We are currently in the middle of a 5 game series with the Everett AquaSox, the NW League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. If you have been following the Indians at all this year, you will know that we have been in a bit of a funk. We had 1 win in our first 8 games. The Vancouver series was tough because the 4 losses were each by 1 run. 2 of them were walk off wins for them. Coming back home for 5 we really needed to pick things up and get clicking. Game 1 we came out of the gate with 2 runs in the 1st, but then no more runs.
Finally yesterday we had a good thing going. We had a few good innings put together with a few runs. We had a HUGE defensive play by Jurickson Profar with 1 out and the bases loaded. They hit a ball up the middle and somehow Profar made a diving stop and turned a double play. It was probably one of the best plays I've seen and easily the best one this year. If you haven't heard of Profar, then you need to look him up because he is going to be in this game for a long time. Then to close it out, we had Ovispo De Los Santos come in throwing a blazing fastball. He was creeping in the upper 90s with a 96, 98, 99, 98, and then.....BOOM! 100 mph. The crowd went absolutely nuts. He ended up getting the save and we finally got to celebrate a win on our home field.
Game 3 of the series tonight. Now we need to win the series.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Vancouver Day 3
Today is our 3rd day in Vancouver. We finally got win number 1 out of the way last night. There was a bit of a lighter mood in the clubhouse after the game. After 3 losses to open up the season it was nice to get that win under our belts. We had a heck of a game with almost 20 hits and 2 guys had 4 hits apiece. Our hitting coach, Brian Dayett, told the hitter that anytime they have a 4 hit game, he will take them out for a steak dinner. His wallet will be a little lighter now. I am sure if we keep hitting like last night, he won't mind taking these guys out. He also said if we have a 15 run, 20 hit game he will take the whole team out (not steak though).
Here is something a little funny about our first road trip. We have a lot of guys that are brand new to pro ball that came from the draft. They just really don't know the ins and outs of the pro game yet. Here is one example. When we travel, we have to take extra uniforms, bats, boxes with everyone's hats, training room and strength equipment, throwing balls, etc. At this level, we don't have clubbies that transport everything for us, so we have to assign players to be in charge of them on trips. Half of the guys wanted to take everything down at the hotel when we pulled into town. They were told they could do that if they wanted, but they would just have to bring it right back in the morning. Also some of them thought that they needed to take everything out of the clubhouse every day and wanted to re-load the bus. Little things that like are pretty entertaining.
On a different note, my family is here in Vancouver for the 2nd straight year. Last year was nice to see some sights and get a feel for the city. This year is fun because we have an idea of what we want to do and it's not a brand new city any more. Yesterday we had some seafood down by the water. I went with the halibut n' chips...delicious. Today we went down to Granville Island. It is a neat little island in the middle of the city. Check out their website granvilleisland.com. We had some food down at the market and walked around. Mia got to have fun on the playground for awhile too.
Here is something a little funny about our first road trip. We have a lot of guys that are brand new to pro ball that came from the draft. They just really don't know the ins and outs of the pro game yet. Here is one example. When we travel, we have to take extra uniforms, bats, boxes with everyone's hats, training room and strength equipment, throwing balls, etc. At this level, we don't have clubbies that transport everything for us, so we have to assign players to be in charge of them on trips. Half of the guys wanted to take everything down at the hotel when we pulled into town. They were told they could do that if they wanted, but they would just have to bring it right back in the morning. Also some of them thought that they needed to take everything out of the clubhouse every day and wanted to re-load the bus. Little things that like are pretty entertaining.
On a different note, my family is here in Vancouver for the 2nd straight year. Last year was nice to see some sights and get a feel for the city. This year is fun because we have an idea of what we want to do and it's not a brand new city any more. Yesterday we had some seafood down by the water. I went with the halibut n' chips...delicious. Today we went down to Granville Island. It is a neat little island in the middle of the city. Check out their website granvilleisland.com. We had some food down at the market and walked around. Mia got to have fun on the playground for awhile too.
Monday, June 21, 2010
2010 Spokane Indians
A lot has changed in the last month since I last posted. Extended finished. I got to go home for about 4 days to relax and recharge. I drove about 1500 miles from Albuquerque, NM to Spokane, WA. We had a mini-camp in Spokane. We played our first home series. We had a rain out. Whew. That's a lot.
My last week has been very hectic. I want to start posting again on a regular basis, but I am just getting around to it now. I arrived in Spokane last Sunday and had the afternoon and all day Monday to unpack and set up the athletic training room. Easy enough.
Starting Tuesday, however, I started to get really busy. We had 13 new players from the draft that needed physicals. Tuesday night after our workout, we herded them all together and took them down to the doctor's offices where they could get everything done much easier than we could in the cramped clubhouse. That took almost 2 hours. The next morning, I had to get everybody up to get bloodwork done at 8:00. That took about an hour since they only had one guy drawing blood.
Wednesday's and Thursday's workouts ended up altered by rain. Pitcher's were able to get most everything done on the field, but the position players had to ride over to an indoor batting cage to get their work in. Mixed in all of this, I had to get contracts to players who had not signed them yet and try to get all of their other paperwork (insurance, W-4, I-9) straightened out.
Sound hectic? Did I mention that we are carrying 33 players right now?
Friday was the season opener. Finally, some real baseball under the lights. There were almost 7,000 people at the game so it was nice. Unfortunately we lost. Saturday was game 2...another loss. Sunday was our chance to avoid the sweep before hitting the road, but alas, we were rained out.
That brings us to this road trip. If I wasn't busy enough with everything I explained earlier, our first road trip is in Vancouver, BC. That means everybody needs passports to cross the border. It is pretty tough to get passports in a week as many of our new draftees found out. I try to get all my border crossing paperwork in order and hope we get a friendly agent who can get us through quick. We had 4 guys without passports, but they were all Americans so were able to show their IDs, answer a few questions, and get across with the team. Whew! Potential disaster avoided.
Now I am sitting here in my room, waiting for my family to arrive or the bus time, whichever comes first. I'm glad the headache of crossing the border is over and now I can relax on the road trip and check out some sights of Vancouver.
Until next time.........sometime you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.
My last week has been very hectic. I want to start posting again on a regular basis, but I am just getting around to it now. I arrived in Spokane last Sunday and had the afternoon and all day Monday to unpack and set up the athletic training room. Easy enough.
Starting Tuesday, however, I started to get really busy. We had 13 new players from the draft that needed physicals. Tuesday night after our workout, we herded them all together and took them down to the doctor's offices where they could get everything done much easier than we could in the cramped clubhouse. That took almost 2 hours. The next morning, I had to get everybody up to get bloodwork done at 8:00. That took about an hour since they only had one guy drawing blood.
Wednesday's and Thursday's workouts ended up altered by rain. Pitcher's were able to get most everything done on the field, but the position players had to ride over to an indoor batting cage to get their work in. Mixed in all of this, I had to get contracts to players who had not signed them yet and try to get all of their other paperwork (insurance, W-4, I-9) straightened out.
Sound hectic? Did I mention that we are carrying 33 players right now?
Friday was the season opener. Finally, some real baseball under the lights. There were almost 7,000 people at the game so it was nice. Unfortunately we lost. Saturday was game 2...another loss. Sunday was our chance to avoid the sweep before hitting the road, but alas, we were rained out.
That brings us to this road trip. If I wasn't busy enough with everything I explained earlier, our first road trip is in Vancouver, BC. That means everybody needs passports to cross the border. It is pretty tough to get passports in a week as many of our new draftees found out. I try to get all my border crossing paperwork in order and hope we get a friendly agent who can get us through quick. We had 4 guys without passports, but they were all Americans so were able to show their IDs, answer a few questions, and get across with the team. Whew! Potential disaster avoided.
Now I am sitting here in my room, waiting for my family to arrive or the bus time, whichever comes first. I'm glad the headache of crossing the border is over and now I can relax on the road trip and check out some sights of Vancouver.
Until next time.........sometime you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Nearing the End of Extended
This is starting to be a tough stretch of the year for the extended spring group of guys. Our last game in extended is in just over a week. The guys will have a few days off and then find out where their season will start, the AZL Rangers or the Spokane Indians. Everyone has been busting their tails since the full season squads started about 2 months ago trying to win a spot on one of those clubs. We have had a fair number of guys get promoted out of Arizona. A few have stuck and a few have returned only to know that they want to get back. Everyone is trying to impress the staff now trying to get on the Spokane team so they can leave the heat of Surprise, and the heat is coming. Triple digit temps are just about to be the norm.
I know I am looking forward to the end here because that means school is out and I get to spend a lot of time with my family. I will be able to head home for about 4 days after we finish and then I will make the long drive up to Spokane to start out our season. The good things about starting the regular season are numerous. The biggest one is that we get to play night games. That means no more 5 am wake up calls to be at the field. Another thing is that the games count. Don't get me wrong, the extended games count, but they aren't official. We can have rehab guys lead off every inning if they need at-bats. Pitchers can throw to extra hitters to get the pitch count up or just end an inning if it is too high. During the season we are playing for real. Winner at the end gets a ring. Weather is huge too. I am pretty sure we will not hit 100 on the thermometer in the pacific northwest. Warm afternoons are cool nights will be nice after, hot mornings and scorching afternoons. It is a nice change of scenery from the desert when we get to go along the coast from Eugene, OR up to Vancouver, Canada.
Let's hope this last week and change runs smoothly and get ready for the real thing.
I know I am looking forward to the end here because that means school is out and I get to spend a lot of time with my family. I will be able to head home for about 4 days after we finish and then I will make the long drive up to Spokane to start out our season. The good things about starting the regular season are numerous. The biggest one is that we get to play night games. That means no more 5 am wake up calls to be at the field. Another thing is that the games count. Don't get me wrong, the extended games count, but they aren't official. We can have rehab guys lead off every inning if they need at-bats. Pitchers can throw to extra hitters to get the pitch count up or just end an inning if it is too high. During the season we are playing for real. Winner at the end gets a ring. Weather is huge too. I am pretty sure we will not hit 100 on the thermometer in the pacific northwest. Warm afternoons are cool nights will be nice after, hot mornings and scorching afternoons. It is a nice change of scenery from the desert when we get to go along the coast from Eugene, OR up to Vancouver, Canada.
Let's hope this last week and change runs smoothly and get ready for the real thing.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
'Dad's Dugout
Check out my guest blog post about my time spent with the Hickory Crawdads. The blog belongs to Jeff Bodenhamer who is the ATC with the team there.
http://dadsdugout.mlblogs.com
http://dadsdugout.mlblogs.com
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Home Run Trot 5k Race
So I get into Hickory on Thursday night and am asked by Ryan McNeal, the strength and conditioning coach, if I want to run a 5k on Saturday. If you don't know, I'm training for a marathon in October. I needed to run 3 miles on Saturday anyway, so I figured I would do it. I wouldn't have to figure out a route and I have never run in a race before, so what better place than here.
Now, having never run in an actual race before, I had no idea what was going on. I got there about 30 minutes early, changed in the clubhouse, and headed out. The GM had already gotten our numbers for us so I pinned it on and headed to the start line. There were probably about 150 people or so running so it wasn't too bad. They told us to start and we were off. It was kind of strange starting out with a bunch of other people. I usually go at a slower pace, but since this was just 3 miles I was able to pick it up a bit, especially with the adrenaline of competition. It was a bit of weaving and winding around people at the beginning for about half a mile where it started to spread out a bit. The other challenge for me today was the hills! Everywhere I have ran in the past has been flat. This was my fist experience with a hill. The ones at the beginning weren't too bad, but just over 2 miles in there was a doozy for me. I made it up, but when I rounded the corner I have to walk for about 10 seconds. After that it was smooth sailing. It was flat for a bit and then a small hill before heading downhill into the stadium for the finish.
It was a pretty cool race to run in and having people cheering you on and seeing the time on the big clock was fun. I know it was just a small little race, but I enjoyed it as a first experience. My finishing time was 26:36 which was way better than my goal of 30:00. My next race will be in Spokane where they have an 8k. I think it will be a little better having this one under my belt. Running 26.2 is going to be an adventure for sure.
One more thing. As a bonus I was announced as 2nd in my age group. I also didn't hear them announce a 3rd, so there may have only been 2 entered! I like to think that I was so excited about hearing my name that I just didn't hear anything after that.
Now, having never run in an actual race before, I had no idea what was going on. I got there about 30 minutes early, changed in the clubhouse, and headed out. The GM had already gotten our numbers for us so I pinned it on and headed to the start line. There were probably about 150 people or so running so it wasn't too bad. They told us to start and we were off. It was kind of strange starting out with a bunch of other people. I usually go at a slower pace, but since this was just 3 miles I was able to pick it up a bit, especially with the adrenaline of competition. It was a bit of weaving and winding around people at the beginning for about half a mile where it started to spread out a bit. The other challenge for me today was the hills! Everywhere I have ran in the past has been flat. This was my fist experience with a hill. The ones at the beginning weren't too bad, but just over 2 miles in there was a doozy for me. I made it up, but when I rounded the corner I have to walk for about 10 seconds. After that it was smooth sailing. It was flat for a bit and then a small hill before heading downhill into the stadium for the finish.
It was a pretty cool race to run in and having people cheering you on and seeing the time on the big clock was fun. I know it was just a small little race, but I enjoyed it as a first experience. My finishing time was 26:36 which was way better than my goal of 30:00. My next race will be in Spokane where they have an 8k. I think it will be a little better having this one under my belt. Running 26.2 is going to be an adventure for sure.
One more thing. As a bonus I was announced as 2nd in my age group. I also didn't hear them announce a 3rd, so there may have only been 2 entered! I like to think that I was so excited about hearing my name that I just didn't hear anything after that.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Hickory, NC
Right now I am sitting in my hotel room in Hickory, NC. I made this same trip last year for a few days. The athletic trainer here is taking a few days off so I get a break from Arizona to come up here and cover for him. I flew out of Phoenix yesterday morning into Charlotte. Hickory is about an hour drive from the airport there, so after I picked up my bags and a car I hit the road and arrived in Hickory about 5:00. I checked into the hotel and headed to the ballpark. It is always nice to walk into the clubhouse and see the guys I haven't seen since spring. A good chunk of the guys here played in Spokane at some point last year so I know a lot of them. Last year was my first year with the Rangers, so when I came to cover I only knew a couple of the guys that started in extended or that I got to know a bit from spring training. After saying hello to the staff and getting dressed, it was back to work. One of the good things here is that there is only about 25 guys compared to the over 50 in AZ. The injury report is not too big and there are only a handful of guys that need some maintenence work, so the workload is also getting a break for me. Unfortunately, the Crawdads 9 game win streak came to an end last night so I took plenty of heat for coming in and changing things. At least the outfield/baserunning coordinator also came in yesterday so it did not all get put on me.
The difference between extended spring and Hickory baseball-wise is not that big (tehy are basically just 1 level apart), but the atmosphere is worlds apart. The main difference is the fans. I think the most I have seen in AZ is probably about 10 people and that was a HUGE crowd. I think one of the Padres guys had his whole family at the game. The noise at the game is nice here also. There is the buzz in the stands, the announcer introducing the hitter, the music between pitches and batters, and all the usual dugout chatter. The guys that haven't played out at an affiliate definitely have a reason to get out of AZ once they experience this brand of minor league baseball. The Hickory Crawdads are also a class organization that treat the players and staff awesome along with L.P. Frans stadium being a great place to watch a game.
I will be here through Monday's 11 am game, so I will get some pictures and post at least one more time while I am up here. Here are a few Hickory guys you can follow to get their perspective this season.
Pitcher Josh Lueke - @josh_lueke on twitter
ATC Jeff Bodenhamer - @BODE_ATC on twitter, http://dadsdugout.mlblogs.com, 'Dads Dugout on Facebook
The difference between extended spring and Hickory baseball-wise is not that big (tehy are basically just 1 level apart), but the atmosphere is worlds apart. The main difference is the fans. I think the most I have seen in AZ is probably about 10 people and that was a HUGE crowd. I think one of the Padres guys had his whole family at the game. The noise at the game is nice here also. There is the buzz in the stands, the announcer introducing the hitter, the music between pitches and batters, and all the usual dugout chatter. The guys that haven't played out at an affiliate definitely have a reason to get out of AZ once they experience this brand of minor league baseball. The Hickory Crawdads are also a class organization that treat the players and staff awesome along with L.P. Frans stadium being a great place to watch a game.
I will be here through Monday's 11 am game, so I will get some pictures and post at least one more time while I am up here. Here are a few Hickory guys you can follow to get their perspective this season.
Pitcher Josh Lueke - @josh_lueke on twitter
ATC Jeff Bodenhamer - @BODE_ATC on twitter, http://dadsdugout.mlblogs.com, 'Dads Dugout on Facebook
Monday, May 3, 2010
Extended Off Days
Like I said in the last post, we have every Sunday off during extended. This sounds like a good thing, right? Finally a day to sleep in and enjoy a day to yourself after 6 straight days of waking up at 5:00 am. Nope. If I can sleep in until 6:30 it is a good thing. Our bodies just get so used to waking up early, that it just happens naturally. Plus, unless I go out somewhere on Saturday night I am still tired at about 9:00. Well, you say, at least you have the whole day Sunday to yourself. Sure. Sounds like a good idea, but when you are used to spending 9-10 hours of the day at the ballpark, a whole day alone in the house is pretty boring. Add in to that the waking up at 6:30 and that is a TON of day to use up. Don't get me wrong, I love the off days, and when my family was here it was a busy day, but when I am alone it is a lot of wasted time.
Yesterday I decided to pass my time at the casino. It takes up about 90 minutes of driving time there and back and I spent about 8 hours sitting at a poker table. Long story short, I lost. I did, however, use up most of the day doing something that I enjoy. It was definitely much better than sitting at home in front of the TV all day. There are other things to do too....play golf, sit by the pool, do some grilling, watch a movie. Funny thing is, most of these involve getting out of the house that all during the week you just want to be in. Is that irony?
Back at it tonight with a rare night game against the Royals. Slept in til 6:30 this morning......
Yesterday I decided to pass my time at the casino. It takes up about 90 minutes of driving time there and back and I spent about 8 hours sitting at a poker table. Long story short, I lost. I did, however, use up most of the day doing something that I enjoy. It was definitely much better than sitting at home in front of the TV all day. There are other things to do too....play golf, sit by the pool, do some grilling, watch a movie. Funny thing is, most of these involve getting out of the house that all during the week you just want to be in. Is that irony?
Back at it tonight with a rare night game against the Royals. Slept in til 6:30 this morning......
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Extended Spring Training
Ok. I figured it has been over a month and I have not posted anything new. Guess I have a lot to catch up on.....
Since the last time I wrote spring training has ended and extended spring is not just about a month in. Extended spring is exactly what it sounds like, an extended version of spring training. In regular spring, every player in the organization is here. We have a workout in the morning and a game in the afternoon....every day.
Once the full season teams start playing, there are only so many roster spaces that need to be filled. This year that left around 50 young players with nowhere to go. It sounds like a bad situation, but every team does the same thing. Also, the long-term rehab is based out of here. That leaves the 50 young guys, about 8 or so minor league rehabbers, and about 5 major league rehabbers. Makes for a full clubhouse.
Anyway, back to extended. It is starting to get hot in AZ right now so we get our work in early. A typical day goes something like this.......wake up at 5:00 am and dressed and in the athletic training room by 5:30. Put coolers out on the field and get everything set up for the day. Breakfast at 6 and players start showing up. Position players have weight room activity at 6:45, pitchers stretch at 7:30. We will be out on the field until about 10 and then head inside for a quick snack and change for the 10:30 game. Since position player work out in the morning, after the game the only ones that have to finish up a workout are some of the pitchers. Lunch is at 1ish and usually everyone is gone by 2. Then we clean up, get our reports in, and close up shop. Usually about a 9 hour day, but since we start so early we get done earlier. It is not too bad if you can stand early mornings. The other good thing is that we have Sundays off. Something to look forward to and also a day to reset your week. All the days are the same here and now I know why there is a feature on my watch that shows me what day it is!
We have a lot of good young players down here this year. I believe we have about 5 or 6 guys that haven't even had their 18th birthdays. There aren't too many guys that are of legal drinking age in the USA, so it make for an interesting dynamic now that I am up to about 15 years older than some of them. I guess working with kids (let's face it, that's what they are) keeps me young too. I get to stay current and keep my street-cred. The flip side of the youth is that they have a lot to learn about the game, being professional, and general baseball fundamentals. If you think watching an extended game and a major league game are similar I invite you to come down and watch one. We get to see a lot of interesting things.
Next week I am heading to Hickory, NC to cover for our low-A, South Atlantic League team down there and I will be sure to have some updates from the east.
Since the last time I wrote spring training has ended and extended spring is not just about a month in. Extended spring is exactly what it sounds like, an extended version of spring training. In regular spring, every player in the organization is here. We have a workout in the morning and a game in the afternoon....every day.
Once the full season teams start playing, there are only so many roster spaces that need to be filled. This year that left around 50 young players with nowhere to go. It sounds like a bad situation, but every team does the same thing. Also, the long-term rehab is based out of here. That leaves the 50 young guys, about 8 or so minor league rehabbers, and about 5 major league rehabbers. Makes for a full clubhouse.
Anyway, back to extended. It is starting to get hot in AZ right now so we get our work in early. A typical day goes something like this.......wake up at 5:00 am and dressed and in the athletic training room by 5:30. Put coolers out on the field and get everything set up for the day. Breakfast at 6 and players start showing up. Position players have weight room activity at 6:45, pitchers stretch at 7:30. We will be out on the field until about 10 and then head inside for a quick snack and change for the 10:30 game. Since position player work out in the morning, after the game the only ones that have to finish up a workout are some of the pitchers. Lunch is at 1ish and usually everyone is gone by 2. Then we clean up, get our reports in, and close up shop. Usually about a 9 hour day, but since we start so early we get done earlier. It is not too bad if you can stand early mornings. The other good thing is that we have Sundays off. Something to look forward to and also a day to reset your week. All the days are the same here and now I know why there is a feature on my watch that shows me what day it is!
We have a lot of good young players down here this year. I believe we have about 5 or 6 guys that haven't even had their 18th birthdays. There aren't too many guys that are of legal drinking age in the USA, so it make for an interesting dynamic now that I am up to about 15 years older than some of them. I guess working with kids (let's face it, that's what they are) keeps me young too. I get to stay current and keep my street-cred. The flip side of the youth is that they have a lot to learn about the game, being professional, and general baseball fundamentals. If you think watching an extended game and a major league game are similar I invite you to come down and watch one. We get to see a lot of interesting things.
Next week I am heading to Hickory, NC to cover for our low-A, South Atlantic League team down there and I will be sure to have some updates from the east.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Spring Training is Over!!
So, I really did not end up with the time I thought I would have to update during the spring. Those days were so hectic with us starting up before 6 am and going past 6 pm most days that all I wanted to do at the end of the day was get some dinner and go to sleep.
We ended up finishing spring on Friday morning and extended spring does not officially start until Wednesday. That meant that there were 4 days off in the middle and the best part was I was able to head home for the break. Being home in April was great. I have not been home for Easter in 10 years. Plus, just being able to go home for a few days to recharge after a crazy spring will do wonders.
OK, that's it for now. Going to go enjoy my last few hours with Mia.
We ended up finishing spring on Friday morning and extended spring does not officially start until Wednesday. That meant that there were 4 days off in the middle and the best part was I was able to head home for the break. Being home in April was great. I have not been home for Easter in 10 years. Plus, just being able to go home for a few days to recharge after a crazy spring will do wonders.
OK, that's it for now. Going to go enjoy my last few hours with Mia.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Full camp - Day 1
Today was the first day that we had all of our minor league players in camp with the exception of a few that are having visa issues. We started out dark and early at 5:30 am setting up physicals for the remaining position players. They started arriving at 6 and I think there were about 40 or so guys that needed to get something done. It ran really smoothly and we knocked everything out before 9.
We had a meeting with all of the players and coaches at 9:45 and got the first day rocking. These next few days will be pretty hectic with all of the meetings and beginning of camp obligations that everyone has. Our first game is Thursday.
Minor league baseball is officially here.
We had a meeting with all of the players and coaches at 9:45 and got the first day rocking. These next few days will be pretty hectic with all of the meetings and beginning of camp obligations that everyone has. Our first game is Thursday.
Minor league baseball is officially here.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Spring Training
Spring training is by far the most hectic time of the year in professional baseball. Most of the guys that were with me in Spokane last year and other short season players are experiencing their first spring training. There are usually around 150 guys in camp and everyone is trying to get a full season job at a higher level than they were at last year.
Minor league pitchers and catchers had their first official day on Monday. We started at 6 am with physicals. Luckily a bunch of the guys come down early and were able to knock out pieces of it. There were still some new stations that were only available on the actual physical day that were backed up. Our physical consists of blood/urine, EKG, joint measurements, ortho physical, general physical, and body fat.
These last few days have not been too bad since it is just pitchers and catchers. They have 2 groups that go out for a couple of hours each so they finish in the early afternoon. Once the position players get here the workouts will get a bit longer and then when games start....that's when the days are long.
Minor league pitchers and catchers had their first official day on Monday. We started at 6 am with physicals. Luckily a bunch of the guys come down early and were able to knock out pieces of it. There were still some new stations that were only available on the actual physical day that were backed up. Our physical consists of blood/urine, EKG, joint measurements, ortho physical, general physical, and body fat.
These last few days have not been too bad since it is just pitchers and catchers. They have 2 groups that go out for a couple of hours each so they finish in the early afternoon. Once the position players get here the workouts will get a bit longer and then when games start....that's when the days are long.
Monday, March 1, 2010
In Arizona
Today was driving day to Phoenix. My brother lives in Phoenix also, so he flew down to NM for the weekend and just drove back with me. It was a pretty uneventful drive. Made it to Mesa in about 6 hours.
Minor problem. Our 2 bedroom apartment was supposed to be ready for us to move into today. The previous tenants decided to extend their stay at the last minute and they were scrambling to find us a place. Well, they found one....a 1 bedroom. Since that won't work, they got me a hotel room and let my roomie stay in the 1 bedroom for a few days until they get a 2 bedroom ready. A small pain in the ass, but hopefully it will all be straightened out in a few days.
Tomorrow I'll stop by the complex and get ready to get going.
Minor problem. Our 2 bedroom apartment was supposed to be ready for us to move into today. The previous tenants decided to extend their stay at the last minute and they were scrambling to find us a place. Well, they found one....a 1 bedroom. Since that won't work, they got me a hotel room and let my roomie stay in the 1 bedroom for a few days until they get a 2 bedroom ready. A small pain in the ass, but hopefully it will all be straightened out in a few days.
Tomorrow I'll stop by the complex and get ready to get going.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Almost time.....
I'm getting ready to start off my last weekend at home before I head to back to Spring Training for another year. This is the time for finalizing all the things that I have been putting off the whole offseason. Got some new tires for the car, probably going to go get a new phone later today (I have Verizon, any suggestions?), and of course all the laundry to pack up. Nothing too exciting. I'll be back at it next week. Talk to you soon
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Almost Spring Training Time
My official report date for spring training is March 3rd. Since major league pitchers and catchers reported today, people keep asking me why I'm not there and when I am going. Minor league spring training always starts a few weeks after major league and goes a little bit longer also. Our pitchers and catchers report on March 7th and position players are a few days after that. That's when the real fun starts and the 12-15 hours days go for the whole month.
I have definitely enjoyed my long offseason. I had ZERO offseason responsibility this year so I got the full almost 6 months to spend time with my family and watching my rapidly growing daughter. Now is time to get in all of that last minute stuff before I head out for the summer.
I had the pleasure of getting a tooth pulled out this year. How fun! They extracted it last week and today I had a follow up appointment to remove the stitches and check the progress. It had to be pulled because apparently it was "eating itself from the inside". The main problem is that it is one of my front teeth. I have a temporary "flipper" in there now which basically looks like a retainer with a tooth attached to the front and I pretty much can't eat anything that I have to bite into. It is a huge pain. I have to cut everything into bite sized pieces and skip the front teeth. Now I look like a hockey player too. Here is a picture.
I have also decided to stop cutting my hair. It's starting to get kind of long. I'm guessing that I will keep growing it out until late May or early June when it starts getting really hot in AZ. The only problem with my long hair is that it gets pretty much out of control.
Well, that was my quick little update. I'll start posting regularly again when I head out to Surprise, AZ in a week and a half. Hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of your baseball free life like I will be.
I have definitely enjoyed my long offseason. I had ZERO offseason responsibility this year so I got the full almost 6 months to spend time with my family and watching my rapidly growing daughter. Now is time to get in all of that last minute stuff before I head out for the summer.
I had the pleasure of getting a tooth pulled out this year. How fun! They extracted it last week and today I had a follow up appointment to remove the stitches and check the progress. It had to be pulled because apparently it was "eating itself from the inside". The main problem is that it is one of my front teeth. I have a temporary "flipper" in there now which basically looks like a retainer with a tooth attached to the front and I pretty much can't eat anything that I have to bite into. It is a huge pain. I have to cut everything into bite sized pieces and skip the front teeth. Now I look like a hockey player too. Here is a picture.
I have also decided to stop cutting my hair. It's starting to get kind of long. I'm guessing that I will keep growing it out until late May or early June when it starts getting really hot in AZ. The only problem with my long hair is that it gets pretty much out of control.
Well, that was my quick little update. I'll start posting regularly again when I head out to Surprise, AZ in a week and a half. Hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of your baseball free life like I will be.
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