Bethlehem Central grad suited for World Series
Bethlehem Central's 1991 varsity baseball team. Matt Quatraro is in the top row, third from the right. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Public Library)
BETHLEHEM — When the ultimate Fall Classic starts with tonight’s first pitch in Cleveland, Bethlehem Central graduate Matt Quatraro will be there in uniform as hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians.
The 42-year-old Selkirk native has been involved in professional baseball since graduating Old Dominion in 1996, from which he was drafted by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had retired as a player in 2004 and began his coaching career in Tampa’s minor league system.
Matt Quatraro was a star baseball and basketball player for Bethlehem Central, from which he graduated in 1992. (Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Public Library)
Quatraro’s resume as a coach has included a three-year stint as team manager before moving on as Tampa’s minor league hitting coordinator in 2010, a role he would maintain until he was hired to be Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach in 2014.
Quatraro showed a prowess for hitting early on in his amateur career. As a high school sophomore at Bethlehem Central, he helped propel the team to the New York state finals against Smithtown in 1990. “That year in particular was probably one of the most memorable seasons I ever had,” said Quatraro, in a 2015 interview with SpotlightNews.
Quatraro’s involvement with Cleveland’s recent run to the World Series may trump his years with the Bethlehem Eagles. In his first year as the team’s hitting coach, Cleveland improved from sixth to third in the American League with a .262 batting average.
After graduating from Bethlehem Central in 1992, Quatraro continued his amateur career at Old Dominion University where his hitting talents continued to flourish. By the time he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1996, he finished his collegiate career around the top of ODU all-time lists in many categories, including slugging percentage (.706, first), batting average (.400, second), home runs (35, tied for third), RBI (186, third), runs (170, ninth), on-base percentage (.482, tied for second) and total bases (438, third). He hit .413 as a junior and .416 as a senior.
Quatraro would finish his professional playing career with a .286 batting average and 200 RBI in 414 minor league games.
This year’s World Series features Cleveland of the American League and the Chicago Cubs of the National League — two teams that have suffered through notable championship droughts. Cleveland has not returned a championship team since 1948. Chicago has not won a World Series since Troy’s Johnny Evers played for the team in 1908.
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Fact Friday from CDTA- Aside from work, the majority of our riders are using the bus to go shopping!🛍
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Get out and explore today- we’ll get you there!
Share your story at the exhibit or online at empirestateplaza.ny.gov/people-new-york and become part of the #PeopleofNewYork!This portrait of Ariaantje Coeymans Verplanck, an early Dutch settler here in the Capital Region, is believed to be the first life-size, full-length likeness of a woman in colonial America. Find out more about her story at the NEW #PeopleofNewYork exhibit at the #NYSCapitol. #WomensHistoryMonth Preview the exhibit online at empirestateplaza.ny.gov/people-new-york. Image courtesy of the Albany Institute of History & Art
It’s Friday-Eve and we want you to get out and explore the best of @downtownalbany and @larkstreetbid!🥳
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Our FREE trolley will take you to great food, drink and music in @albany_ny!🌮🍺🍕🎷
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Trolley will be out from 5pm - 12:30am!!🚎🚎
"I've found that if you give people what they want, they'll buy...they'll use.I really don't care if you're a transit system, a corner drug store or a restaurant.If you're not in tune with what your customer is desiring or wanting, you're not likely to be all that successful." -Carm Basile, CEO Capital District Transportation Authority
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Serving the transportation needs of the Capital Region is a big task, and that's just the beginning of the many important functions CDTA fills in our region.
Area of concern: sadly many times The WI-FI is not on on the #905 buses, Specially "Rush Hour" times and it should have it on buslines like THE 522, 531
Cdta you are not even close to giving people what they want. You changed everything to make it easier for CDTA not your riders!
Mayor Sheehan said in her State of the City address to the Hudson-Park neighborhood association last night that 787 has perhaps 30 more years of useful life. Downtown Albany is full of parking garages. This region is very car-dependent. It's time we built a metro. For decades regional population stagnated a little over 800,000, and now it is grown over 1 million. Last year we put in a bid for Amazon headquarters 2. Growth is great, but that proposal was impractical because putting something that large in downtown Albany would work much better if we had a metro. We have RPI and Poly right here, so our metro system could be a laboratory for developing new transit technology. Let's do it. Cost is only an excuse.
BlusPlus needs to be expanded, Montgomery County maybe brought into the fold and if ridership warrants, replace the current 905 route with an LRT in the future. And an intermodal hub in Colonie serving Amtrak, CDTA, intercity buses with a people mover between the Harriman campus, UAlbany and the intermodal center.
We know it's the #firstdayofspring, but we're dreaming of summer 😍
This morning we announced a special promotion for all of our residents! Refer a friend, family member, or colleague to The Spinney at Van Dyke for a $500 credit towards your ledger at The Spinney. Referrals are unlimited for all Spinney at Van Dyke residents. Stop into the Leasing Office to learn more about the program while it lasts!
Activities that our residents participated in this year!Activities that our residents participated in this year!
It’s a great day for a #FarmersMarket! Shop #fresh at the #EmpireStatePlaza until 2p 🌾
Did you know most of our riders use our services to get to work?
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Did you know BusPlus can save you time on your morning commute??⏰
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Learn more at CDTA.ORG!
Sadly, one of your best bus drivers were "Suckered Punch!" By an male due to not paying his fare! Very upsetting, the Colonie Police did caught him (This occurred this evening around 6 at Colonie Center stop)
My 5 year old just yelled slinky bus lol when I showed him this picture he loves this bus
Awesome photo and location. 80 years earlier, trolleys would leave from this spot to go to Hudson, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs and Lake George.
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