THE HUNT IS ON ALL-STAR CATCHER KEEPS JETHAWKS IN PURSUIT OF TITLE WITH BAT, DEFENSE.Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer LANCASTER - When he's not keeping the JetHawks in the hunt for Southern Division titles, Chris Snyder Christopher Ryan Snyder (born February 12, 1981 in Houston, Texas) is a catcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2004-present). He bats and throws right handed. See also
Snyder has been fishing since he was a child and took up hunting about two years ago. His specialty is duck hunting, which he does in Cady, Texas, about an hour from his home in Houston. His mild Texas drawl drawl v. drawled, drawl·ing, drawls v.intr. To speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels. v.tr. becomes slightly more exaggerated when he talks about enjoying the fruits of his labor, especially after the defeathering process, which is when the real fun begins. ``First, you cut the breasts out,'' he said, ``then you put them in milk and take the blood out, and marinate mar·i·nate v. mar·i·nat·ed, mar·i·nat·ing, mar·i·nates v.tr. To soak (meat, for example) in a marinade. v.intr. To become marinated. them in Italian dressing Noun 1. Italian dressing - a vinaigrette with garlic and herbs: oregano and basil and dill dressing, salad dressing - savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type overnight. Then you take half a jalapeno, put that in the duck, wrap it up in bacon and put in the broiler broiler a young (about 8 weeks old) male or female chicken weighing 3 to 3.5 lb. and you've got yourself a nice little appetizer. ``It's pretty good,'' he said with a smile. But since coming to Lancaster for last season's second half as a second-round pick in June 2002, Snyder has been feasting on California League The California League is a minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth pitching. He's batting .321 (71 for 221) with nine homers and 49 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in and is among three JetHawks who will represent the team at Tuesday's California/Carolina League All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games in Rancho Cucamonga. He batted .258 (56 for 217) with nine homers and 44 RBI last season, helping the JetHawks finish the second half tied for second place, two games behind Lake Elsinore. The JetHawks finished this season's first half, which ended Sunday, one game behind Rancho Cucamonga. Despite his success at the plate, Snyder takes more pride in the work he does behind it. A finalist for last season's Johnny Bench Award The Johnny Bench Award was created in 2000 to honor college baseball's top catcher. It is dedicated to the former Cincinnati catcher Johnny Bench, who by some is considered to be the best defensive catcher in baseball history. , given to the nation's top defensive collegiate catcher, Snyder has been credited as much for how well he's handled the JetHawks pitching staff as for blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out would-be base stealers. ``He gives them a kick in the butt Noun 1. kick in the butt - punishment inflicted by kicking the victim in the behind corporal punishment - the infliction of physical injury on someone convicted of committing a crime when they need it, and he gives them a pat on the back when they need it,'' JetHawks manager Mike Aldrete said. To hear his teammates tell it, Snyder is an effective vocal leader because he has their respect. ``He takes care of all the pitchers,'' JetHawks starter Matt Henrie said. ``Everybody on the staff is real comfortable throwing to him because we have a lot of confidence in his ability. He's just a great guy to have back there.'' Snyder's ability to handle pitchers and his knowledge of the league have helped make the JetHawks pitching staff one of the league's best. Going into Tuesday, the JetHawks were sixth in the league with a 4.48 ERA, especially impressive considering they play in one of pro ball's most hitter-friendly facilities. ``When you have a pretty good staff and you've got a guy back there who can handle that staff, it makes for a good combination, and right now that's what we have,'' Aldrete said. ``He's the piece of the puzzle that makes it all come together.'' Snyder considers himself fortunate. Other than a difficult adjustment period when he began playing college ball as a freshman at Houston, he's never faced significant adversity. But he knows others who have, including former Houston teammate Brad Sullivan, a pitcher the Oakland A's drafted in the first round of the most recent amateur draft. Sullivan was seriously injured in an automobile accident Ask a Lawyer Question Country: United States of America State: Utah Say you're at a red light in a left hand turning lane and the light turns green so you let up slightly on the break antedating moving forward and the vehicle as a child and was told by doctors he might lose his vision permanently. ``He proved everybody wrong,'' Snyder said. ``He proved all the doctors wrong, and now he's a first-rounder. Just to watch him day in and day out Adv. 1. day in and day out - without respite; "he plays chess day in and day out" all the time , the stuff he does and the drive he has just pushes me.'' Snyder cites the desire to continue improving with helping him make the transition from college to pro ball appear seamless. ``I just try to be better than I was the day before,'' he said. ``When I'm hunting, I try to kill more ducks than I did the day before.''. Gideon Rubin (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Catcher Chris Snyder, who is hitting .321 with nine homers and 49 RBI, is among three Jethawks who will play in the California/Carolina League All-Star Game on Tuesday. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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