The scene: Game 3 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. The brisk evening air runs through the bleachers as I, along with my fellow staff members, clutch our Go Hofstra Football sign, waving it in the air, like we just don't care.

Very few people thought that after their respective firings, former Mets manager Jerry Manuel and general manager Omar Minaya would ever find their way back into New York baseball. 

A Cy Young candidate.  An inconsistent veteran.  A young gun on an innings count.   An injured franchise icon.  Those four descriptions matched the resume of the New York Yankees' starting rotation for the final month of the 2009 regular season.

The Hofstra Pride baseball team kept the wheels turning this past week taking two of three from conference foe Towson and winning a close mid-week contest against local rival Long Island University.

When Ricky Caputo graduated in 2006 as the all-time hits leader at Hofstra, he remembered watching a Hofstra recruit considering playing his college ball in Hempstead. "I knew this kid was the real deal," said Caputo.

Matt Ford sits in a crouch waiting patiently. He stares into the eyes across from him. He gets his elbow back ready to launch into action. He pulls the trigger. Literally.

After his junior year of high school, Matt Watkins had a pain in his throwing shoulder. A pitcher at Saint Lawrence High School in San Carlos, California, Watkins was told he just strained a muscle. "I played through it [that] summer, when I got the MRI they said I tore my labrum," said Watkins. "They said I couldn't pitch anymore. I didn't know what to do."

The Hofstra Pride baseball team has had a roller coaster of a season in 2010 but currently finds itself on the up slope once again. After a series sweep over conference rival William & Mary at home and a 12-12 tie against NYIT on Wednesday, the Pride currently sit at 15-20-1, 6-6 in the CAA.

A lot can be said about senior infielder Matt Prokopowicz's character just by talking to him for six minutes. Not even three hours removed from being hit in the head while at bat in the first inning against NYIT on April 6, "Proko" took time to answer a few questions from The Chronicle staff.

Despite leading 6-4 after seven innings, the Hofstra Pride baseball team could not sustain its lead and fell to St.John's University 6-7 on Wednesday afternoon. The Pride left 15 men on base, en route to its four straight lost.

The 2010 MLB season is brand new and already the Mets and Yankees are showing similar trends to their 2009 seasons.  The Mets are 2-5 after getting blowing out by the Rockies in Colorado Tuesday night. The Yankees are 5-2 after surviving a five run ninth inning and beating the L.A. Angles of Anaheim 7-5 Tuesday and it seems the clubs are heading in opposite directions.

The Hofstra Pride baseball team has had their ups and downs this year. It seems like the pitching and offense can never get on the same page at the same time. Coach Patrick Anderson has had to delve into his freshman class and throw the new kids into the fire. Two of these fresh faces are pitchers Jared Rogers and David D'Errico.

The Hofstra Pride baseball team entered its two game midweek series desperate to improve on their 10-20 record. The Pride was given two difficult opponents in the form of Army and Stony Brook University.

So much for slow starts. The New York Yankees have picked up right where they left off, jumping out to a 9-3 record.  Everything seems to be going the Bombers way as they have won series against Tampa Bay, Boston, Texas and Los Angeles. It has been a smooth combination of good hitting and pitching that has helped upstart this Yankee squad.

HEMPSTEAD, NY - Oyster Bay, NY native Joe Van Meter had seven RBI's for CAA-leading VCU over the weekend and senior Richie Gonzalez had 10 hits in the series as the Rams swept the Hofstra Pride baseball team in a three game series at University Field at Hofstra University.

Nothing beats Major League Baseball's Opening Day.  All thirty teams are even.  Everyone is 0-0.  It is a fresh slate; everyone is in first place and ready to fight to stay there.  The New York Yankees and New York Mets began their season Sunday night and Monday afternoon, respectively.  There were two different results, but both teams launched their 2010 campaign knowing it is a long journey to October.

So-called fantasy baseball experts will tell you that to win your league, finding that scintillating sleeper who produces big numbers from virtually out of nowhere can put your team over the top.  Here are some players you want to take a chance on.

Led by senior outfielder Ethan Paquette's offensive outburst and school record-breaking performance on Tuesday afternoon, the Pride baseball team notched a 22-11 victory against New York Tech.

 Over the weekend the Hofstra Pride baseball team traveled to State College, PA for its first ever meeting with the Penn State Nittany Lions. After winning the series opener on Friday to push its win streak to six games, the Pride dropped the next three including a double-header sweep on Saturday to fall to 6-13 on the season.

The signing of Nick Johnson was disaster of a move by the Yankees for four reasons. Nick Johnson adds no versatility to the Yankees defense or power or speed to the offense.  Johnson can only play first base or designated hitter; he is injury prone as shown by him missing all of the 2007 season. What makes his signing even worse is that for one million dollars more the Yankees could have resigned the hero of the 2009 World Series: Hideki Matsui.