By Andrew Coen
Appell took the first step toward playing for the team he grew up rooting for on July 11, when the former Hewlett High School pitcher signed a minor league contract with the Mets after a stellar career at the University of Pennsylvania.
Appell, who graduated in May from Penn after four years of pitching for the Ivy League school's team and punting for its football team, was assigned to the Mets' Gulf Coast League rookie team in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Five Towner is currently training there with the hope of taking the next step, which would be to return to the New York area to play for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets' short-season Class A club.
Appell said in a phone interview that he would have been thrilled to be assigned to any professional organization, but to be able to be a part of the team he grew up with is icing on the cake. "The fact that it comes from a team that I have been a diehard fan for makes it that much sweeter," said Appell. "I'm going to enjoy every moment of this."
While Appell has a long way to go to fulfill his dream of playing in the Major Leagues for the Mets, he has gotten the opportunity to train with players he has rooted for. Mets pitcher Steve Tracksel and first-baseman Doug Mientkiewicz were a few lockers away from Appell when they were sent to Port St. Lucie for rehab assignments after suffering injuries.
Appell's manager is Mets legend and Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who, ironically, was picked up by the Mets a week before the Woodmere family bought their season tickets 21 years ago. "It's amazing to be in the same atmosphere as these guys," said Appell. "If you would have asked me what I wanted to do when I was 3 years old, I would have said, 'I want to pitch for the Mets.'"
Appell had a solid first appearance with the rookie club on July 14, going 1 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and posting three strikeouts.
"It's very exciting for all of us," said Appell's father, Andy, who still lives in Woodmere. "Everyone in the neighborhood is pulling for him."
Appell, who moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation after his sophomore season at Penn, led the Quakers in strikeouts his last two seasons, and had a 13-strikeout performance against Columbia on March 25, 2005. The Hewlett alum also excelled for Penn on the football field, helping the Quakers win two Ivy League titles as the team's punter and being unanimously selected first-team All-Ivy League in 2004. Appell was also interested in a career in the National Football League as a punter, and two weeks before being signed by the Mets was given a tryout by the Buffalo Bills. For the time being, however, he has put his pro football aspirations on hold to concentrate on baseball, which, he said, is his favorite of the two sports.
Appell is the first Hewlett-Woodmere alum to play pro baseball since Mike Russo was signed into the Kansas City Royals organization in 1998. "It's very exciting," said Hewlett's head baseball coach, Frank Viggiano, who coached Appell in summer league and at the middle school level. "He's worked really hard the last couple years and has really honed his skills."
Appell was also recognized at Penn for his achievements in the classroom, receiving the Eastern College Athletic Conference Robbins Scholar-Athlete Institutional Award in June. He maintained a 3.6 grade point average while double majoring in psychology and sociology, and was also named to the Jewish Sports Review 2004 College Football All-American Team, one of only nine student-athlete football players in the NCAA's Division I-AA to receive the honor.
However far Appell's professional baseball dream takes him, the memories he will make this summer will no doubt last many years. "This is something that I may be doing for the next couple of weeks, couple of months, couple of years or the next 20 years of my life, and when it's over, I'm fine with that," said Appell. "I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."
