River Bandits first-year manager Luis Aguayo smiles as he thinks back on his first season in the Quad Cities. Still, the Puerto Rico-born baseball veteran is quick to say that the Midwest isn’t quite like home.

“I’m a coast man. I’m a beach guy,” Aguayo said. “I grew up close to the beach …  now, I’m in the middle of a nation. The only wind that I see might be in a circle.”

Aguayo chuckled as he explained that people had warned him about the possibility of tornadoes, and, perhaps more likely, floods, as Modern Woodmen Park sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. He’s also quick, however, to say that the experience in the Midwest – the farming culture, the friendly people – has been a positive one.

“I think overall it’s been a great summer,” he said. “It’s been a great first experience … it’s been fun.”

One experience, familiar from what seems like a lifetime ago, he hadn’t exactly missed. Aguayo spent 10 years in the Major Leagues – 10 years away from the bus rides and commuters that drive Minor Leaguers batty. Now, 20 years later, those bus rides are the least welcoming of the summer’s encounters. And he’s not alone.

“The one thing that we have really struggled with – everybody – is the commuters,” Aguayo said. “It feels like we spend more time riding buses than playing the game.”

Some days, the game suffers from that. But bus ride or no, Aguayo had his hands full all season with a wealth of young talent, many getting their first taste of professional ball. » Continue reading “Bandits Buzz: Luis Aguayo”

“If at first you don’t succeed …”

You know the rest. We’ve all heard the quote use as a motivator. We’ve all failed at something, at least initially. And there’s hardly a greater feeling of accomplishment than when you finally do succeed.

But, many are too impatient – at least with the most challenging of things – to actually get there.

Just think: For a baseball player be considered a good hitter, he only has to get a hit three out of every ten at bats. That means seven out of ten times, he fails.

Sure, it’s not quite that elementary. And yes, that makes it sound awfully depressing. But in many ways, it’s those repeated failures that make the successes so sweet.

River Bandits outfielder Nick Martini is no stranger to the idea – or the successes. Having a father who played collegiate golf, he learned all about the mental side of sports at an early age. The battles are the same, from golf to baseball.

“It’s hard to be at the top in golf every week,” Martini said, speaking of his dad’s college career. “So I think he kind of understood where struggles come into play, and that this is such a game of failure, so he was always there for me whether I was doing bad or good.”

A baseball player from age six on, Martini learned to love the game and the potential it held. After years of both football and basketball in addition to America’s pastime, baseball started to take over.

It wasn’t long before the Prairie Ridge High School star was fielding more than baseballs on his way to three All-State team selections and a 2008 state championship. » Continue reading “Bandits Buzz: Nick Martini”

It’s the little things in life … and in baseball. So many times it’s those things that make dreams come true.

It’s eating right, and training smart. It’s giving up summers to play travel ball, and weekends to learn from the week’s mistakes. It’s taking good at bats, and making routine plays. It’s setting goals, and achieving them. It’s all about the little things.

And, sometimes, the little guys.

In May, the Quad City Times newspaper featured the “Little Guy Coorporation” – the brain-child of a handful of 2011 Johnson City Cardinals out to prove that baseball isn’t about size or stature, but about skill.

Here at Aaron Miles’ Fastball, we call it “scrap.” And it’s those players who steal our attention and capture our hearts.

So, it’s only natural that we track down Matt Williams — one of the founding fathers of the LGC – who has made “little” look pretty big for the River Bandits this season.

Life as an athlete is all Williams has known. From basketball and football, to golf and even soccer, he tried it all. And, of course, there was baseball.

First, it was tossing a ball around in the house and practicing hitting in the backyard with Dad. But before long, it was little league. Then traveling teams, high school, and, well, you know the drill.

“Ever since I can remember I had a ball and bat and a glove in my hands,” Williams said.

Even so, it wasn’t like baseball was a standout, at least not to begin with.

“When I was little, I liked pretty much every sport the same,” he said. “I think it ended up just being the fact that, well, I’m kind of small. So, my football career and basketball, too,  would have been limited. So I just picked the one that I knew I could have the most success with.” » Continue reading “Bandits Buzz: Matt Williams”