Life Tried to Throw Me a Curveball

Book excerpt: From a junior college and major college All-American to one of the semi-professional's all-time great right handed pitchers, followed by a professional career, Dave Caiazzo has been recognized throughout the years as one of the Boston area's elite pitchers of all time. He lived an exceptional life off the field as well. Meeting people in his work after baseball throughout that time span along with befriending so many famous athletes, made his lifestyle that much more interesting. He struck out twenty hitters in just eight innings in a high school game and was Malden High School's first inductee into its Hall of Fame in 1983. After a very successful two-year career at Mass. Bay Community College where he was a combined junior college All-America selection as a pitcher/outfielder/designated hitter, Dave attended New Haven where he played for arguably college baseball's greatest coach of all time, Frank "Porky" Vieira. At New Haven, Dave won the opening game of the 1977 College World Series in Springfield, Illinois, and posted an amazing 22-2 record with six shutouts in just two seasons. In 1988, Dave was inducted into the University of New Haven's baseball-rich Hall of Fame. Cousin of one of baseball's most colorful and recognizable players, former New York Yankee first baseman Joe Pepitone, Dave holds the distinct record of eight championships in the then famous Intercity League with the Malden Merchants and Augustine's Athletics in just ten seasons. That is an all-time record. Dave Caiazzo's Greater Boston Baseball Camp was the most popular camp in the greater Boston area for twenty-eight years. After his playing career ended, Dave worked as a major league scout for the Cleveland Indians and the Anaheim and Los Angeles Angels for eighteen seasons helping many youngsters into pro baseball and giving them a start into the professional level. One player in particular he helped along the way was former Cy Young Award Winner Steve Bedrosian who recognizes Caiazzo as a key figure in his success. He has helped so many others through college getting them scholarships at top baseball universities. He has coached pitching at the AAU level, high school and college. He was the MIT pitching coach for seven seasons. Prior to that he worked at New Haven and Bridgeport University. He is currently with Bridgeport as well as Legion pitching coach in Malden, Massachusetts. Year round he works as a private pitching instructor at Strike One's Danvers location. All age groups from high school and older will enjoy this honestly interesting story of so many famous sports and film stars. It is interesting reading for pure baseball lovers as well as people who have serious ailments. You will read how Dave had face-to-face struggles with a deadly disease in diabetes. Many times it leaves you on the edge of your seat with so many scary encounters with close calls and near death situations. If anyone has diabetes or any medication-reliant handicap, you will appreciate how Dave came out of these battles winning most of the time. It will give everyone hope that they can say to themselves "I can do it like Dave Cai did."