Bad timing

They say timing is everything in sports, and that goes for sportswriting, too. Sometimes the sportswriter's best best-designed plans can go awry in a hurry.

For example, I had a feature story written about Wild Things catcher Chris Rosenbaum, pictured, that I planned to use in Saturday's edition of the Observer-Reporter. All I had to do was plug in what Rosenbaum did during Washington's exhibition game Friday night and add some details from the game. The only problem was Rosenbaum didn't play Friday night, so the story was scrapped for a few days. It was then planned for Tuesday's edition.

There was one problem. Rosenbaum was released Monday.

So, here's a story about a guy who didn't make the Wild Things:

By Chris Dugan, Sports Editor
dugan@observer-reporter.com

Chris Rosenbaum has an undergraduate degree in finance and a masters in business administration. He has won two NCAA national championships and delivered the game-winning hit in one title game. He’s even written a blog for Major League Baseball’s Website, spent a summer playing baseball in Rancho Cucamonga and has a knowledge of all the new tax laws.
What Rosenbaum hasn’t had, however, is a starting job to call his own. Not since his days at the University of Tampa three years ago.
Rosenbaum, a 26-year-old from Castleton, N.Y., is one of three catchers in spring training vying for roster spots and playing time with the Wild Things.
“I’m just looking for an opportunity to see what I can do,” Rosenbaum said. “I haven’t had many at-bats the last three years.”
Those years were spent in the Los Angeles Angels system. Rosenbaum is a career .272 hitter as a professional but he’s never had more than 116 at-bats in a season. Last year, Rosenbaum batted .319 for Rancho Cucamonga in the Class A California League.
“My agent says I always look good on paper,” Rosenbaum joked. “I just haven’t had a starting job. When I was at Rancho Cucamonga, I was batting .400 at the all-star break but only playing one game every two weeks.”
Rosenbaum was stuck in the Angels’ system behind two Latin catchers who are considered prospects. He was released at the end of spring training this year. Rosenbaum, however, was able to use the MBA he earned at Tampa to work for H&R Block preparing tax returns.
“At the busiest time of the year,” Rosenbaum said. “Was working up to 70 hours a week.”
While the work was steady, there was something missing.
“When you get released, a part of you doesn’t know what to do next. You’ve played baseball almost your whole life,” he said.
Rosenbaum’s girlfriend went to work finding all the independent teams with no more than one catcher on their roster. At the time, that included the Wild Things. Rosenbaum emailed each of the teams and Washington was the first to offer a contract. It helped that new Wild Things catcher Darin Everson is a former catcher.
“I was just looking for an opportunity to see what I can do, maybe have some success and see where it takes me,” Rosenbaum said.
Rosenbaum had plenty of success at Tampa, which won NCAA Division II national championships during his junior and senior seasons. Rosenbaum had a pinch-hit game-winning hit in the 10th inning in the championship game. As a senior, he went wire-to-wire as Tampa’s starting catcher, batting .341.
He signed a free agent with the Angels and began writing a blog about his experiences in the minor leagues for his hometown newspaper. In 2008, while playing for Cedar Rapids (Iowa) of the Class A Midwest League, Rosenbaum’s blog was picked up by the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Major League Baseball eventually learned of Rosenbaum’s blog, entitled “Looking Through the Mask”, and struck a deal for it to appear on mlb.com during the 2009 season.
Rosenbaum hopes to write the next chapter in his baseball career in Washington County.
“He’s competing for a job,” Everson said. “He’s improved each day he’s been here. He’s a tireless worker and handles pitchers very well.”

Rosenbaums! Get your Rosenbaums

The Wild Things will start the season leading the Frontier League in one category: most players named Rosenbaum.

Washington signed three players Wednesday, including catcher Chris Rosenbaum, who played in the Los Angeles Angels' organization. Also signed were former James Madison University pitcher Kurt Houck and ex-Lock Haven University infielder Matt Palko.

Rosenbaum, from Albany, N.Y., is the only one of the three with pro experience. All three are rookies by Frontier League standards.

Rosenbaum spent three seasons in the Angels' system, advancing to high-Class A Rancho Cucamongo, where he batted .319 last year but played in only 31 games. Rosenbaum played at the University of Tampa and was signed as a non-drafted free agent.

“Chris is coming off the best offensive year of his career," Washington manager Darin Everson said. "Throughout Chris' three-year career with the Angels, he has been known as a solid defensive catcher.”

Earlier this month, the Wild Things signed pitcher Zach Rosenbaum – apparently, no relation to the catcher.

Houck (6-6, 210) was a 2004 draft pick of the Atlanta Braves but did not sign, opting instead to attend James Madison. He had a solid career at JMU before missing the 2009 season because of an injury. He won 13 games for James Madison and posted a 7-2 record in 2008.

“Kurt is coming to us following a good stint in spring training in the Atlantic League,” Everson said. “We look forward to him reaching his potential as a reliable, hard-throwing reliever. We hope he can be an impact rookie."

Palko earned All-PSAC honors in 2009 after leading Lock Haven in home runs (11), triples (4), on-base percentage (.381) and walks (24). He batted .291 for the Bald eagles and played in the California Winter League.

“Matt comes highly recommended from many people who ran the California Winter League where he showed a solid bat and was very good defensively,” Everson said. “We look forward to having Matt be a solid option for us at third base and hope he can become an impact rookie for us this season.”

The Wild Things also dropped one player from the roster, former California University pitcher Rob Hedrick.