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May 15, 2003
Small-town Dreams
By Ben Loos
From the age of six, Orchard Park resident and St.
Francis student, Jim Negrych had big dreams when it came
to baseball. He grew up in a family where the New York
Yankees was THE team in Major League Baseball.
That was the seed from which all of his dreams and
ambitions sprung forth. Who would have known that twelve
years later he would be a year or two away from his
dream of being a Yankee?
Jim grew up in West Seneca and Orchard Park, playing
little league in both towns until he was 13. His dad
always pushed for him to play baseball, but he didn’t
mind. After all, he aspired to play in the major
leagues.
When Jim came to St. Francis High School in 1999 he
was met by varsity coach Joe Caczmark. Jim was given the
coveted chance to be on the varsity squad as a freshman
and he took it, he embraced it, and he nurtured it. He
played at third base for the Red Raiders until the coach
moved him to short stop. His play has been so solid for
St. Francis that he has not moved from that position
since. Mr. Paul Bartell, a former college Division-III
hockey and baseball star, coaches the varsity team now,
and Jim has nothing but admiration for him.
“He’s helped me out a lot. He’s taught me little
things that help you make it to the next level,” Jim
says of his coach.
It was hard for Jim because he grew up in Buffalo, a
city where the weather is so random that you never know
when you will be able to practice or have a game. He
said that it was hard getting scouts to come and look at
him because the weather was so unpredictable. Not to
mention the fact that we have a winter season where the
only playing he could do was batting practice indoors.
He could not have gotten as far as he has without a
fiery dedication. During the summer he would play 120
games. During the winter he would lift weights and run
every day, in spite of the snow and the fact that it was
the off-season.
From St. Francis, Jim has a difficult decision to
make: Should he go pro, if given the chance, and forego
college? Or, should he delay his professional career to
attend the University of Pittsburgh on an $18,000/year
full athletic scholarship? Jim has mixed feelings about
his upcoming decision, but he said that “college sports
are just as big as pro in that area.”
The benefits, according to him, of going to college is
the college experience, good baseball, and, of course,
his education. However, he realizes that in his college
career he may get injured and hinder his chances of
going pro at a later date. It has always been his dream
and, if given the chance, he said that he will find it
extremely hard to pass up playing for any professional
team.
“Your job is doing something that you love and have
loved all of your life”, Negrych reflected on going pro.
All the hard work has paid off for Jim, who is
preparing for a decision that will determine his future
as a student, a baseball player, and a young man.
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