Vera Excels on and off the Diamond
by Thomas Garcia
Issue date: 5/4/09 Section: Sports
Now that he is back in New York, Vera follows maintains a strict training regiment and pre-game routine his studies, he also goes out and prepares for his starts and has his routine when he's about to start or play the field. "Well I go for lots of treatment with Athletic Trainer Angelo Annunziato and I run a lot to relieve the soreness. I just play hard come game time. I watch Baseball games, study counts and situations because baseball is a mental sport!" Says Vera
Vera's experiences with the Lightning baseball team has been very positive.
"Baseball for the Lightning is interesting… You have a lot of fun at times and it's a blast"
What make his experiences more valuable is the teammates that he played with and those that stood out.
"Some of my best teammates I would have to say of course were Johnny Reyes because that kid had pure talent. Steve Rodriguez who pitched every nine inning game last year…he had heart… Jason Caraballo and Amadoernesto Guzman because they always keep me on my toes and laughing at the same time."
A Computer Information Systems major, Vera made the Lehman College Dean's list and volunteered at Bronx Democratic Council Committee in the spring of 2009. He has been nominated for the CUNY scholar-athlete award due to his outstanding performance in the classroom with an impressive 3.7grade point average. Vera knows that maintaining a high GPA while participating in athletics is difficult but is something that he embraces as a student athlete.
"Maintaining a 3.7gpa is extremely difficult… I work part-time, play baseball and I'm a full-time student taking 19hrs (of classes) a week! I sleep maybe 4 hours a night and that's a fact… I just look at it this way; I have to sacrifice to better my life so 4 years of sacrificing in order to god willingly a lifetime of success sounds like a bargain to me"
After college Vera hopes to stay involved with baseball in any capacity, he hopes to share his knowledge with future young pitchers who hope to excel at the sport he loves.
"My Future Plans definitely involve more baseball… I will take some rest and hopefully sign with an independent team or something… if that doesn't work out I would love to go into the Air Force…but one thing is for sure, I will coach somewhere and pay my dues, and pass on the little bit of knowledge to the next bunch"
What will Vera miss most about his time with the Lightning? "I would have to say I will miss being around a lot of the guys as well being competitive every time out on that field."
One thing is for sure; Vera is a true champion on and off the diamond and his contributions to the team and in the classroom makes him a true ace.
Vera's experiences with the Lightning baseball team has been very positive.
"Baseball for the Lightning is interesting… You have a lot of fun at times and it's a blast"
What make his experiences more valuable is the teammates that he played with and those that stood out.
"Some of my best teammates I would have to say of course were Johnny Reyes because that kid had pure talent. Steve Rodriguez who pitched every nine inning game last year…he had heart… Jason Caraballo and Amadoernesto Guzman because they always keep me on my toes and laughing at the same time."
A Computer Information Systems major, Vera made the Lehman College Dean's list and volunteered at Bronx Democratic Council Committee in the spring of 2009. He has been nominated for the CUNY scholar-athlete award due to his outstanding performance in the classroom with an impressive 3.7grade point average. Vera knows that maintaining a high GPA while participating in athletics is difficult but is something that he embraces as a student athlete.
"Maintaining a 3.7gpa is extremely difficult… I work part-time, play baseball and I'm a full-time student taking 19hrs (of classes) a week! I sleep maybe 4 hours a night and that's a fact… I just look at it this way; I have to sacrifice to better my life so 4 years of sacrificing in order to god willingly a lifetime of success sounds like a bargain to me"
After college Vera hopes to stay involved with baseball in any capacity, he hopes to share his knowledge with future young pitchers who hope to excel at the sport he loves.
"My Future Plans definitely involve more baseball… I will take some rest and hopefully sign with an independent team or something… if that doesn't work out I would love to go into the Air Force…but one thing is for sure, I will coach somewhere and pay my dues, and pass on the little bit of knowledge to the next bunch"
What will Vera miss most about his time with the Lightning? "I would have to say I will miss being around a lot of the guys as well being competitive every time out on that field."
One thing is for sure; Vera is a true champion on and off the diamond and his contributions to the team and in the classroom makes him a true ace.
Be the first to comment on this story