DeRosa makes debut against the 'Big Unit'

DeRosa, who played for Quakers' coach Bob Seddon from 1994-96, batted .267 with eight homeruns in 125 games for Double-A Greenville. He received an unexpected call to the majors on September 2, when Atlanta shortstops Walt Weiss and Ozzie Guillen both went down with injuries. "He hasn't played a lot but he's an athlete," Cox told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He had a solid year with the bat. He's going to hit." With his September call-up, DeRosa joins former Penn outfielder Doug Glanville as the only Quaker alumni in Major League Baseball. DeRosa should see time in the Braves infield as Cox will allow Weiss and Guillen rest for the playoffs. DeRosa, a defensive phenom, is also considered to be one of the Braves' best prospects at the position despite making an uncharacteristic 20 errors this season. According to Jim Finn, a close friend of DeRosa and Penn's current starting tailback, DeRosa was both surprised and excited when told that the Braves were giving him a shot. "He called me at 2:00 in the morning and woke me up," Penn senior Jim Finn said. -- Marc Edelman