Lynch ‘pitching’ in
Cumberland native playing in Oldtime game
A little of this, a little of that …
• For the second straight year, Cumberland native and submarine-throwing pitcher Jonathan Lynch was selected to pitch in the annual Oldtime Baseball Game, a charitable benefit that’s scheduled for tomorrow night in Cambridge, Mass.
“To be asked once again is awesome, but it was also surprising,” said Lynch, noting the proceeds from this year’s game will go directly to the American Heart Association. “It’s great that we are affiliated with such a great cause.”
Just like last year, Lynch will don a vintage Pittsburgh Pirates jersey with No. 21 on the back – the number signifying Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. He says this will probably be his final go-around with the Oldtime Baseball Classic after graduating this past spring from Salve Regina University with an undergraduate degree in Administration of Justice.
Lynch, 22, once again spent the summer logging innings out of the bullpen for the Missouri-based St. Joseph Mustangs of the M.I.N.K. League, which besides Missouri is comprised of clubs from Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. Listed at six feet and 190 pounds, Lynch appeared in the 2018 midseason M.I.N.K. All-Star Game and ended up posting a 4.55 ERA in 15 games.
“I had been playing at Salve and with the Mustangs for the past three seasons so it’s something I’m very comfortable with,” said Lynch, a graduate of Bishop Feehan High.
A two-time baseball captain at Salve Regina where he compiled a 4.69 ERA in 52 games spread over four seasons, Lynch earlier this year was presented with the athletic department’s first Ed Habershaw Stewardship Award, given to a Seahawk student-athlete who has earned the respect of fellow athletes, coaches, and administration for superior athletics and for continuously demonstrating the qualities associated with good sportsmanship.
“I was super surprised upon finding out,” Lynch said.
Lynch will still be around the Salve campus and the baseball program this coming year. He plans to fulfill his master’s requirements and help the Seahawk pitchers whenever time permits in his schedule.
“I do want to pursue law enforcement and hopefully get a job with a federal government agency,” Lynch said. “This is also a great chance for me to give back to a program that means so much to me.”
Lynch tossed one inning in last year’s Oldtime Baseball Classic. This year, he’ll be on the same team as Red Sox Hall of Famer Tim Wakefield. A Red Sox fan since childhood, Lynch admits the thought of following Wakefield to the mound on Thursday night has crossed his mind.
Imagine a pitcher who carved out a lengthy MLB career with his ability to throw the knuckleball getting relieved by a local lad who features a submarine approach.
• Ashley Muffet, throwing coach at Ohio State University, had some very nice things to say about Garrett Doyle, the 2018 Lincoln High School graduate who’s on his way to the Big Ten School.
“I first noticed Garrett during his junior year and was impressed with his versatility as he threw so many events well. Garrett made huge strides in his senior year, particularly in the weight throw. He seemed to get better every time he competed, improving his mark almost every week. This is a true testament to his hard work and the work of his coaches,” Muffet wrote in an email. “During his on-campus visit, I was impressed by not only his demeanor but also his physical size.
“I believe Garrett will grow and develop immensely in college, both technically and physically. I am very much looking forward to having him in Columbus,” Muffet added. “I believe Garrett’s best days are ahead of him in the sport. I believe he will develop not only into a conference-level competitor but also compete at the highest level nationally.”
• As much as it pained Emmitt Holt to watch Providence College basketball games from the bench last season after undergoing abdominal surgery, the fifth-year senior felt his unique vantage point was beneficial. For starters, it enabled him to view the game through a different lens and process the action in a way that hopefully pays dividends down the line as it relates to not letting everything speed up on him.
“It was definitely a different perspective as my hand was forced, but coach [Ed Cooley] always told me that I could learn while sitting,” said Holt prior to the Friars leaving for Italy on a 10-day basketball and cultural excursion. “Looking back, it was an experience that I definitely appreciate.”
• Very nice to see PawSox manager Kevin Boles get voted as the best managerial prospect in the International League per Baseball America. It’s a well-deserved honor that someday gets crystallized with an actual bigleague opportunity.
• At this stage of Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame career, it makes little sense for the Patriots to lock up a 41-yearold quarterback to a long-term deal. Think along the lines when the Red Sox for several seasons took a year-toyear approach with slugging designated hitter David Ortiz, who never hid his true feelings with what he deemed as unfair treatment.
Yes, NFL contracts can be ripped apart as quickly as a finger snap. Instead of tying up Brady with an extension, the Pats should come up with something where his salary for that particular year reflects what a top-tier quarterback is getting paid. Slapping the franchise tag on him probably wouldn’t sit well with No. 12, but how about New England putting in on-field performance clauses as part of Brady’s bonus this season?
Sure, it’s a move that comes across as Brady even after winning five Super Bowls still needs to sing for his supper, but that’s probably the best way to proceed with a player who’s a lot closer to the end than he is to the beginning.
• Speaking of NFL quarterbacks, the Red Sox should look into a rotation plan where Chris Sale gets the ball once a week until the end of the regular season … and that’s it. Call it the benefit of owning a sizeable lead in the American League East and making sure your ace pitcher is fresh as a daisy when October baseball rolls around.
• As we continue to wait for Worcester to turn over its cards regarding the city’s PawSox ballpark proposal, know this: the political process in the Bay State won’t feature nearly as many hoops to jump through as the all-encompassing, leave-nostone approach that Rhode Island elected to take.
From what we understand, the Worcester City Council has been given the autonomy to make the call that would enable the project to move forward. That one and only step represents a stark deviation from how Ocean State political leaders handled the legislation. Plenty of groups – from the Governor to the Commerce Department to Pawtucket City Council to the House of Representatives to the Senate – had a say on this important matter.
In response to R.I. letting so many voices be heard, did Massachusetts think less would prove more? Let the important folks state their intentions, yet have them make their case, pro or con, behind closed doors. That way when it comes time for the all-important vote, there’s only one that takes place – albeit with the understanding that it’s already received the blessing from proper channels.