Event Preview: Ari Roitman '98

9/4 - 4:30PM - Ives 105

Please join us as we host Ari Roitman '98, Senior Vice President of Business for the Philadelphia Eagles via Skype!

A Cornell graduate with a degree in psychology, Roitman spent nine years in the MLB corporate offices where he eventually served as the VP of Corporate Sales & Marketing. In 2010, Roitman joined the Eagles, and has overseen revenue generation in corporate partnerships, premium sales, media, and strategy.

Get the chance to hear about the business behind the Eagles and the NFL - inside a deal with a corporate partner, team and player marketing, fan engagement, and more. Of course, Roitman will also be discussing his years at Cornell, his career path, as well as provide advice for aspiring sports business professionals.

To close the event, Roitman will be fielding some questions from the audience. Be sure to check out the Facebook event page to have the chance to be selected to ask your question! This will be our first event under our new name - the Cornell ILR Sports Business Society - that is part of our rebranding effort that will revamp and refocus our advancements in the sports industry.

We hope to see you on Tuesday, September 4th at 4:30PM in Ives 105!

Sherman's Road to the Regional: Part 3

This is part three of a three-part series following one of the lead broadcasters for Cornell Big Red baseball. Make sure to read Part One HERE and Part Two HERE.

Saturday brought a new day and perhaps even more anticipation than Friday’s game did, as we knew that one more loss would send the Big Red packing. But the opening games gave us good reason to be confident going into the elimination game against ECU. Cornell had brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth against Michael Morin and the UNC Tar Heels while ECU had struggled against the St. John’s Red Storm in their Friday afternoon contest, falling 11-3. We also had freshman starter Brian McAfee on the hill for the Saturday game. McAfee is no stranger to pitching well in elimination games; he started and threw 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits the final game of the regular season. The Big Red went on to defeat Princeton 4-3 in 12 innings to win the Lou Gehrig division and clinch a spot in the Ivy League Championship series. And just less than a month prior to the NCAA regional, McAfee started the third and decisive game of the aforementioned Ivy League Championship Series against Dartmouth at Hoy Field, allowing only one run on four hits over six strong innings in the 3-1 victory that took 11 innings. However, we had the feeling that a lot of hitting was in store for us on Saturday, as the Big Red offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders, while the Pirates managed to knock 11 hits in their Game 1 loss. Our expectations for Saturday’s contest came to fruition.


After McAfee and ECU Senior starter Kevin Brandt each threw two shutout innings to start the game, ECU struck first. Designated hitter Drew Reynolds belted a solo home run to deep right field to give his team a 1-0 lead in the third. Then, ECU shortstop singled to left field to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 4th inning.

Making an early comeback certainly did not present a threat the Big Red, as they proved in the bottom half of the 4th inning. Brian Billigen led off the inning with a lead off single, Chris Cruz was hit by a pitch, and Frank Hager reached on an error to load the bases with no one out. There was no hitter on the team that you would want up in this situation than senior catcher Brandon Lee. He was 4 for 6 in the regional prior to his 4th inning at bat and there was no doubt that he was looking to do some damage.

He did not wait very long.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Lee roped a single into center field to move everyone up a base and give his club the first run of the game and cut the score to 2-1. Tom D’Alessandro and Ben Swinford followed suit with RBI singles of their own, and Marshall Yanzick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Big Red had a 4-2 lead after 4 innings of play, and we thought that giving Brian McAfee a lead was exactly what we needed. Unfortunately, the game seemed to take a turn for the worse after the 4th inning rally.

ECU struck back with five runs of their own after batting around in the order. McAfee hit a batter and allowed a base hit. In addition, first baseman Frank Hager couldn’t handle a throw at first base that cost the team a run, and McAfee couldn’t seem to put hitters away in two-strike counts. When it was all said and done, McAfee had been knocked out of the game after 4.2 innings pitched, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits. Was there another comeback in store for the resilient Cornell Big Red baseball team?

We certainly thought there was a chance in the 5th, as the ECU lead was cut to 7-6 after another RBI hit by Brandon Lee and a bases loaded hit by pitch for Ben Swinford. But perhaps the biggest blow came in the two-out bases loaded situation for the Big Red. In a 1-2 count to Marshall Yanzick, ECU Tyler Joyner seemed to drop his hand out of his glove while standing on the pitcher’s rubber, a movement that would normally result in a balk that would have advanced all of the runners and tied the game at 7-7. However, none of the umpires recognized the illegal movement and the runners stayed put. On the very next pitch, Yanzick struck out swinging to end the inning in frustrating fashion. ECU never looked back. The Pirates added three more runs in the seventh and secured a lead that they would not relinquish. The Big Red, who were so accustomed to making comebacks in do-or-die situations, were not able to recover and ultimately lost the slugfest by a final score of 10-6.

When the final out was recorded on a Kevin Tatum ground ball to the shortstop, it was a very surreal moment for us in the broadcast booth and certainly for the players and coaches down on the field. The storied season had come to an end in fitting fashion, as the tying run was in the on-deck circle before the final out was made. It was time for everyone to reflect on how successful the season really was; Cornell baseball made a name for itself on a national level with its competitive play against two tough teams in UNC and ECU, and the road to the regional presented many moments in which the team had to overcome adversity.

As the entire team congregated in shallow left field, it was evident to Alex and me that Coach Walkenbach could not be doing anything but congratulating his team for their performance over the weekend and throughout the entire season, as their efforts this season had made their families, the student body, and the Cornell community nothing but proud. It was a tough postgame wrap up for us, as we were certainly ready to continuing watching our team and calling their games at the beautiful facilities at Boshamer Stadium in North Carolina.

Cornell At-Bat wrapped up its inaugural season by recapping the elimination game, looking at the positives that the team should take into next season, and most importantly, thanking everyone who made our trip to UNC possible in the first place. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the baseball coaching staff and the players for being so welcoming to us and allowing us to join their incredible journey to the NCAA regional. The staff of Cornell’s Athletic Communications team allowed us to create and record the broadcasts and worked to make our travel plans as convenient as possible, and our experience would not have been the same without them. We also have to thank Rich Booth, whose support and enthusiasm for Cornell athletics was the reason that everyone was able to have such a memorable weekend at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cornell At-Bat is just getting started, and we’re looking forward to continuing our coverage of Big Red baseball. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, and we hope you continue following us for years to come.

Gimenez's Road to the Regional: Part 2

This is part two of a three-part series following one of the lead broadcasters for Cornell Big Red baseball. Make sure to read part one HERE. 


Game day always brings with it a ton of excitement.  As a player, it was more nerves than pure excitement because I actually had to perform on the field; but in the booth, it's just pure excitement.  However, as Jesse and I got ready to call the first game of an NCAA Regional for the Big Red since 1977, I’ll admit I was a bit nervous.  I knew we would be making history when we turned on the mics and the Big Red took the field, so the buildup was huge.  Now imagine all of that and add to it the fact that I had been preparing for these games since Cruz hit his walk off home run to bring us here and that Jesse and I had been preparing tirelessly for two straight days.  I couldn’t wait any longer, so it was nice to finally get to Boshamer Stadium on Friday, June 1.

After watching a few innings of the first game of the regional between St. John’s and East Carolina, I made my way up to the press box to start getting ready.  The facilities for both players and the press at UNC are second to none in college baseball, so we were spoiled throughout our time in Chapel Hill.  The press box has a terrific set up just like that of a big league box.  We had our own visitor's radio booth behind the plate equipped with an LCD TV and plenty of room to spread ourselves out and get organized.  We had more than enough free amenities, such as access to food and drinks, and most importantly,  gummy bears.  I didn’t realize how convenient those would be for us, but between Jesse and I, we must have left the booth at least ten times to grab a cup full. 

We had about 50 minutes to set ourselves up in the booth, which was plenty of time to get things ready.  As some of you may know, for the majority of the season, we were broadcasting games using three computers connected to a feed that brought with it many complications.  For this series, all we had to do was plug in the laptop, turn on the program, and hit start when we were ready, and trust me, that took a lot of pressure off me because I didn’t have to worry about the technical side of broadcasting games.  I set up my lineups and stats in my scorebook, tacked up information on each team to the tack board, and prepared my player cards.  As a broadcaster, you establish a system that works for you and you stick to it, and for me it involves creating informational cards for the starters for each team.  These cards have everything from the players’ height and weight to their stats and current trends.  By doing this, I have all the information I need at my fingertips, and because I prepare the cards myself, I don’t even really need them because I remember what I wrote.  I keep more in-depth information and rosters close at hand and always have my laptop open and ready to search for information I don’t have. 

We were finally ready to go, and I was ready to turn on the microphone and get started with our pregame show.  I turned it on, hit start, and then realized I had no idea what I was going to say.  I didn’t have much time to decide so I went with “And it’s a beautiful day for baseball here at Boshamer Stadium at UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina” and with that we were finally underway.  I was so excited to get the game started. When you speculate and try to predict what will happen in a game for weeks, it's refreshing to see the first pitch finally thrown because now you will actually see the final result. 

The first few innings went by rather quickly and I was impressed with the level of play early.  I’ve watched the Big Red in many games over the past year and the way they were able to match UNC early was impressive.  Rick Marks was on the mound for the Big Red and the senior, who lead the team's starters in ERA, was a good choice.

Marks was up to the challenge, and through three innings, the score was 1-0 UNC, with Marks looking dominant on the mound.  In the second inning, the Tar Heels had the bases loaded with nobody out and I got to call one of the greatest defensive plays I’ve ever seen.  I played shortstop for the majority of my high school career so I really appreciate great defensive plays from that position.  What Marshall Yanzick did was like something out of a movie.   On a pop fly down the left field line that looked like it was going to drop in no man's land, Yanzick might as well have put on a Super Man cape.  He ran what must’ve been a good 30-40 feet before throwing his entire body into the air to reel in the catch.  Jesse compared it to making a majestic head first dive into a swimming pool and he hit it right on the head with that description.  Even the UNC fans gave Yanzick a standing ovation on the play. 

With the score 1-0 after three I had scribbled a note on my scorebook that read “I’m not impressed after 3 innings.”  After all the hype that we had been hearing about the #6 ranked UNC Tar Heels, I was expecting more from them and really started to believe that the Big Red had a shot at stealing the game away.  I didn’t get a chance to say that on the air because in the 4^th, UNC scored four runs to put us behind 5-0.  I know I was pulling so hard for Cornell, and it must’ve come through on the air.  I was hoping that somehow we would be able to make a comeback.  In the 6^th, I was hopeful the Big Red would get something going. They had hit UNC Starter Hobbs Johnson well in the fifth but had nothing to show for it.  Brian Billigen came to the plate with a runner on first and nobody out.  I had noted that now would be a great time for his first hit in a regional, and he had gotten ahead in the count 2-0.  I had a good feeling and then,

“That ball is driven high in to the air to right center field, its going back, way back, it is gone!” 

Billigen allowed me to sneak in a sigh of relief as he had cut the lead down to 5-3.  When you call a homerun or big play, you always hope to do it justice with your call, and I was very happy with the call, and more importantly, the outcome.

After Billigen made it rain with his home run, actual rain halted the game in the 6^th, and we had an exclusive opportunity to interview Rich Booth, a Cornell baseball alum and big time donor to the program.  Booth made it possible for me to have one of the coolest experiences in my life, and I couldn’t thank him enough for supporting our broadcast.  Interviewing him on the air was just one way I was going to try.  He had a lot of great things to say and really kept us on our toes during the delay.  This was the first time I had ever interviewed anyone live on the air, and it as a great experience for me that just added to the excitement of the game at hand.  The action resumed, and the Big Red scored another run. We were one step closer to tying the game.  After some more back and forth, we suddenly found ourselves in the top of the ninth in a 7-4 ballgame.

I wanted the Big Red to come back more than anything you can imagine, and I was standing for the entirety of the bottom of the 9^th.  Brian Billigen walked on a full count pitch and then Chris Cruz gave me a bit of a scare.  On a 2-0 pitch he swung, instead of taking, but he lined it in to right field for a hit and the Big Red brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out.  I was hanging on every pitch, and upon listening to myself later, I could hear my excitement and nerves in my voice.  I wasn’t scared for me, I just wanted this team to show everyone watching what they’ve done well all year: make a late inning comeback.  UNC wouldn’t humor me with that request, as the Tar Heel closer slammed the door, retiring the next three Cornell hitters.

The first game of the NCAA Regional for the Big Red was over, and for me, it was one of the most gut wrenching and exciting games of my life.  I wish they could’ve pulled out the victory, but every one watching or listening to us knew one thing: the Big Red were for real.  UNC head coach said it best in a post game press conference when he claimed that he enjoyed watching Cornell play this game more than he did his own team. There was no doubt in my mind that the we could win our game tomorrow, and if we were matched up against UNC later on, that we could beat them.

Check out part three coming soon!