Baseball player Charlie Furbush was just a tyke when he played for the Dodgers. Now, at the tender age of 20, he’s playing for the Mets. That would be the Hyannis Mets of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

2006 marks the second year Furbush will play for the Mets. Last season, while playing baseball at Saint Joseph’s College in Windham, Maine, Furbush received an invitation to play on a temporary contract with the Hyannis team.

As a seasoned player, Furbush was familiar with the long history and solid reputation of the league. "I never thought I’d play in this league," he said. "I am head over heels for it."

His talent didn’t go unnoticed by his fellow players. Furbush describes himself as lucky enough to be asked back on a full contract for the 2006 season. "I am very excited," he said.

Furbush, a sports management major, has difficulty recalling a time when he wasn’t playing baseball. Since he was a tot he’s been perfecting his pitch, as well as his swing on various fields in his home state of Maine.

He began with T-ball, moving on to Little League with the aforementioned Dodgers, then to high school when he played for the South Portland Red Riots. He now plays at St. Joe’s as pitcher for the Monks.

A southpaw, Furbush brings some impressive stats to the game. In 2005 he pitched a team-high 50 innings with 55 strikeouts in 12 appearances that included seven starts. No slouch at bat, he hit .392 with two homers, 10 doubles for a team best, and only nine strikeouts during 125 at-bats.

"He’s probably the best Charlie I’ve ever seen," league president Tino DiGiovanni said of the North Atlantic Conference Co-Player of the Year and Division III NEIBA Regional All-American. "Considering the kids he’s playing against…he’s done a marvelous job. He’s held his own and then some."

When presented with his accomplishments, the ever-humble Furbush shrugs and attributes them to his love of the game. "It’s just so much fun for me," he said.

Although he toyed with the idea of playing basketball in college, his heart wasn’t as taken with it as it is by baseball. "I’d talk to the coach and then decide I would just play baseball," he said.

Looking back on last year’s difficult season for the Mets, Furbush notes that the 2006 team intends to show their strength and regain the faith of their fans, and put the 

When not on the mound or at practice, Furbush and his teammates do their best to take in the sights around Cape Cod and catch as many Red Sox games as possible. "I’m watching John Papelbon real closely right now," said Furbush. 

Furbush hopes to see himself on that mound in the future. That there will be Major League Baseball talent scouts watching him closely has motivated him to put in his best performances. "In ten years, I want to be playing professional baseball," he said.

In the meantime he is gearing up for tomorrow’s match against the Orleans Cardinals. "I’m so glad to be back," he said. "This is the best league in the country."

Patriot Cup back in the hands of the Mets. "We’re definitely going to have a good ball club this year," he said. "We’re going to try to get [the cup] back with the Mets."

By Kathleen Szmit Manwaring
kmanwaring@barnstablepatriot.com