stage #1 - packing and preparation

                                                                         
Most kids in college would be preparing to go home and enjoy  9 to 5 job in their hometown. With such perks as their parents home cooking and the ability to drive their own cars to the ballpark for their games.

On the other side, instead of heading east to my hometown of Mt.Pearl, Newfoundland, I am heading in the other direction west to Weyburn, SK. For me I have to pack all my things that I think I might need. I hope my billets understand that I enjoy to eat alot and like to do things for myself since thats how I have lived for 8 months. So when I pulled my suitcase out of the closet and cleaned the dust out I was contemplating how I was going to pack all of my stuff and avoid paying for an overweight bag. Like a ball player though first thing I did was clean my gear, so that my billets wouldn't be repulsed by the smell of victory ( a smell that comes from winning an OUA championship).Once all my stuff was out of the wash I packed it tight in my baseball bag, made sure all socks and belts were accounted for and that was the start. As the hours go by I think what should I bring, the weather is always warm, sometimes rainy. So of course all tee shirts and shorts head into the bag, the socks and other unmentionables will be put in the last day because they of course still have some usage before wednesday. Another vital part was finding some essentials such as cleats and turfs for the summer, so of course I shopped online and bought a new pair of both. Then as any other ball player would I headed across the border and purchased a hefty amount of dip to make it throughout the season without paying a ridiculous price. So as the hours tick by, I still add other things to my suitcase. Stay tuned to see what the next day of prep will bring, most likely it will discuss my workout regime as opening day gets closer.

Travel Life

Like most baseball players in college or university I experience quite alot of travelling. I mean waking up and being at the park to catch an 830am bus to a doubleheader can get tiring. So when I head out west in 6 days, I have to prepare for a long travel schedule, and even just the trip to Regina itself is going to be very annoying.

My favorite piece of work regarding travel, is the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary called Jordan Rides The Bus. This chronicles Michael Jordan's baseball career in the minors or 'Bus Leagues'. So let's start from the beginning, when a ball player wakes up in the morning about to embark on a road trip after a game the night before. Most likely your body is sore, you have a hard time rolling out of bed, and the coffee is just never strong enough to keep those eyes open. Now most times you will get the guys who are morning people who just can roll out of bed, put a smile on and be very alert during the whole trip (these guys are a rare breed). Then there is the guy who thinks mornings are something to be outlawed in baseball, just like betting on the game. Those guys get up, usually with eyes closed head to the washroom, shower, grab a small bite to eat then rush to pack their bags for the trip.

As the players swarm the park and await to board another rough looking bus, maybe a better model DRL if you play minor league ball. Rookies piling gear under the bus while coach stresses to have his fungo's packed, there was one time as a rookie where my responsibility was bats and I forgot to pack the fungo's and coach had to use a Tin Bat to hit IN and OUT. Lets just say I never took the responsibility of the bats again. As the gear is piled onto the bus, the mix of Vets and Rooks climb up the 3 steps and onto the bus. The Rookie's eyes gaze intently on seats they see would be the most comfy or the ones with the best view of the TV's. As much hope as there is in those eyes, a Vet will usually always play the Vet card and make a rookie move seats. On our team it is a custom for the rookies to share seats on road trips, so us Vets can stretch out and enjoy some relaxation before game time.

Once the team is on and the dvd of the day is put on, usually something with Will Ferrell or baseball related (one time on a 2 hour bus ride our coach decided he wanted to show us his boxing match he had when he was a border patrol officer, the thing never did work and the whole time he was stood up trying to fix it. That was the most boring and annoying bus trip to say the least). Now the guys who aren't morning people, will usually bunk up in their seats with their pillow and catch some extra Z's so they feel fresh for the game, there are also the guys who talk about their everyday lives, such as which girl they think is the hottest in class or talk about the mystery hot girl that everyone sees but no one knows. Then of course you have got the hardcore baseball guys, I fit into this category. This breed of baseball bus riders will more often then not start the trip by discussing the MLB highlights from the night before, while critically analyzing why teams won or lost, then as the talk winds down the dip tins come out of the bags or pockets and we proceed to just the right amount of dip in to keep us mellow for the rest of the trip. As the dip is pinched someone immediately sparks up the name game, this game is hard to explain so you can just look it up on google if you want. This will usually take us right to our destination.

Bus rides are like getting on a bad carnival ride, usually they are driven by sweaty old guys. And sometimes they break down and are out of commission for a while. But we are ball players we have our ways of keeping occupied.

OUA All-Star Showcase

Sunday May.8th/2011, to most people it was mothers day, to me and 20 of my teammates it was a day most of us will remember for years to come. On that day at 5pm Brock University played the OUA All-stars in the OUA All-star Showcase at the Rogers Center.

The feeling as we all walked to our dressing room was that of excitement, I felt like I was walking to another day of work in the Big Leagues. I almost felt comfortable, its a place where I ultimately want to end up. But today I can pretend, on May 8th , I got to do everything the pros do. As we entered the field from the visitors bullpen, I had my camera out taking a video with no words being said I was in Awe. As my cleats pierced the turf beneath me I knew that this was something to be proud of. As a team we did our traditional warm-up, then toss. Arm felt great, but my mind was racing, never a good thing for a pitcher. As the anthem ended and the teams were introduced me and the rest of the family of pitchers made the trek to the bullpen. climbing up stairs to the seats where we would gaze over the outfield wall, we all just had a swagger about us that was comparable to the Pro's who sat there 81 days out of the summer.

As we settled in and crushed the final redbulls the Jays Relievers had left for us, I started to once again get anxious, I wanted to go out there and throw 90. I wanted to throw a deuce that would even buckle the fans watching behind the plate. So to calm myself, I reached in my back pocket and pulled my tin of Cope WG.

As I pinched and filled my lip, I zoned in. This was big league ball, this is the feeling I want to feel someday. the 4th inning was coming up and that was when I got the call, warming up I worked vigorously on my location and my offspeed stuff. Then as the inning ended my boys in the pen opened the gate and I made the jog to the mound, I was the first reliever to do this so as our team ran on the field I heard laughs and cheers. This was my time. It was kind of lame to run out to Dynamite by Taio Cruz, I would of much rathered have something harder like put on by young jeezy and kanye or cant be touched by roy jones, but I dealt with it, plus I was on the same mound that Doc Halladay won on night after night during his time as a Jay, the same mound that Juan Guzman would throw Cheese on in the early to mid 90's. And where The Rocket, Roger Clemens won a Cy young award in 1997. I knew the history, but now it was time to make my own.


First batter was walked on 6 pitches, I was nervous and wound up, they could all tell that. the next hitter then proceeded to hit a ground ball which was booted by my second basemen, I wasn't rattled, thats not me. I am a rock on the mound just bare down. When all was said and done I didn't have a Cy Young performance, but I knew that I didn't get shook. I gave up 3 earned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks with 1 HBP. No K's but I wasnt worried about that. I was in the building formerly known as the Skydome, where my role models threw, where so many superstars had shut down teams.

So, as my day as a pro ended, I now await the next time I get back to that mound. I hope the next time Ill be wearing a Pro Uni with fans peppered all over the stadium cheering for my team .

'No-No's' and the best pitched games

In Baseball we often see pitchers flirt with the perfect game, they also flirt with a shot at the hall of fame if they are lucky enough to get their name on that list.
Last year was declared year of the pitcher by This Week In Baseball. The title does the season justice as we saw 6 'No-No's' thrown last year, with two of those being perfect games. Roy 'Doc' Halladay himself threw a perfect game in the regular season , then in his first ever playoff appearance threw a no hitter. That is a definite ticket to the hall of fame.
But my real focus is on those who threw no hitters, but gave up several walks during those games and put their pitch counts well above 100 pitches. This all stems from last nights no hitter thrown by Francisco Liriano, which saw him give up 6 walks and one of which was in the bottom of the ninth with his team only up by 1 run. Being a college pitcher I do love watching a pitcher battle hitters and get his accomplishment, but with pitch counts going higher and walks that put runners in scoring position putting alot of pressure not only on yourself, but on your defense behind you, can we say that the pitcher really gave his all out effort and that he had his 'stuff' working?
Just this past weekend I worked with Fergie Jenkins, Jim Bunning, Eddy Murray, Tony Oliva, and Dick Williams at a sportscard expo as part of my intership with the Fergie Jenkins Foundation. During a Q and A session with the players someone asked Jim Bunning (HOF'er and former US Senator) if his 'No-No' was the best game he ever pitched. Jim replied "No", he gave much credit to his defense and felt he got lucky at times. This allowed me to expand my view and respect the players behind me in a way I never had before. After hearing this then seeing the game where Liriano threw his no hitter, that game really ticked me off. The reason being is that he now can say he had his 'stuff' working and no one will criticize it.
I do congratulate him, considering his rocky start to 2011, but are we as baseball fans and players too focused on that ever elusive No - No ? to such a point where we lose the mental edge of our game. Liriano will be forced to miss his next start due to his high pitch count of 123 pitches, this could hurt his team.
So I leave you with this, don't we as players go out there for the love of the game and play for the best interest of our team, or is that generation lost behind autograph tables and left as just a statue in a hall for those to admire? You be the judge. But the next time im on the hill this sunday I will just be out there with a mental edge making sure I help my team win, rather than try and emphasize my own achievements.