By Michael Moreci

ABR: Had you been to Wrigley before coming up with the Cubs?

RH: No, I hadn't. One of my goals was to make it to Wrigley when I got called up. I wanted to go up as a player, rathar than a fan.

ABR: What team did you grow up a fan of?

RH: I grew up in Boston, so I've been going to Fenway since I was young. I went to college in Michigan and was a lot of guys who didn't have a team to root for. Growing up with the Red Sox, I was lucky.

ABR: That's some rabid fandom you have on both sides--the Cubs and Red Sox.

RH: Growing up, there was a lot of pressure being a Red Sox player. Now, coming up in the Cubs organization, there's a lot expected of you. It's something you just get used to. The thing to alleviate that pressure is to always just leave it on the field. Whether you perform well or poorly, if you leave it on the field, at least you can get some sleep at night.

ABR: Now that you're in the majors, are there still players that you look up to?

RH: Playing with [Greg] Maddux was a great experience for me. He's done it all in the game. I was fortunate enough to learn from him. But being here, you've got to see yourself as one of those guys.

ABR: What's it like playing for Lou Pinella?

RH: Lou's a bit different from Dusty. Dusty was more lad-back and Lou is more of a bottom-line guy. You're going to here it from Lou. He just expects you to go out there and play hard. If you go out there and play with your all, if you're fearless out there on the field, you won't have any issues. Even if you don't do well, his focus is whether you gave it all.  

ABR Teams Up With USA Baseball's

National Team Identification Series Program

By Mike Moreci

USA Baseball is launching its first 14U program this summer. Like its 16U and 18U championship teams (formerly known as the USA Junior Olympic Baseball Championships), the players selected to the 14U USA team will compete in international events, play against top competition, and gain maximum exposure.

Rick Riccobono, Director of the 14U National Team, believes that players who participate in the USA Baseball program are granted an unparalleled baseball experience.

“The players we’ve had in our program have shown drastic improvement in their skill levels,” Riccobono said. “The kids get exposure at an earlier age to the game of baseball; they learn leadership on and off the field.”

In order to be selected to the 14U USA Baseball team, players are required to participate in a National Team Identification Series (NTIS). There are two NTIS events held over Labor Day weekend (8/29-8/31), where players compete for one of 24 roster spots. Twelve teams from across the country are represented. Ten are chosen from participating organizations and two by USA Baseball.

USA Baseball has awarded the Amateur Baseball Report as a participating organization, giving the ABR control of the selection process for five of the six eastern region teams and one western region team. Click here to read more about ABR's relationship with USA Baseball.

ABR's regions are as follows:
Eastern Region:
1) Great Lakes ( MI,WI, IN, IL, IA, MN)
2) Midwest (NE, KS, OK, MO, AR)
3) Central Atlantic ( KY, TN, VA, NC, SC, WV)
4) North Atlantic ( Pa, Oh, NJ, De, MD, NY, CT, RI, MA, ME, VT, NH, PR)
5) Gulf Coast ( FL, LA, MS, AL, GA)

Western Region:
1) Texas

Eighteen players per team will be selected by the ABR to compete for a spot on the 14U National Team. The ABR hosts ID camps in 31 states across the country. Players are evaluated at these ID camps and, if selected, go on to the USA Baseball tryouts.

“People are eager to get involved and expose their players to this type of competition,” Riccobono said.

Six teams will play at the NTIS event in California, another six at the NTIS even in Florida. Every team is guaranteed to play three nine-inning games.  

Any player chosen who earns a roster spot on the 14U National Team Trials will
have all expenses paid for by USA Baseball. For more information on the USA Baseball’s NTIS series, please visit www.usabaseball.com .