Before He Played for Pay . . .

Before He Played for Pay . . . Mark Gubicza

These stories concern Penn Charter's Mark Gubicza ('81), who recently
was named the Top Pitcher on our Daily News 35-Year Team. The first
was written in May '81 as the buzz mushroomed. The second was written
a month later after he was selected by the Royals in the second round.

QUAKERS STAR GUBICZA FEELS HIS PITCHING OATS

May 06, 1981

BY TED SILARY

   Some stood. Others sagged into beach chairs. Some parked their butts along

low concrete walls near the benches. Others seized spots in the stands behind

first and third base.

   Nearly 30 scouts, representing most teams in major league baseball, turned

out yesterday to view another awesome performance by Mark Gubicza , the current

and future pitching phenom from Penn Charter School.

   Opposition was offered by Episcopal Academy, but only to a certain extent.

The Churchmen slapped 2 hits, milked 4 walks, struck out on 13 occasions and

failed to pull even one ball all game while losing, 7-0.

   Almost to a man, the scouts were bug-eyed. Those unimpressed must be myopic.

   "Each time I pitch, more and more scouts seem to come," noted Gubicza, a 6-

5, 210-pound righthander with a 92 MPH fastball. " Last Tuesday against

Malvern, there were as many scouts as today. This time, they did something

different. A few walked over to watch me warm up. I thought to myself, 'This

must really mean something. ' "

   Many teams have already ordered two or more cross-checkers to catch

Gubicza's act and rumors are beginning to swirl like trash before a summer

storm that his name could be called in the first few rounds of the June

draft.

   HIS STATISTICS read like something from a fairy tale: 7 games, 6-1 record,

43 innings pitched, 22 hits, 4 earned runs, 22 walks, 64 strikeouts, 0.65 ERA.

   Mark's latest gem started in a disappointing way for no- hitter fans when

Matt Ryan, the first batter, poked a seeing-eye single that barely eluded the

reach of second baseman Brian McCloskey. Mike Trudel got the other hit, a

legitimate one-hop liner to right, as the leadoff hitter in the fourth.

   Jay Curcio plated two Penn Charter runs with sacrifice flies. An RBI triple

by Ernie Barile was also a highlight.

   " I'd like to pitch a no-hitter," Gubicza admitted, smiling. " I probably

won't because I want to so much.

   " The last two games, the good velocity hasn't been there. Today, it took

some time to get loose. I need more work. I'm only pitching once a week

because some other guys (notably Ed Foley, junior Greg Wagner) can really

throw, too. Last Friday, I was gonna pitch the last two innings against

Germantown Academy just to get loose, but the game was called due to rain

after five. "

   Meanwhile, calls continue to bombard the Gubicza household at the rate of 15

to 20 a week. Mark's father, Tony, assistant to Penn Charter Coach Rick

Mellor, handles most calls from pros and allows Mark to chat a few minutes

with college coaches.

   Only one more college visit, to Duke, is planned.

   " I'D LIKE TO get this over," Mark said. " The more things happen, the

cloudier things get. But I'll know in a month. College or the minors. "

   Although Gubicza receives 90 percent of the bouquets flung the Little

Quakers' way, the other half of the battery isn't exactly performing like his

cells are dry.

   McNally has caught Gubicza for four years, including one on JV, and does

most of the twosome's thinking. What's more, he boasts a strong arm,

productive bat and gaudy bloodlines. Bob's father, Ralph, and uncle, Butch,

an assistant at La Salle College, once formed a talented and laugh-inducing

battery for Roxboro in the Pen-Del League.

   Exchanges like this were not uncommon:

   Ralph, after Butch had nixed two signs: " I asked for a fastball. Throw it. "

   Butch: " You want a fastball. Come out here and throw it yourself . "

   Ralph: "Blank blank. "

   Butch: " You, too. "

   " I remember watching 'em play," Bob said. " For a long time, I thought

fighting between players was a major part of baseball.

   " I used to play shortstop, but my father shifted me to catcher in ninth

grade. He always tells me to play aggressive ball, to run the game. I pattern

myself after him. "

   Like almost everyone else, McNally realized last year Gubicza owned gobs of

potential. How much, however, he just wasn't sure.

   " HE ALWAYS THREW hard, always won lots of games and always was consistent

in terms of throwing strikes," said McNally, who plans to attend either La

Salle or South Carolina. " The slider made the difference. He didn't throw

that pitch as a junior.

   " Catching Mark is a challenge. He throws so hard, you must stay on your

toes. It's like a continual test. When I can help guide him to a good

performance, it makes me feel great. When someone gets a hit, I feel it's my

fault because Mark hardly ever shakes me off. "

   McNally does, however, shake Gubicza up on occasion.

   " He has a temper," Mark said. " When he thinks I'm messing up, he'll throw

the ball back hard or give me the evil eye or raise his voice. I like that,

though. It keeps my head in the game. "

--------

GUBICZA FINDS ROYAL SUCCESS AS DRAFT PICK

Jun 09, 1981

BY TED SILARY

   Tony Gubicza was too nervous to take a day off and sit in the house, just

waiting for the phone to deliver good news. Anyway, folks in the Andorra

section of Philadelphia were clamoring for their mail and Tony had to

deliver.

   Meanwhile, his son, Mark, was too nervous to sit around, too, only he had no

classes to attend (school's over) or job to report to. Thus, Mark Gubicza

called a few of his friends and they met at a favorite haunt.

   " A couple of my buddies were kidding me," Mark said. " They could tell my

mind wasn't quite with them. They kept saying, 'Don't get so excited. You

won't get picked 'til the 20th round. ' "

   Wrong. Mark Gubicza , the 6-5 power pitcher from Penn Charter School,

yesterday was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of major

league baseball's 17th annual June draft. The Royals were choosing eighth in

the round, making Gubicza the 34th pick overall.

   " THERE WERE some strong rumors that Mark would be picked in the first

round, so we were kind of hurt that he went in the second," said the elder

Gubicza, who assists Rick Mellor at Penn Charter. " Then again, how mad can

you be when you're viewed as the 34th-best prospect in the country, especially

when you're only a senior in high school?

   " Our one big worry was that Mark might get picked by a bad organization,

some team that cuts corners, some team that doesn't have any real direction.

But outside of the Phillies or Dodgers, I doubt that Mark could have been

picked by a better organization. "

   Gubicza appeared in 11 games this past season for the Inter-Ac champs,

making nine starts. His stats: 8-1 record, 58 2/3 innings, 27 hits, 4 earned

runs, 25 walks, 83 strikeouts, 0.48 ERA.

   " Finally," Mark sighed. " I'm glad this is over. It was fun in a way, but

it gets to you after a while. If we'd been home this past weekend, the

pressure might have been unbearable. But my dad and I went to Duke for a

visit. It helped to get away.

   " Today was unbelievable. I got up early and decided to watch TV. The phone

rang once, but nobody answered in time. That drove me crazy. I didn't want to

stay home, so I called some of my friends and we got together to talk for a

while. I finally got home about 4 o'clock. When I walked in, my father told me

what had happened.

   " THERE WAS SOME disappointment because the first round carries so much

glamor. Then you realize what a great privilege it is to even go in the second

round.

   " I'm pleased to be going with Kansas City. Kansas City in the second round

is a lot better than some teams in the first round might have been. "

   Gubicza was buried by offers from big-time college programs all spring and

is leaning toward Duke, assuming the family cannot agree to terms with the

Royals. Tony Gubicza, however, expects no problems.

   " The only thing that would keep us from signing, and let's be honest, is a

lack of money," he said. " Mark can go to a number of places for free. When

you're talking about four years in college these days, you're talking about

lots of money. Thus, I assume that the Royals' offer will be made with that in

mind. "

   The selection of Gubicza marked the third time in four years a Philadelphia

schoolboy was drafted in the first two rounds.

   In 1978, Chestnut Hill Academy's Tito Nanni was a first-round selection (No.

6 overall) of the Seattle Mariners. Last year, Archbishop Ryan's Dan Cataline

was a second-round selection (No. 37 overall) of the Chicago Cubs.