Player Profile #2- Tony "Big Stick" Rojas

There are certain people who look really good at a position. Brooks Robinson of course, Ozzie Smith comes to mind, Will Clark was another. These guys were masters of their position and it showed in their approach. Rojas is one these guys. He may not always make the play, but damn! does he look good doing it.

Tony is another of the original MBC players, back when most if not all of the players lived in and around the Mission district of San Francisco. Tony still does, one of the last. Another of the Hardball/Surfing Club, Tony is a firm supporter of the belief that there are times when baseball has to take a back seat to the Pacific. I can't say I agree, but my surfing experience adds up to about .076 seconds actually vertical on the board, so I am not the right guy to ask. You have to admire the passion though.

One of the best things about when Tony shows up is the uniforms. I wish I could fit into the kind of cool stuff he finds, alas, vintage and Big and Tall were not of the same generation. He always looks sharp, and it usually celebrates his Cuban roots (talk about a great baseball past...) or his love of ruined liquor stores (sorry Tag, whoever you were.)

Tony is also one of the few switch hitters we have, which I love, because pitching to left handed batters is always less stressful for me ( lefties don't crowd the plate and there is less of a chance of me hitting them.) Plus, he loves my knuckleball, which makes him a star in my book. I have also noticed that the more Tony is banged up the better he plays, in the last week he could barely run, but he was 3-5, with two beautiful line drives. I feel tip top most of the time, and all I can do is hit weak grounders to short.

I broke Tony's bat a few months back. I usually don't use wooden bats, for this reason, but he practically dared me to use it. The bat, named Krakatoa, was like swinging a 2x4, but it had a lot of hits. I promised to replace it, but Tony thinks he can fix it...that's the kind of player Tony is.

See you on the bump,

S. Paige