees scored one run on a double to center field by Billy Sablinski (Westchester Community College) who then stole third base and scored on a sacrificed fly to right field.
  Pride got right back into the game in the bottom of the sixth when Bray Curreri (Eldred Central High School) doubled to left field and scored on a ground ball error at second base.
  Pitching again took over and the 1-1 tied game continued to the top of the ninth when the Yankees scored four runs to take a 5-1 lead off a single, safe at first on a bunt, another single, a stolen base, three walks with one resulting in a run and a balk which also brought in another run.
  Pride attempted a comback in the bottom of the ninth with a hit batter. three walks and three runs scoring on three passed balls getting by the Yankees catcher.  Two costly strike outs ended the game with the Yankees putting the 5-4 victory into their win column.
  Team advisory member  Jared Carrier when asked about the Pride's playoff hopes said, "we are on the outside looking in concerning the playoffs, " with the "top four teams from the nine team league advancing." 
  He added, "we would need to win at least six of our last eight games and get some help to have a shot at the playoffs."
  Long time HVCBL member, The Sullivan Spartans,  merged this season with the Pennsylvania based Northeast Pride and is comprised of players primarily from New York and Pennsylvania.  

                                      PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME