Joseph Patane '22 Recruiting Profile

                                                                                                                                             “Threw me for a Curve”                                                                                                                                  

  Since I can remember, baseball has been my life. At two years old I would say, “See Ya…. home run” copying the New York Yankee announcer Michael Kay. I would play baseball with my dad all day and night. We’d even play in the house after dinner until bedtime because I never wanted to stop. It wasn't until I broke my mom's China in her curio, when my dad said “Buddy, no more house baseball (as I called it), we have to play outside only from now on”. That's when my dad signed me up for my first league baseball team. This was hitting off a tee at three years old. Everyone else was five but my dad knew I could do it. He convinced the coach to give me a try and I haven't stopped since! 

Baseball has opened my eyes, mind and heart to new experiences. Playing this game is something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. The game taught me important life lessons such as self-discipline, perseverance and teamwork. Baseball has taught me to be a more positive person, and to never focus on the negatives. For a kid with ADHD, learning how to focus was one of the most challenging obstacles I had to face. Playing baseball helped control my impulses, and bring structure and routine into my life. To say I have dedicated my life to this game is an understatement. I wake up at five am to practice three times a week. I’ve missed many family functions and vacations all for the love of baseball. 

Unfortunately, baseball has also shown me heartache and rejection. Going into High School, I was most excited to join the baseball team. To my disappointment, I was cut from the team in Ninth grade. This threw me a curve! Up until that point, I was always one of the best kids on the team. I was praised for how good I played. I  remember hitting a home run at ten years old and a coach turned to me and said,“I’ve never seen a ten year old do that before.”  Getting cut from the team was devastating. My world as I knew it was flipped upside down. However, this only fueled a fire in me to become better.  Every day after school I practiced hitting, fielding and I lifted three times a week to become bigger, better, and stronger! I even joined a new travel team called Next Level Baseball. This is where they introduced me to a new workout regime, nutritionists, and even a mental coach. Even during a pandemic, they found ways to help us on zoom calls. I never gave up, even after that life changing and embarrassing moment.  All my energy went into trying out for the next school year. Finally, my uncompromising will to not give up paid off and I made the school team in tenth and then again in eleventh grade.  Where Commack went on to win the Suffolk County State Championship for their first time in history.

If I learned nothing else from Baseball, I've learned this… If you love something, commit to bettering yourself relentlessly. I know now that I can do anything I set my mind to, with hard work, dedication, and perseverance.  Just as the saying goes in baseball “You never lose, you only win or learn.”