BRIAN RICHESSON Taking a chance on his dream

Talk about a wake-up call. Sean Manfredonia received one earlier this year, and he's sure glad he got it.
A 23-year-old catcher from Independence, Manfredonia was trying to earn his way into professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians.
During Manfredonia's tryouts, the Indians had him catch C.C. Sabathia, Danys Baez, Charles Nagy, Jaret Wright, Jake Westbrook and Ryan Drese.
"Baez reared back and threw three of the hardest fastballs," Manfredonia said. "They broke through my glove."
The Indians liked what they saw and signed Manfredonia to a minor league contract in January. It just so happens that the former Youngstown Express player has been assigned to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
"It's everyone's dream, but this is a little more special," he said of playing pro ball. "I was born in Cleveland. I grew up with the Indians, going to Municipal Stadium, watching Mel Hall, Cory Snyder, Pat Tabler."
Family support
Not only does Manfredonia play for the team with which he grew up, but being assigned to Mahoning Valley allows his family to see him play.
"I've had family there since T-ball," he said. "I'm kind of doing it for them and doing it for myself. Seeing them smile and be happy about it makes me smile and be happy."
After all, it was family who helped to get Manfredonia into professional baseball.
"It started when my grandma wrote a letter to Chris Bando without me knowing," Manfredonia said.
Then, on the eve of Thanksgiving, Manfredonia received a telephone call from his hitting coach, asking if he wanted a tryout with Bando.
The Indians gave Manfredonia a month to prepare for the tryout with Bando, and then weren't finished with the prospect.
"From there, I went to Jacobs Field for winter development, had another little tryout and they gave me the opportunity to go to spring training and see what I could do," Manfredonia said.
Strong background
Manfredonia credits his two summers -- of 1999 and 2000 -- with the Youngstown Express for getting him ready for the pros.
"You can learn so much by playing with the cream of the crop, because a lot of good ball players from around the country come there," Manfredonia said. "Plus, you're swinging a wooden bat. The biggest transition from college is going from aluminum to wood."
Manfredonia transferred from Cleveland State to the University of Akron, where he started his last three years. He batted .298 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs during the 2001 season with the Zips.
"I took a chance and landed a great opportunity at Akron," he said.
Going into the Scrappers' fifth game of the season Saturday night against the Batavia Muckdogs, Manfredonia, who also has been taking ground balls at first base, had yet to play his first professional game.
"You come in the clubhouse and look if your name's up there. If not, I've got my responsibilities in the bullpen, I take my groundballs at first," he said.
Has it gotten frustrating yet for Manfredonia?
"I'd be lying if I said it's not tough. No one wants to sit. I'm a competitor, I want to get in there," he said. "But I understand my role. That's the one thing college prepared me for -- understanding my role."
richesson@vindy.com