Wayne Franklin, Daryl Harang, Sean Stidfole, Jason Aspito and Val Majewski are among the names coming back to York in 2013. Well, for one day anyway. The Revs revealed plans for this year’s 2013 Fan Fest event slated for April 13 at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

The 2013 Revolution squad will play an exhibition game against several Atlantic League alums.

Joining the names above on the alumni team will be pitcher Eric Ackerman, catcher Kevin Kotch, infielders Rayner Bautista, Travis Hake and current Revs’ third base coach Enohel Polanco. Also on the alumni team will be outfielder Justin Singleton and infielders Matt Hagen, Vito Chiaravalloti, Matt Cavagnaro and Matt Padgett.

For an alumni team, the list of players is pretty impressive when you consider all the parameters that go into finding guys willing to play on this one day. And from what I’ve been told, Revs’ play-by-play man Darrell Henry is responsible for that. So, shout out to DH on a bang up job.

Another interesting tidbit are the jerseys the alumni team will be wearing. The jerseys feature a logo from every Atlantic League team, past and present, with current franchise logos on the front and former franchise logos on the back. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the free event.

For more information on the event, including who will manage the alumni team, the time gates open, a special pre-game autograph session and country music concert, click here.

 

 

President’s Day: Speaking of Atlantic League alumni, check out former Somerset Patriots’ play-by-play man Adam Amin in this get-up on President’s Day while calling a college hoops game for ESPN. It caught the eye (or ire?) of Deadspin.com, but only because sideline reporter Joe Lunardi dressed as Ben Franklin for the event (I know. I had to hit myself in the head, too, when I realized Franklin was never the POTUS). Amin left the Patriots following the 2011 season to call various sports for ESPN. This makes me wonder…should Darrell Henry do something similar calling a Revs’ game on the Fourth of July? I mean, he wouldn’t be alone in the attire. Cannonball Charlie dresses like that for EVERY home game.

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With the help of Glen Rock resident Ken Holcomb, former Revs slugger Jason Aspito has opened an indoor baseball and softball facility in Red Lion Borough.

The facility features roughly 13,000 square feet of batting cages and pitching tunnels. Aspito will be running the day-to-day operations. And longtime York Revolution pitcher Corey Thurman, former Revs’ pitcher Daryl Harang and former Revs’ outfielder Matt Padgett will also be available to provide lessons and clinics at the facility.

It becomes the second indoor baseball and softball facility to open in York County in the last couple months after former Revs’ manager Chris Hoiles opened Gold Glove Academy late last year.

To get all the full details on Aspito’s new facility, click here. For information on the grand opening, rates at the facility and more you can also visit www.backyard-university.com.

 

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Anyone who is familiar with the success Andy Etchebarren has had as the York Revolution manager probably knows how he got things started when he took over the gig.

Etchebarren was hired near the end of the 2009 season, trying to turn around a team that finished a league-worst 53-87 that year.

In an effort to build a winning ballclub in 2010, Etchebarren opted to not bring back fan favorites Matt Esquivel and Matt Padgett, both of whom unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate raises in the off-season.

Playing for York in 2009, Padgett had batted .274 with seven homers and 70 RBIs, while Esquivel batted .259 with 21 homers and 68 RBIs.

Etchebarren gained some criticism for that move. But everything eventually came full circle when the Revs manager led York to its first ever Atlantic League Championship in 2010.

Esquivel and Padgett, meanwhile, went on to sign with the Long Island Ducks that season and Long Island missed the playoffs that year for the first time in seven seasons.

But the pair stuck with the Ducks again in 2011. And now they have a chance at getting their side of the story to come full circle, too, as the Ducks are taking on the York Revolution in the Atlantic League Championship Series.

Esquivel started things off in Game 1 on Wednesday night. With no score in the bottom of the third inning, Esquivel led off with a double off of Revs’ starter Nick Schumacher. Freddie Thon then moved Esquivel over to third with a ground-out to second base, and Kraig Binick followed that with an RBI single to left to score Esquivel.

That run proved to be the difference in the Ducks’ 1-0 victory over York in Game 1.

And Esquivel’s hit was one of only four surrendered by Schumacher in his eight innings of work.

“It’s a great feeling,” Esquivel said afterwards of getting the win over York. “I always wish that when Padgett and I left, and several others that left, we would have the opportunity to come back here and play against these guys. Not for anything for revenge, just the fact that it means something to us as players. We tried to play our best when we were with York and tried to have a good outing every time we were there.”

Esquivel and Padgett are one of four Ducks’ players that formerly played for the Revs. Ducks’ outfielder Kennard Jones played for York in 2008 and 2009. Ducks’ pitcher Bob Zimmerman also played for York in 2009 and 2010. Zimmerman is expected to get the start against York on Friday in Game 3.

Though Esquivel acknowledged that he hasn’t talked to any Revs players or anyone in management recently, he says that he still has a lot of respect for York.

“Without talking to them I know that it’s something at least that they’ve thought about,” he said. “Baseball is a huge fraternity with all of the guys. I’m still very close with all of the guys. I have a lot of respect for everybody that’s over there.”

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