Master Index of Archived Threads


Adopted...Jim Burt Jr & Ambiorix Concepcion.

metirish Jun 15 2005 02:15 PM

Ambiorix was having a tough go of it but lately is showing some life, G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG 61-246-29-56-13--3---8 - 23 - 99 -9 ---67 -14 -7 -.287 .402 .228 I have finally found Jim Burt Jr.I couldn't find him in the Mets system so I thought he was set for Brooklyn but he is with the Suns,Jim had a different way of building arm strength this past off season... Strongman Training Helps Burt's Son Get to First Base By JASON FEIFER Published: April 10, 2005 Much, it seems, can be gained by flipping a tire. For men with arms the size of most people's thighs, it is a test of might and determination, a challenge to make their neck veins bulge like goiters. And, in a gritty and red-faced way, it is a test of what they are made of, which also goes for tossing kegs over walls or picking up boulders the size of medieval catapult ammunition. These are the tasks of strongman competitions, a sport fueled by the surprising appeal of large men moving large objects. It is twisted manual labor, the athlete's version of Sisyphus rolling his rock up the mountain, and competitors with meaty names like Magnus and Svend have gained fame through ESPN's "World's Strongest Man Competition." But there is another, less expected name to add to the rolls of toil: Jim Burt Jr., a nimble newcomer who plays first base in the Mets' minor league system. This past off-season, he supplemented his regular workout with a weekly session of outrageous feats of strength, and he did it to help him at the plate. "You can hardly stand up after that," he said. Still, he said it was worth it. His forearm strength has increased, and he says he is hitting the ball harder than ever. Burt, a son of the former Giants' defensive lineman Jim Burt Sr., is not alone. Athletes from a wide variety of sports, and from high school to the pros, have come to embrace strongman workouts as a new level of training. They often have no interest in strongman competitions, only in boosting their strength and explosive power. Not surprisingly, some trainers wonder if this is a one-stop injury shop. Strongman work is a rejection of modern gym equipment's ability to focus on a specific muscle, and although it is done with honed technique, it looks wildly uncontrolled. It is a real thrown-to-the-lions workout, with the whole body in the game. That is good and bad. Muscles can be built, or ripped. Boulders can be hoisted, or dropped on a foot. Tires do not always fall forward. "No matter what you do, whether riding a bike or running or weight lifting, you have to do it smart," said Susan McGowen, the director of sports medicine for ESPN, primarily for the X Games. "Beyond the body's ability to adapt, injury can occur." At the core of this is, well, the core - the abs and back, crucial for any athletic activity. There is no way to toss a large keg without a strong torso. The training is catching on because of the belief that its tasks are good preparation for life on the field. Bench-pressing 300 pounds is impressive, but it takes more than strong pectorals to knock over a 300-pound man. Especially if he is running at you. That is why Giants offensive tackle David Diehl likes the tire flip. Much as he would take down an opposing player, he has to flip the tire by starting low, then moving up and into it. The tires for serious strongmen contenders can weigh around 800 pounds, but he typically works with 300-pounders because they are the heft of the men he blocks. "It works the things that you need to work," said Diehl, who has been flipping tires for about a year. "It's a complete, overall total body workout." Mark Philippi, a strongman competitor and director of strength and conditioning for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said: "You're building explosive strength. Moving an object or lifting an object takes more of a degree of strength than just lifting a barbell in a controlled environment." Like other coaches, he incorporates it with traditional methods as part of a complete workout. He said he had seen a significant improvement in athletes who really embraced the strongman tasks. Joe DeFranco, a personal trainer in New Jersey who introduced Diehl and Burt to the training method, said an athlete could not go full throttle on free weights because the weights would go flying. But the keg? Flying is what it is there for. It is also more fun to bully around large, clunky objects. A bench press may impress five guys in a gym, but the tire flip draws a genuine crowd. It is akin to watching Hercules and Atlas one-up each other on a construction site. Done properly, the exhausting tasks provide an equally important psychological edge, according to Chad Coy, a strongman competitor who trains high school and college athletes at his gym in Kokomo, Ind. "It teaches you that when you're tired, that you've got a little bit extra," he said. "So when you get on the field and the game's on the line, you've got a fifth gear to kick down to, and the other team doesn't."

metirish Jun 20 2005 12:49 PM

Jim Burt doubled in the only run in Gabe Hernandez no hitter.

metirish Jul 05 2005 09:04 PM

Concepcion hit a two run homerun in a losing cause yesterday, Suns take the lead into the 9th but lose 6/5.

metirish Jul 22 2005 11:56 AM

Ambiorix had a homer in the Suns 8/2 win Thursday, his AVG is still a cause for concern, he's hitting .228 with some power though,11 homers and 39 rbi. Jim Burt has upped his AVG to .260, he has only played in 26 games.

metirish Aug 08 2005 08:30 AM

Ambiorix had two hits in Sunday's m5 - 2 loss to the Lexington Legends, he now has a seven game hit streak, Jim Burt had an RBI, he is now hitting just .233 with OBP of .307,Ambiorix has a OBP of just .275.

metirish Aug 12 2005 09:43 AM

Road trips are not a fave of the Suns either...my kids are doing alright though. Greensboro, NC:The end of the season can't come soon enough for the Hagerstown Suns who lost for the fifth time in a row on Thursday night, 9-7. The Suns (13-29) have lost five or more in a row for third time in the second half. In the first half their longest losing streak was four games. The Suns are now 1-5 on their current road trip, and have lost 15 of their 18 games. For second day in a row the Suns went up 2-0 early in the game, only to watch the Greensboro Grasshoppers going on a scoring binge to take control of the game in the middle innings. This time it was a grand slam by Brian Cleveland off of Kevin Mannix (3-6) that turned the tide in favor of the Grasshoppers (20-26). The Suns tried to make a game of it, scoring four unearned runs in the seventh and eighth combined, yet fell short for the fifth straight game. Matt Fisher scored three times, and Ambiorix Concepcion extended his hit streak to 11 straight games with a double in the eighth. Jim Burt started the scoring with a solo shot in the second. Friday at 7:00pm is game three of four at Greensboro. RHP Matt Durkin goes against 2004 #1 draft pick for the Marlins organization, LHP Taylor Tankersley.

metirish Aug 19 2005 09:30 AM

Jim was just great in last nights win for the Suns.. Suns Do It Again...Beat Crawdads in Extras, 5-4 The Suns swept the Crawdads Thursday, winning another one-run game in extra innnings, 5-4. It was the fourth one-run win in a row for Hagerstown over Hickory and second extra-inning victory in as many nights as the Suns have their longest win streak in two months. Great starting pitching set the Suns up for success again on Thursday as Matt Durkin threw four shutout innings. The Crawdads tied the game at four in the top of the ninth but Hagerstown answered in the bottom of the 10th thanks to three walks issued by Hickory pitching. Joe Mihalics flied to left field with the bases loaded and Jim Burt came home in front of the throw by Brett Holmes to win the game. The Suns took the lead early with a solo homerun by Josh Wyrick in the bottom of the first. The lead then see-sawed back and forth until Anthony Boccino scored in the ninth inning after leading off with a single, his first hit against the Suns all season. In the four game series, the Suns starting pitching shutout the Crawdads all 18 innings they were in the game. Neil Walker homered for Hickory, his 12th of the season. Burt was the offensive catalyst for Hagerstown, reaching base four times and scoring twice, including the game winner.

metirish Mar 09 2006 11:24 AM

My two boys are still at Hagerstown, or at least I think they are. http://www.hagerstownsuns.com/roster.ht ... 1112988692

metirish Mar 20 2006 08:42 PM

Young Jim hit against Pedro yesterday and was thrilled about it.....says he will never forget the experience...Pedro had no comment.

Johnny Dickshot Apr 06 2006 05:13 AM

I read this morning that Jim Burt Jr. was whacked. Sorry man.

Edgy DC Apr 06 2006 05:54 AM

Ouch. Not cool.

metirish Apr 08 2006 05:46 PM

I read this morning that Jim Burt Jr. was whacked. Sorry man. _________________ Whaked as in dumped by the mets?...not sure if much was ever expected of him anyway..

*62 May 09 2006 07:05 AM

Ambiorix is coming home with me since my Self took a dump. A little long in the tooth for the FSL at 24 (recently), his stroke is back in this pitcher's league. http://minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb ... pid=434635

metirish Mar 03 2008 01:56 PM

Ambiorix is still in the Mets system....still at St. Lucie playing High A ball....

metirish Mar 06 2009 12:39 PM

Where is Ambiorix Concepcion these days?, he spent last season at AA with the Binghamton Mets.

Edgy DC Mar 06 2009 12:42 PM

He's still floating around. But it looks like, if he ever makes it, it'll be as a defense-first guy.

MFS62 Mar 06 2009 12:50 PM

Irish. Your kid was away so long. And I bet he didn't call, he didn't write. Later

metirish Mar 06 2009 12:59 PM

Din't do much of anything , showed some pop last season though with Bingo , 12 HR and 54 RBI....

metirish Jun 18 2009 02:30 PM

Ambiorix Concepcion toiling with the Bowie Baysox of the Eastern League , affiliated with Baltimore. http://www.baysox.com/players/roster/?id=3131 Stats http://www.baysox.com/players/stats/ind ... eam_id=418

metirish Jun 18 2009 02:35 PM

Jim Burt Jr not playing anymore but coaching http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Burt,_Jr.

Ashie62 Jun 18 2009 05:04 PM

[quote="metirish":3b2whcew]Jim Burt Jr not playing anymore but coaching http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Burt,_Jr.[/quote:3b2whcew] Yikes, his Minor League Rookie card is 2005..dang

metirish Jun 19 2009 07:08 AM

Burt not playing anymore must be a recent thing because I have him on the roster for the Somerset Patriots this season Jim's profile at Bergen Catholic Jim Burt Jr. http://www.somersetpatriots.com/roster/ ... ayer_id=20