Tired of football and basketball?

Well apparently, one or two of you would rather read about the upcoming Penn baseball season than about the sub-par football and basketball teams. I expect the number of the hits on this blog to drop off significantly after spring break... But with the very warm weather the past two days, it feels like spring is upon us. The smell of baseball is in the air. So without further ado, a few quick, interesting notes about familiar names on (or not on) Penn's baseball team this season.

Tommy Grandieri, as in the brother of Brian, is the starting right-fielder this season, and you can expect to see the southpaw make a few appearances on the hill this season. He is a transfer from Villanova. Against DII West Chester, he went 1-3 with a walk.

Matty Tellem, as in the son of renowned sports agent Arn Tellem, is a freshman infielder on the team this season. His dad represents Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, and Frank Thomas, among others, and is a local product of Haverford College.

Nick Francona, as in the son of Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, is not on the roster this season. The senior, a lefty starting pitcher, had a rocky relationship with coach John Cole and quit the team last season. The one time draft pick of the Sox will not be back for the Red and Blue.

And a quick alumnus update: Former Penn left-handed pitcher Josh Appell '05, who had spent the past two seasons in the Mets' farm system, was traded to the Houston Astros system during the off-season. He finished up last season playing high-A ball in Port St. Lucie for the Mets, though he spent the bulk of the season with the Brooklyn Cyclones, recording a 3.65 ERA over 24.2 innings.

I hope you got your baseball fix. (Can Zack Rosen suit up for the Cornell game this weekend? Thanks.)