Jacob Colwell, a senior at Saint Mary's University (Winona, MN) studying Sports Management, has taken on the challenge of contacting many former Rochester Honkers players and coaches. He wanted to see what they are doing now and some of their favorite memories of playing in Rochester. Below you will enjoy his discoveries as we present……Flashback Fridays!

Matt Meyer – Boston College
2004, 2005 Rochester Honker
Wedding Photo of Matt and Wife Lindsay

What’s your favorite memory while playing for the Rochester Honkers?
MM: I think my favorite memory would be the game we played and Brandon McCarthy hit 2 home runs in the same inning, and knowing the history of how long it took him to come back from the horrible accident he had down at University of Florida.  Another one of my favorite memories would have been the game that Adam Sanabria threw a no hitter.  It was great to see all the incredible individual accomplishments, as well as all the great wins we had as a team.
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What’s your favorite non playing memory from your time with the Rochester Honkers (Host Family, Experience, Bus Ride, etc.)
MM: My favorite non-baseball memory would probably just be the fun bus rides and all the hilarious stuff Nate Yoho did in the back of the bus.  The group of guys on that team definitely were some of the funniest guys I have ever played with.

Who was your favorite teammate when you played for the Rochester Honkers and why?
MM: It is definitely tough to pick just one teammate that would be my favorite, but I think Nate Yoho and I got along pretty well.  He was a great teammate and just an all around good guy.  Another guy that I got along with real well was Danny Lyons because we were both local guys and grew up playing against each other, and it was nice to be on the same team for a change.

What has happened to you since you left Rochester and what are you doing now?
MM: Since I left Rochester I went on to play professional baseball for 8 years for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and made it as high as AAA.  As of right now I am finishing up my degree at Boston College and am married to my wife Lindsay Meyer and we have a baby due this upcoming June.

What was your biggest realization while playing for the Rochester Honkers?
MM: My biggest realization while I was in Rochester had to be the amount of talented baseball players there are, and how much talent and hard work you have to put in to see results and have success.

Do you still stay in contact with former teammates? If so who?
MM: I have stayed in contact with some teammates I played against Gus Milner, Danny Lyons, Don Czyz, Toby Gardenhire, and many others.  Nate Yoho came to one of my games when we played the Iowa Cubs.  Also, Facebook has been a great tool to keep in touch, and see how all the guys I played with are doing.