E Town
07-26-2007, 11:07 PM
This one’s for Bud.
That’s the motto of the San Carlos Joe DiMaggio baseball team as it looks to win the World Series for the fourth time in program history. The 41st annual Joe DiMaggio World Series opened on Thursday in Carson City, Nev., and runs through Monday.
With the stakes so high — there will be plenty of college coaches and scouts at the event — the San Carlos (27-5) players won’t need any added motivation. They draw inspiration daily from their incredible manager, Bud Papadakis. Papadakis, 54, in June 2005 was diagnosed with Wegener’s granulomatosis, a debilitating disease in which blood vessels become swollen and inflammed, making it difficult for blood to flow.
Getting back to the World Series was paramount. Last year, Papadakis didn’t coach the team in Joe DiMaggio’s showcase event because he took a trip to Greece and Italy with wife Lorrie, something the two had been planning for some time. Papadakis was told by his doctor to take a trip as soon as possible, because there was no telling how long he would live.
A once sculpted 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Papadakis, who is also a diabetic, has lost over 50 pounds in the last two years. His treatment last year included taking up to 30 pills a day, an assortment of chemotherapy and pain killers. Sometimes, he can barely stand upright, yet he still finds a way to get to the ballpark. His players have noticed their coach’s amazing effort — especially after the team knocked off top-seeded Millbrae in the Peninsula South Division championship series last Sunday.
“I’m really happy we could do this for Bud,” said first baseman Kyle Quinn said after Sunday’s two wins over Burlingame. “That’s what we’re really happy about.”
Over the years, I’ve had players tell me how much fun it was to play for Bud. Brian Belli, a former San Carlos player who will be playing at Long Beach State next year, said the reasons are simple as to why players love competing for Papadakis.
“No matter if I pitched a shutout or gave up a lot of runs, he said, ‘I love you’ either way,” Belli said before last year’s World Series. “He really motivates us and gets us to play. He takes the pressure off you, and he’s always got your back.”
Papadakis felt ultra confident that his team could bring home another championship. The offense has been inferno hot, averaging over 10 runs per game in the last month. San Carlos has received contributions from everyone in the lineup, including Tony Cooper, Kenny Turner, Jarod Hopper and Quinn, a.k.a Big Papi. With twin brothers John and Jamie McGowan, along with Ben Mauldin and Anthony Armanino, the team has some solid pitching, too.
“I told the guys (before playing Millbrae) that this was the state championship game,” Papadakis said. “You know it’s a real shame that Millbrae is not going with us. These are probably the two best teams in Joe DiMaggio. If we get their (Millbrae) players, it’s going to be lights-out.”
San Carlos’ inspirational play was nothing short of magnificent. Usually, it’s San Carlos that needs to win only one game to get to the World Series. However, Millbrae earned the division’s No. 1 seed this year because it won the regular season series betweent the teams. That mattered little as San Carlos routed Millbrae in Game 1 before pulling away for a 10-6 victory in Game 2. Playing free and loose, San Carlos showed it can win as a favorite or an underdog.
“I think winning the playoffs this year has a lot to do with our history,” Papadakis said. “Even though we have a lot of new players, these guys are used to winning big games, and they want to carry that tradition on.”
Mission accomplished.
Contact Emanuel Lee at emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.
That’s the motto of the San Carlos Joe DiMaggio baseball team as it looks to win the World Series for the fourth time in program history. The 41st annual Joe DiMaggio World Series opened on Thursday in Carson City, Nev., and runs through Monday.
With the stakes so high — there will be plenty of college coaches and scouts at the event — the San Carlos (27-5) players won’t need any added motivation. They draw inspiration daily from their incredible manager, Bud Papadakis. Papadakis, 54, in June 2005 was diagnosed with Wegener’s granulomatosis, a debilitating disease in which blood vessels become swollen and inflammed, making it difficult for blood to flow.
Getting back to the World Series was paramount. Last year, Papadakis didn’t coach the team in Joe DiMaggio’s showcase event because he took a trip to Greece and Italy with wife Lorrie, something the two had been planning for some time. Papadakis was told by his doctor to take a trip as soon as possible, because there was no telling how long he would live.
A once sculpted 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Papadakis, who is also a diabetic, has lost over 50 pounds in the last two years. His treatment last year included taking up to 30 pills a day, an assortment of chemotherapy and pain killers. Sometimes, he can barely stand upright, yet he still finds a way to get to the ballpark. His players have noticed their coach’s amazing effort — especially after the team knocked off top-seeded Millbrae in the Peninsula South Division championship series last Sunday.
“I’m really happy we could do this for Bud,” said first baseman Kyle Quinn said after Sunday’s two wins over Burlingame. “That’s what we’re really happy about.”
Over the years, I’ve had players tell me how much fun it was to play for Bud. Brian Belli, a former San Carlos player who will be playing at Long Beach State next year, said the reasons are simple as to why players love competing for Papadakis.
“No matter if I pitched a shutout or gave up a lot of runs, he said, ‘I love you’ either way,” Belli said before last year’s World Series. “He really motivates us and gets us to play. He takes the pressure off you, and he’s always got your back.”
Papadakis felt ultra confident that his team could bring home another championship. The offense has been inferno hot, averaging over 10 runs per game in the last month. San Carlos has received contributions from everyone in the lineup, including Tony Cooper, Kenny Turner, Jarod Hopper and Quinn, a.k.a Big Papi. With twin brothers John and Jamie McGowan, along with Ben Mauldin and Anthony Armanino, the team has some solid pitching, too.
“I told the guys (before playing Millbrae) that this was the state championship game,” Papadakis said. “You know it’s a real shame that Millbrae is not going with us. These are probably the two best teams in Joe DiMaggio. If we get their (Millbrae) players, it’s going to be lights-out.”
San Carlos’ inspirational play was nothing short of magnificent. Usually, it’s San Carlos that needs to win only one game to get to the World Series. However, Millbrae earned the division’s No. 1 seed this year because it won the regular season series betweent the teams. That mattered little as San Carlos routed Millbrae in Game 1 before pulling away for a 10-6 victory in Game 2. Playing free and loose, San Carlos showed it can win as a favorite or an underdog.
“I think winning the playoffs this year has a lot to do with our history,” Papadakis said. “Even though we have a lot of new players, these guys are used to winning big games, and they want to carry that tradition on.”
Mission accomplished.
Contact Emanuel Lee at emanuel@smdailyjournal.com or (650) 344 5200, ext. 109.