For the past three seasons, CSI student-athlete and baseball pitcher James Mardikos has called “the mound” his home at the CSI Baseball Complex. The southpaw hurler has made a living making clutch pitching performances for the Dolphins, enjoying a pair of CUNYAC Championships in the process. He’s also a force in the classroom, where the Communications major focuses in Journalism and is due for graduation at the close of the Dolphins’ 2011 season.
But what exactly does it take to be a CSI Dolphin? What are the rigors associated with being a national-caliber student and athlete? Mardikos tells all now in a new CSI Athletics feature called “Mardy on the Mound” a new web log chronicling a year in the life of the CSI baseball senior, as they strive for national prominence. Join James and his teammates through the grinds of preseason workouts, fall-ball, classroom commitments, and finally…Opening Day and defending their 2010 CUNYAC Championship! Mardy, as known to his teammates, will make periodical contributions to his blog, giving insiders a taste of what Dolphins baseball is all about.
This week, James takes us through the beginning of the off-season, in time for team community service projects and an appreciation for family this holiday season…
12/11/10
“Believe me, the people that stay furthest in life are the ones that take time to care about others instead of just themselves” – Teddy Atlas
I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was awesome.
We’re all very lucky to be able to enjoy such great Thanksgiving meals with all our loved ones. Thanksgiving was a great get together for my family once again. Family members of mine consisted of three “Nicks”, two “Georges”, and two “James’” it just comes with the territory of a Greek Thanksgiving. We had a great assortment of foods once again, a smoked turkey, a roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, parsnips, stuffing and much, much more delectable entrees.
The week before Thanksgiving the entire baseball team got together on a Saturday morning at the Teddy Atlas Foundation on Cary Avenue to help pass out some Thanksgiving meal items to neighborhood families and also to help load large orders of Thanksgiving food items for other churches and schools that were to pass out the foods at their own future events.
The bags that were given to the families in need consisted of a frozen turkey, a box of stuffing, a handle of apple juice, dinner rolls, as well as cans of gravy, cranberry, corn and yams.


The group gathers with legendary boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas (center)



We were also lucky enough to have the legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas around for the morning helping out for his own cause. When listening to him speak to our team you could really tell how much he values others and how much he wants more people to take time out of their lives in order to help the less fortunate.
With the holiday season upon us it is important for us to recognize that not every family is as lucky as we are. Anything we can do in order to help those in need will go a long way in helping that less fortunate family have an enjoyable Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.
Lastly, with the weather outside being a bone chilling 30 degrees, we can take solace that with each freezing cold day that comes, it brings us one more day closer to the start of the season and some much warmer weather (hopefully).
Once practices officially begin during break I can’t wait to keep you followers up to date on our team, so with that I’d like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a great new year. See you in 2011.
— Mardy