Logan Phillips
Reporter
Many kids have shared a hope that one day they will graduate from neighborhood ball to a professional career in a major league baseball park.
More often than not, the idea spreads that carving out a path to the pros remains a dream for most and becomes a reality for only a select few. But there are some who are hanging onto the dream long after the neighbor’s dog turned their baseball into a chew toy.
New Canaan High School Alumni Curt Casali is a 21-year old baseball player, hitting a .432 batting average and a .559 on base percentage on the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team, placing him second and third respectively among all eligible players in the league.
“My goal has always been to make it to the major leagues,” Curt said. “I always had the same dream to play professionally, and the next step after high school was always college for me. I’m hoping that within the next two years, I’ll have the opportunity to get drafted by a professional team and that I can take my game to the next level.”
But, Curt is quick to point out, while he hopes to one day be a professional ball player, his focus is on the team. “That’s pretty up in the air right now,” Casali said. “I’m currently focused on winning games for my team here at Vanderbilt. But if the opportunity arises, then I certainly will have to listen.”
Curt is only one example of New Canaan’s impressive list of athletic alumni. Others include Olympic Decathlon Bill Toomey, NFL running back Bo Hickey, and active NHL rookie Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadians.
As successful as these athletes may have been, ex-professional baseball player and English teacher Aaron Gallo says it doesn’t always work out the way you dream. “As a senior in college I was having a really good and successful college career,” Mr. Gallo said. “I had a record of 17-5, and was throwing consistently at 85 miles an hour. I felt slighted because I wasn’t drafted, and I felt like there was a prejudice because I was right handed, I wasn’t 6-4, and I didn’t throw 95 miles an hour.”
Instead of signing with a major league team, Mr. Gallo signed with the Minneapolis Millers, an independent league baseball team. “I felt going into my minor league debut that this was a place that I was already slighted,” Mr. Gallo said. “I felt like I wasn’t respected and the experience kind of matched that expectation.”
While playing for the Millers, Mr. Gallo didn’t dream of being a professional baseball player. “Our schedule was brainless. We played day games during the week at our home field,” he said. “I’d say we averaged maybe 7 fans. On the road, we averaged like 5-7 thousand.”
Despite his decision to not go pro, Mr. Gallo encourages anyone who wants go to the pro to try to live the dream. “Do it. Pursue it,” Mr. Gallo said. “You need the dream, the passion for the game, because without the passion you won’t work. You need the work ethic, the God-given ability, and the intelligence. You need to figure out how you can do it, what your niche is, and what makes you valuable, and then exploit that.”
Curt admits that trying to make his athlete dreams come true isn’t easy and that a strong work ethic makes all the difference to fulfilling those dreams. “Hard work is the best advice I could give to anyone wishing to do something along the same lines as me,” he said. “Most people don’t know about all the work and traveling I did during my high school years to get me prepared and also, to get me in front of people who could make my dreams a reality.”
“Because of the time I put into it, I’m where I am today,” Curt said. “It is a lot harder than people think, and if your heart is not completely devoted to accomplishing your goal, then it’s certainly not worth it. However, if your heart is really into it and you have always had a dream to do something big, then once it becomes a reality, it is definitely worth every minute of hard work. I guarantee it.”