NORMAL – Normal CornBelters outfielder Bobby Rinard has seen the bright lights of Manhattan. But he’s grateful to be playing here, thank you very much. Being here has given the 23-year-old a chance to concentrate on his and the team’s efforts this season.

When Rinard graduated from the University of Arizona in 2011, he was drafted by the New York Yankees, who assigned him to their Class A affiliate, the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League. In one respect, Rinard was able to contribute to Staten Island’s success last season, helping the short-season affiliate win that league’s championship.

But in another respect, being on Staten Island meant Rinard was just a ferry ride away from Manhattan – and all its temptations. As a result, “I got obsessed with the big city and what there was to do,” Rinard said. “Nothing closed ‘til 5a.m. I didn’t exactly get enough rest I guess you could say.”

In effect, being so young and let loose in the Big Apple taught Rinard a lesson or two but he didn’t heed those lessons fast enough.

Lesson #1 for Rinard during his first year was that minor leaguers are considered adults. “In the minors, you’re treated more as adults, whereas in college ball, you had a curfew and it was more structured,” Rinard said. “But in the minors and here, it’s all on the individual to take care of themselves and being prepared.

”You get out what you put in,” Rinard explains what turned out to be Lesson #2 for him.

“There I was,” Rinard said. ”I was playing baseball for the New York Yankees organization – of all teams – it was a great opportunity, and I screwed it up for myself. It’s one of those things that, where if I could go back and do things differently, I can tell you that I would do almost everything differently, as far as everything away from the field.

“Being here has helped me to develop a steady routine, or a proper routine for myself in order to be prepared for a long season, and be prepared day-to-day to perform to the best of my ability,” he explained.

That preparation includes a regimen of proper rest, working out, nutrition, and diet – “all those things kind of go into it,” he explained.

“I look at being in Normal as a new opportunity to prove to myself that I have grown up and that I can handle myself,” he said. “Being here is working in my mind. It’s a blessing to be in Normal, Illinois playing for the CornBelters, in my opinion.”

Statistically through last Sunday, Rinard has had 65 at-bats in 22 games, batting .292, scoring 12 runs and has 19 hits including one double and one home run, driving in six RBIs. He has been walked nine times.

Those stats would be more were it not for a hamstring pull he suffered on opening night of the season at The Corn Crib against Windy City. The injury had Rinard laid up until just before the Frontier League All-Star Game in mid-July.

“We’ve been watching his playing time because of his leg still being tight from the hamstring and all,” explained Normal Manager Chad Parker. “But, when he is in there, he is a very, very good player for us.

“He’s a great clubhouse guy,” Parker said of Rinard. “He keeps everybody loose. He’s a fun guy to have around. He’s been an extremely good asset for us.

Rinard appears to have heeded what was important for him in order to have a shot at a successful playing career. He even can claim being part of a championship team in the process. He can also claim there were costs involved – something he now understands a little better as he works toward helping the CornBelters and, possibly, someday, returning to the Class system again and one day possibly, the majors.

On another subject, the team has conducted some player transactions again this past week, signing infielder Jason Thompson, and releasing shortstop Robert Brooks and infielder Noberto Susini. Normal also exchanged infielders with the Schaumburg Boomers, trading K.C. Judge to the Boomers in exchange for J.B. Brown.

Finally, the softball game between members of Normal Fire Department Local 2442 and Bloomington Fire Department Local 49 – a contest billed as “The Battle of the Bravest,” to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association – was played on Sunday before the CornBelters’ scheduled doubleheader against River City. BFD won the game, 15-11.

The CornBelters have been on the road this week, spending Tuesday-Thursday at Southern Illinois before moving on to Evansville for three games Friday-Sunday. After a day off Monday, Parker’s troops return to The Corn Crib Tuesday for a six-game homestand, starting with the Washington Wild Things for three games Tuesday-Thursday, Aug. 7-9. Friday-Sunday, Aug. 10-12, the River City Rascals return to town.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 28th, 2012 at 10:40 pm and is filed under Normal Cornbelters, The Normalite. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.