The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY.

The team was founded as the Erie Sailors and was originally affiliated with the Texas Rangers. They moved to the Hudson Valley in 1994 and became part of the Tampa Bay organization in 1996.

The Renegades won the New York - Penn League championship in 1999. The organization has produced major leaguers such as Scott Podsednik, Jorge Cantu, Ryan Dempster, Joe Kennedy, Craig Monroe, Matt Diaz, Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, John Jaso, Wade Davis and Toby Hall.^[1] Doug Waechter threw the only no-hitter in Renegades history on August 10, 2000 against the Pittsfield Mets. Scott Podsednik became the first former Renegade to win a World Series with the Chicago White Sox, defeating a Houston Astros club which included former Renegades Brandon Backe and Dan Wheeler. On August 14, 2007, The Renegades hosted the 3rd annual New York-Penn League All-Star Game at Dutchess Stadium.

Team promotions include a "Fun Team" that promotes between-inning entertainment. Marvin Goldklang is the team's majority owner. Goldklang also has stakes in several other minor league baseball teams, including the (Fort Myers Miracle, Charleston RiverDogs and St. Paul Saints). Ex-manager Matt Quatraro coined the name Gades in 2000. Their mascots are raccoons: Rookie (the Renegade) Raccoon, Rookie's wife Rene Gade, Rascal (Rookie & Rene's son), and occasionally, Rookie's father Roofus.

Roster[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Hudson Valley Renegades Web Site
• New York - Penn League Web Site
• "Hudson Valley Renegades Review: A Wedding and a Ball Game"

The Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.^[1]

History[link]

At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans in the 17th century, the area of Hudson Valley was inhabited primarily by the Algonquian-speaking Mahican and Munsee Native American people,^[2][3] known collectively as River Indians.^[4]

The first Dutch settlement was in the 1610s with the establishment of Fort Nassau, a trading post (factorij) south of modern-day Albany, with the purpose of exchanging European goods for beaver pelts. Fort Nassau was later replaced by Fort Orange. During the rest of the 17th century, the Hudson Valley formed the heart of the New Netherland colony operations, with the New Amsterdam settlement on Manhattan serving as a post for supplies and defense of the upriver operations.^[5]

During the French and Indian War in the 1750s, the northern end of the valley became the bulwark of the British defense against French invasion from Canada via Lake Champlain^[6]

The valley became one of the major regions of conflict during the American Revolution. Part of the early strategy of the British was to sever the colonies in two by maintaining control of the river.^[7]

Following the building of the Erie Canal, the area became an important industrial center. The canal opened the Hudson Valley and New York City to commerce with the Midwest and Great Lakes regions.^[8] However, in the mid 20th century, many of the industrial towns went into decline.^[9]

The Catskills seen from across the river.

In the early 19th century, popularized by the stories of Washington Irving, the Hudson Valley gained a reputation as a somewhat gothic region inhabited by the remnants of the early days of the Dutch colonization of New York (see, e.g., The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). The area is associated with the Hudson River School, a group of American Romantic painters who worked from about 1830 to 1870.^[10]

The natural beauty of the Hudson Valley has earned the Hudson River the nickname "America's Rhineland",^[11][12] a comparison to the famous 40 mile (65 km) stretch of Germany's Rhine River valley between the cities of Bingen and Koblenz. A similar 30-mile (48 km) stretch of the east bank in Dutchess and Columbia counties has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Geology and physiography[link]

The Hudson Valley is a physiographic section of the larger Valley And Ridge province, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.^[13]

Hudson river pollution[link]

The numerous factories that at one time lined the Hudson River poured garbage and industrial waste directly into the river.This pollution was not assessed in a comprehensive fashion until the 1970s. By that time, the largest company still operating factories in the area was General Electric, which became primarily responsible for cleaning the Hudson River. In 2009 dredging was started to remove contaminated sediments from the river bed and in 2010 General Electric agreed to finance and conduct a second dredging campaign at the Upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy. These works will be supervised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.^[14]

Sports[link]

The Hudson Valley Renegades is a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League and plays at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill.

The Hudson Valley Rebels are the Hudson Valley's Premiere Rugby union club. The Hudson Valley Rebels are members of the Metropolitan New York Rugby Football Union and were established in 2001. Their home pitch is Beacon Memorial Park, in Beacon.

The Hudson Valley Highlanders of the North American Football League play their home games at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

The Hudson Valley Horrors are the region's first non-urban flat track women's roller derby team and are part of the grass-roots derby revival. They currently practice and host bouts at Hyde Park Roller Magic in Hyde Park.

The Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am Professional Baseball League play in Rockland County.

Regions[link]

The Hudson Valley is divided into three regions: Lower, Middle and Upper. The following is a list of the counties within the Hudson Valley sorted by region^[15].

Communities[link]

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Donaldson Eberlein, Harold; Van Dyke Hubbard, Cortlandt (1942). Historic houses of the Hudson valley. New York: Architectural Book Pub. Co. OCLC 3444265. 
• Scheltema, Gajus and Westerhuijs, Heleen (eds.),Exploring Historic Dutch New York. Museum of the City of New York/Dover Publications, New York (2011). ISBN 978-0-486-48637-6
• Historic Hudson Valley (1991). Visions of Washington Irving: Selected Works From the Collections of Historic Hudson Valley. Tarrytown, NY: Historic Hudson Valley. ISBN 978-0-912882-99-4. 
• Hudson Valley Health Systems Agency (1993). Health Maintenance Organizations in the Hudson Valley Region. Tuxedo, NY: Hudson Valley Health Systems Agency. OCLC 30910810. 
• McMurry, James; Jones, Jeff (1974). The Catskill Witch and Other Tales of the Hudson Valley. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0105-0. 
• Mylod, John (1969). Biography of a River: The People and Legends of the Hudson Valley. New York: Hawthorn Books. OCLC 33563. 
• Howat, John K. (1972). The Hudson River and Its Painters. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-670-38558-4. 
• Marks, Alfred H. (1973). Literature of the Mid Hudson Valley: A Preliminary Study. New Paltz, NY: Center for Continuing Education, State University College. OCLC 1171631. 
• Talbott, Hudson (2009). River of Dreams: The Story of the Hudson River. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 978-0-399-24521-3. 
• Wallkill Valley Publishing Association (1904). The Historic Wallkill and Hudson River Valleys. Walden, NY: Wallkill Valley Publishing Association. OCLC 13418978. http://www.archive.org/details/historicwallkill07wall. 
• Wharton, Edith (1929). Hudson River Bracketed. New York: D. Appleton & Company. OCLC 297188. 
• Wilkinson Reynolds, Helen (1965). Dutch houses in the Hudson Valley before 1776. New York: Dover Publications. OCLC 513732. 

External links[link]

• Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
• Hudson River Valley Greenway
• Hudson River Valley Heritage: digital collection of historical materials
• Livingston-Svirsky Archive (LiSA)

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James Joseph Leyritz (born December 27, 1963 in Lakewood, Ohio) is a former catcher and infielder in Major League Baseball.

Early years[link]

Leyritz attended Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Middle Georgia Jr. College (Cochran, GA) and the University of Kentucky.

Baseball career[link]

After playing the 1985 season for the Kentucky Wildcats, Leyritz went undrafted by Major League Baseball, but was signed as a free agent by the New York Yankees.^[1] Leyritz played for the Yankees (1990–1996, 1999–2000), with whom he debuted on June 8, 1990. He played for the Anaheim Angels (1997), Texas Rangers (1997), Boston Red Sox (1998), San Diego Padres (1998) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2000), pinch-hitting more extensively toward the end of his career. He batted and threw right-handed exclusively in the majors, but was known to switch-hit in the minor leagues. He is best known for his 3-run home run off Atlanta Braves closer Mark Wohlers in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series. That home run was significant, as the momentum from then on shifted towards the Yankees. "The King" is also known for hitting the last home run of the 1990s, in Game 4 of the 1999 World Series.

Idiosyncrasies at the plate[link]

Leyritz was known for using an unusual stance which involved keeping his front leg (left leg) straight and stiff while his back leg (right leg) behind him considerably bent at the knee. He did this while circling his bat around behind his head, waiting for the pitch. After each pitch that Leyritz did not put into play or strike out on, he would grab the bat by its center and twirl it at his hip like a baton. He has said that former Yankee, Mickey Rivers, taught him how to twirl the bat at his hip.

Leyritz was also Andy Pettitte's personal catcher in 1995-96 and again in 1999-2000.

Playoff reputation and exploits[link]

Leyritz is best known for hitting numerous postseason home runs that either won, tied, or changed the momentum of several series.

In Game 2 of the 1995 American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium, Leyritz hit an opposite field two-run home run to right-center into the rain in the 15th inning to win that game 7–5 for the Yankees and provided them with an ample 2–0 series lead in the best-of-five series. The home run came off Mariners pitcher Tim Belcher, who was famously involved in a profanity-laced and threatening incident with a cameraman covering him walking through the Yankee Stadium tunnel after giving up the home run. The Yankees would eventually squander the series lead by losing the following three games in Seattle's Kingdome, the final two of which were decided in highly dramatic fashion. (The Mariners won Game 5 by a score of 6–5 with two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning.) As a result, this home run is not as well known because it ultimately did not change the series outcome.

The best known of Leyritz's playoff heroics occurred in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Yankees had lost the first two games of the series at home, and narrowly won Game 3 in Atlanta. Game 4 appeared to be going to the Braves, who led 6-0 after 5 innings. The Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the 6th, setting the stage for Leyritz in the 8th inning. Leyritz stepped up with one out and two men on base and hit a three-run home run to left field to tie the game and cap the improbable Yankee comeback. The home run was hit against Atlanta closer Mark Wohlers and the Yankees eventually won the game 8–6 in 10 innings. Leyritz's Game 4 home run remains the most recognizable moment of that series and of his career.

In 1998, Leyritz was on the San Diego Padres. Leyritz hit a number of unlikely playoff home runs and clutch hits that season, the most dramatic of which was an opposite field home run against Billy Wagner to off the right field foul pole in the top of the 9th inning in the Astrodome that tied Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Houston Astros. However, the Astros would later win the game in the bottom of the ninth. In game 3, Leyritz hit the eventually game-winning home run off Randy Johnson in the bottom of the 7th inning that broke a 1–1 tie. Overall, Leyritz batted .400 with three home runs and five RBIs in that Division Series. Ironically, Leyritz's Padres would go up against his former team, the Yankees in the World Series. The Padres were swept in four games and Leyritz did not record a home run or RBI in any game.

In 1999, Leyritz had rejoined the Yankees and hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The home run made the score 4–1. NBC commentator Bob Costas remarked incredulously about Leyritz after the home run:

Coaching[link]

In February 2011, Leyritz was hired as a pitching coach for the Newark Bears. ^[2] He left the team after one season, wanting to spend more time with his family.^[3]

On April 14, 2012, it was announced that Leyritz was returning to the Yankees on a personal services contract.^[4]

Controversies[link]

Amphetamine use[link]

On June 8, 2006, while doing an interview on the Opie and Anthony show on XM Satellite Radio, Leyritz admitted to using amphetamines after his shoulder surgery in 2001. The statement came in the wake of an admission by pitcher Jason Grimsley that he used performance enhancing drugs throughout his career.^[5]

Legal trouble[link]

On December 28, 2007, Leyritz was arrested in Broward County, Florida on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular homicide in which Leyritz's car struck Freida Veitch's car. Veitch, who was returning home from her bartending job, was not wearing a seat belt. She ejected from the car and died at the scene.

Leyritz was released on $11,000 bond and charged with two counts of drunk driving.^[6]

Police collected two blood samples from Leyritz - one 2½ hours after the crash and the other about an hour later. The first sample showed a blood-alcohol level of .14, and the second, .13, police said. Florida's legal limit for motorists is .08. Prosecutors say Veitch had a blood-alcohol level of .18.

Several days after the accident, it was revealed that Leyritz may face further charges because he had his license suspended in New York prior to the accident. On June 20, 2007, Leyritz was ticketed outside Albany, New York for using a cell phone while driving. On November 23, his license was suspended after he failed to appear in court. The state of Florida is processing the suspension notice from New York and could file additional charges once his Florida license is suspended. According to an official from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: "The department has the statutory ability to suspend his license based on the fact he had knowledge of a suspension in another state and still came to Florida for a driver's license. It is unlawful." Leyritz's lawyer is quoted as saying that Leyritz's license "was not suspended in the state of Florida on the day of the accident, nor is it suspended today."^[7]

On February 13, 2009, Leyritz was ordered back to jail as his bail was revoked following his apparent consumption of alcoholic beverages in violation with his bail conditions.^[8] A judge allowed him to return home on bail on February 23 after agreeing with Leyritz's attorney that his pretrial release conditions were unclear and that Leyritz had misunderstood rather than intentionally violated the terms.^[9]

On May 13, 2009, Leyritz was hospitalized in Florida. Reports on ESPN claimed Leyritz had threatened suicide, but Leyritz issued a statement later saying he was not suicidal but stressed out. Leyritz ran into trouble on May 14 when he attempted to start his car but the alcohol monitoring device on the car malfunctioned, leading to a false positive and triggering an automatic urine test for Leyritz. The test showed he had not consumed any alcohol and a judge cleared him.^[10]

On July 2, 2009, Leyritz was arrested for battery against his former wife,^[11] however the charges were later dropped^{[citation needed]}.

In November 2010, Leyritz's trial for the December 2007 DUI crash was held. He was acquitted on the DUI Manslaughter charge, but was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. He was subsequently sentenced to one year's probation and a $500 fine.^[12] In May 2010, Leyritz had settled a civil lawsuit for the accident, paying $350,000 to the victim's family.^[13]

Radio career[link]

Leyritz hosts a radio show with Vinny Micucci called MLB Radio Daily on MLB Radio and is a regular contributor to The Michael Kay Show on the New York City ESPN Radio affiliate.

Author[link]

Leyritz wrote a book titled Catching Heat: The Jim Leyritz Story, published in June 2011. The book was co-written by brothers Jeffrey Lyons and Douglas B. Lyons.^[14] In a brief review, Publishers Weekly called the book "a surprisingly defensive attempt at a self-serving memoir."^[15]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)