1200 miles of concrete

There is just something about driving across the country. Maybe it's the open road, maybe it's the freedom, or maybe it's the tire and hub cap that shoots across the medium from a blow out on a car going the opposite direction and barely misses totaling your car and ending your trip...and maybe your life. True story. On a trip that consisted of 1200 miles, 3 states, 5 gas fill ups, and a really bad truck stop buffet, it's the experiences along the way that will edge the lines of my memory. Besides experiences, I found myself thinking a lot during my time staring at the concrete ahead of me. Thinking about the off season, Spring Training, my baseball career, my life, people that I care about, and the Lord. Life gets so fast and so crazy that it's just hard to stop, get quiet, and look inward to see where it's wrong and where in my life that I desperately need to ask God for mercy. But on a road trip, you have all the time in the world and you are forced to think. I wonder what would happen if we as people did that more? I wonder if that's why everything around us keeps us from doing just that? Maybe there is a battle playing out right in front of us...fighting over silence. Never thought 1200 miles of concrete would lead to a war, but if staying where you are at keeps you from the quiet then hit the road!

Two bags and a carry on

Packing for Spring Training is rather stressful for me. It can be really tricky, because at any given minute during the season they can put you on a plane to play for another team in the Dodgers farm system. If you have more stuff than two bags and a carry on then you will have to leave it or...ship it. Some of you might say well that doesn't sound so bad, but imagine all the clothes, baseball gear, bats, books, bibles, computer, toiletries, shoes, basically everything you need to live on for 6 months, and fit it into those few bags. It becomes an art and by the time you leave it's a beautiful one at that. Zipping that last bag shut last night was such an incredible feeling since it's finally happening. The stress of "what am I going to forget" or "what am I going to have to leave home" is now over. It's so freeing. Now the only thing left before Spring Training...is the 17 hour drive over the next 3 days to get there! Road trip....1-10 for as far as the eye can see, what do you say now!!!!

Get...Jacked?!

During the off seasons one major goal is to get stronger by lifting weights and staying in shape by running and doing different agility exercises. You work incredibly hard and would be willing to try anything legal to achieve your goals. But throughout this process something that I am beginning have to beef with is a vanilla flavored powder substance called...Protein. This farce promises great rewards in strength and stamina yet I never seem to reap any of the benefits. The less results you see the more you drink, giving your liver and heart all it can take! Sadly, most people believe in the lies and buy more and more bags of it. And, there are more brands and bags of protein out on the market than hairs on my head...wait, bad analogy...but you get the picture. Steroids result because of this kind of bad logic. Thus, I return to Spring Training looking back on my off season asking myself the question, "did all those nightly shakes do the wonders it promised...or did I just waste a bunch of strawberries and bananas?"

Off-Season Pics

Off Season

There are a few phrases that a minor league baseball player learns to love during his career; day off, All-star break, rain out, and off-season. It's not that we don't like playing, but with only two days off a month for six months...let's be honest. So the six months that we aren't playing we basically live a life polar opposite to the one in season. You are home, with friends and family, and back to a somewhat normal routine again. The one thing always on your mind is that in a few months you are going back to the grind so you better enjoy your time off. I would say that I have soaked it dry during the last few months. I went on a WWII tour of Europe with the 'Band of Brothers' group, have been in every major city in Texas seeing friends, been hunting, camping, and have gotten involved in the city of Houston through my church and other various avenues. The most important part of the off-season as far as baseball goes is preparing for the following season. It is completely your responsibility and thus only the mirror can be your judge. I have found that it can only be done with other guys doing it with you; trying to muscle through it alone is close to or near impossible. With weights, running, hitting, throwing, etc., come early March you better be ready. As the season nears, mentally you begin to prepare yourself and also begin the necessary preparations of leaving for 6 months. One of the hardest parts is leaving the people behind that you just spent the past few months getting to know or rekindling the friendship that the time spent away had waned. Regardless of the grind that the minor league life can be, come spring time there is an itch, an almost longing to return to that very life; around the field, the game, and the fellas. It's almost here...