Sports
IC teammates and Coach Valesente and the rest of the staff,” he answered when asked if his Ithaca College experience was useful. “They didn’t just teach us about baseball, they taught us to the office recently and told that he had be adults.” been traded. Always willing to make the I called George most of any and all opportunities, Tim Valesente, IC’s asked to whom he had been traded. What baseball coach, to he heard next was what virtually every ask him if he was Little Leaguer who grew up in the Empire excited for LocasState wants to hear: His contract had been Tim Locastro got the call that could bring him to the brightest tro, and he said, purchased by the New York Yankees. lights in sports: Yankee Stadium. (Photo provided) “I am very happy I called Tim to talk about this latest for Tim. He can chapter, and I asked him if he looked at These days, Tim is in his hometown fill the bill for them as a utility player, and the calendar upon hearing the news to of Auburn, working out six days a week make sure it was not April 1. He laughed with his friend and high school teammate, whether he plays for their Triple A team in Scranton or in Yankee Stadium, I’ll be and said, “No, but I’ll tell you, it was wild Johnny Fiermonte. there.” to hear those words.” “The same routine has been serving George added, “It usually takes me I also asked the ex-Dodger what he reme well for the past four years, and now I about a year to get to know a player, but members about the experience of fulfilling am adding some time inx220 the pool at the Y,” Georgia@ithacatimes.com 607-277-7000 from the start, Tim was so passionate and his lifelong dream of playing in the Mahe said. When asked how adding swimClient: Newspaper: upbeat—no matter what—and he never jors. “I remember walking out into Coors ming will help, he stated, “It’s important hung his head, never lost his composure. Field,” he offered, “and it was amazing how to stay flexible. It’s such a long season—it’s Every year, he worked harder and he got high the Major League stadiums are. They a marathon, not a sprint—and staying better. He played hard every second of hold so many people.” healthy is my priority.” every game.” Locastro would soon play in front of Come spring, Tim said, “If I’m still Coach Val paused and said, “You know, 55,000 fans at a sold-out game at Dodger with the Yankees, I’ll report to Florida I think his most redeeming factor was the Stadium, and I asked him if such an expefor Spring Training. The Dodgers train in fact that he was not only our best player, rience was intimidating. He said, “When Arizona, so I haven’t been in Florida for he was the most well-liked. Those two you’re in the dugout, you can feel the Spring Training since 2015, when I was things rarely go together.” nerves, but between the lines, baseball is with the Blue Jays.” baseball and the adrenaline takes over.” “I wouldn’t be where I am without my
Not In-Tim-idated By Ste ve L aw re nc e
W
hen Tim Locastro played baseball for the Ithaca College Bombers, he was a lot of fun to watch. Unless, that is, you were an opposing pitcher or catcher. Tim had an uncanny knack to get on base—hits, walks, hit-by-pitch, whatever it took—and once aboard, he was a nightmare. He stole an absurd 40 bases in one season, and he made the proverbial “unlucky #13” lucky once again. Times two, in fact, given he was drafted in the 13th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Since then, Locastro has played in over 500 minor league games, with over 600 hits, 28 home runs and a .292 batting average. Many people might say, “That’s a pretty good run for a Division III player,” but Tim’s not done yet. The Auburn native has never taken his eye off the prize, and after starting out in the Toronto Blue Jays organization he was traded to the L.A. Dodgers. He got a brief shot at the Big Show in 2017, went back to AAA, and went back up to the bigs in 2018, playing in 18 games. Like many up-and-comers in the baseball world, Locastro was called into
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