The lost story

Danny Poma
(Photo by Mark Marietta)

Every so often, you hear about a television show that has a "lost episode." These are episodes that did not air because either the network didn't like the subject matter or the show never aired because of a variety of other reasons, such as it was preempted by breaking news. Sometimes an entire year or more of a show is considered "lost" because the network refuses to rebroadcast it, such as the "Price is Right" years in the 1970s when Dennis James was the host.

Well, here at the Observer-Reporter, because of earlier deadlines this year than in the past, there is the potential for what I call "lost stories," particularly sports stories.

Let me explain: The O-R's deadline for its Sunday edition is 10:30 p.m. That means all pages must be paginated, checked and sent to press by this time. With the Wild Things playing at 7:05 p.m., that means any game that runs three hours or gets delayed by rain is in jeopardy of not making the Sunday edition. So what is a sportswriter to do about this? The solution is to write a feature story prior to the game that can be placed in the Sports section and appear in the print edition if the game runs long. If the game is played at a normal pace, then the feature story is removed and replaced by the game story.

The last two Saturday nights, I had a feature on Wild Things outfielder Danny Poma written and used as a placeholder for Wild Things game stories. Both times, the game was completed in time to be included in print and the Poma feature was pulled. The story finally appeared online Sunday, but it has not yet appeared in print. If you haven't seen it, then here it is:


By Chris Dugan
Sports editor
dugan@observer-reporter.com
The first thing you notice about Wild Things center fielder Danny Poma is the guy is fast.
He has the speed and instincts necessary to run down a fly ball hit into the spacious gaps at Consol Energy Park. He also can utilize his speed on the basepaths to beat an opponent. In the last year, Poma has played in only 57 games on the pro level, yet he has stolen 27 bases and been thrown out attempting to steal only two times. Poma once stole 38 bases – an off-the-charts total – in a college summer league.
So it’s ironic that Poma’s career with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization ended last June because it was progressing slowly. As Poma said, he didn’t exactly “hit the ground running” with Arizona.
As a result, the former first team college All-American and 10th-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks is spending this summer roaming the outfield in Washington and the Frontier League.
Poma (6-1, 200) has been an impact player, filling holes in the lineup at center field and the top of the batting order. Puma has replaced last year’s center fielder, Quincy Latimore, who is hitting .303 for the Washington National’s Class AA affiliate in Harrisburg.
“Poma came highly recommended by a Diamondbacks scout,” Washington manager Bart Zeller said. “He said, ‘If you need a center fielder, then go get Danny Poma.’”
That’s exactly what the Wild Things did, though they had to make a trade to get the Monterey, Calif., native. After Poma was released by Arizona, a family friend who knew Pete Incaviglia, the former major leaguer and manager of the independent American Association’s Laredo Lemurs, made a phone call and put in a good word for the young outfielder. It led to a contract offer.
Poma played the second half of last season with Laredo, batted .319 and was successful on 19 of 20 stolen-base attempts. The Wild Things, however, were able to lure Poma away from the Lemurs by trading the rights to pitchers Amalio Diaz and Matt Phillips.
That Poma is even playing professional baseball is proof that sometimes a player needs more than speed and a good swing.
A good email system helps, too.
Poma spent three injury-filled seasons at Cuesta Junior College in California. He redshirted the first year after suffering a separated shoulder and torn labrum when he fell during a rundown drill. He had a good redshirt freshman year, but suffered a broken hamate bone when he was hit by a pitch during his final in JC ball.
Because of all the injuries, Poma was overlooked by Division I coaches. Without a scholarship, Poma sent a mass email to 80 major college coaches, hoping that one would have a scholarship left for a speedy outfielder.
“I had nothing left to lose at that point,” Poma said.
Hofstra, located in Hempstead, N.Y., had a scholarship available, and a coach for the Flying Dutchmen flew to San Diego to watch Poma play in a summer league. He had Poma sign a letter of intent on the spot.
All Poma did at Hofstra was become an All-American as a senior in 2012, when he was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the nation’s best college baseball player.
Poma was drafted in the 10th round by Arizona in 2012, but 12 months later he was released. He played in four for the Diamondbacks’ rookie league affiliate in Missoula, Mont., last summer and did well, going 5-for-14. But at age 24, Poma was deemed too old for rookie ball.
“Being a fifth-year senior out of college, I was older than most guys in rookie ball, so I didn’t get much time to develop,” Poma said. “I had to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I struggled at the plate. I worked hard, but in pro ball it’s all about your age.”
During his first two weeks with the Wild Things, Poma made an immediate impact. He took a .333 batting average into Saturday night’s game against the Windy City ThunderBolts and has been a key factor in Washington’s streak of nine wins in 10 games. He had three doubles in a game against the Greys last week and three stolen bases the next night. He also contributed a game-winning, last-inning hit Wednesday at Joliet. His seven stolen bases are second in the league.
“He can play the game,” said Washington third baseman Carter Bell, who also played in the Diamondbacks’ system. “He can run, he can throw, he can hit. He’s also a great clubhouse guy. It was pretty exciting to find out that Danny was already here when I signed with the Wild Things.”