Where Are They Now? Fitzpatrick Steps Up, NHL Locks Out

In a new weekly feature, The Crimson will be tracking the successes (and potential failures) of some of Harvard’s most successful graduates not to use their Harvard degrees. While a tour through professional sports is not exactly a who’s who of Harvard alumni, a few athletes have taken their game to the next level. From Jeremy Lin to Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Crimson maintains a presence outside of the labs and law offices of the world.

Well, it’s that time of year again. School is back in session, fall is in the air, Harvard’s fall sports teams are kicking off and beginning Ivy League play, and the handful of Crimson alumni making it in the big leagues are getting busy.

This past Sunday, Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 led his Buffalo Bills to a 35-17 drubbing of the Kansas City Chiefs, playing an efficient game, tossing for 178 yards and 2 scores with no interceptions. This marked an improvement for the quarterback, alternately nicknamed “Fitzmagic” and “The Amish Rifle, ” who threw three picks in the Bill’s embarrassing 48-28 first week loss against the New York Jets. Fitzpatrick led the NFL in interceptions last season.

But while the NFL season is kicking into full gear, the NHL season may be grinding to a halt a month before it was even scheduled to begin. Craig Adams ’99, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Dominic Moore ’03, a free agent who played with the San Jose Sharks in the 2011-2012 season, and Louis Leblanc, formerly ’13, who put in time with the Montreal Canadiens, will likely be affected by the NHL’s decision Sunday to lock out its players. More recent graduates Alex Biega ’10, Michael Biega ’11, and Alex Killorn ’12 have been playing with NHL-affiliate teams in the AHL and may feel the impact as well. The lockout will be the league’s second work stoppage in eight years and the third of the four major professional sports to lock out its players in the past two years.

But while the hockey players may be out of a job, three former Harvard baseball players are just beginning their careers. We may not boast as many pro athletes as future lawyers and bankers, but three former Crimson baseball players were selected in June’s 2012 MLB Draft. Pitchers Brent Suter ’12 and Andrew Ferreira, formerly ’13, along withinfielder Jeff Reynolds ’12, have since reported to the minor leagues to chase their professional dreams. On Sunday, the lefty Suter earned a save by pitching the last three innings of a win that earned his Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (the Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) the 2012 Midwest League title. Reynolds recently wrapped up his season with the short-season A classification Brooklyn Cyclones, posting a .232 batting average. Ferreira posted a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings this season for the Elizabethton Twins, Minnesota’s rookie-ball club.

Harvard baseball’s earlier classes are also busy making their mark on the pros. Eric Eadington ’11 had a 4-3 record and 3.63 ERA across three levels of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, ending the season in AA-Chattanooga. He will begin play in the Arizona Fall League next week. Meanwhile, Max Perlman ’11 completed his season for the high-A Stockton Ports and will now be taking his talents to Israel to pitch for its World Baseball Classic qualifier team.