Omaha, Baseball and the Heart of America

Posted on May 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

Another Minor League season is gathering steam, and I’ve wanted to find an appropriately meaningful time to resume blog writing. I’ve found it.

Omaha, Nebraska is the inspiration for the most profound accomplishment I’ve yet experienced as a baseball player. What we did as a college baseball team in 2009 and what 8 college baseball teams do every year is worth every word that’s written about it. Three years later, I find myself at a deeper-than-baseball intersection of college and professional baseball. Back in Nebraska to play the Omaha Storm Chasers—imagine the battle if they ever played the Lake Elsinore Storm—I can’t help but reminisce about my teammates and our road to Omaha.

In June of 2009, Kevin Arico’s strikeout and subsequent glove spike sent us into a dogpile and onto a surreal trip to Rosenblatt. Dan Grovatt and I must have sounded ridiculous repeating with disbelief to each other, “We’re going to Omaha.. we’re actually going to Omaha!” The city and the tournament were worth all the sacrifice it took to get there, and I know we will each cherish the memories forever.

Now, I’m back. But I exist in a reality much different from that of three years ago. I’m a Minor League baseball player pushing hard through the grind, wanting to play the game the right way and be the best that I can be. In many ways, the game is still the same; in many ways, it’s very different. This reality gets me thinking about baseball and beyond. From here, I’ve stumbled upon a wonderfully American thought about this city described by the Counting Crows as “somewhere in middle America.”

More than just being in the middle of America, Omaha, I think, represents the heart of America. Home to both an awe-inspiring college baseball dreamland and an elite group of KC Royals ballplayers just a step from “living the dream,” this town embodies through baseball what is more American than baseball: the freedom to pursue a dream. Maybe Adam Duritz was thinking the same thing, when he also crooned in his band’s “Omaha,” “It’s the heart that matters more.”   

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Promotional Jerseys Add to Minor League Fun

Posted on August 25, 2011 | 7 Comments

Per request, I will pen another chapter in the, “This only happens in Minor League baseball” series. The subject of this installment is promotional jerseys, which are those unique creations that players wear during a one-time promotion or fundraiser.

This link inspired Chad’s request, and I will now run through a top 5 list comprised of the most outlandish jerseys that I have worn as a Minor Leaguer. The criterion that I used is limited to the following question that a player asks upon entering the clubhouse and seeing his team’s jersey for the night: “I’m going to play in that??” Regardless of whether he is asking the question because he is happily impressed or appalled, that question is the sole basis for the following rankings.

The Top 5

(5) Green and Yellow Hawaii Pattern: We wear these every Friday in Jackson as part of “Margaritaville Fridays.”

(4) Pink Camouflage: We wore these as a promotion to raise money against breast cancer. The jerseys were auctioned off after the game; my mom now owns the one with #38 on the back.

(3) Flaming Purple: ’Bright purple’ would not be descriptive enough to explain the fluorescence of these jerseys worn on Alzheimer’s Awareness night. The clubhouse reaction to these was strong enough to put them high on the list.

(2) Stormtrooper Uniform: During the night when the Bounty Hunter and other Star Wars characters cruised around Pringles Park, the rest of the Generals and I wore white jerseys with strategically placed marks that outlined our utility belts and other Stormtrooper gear. It is my hope that we played for the Dark Side on only one night this season.

(1) Backwards Jerseys: In High Desert the front office hosted a backwards night; the 7th inning stretch took place in the 3rd, Wooly Bully wasn’t introduced until the 9th, and us High Desert Mavericks wore “Backwards Jerseys.” If you’re in Southern California and considering going to a Mavericks game or an Angels game, maybe you should consider which will offer you a chance at seeing the jersey below.

Backwards Night in High Desert

Promotional jerseys are only one piece of that unique composition which comes together every summer night across America; the composition, called Minor League baseball, is indisputably a great source of family-friendly enjoyment, and will be ending before September does–I suggest that you head out for a Minor League Moment before the season becomes the offseason, before Thirsty Thursdays turn back to regular Thursdays.

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Posted in Minor League Moments, Professional Baseball

Let’s All Be Deadpan Pitchers

Posted on July 28, 2011 | 3 Comments

The Dictionary.com Word of the Day for July 28 is deadpan. Deadpan, an adjective, is defined as “displaying no emotional or personal involvement.” That was my, and can be your, vocabulary lesson for the day. Now, on to baseball.

With all else equal, it is my humble opinion that a deadpan pitcher will always be better than a pitcher who displays emotion. To see what I mean, put yourself in the shoes of a hitter as he steps to the plate. There is one out, and the previous batter just laced  a single to right field. You are feeling comfortable as you walk toward the plate, realizing that a hit from you could start a rally. This is a big moment in the game, and you are feeling good. Then you glance up at the pitcher.

(I’ll present two scenarios, and you decide which one will lead you to feeling even more confident than you already feel) Scenario 1: the pitcher snaps the ball back from the shortstop, cusses into his glove, trudges to the mound as if he were just dumped by his girlfriend, and steps onto the rubber. Scenario 2: the pitcher calmly catches the ball from the shortstop, walks confidently back to the mound, steps onto the rubber, and throws a deadpan stare your way as if he wanted to give up that single in order to force you into a ground ball, inning ending double play. Under which scenario would you expect to feel more confident and comfortable as a hitter? (Feel free to answer in the comments section)

Classic Deadpan Pitcher

To give a bit more color I will provide an anecdote that was relayed to me by the Mariners Minor League pitching coordinator–I’ll call him Stater, which may or may not be a real nickname. So, Stater had seen a video of Braves legend, Tom Glavine. The video was edited so that a viewer simultaneously watched two of Glavine’s games, side by side. The camera was fixed on Glavine, meaning the viewer had hardly an idea as to how the hitters were hitting the ball. Apparently, Glavine dominated in one of the games; he was crushed in the other. Nonetheless, Stater described that from watching Glavine alone, the viewer had no idea which game was Tom’s good one and which was his bad. The reason? Aside from a few unfriendly glances at an umpire, Glavine reacted very little in response to what happened on the field. Glavine is a deadpan pitcher.

You may disagree, but it’s my opinion that if Tom Glavine does something on a mound, then it is probably a good idea. Let’s all be deadpan pitchers.

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Posted in College Baseball, Professional Baseball

There truly is nothing like Minor League baseball

Posted on July 20, 2011 | 3 Comments

After just over 2 full seasons in Minor League baseball, it is time that I accept the following fact: I am going to witness strangeness. Fairly often, that strangeness comes in the form of mid-inning promotions. Until recently, though, I would have difficulty choosing a clear winner in the category: weirdest mid-inning promotion of all time. Thanks to creative minds in North Carolina, my choice is now an easy one.

A staple and an undeniably enjoyable part of Minor League baseball, mid-inning promotions are those family-friendly, local-business sponsored, off-the-wall creative events that take place between selected innings during a Minor League game. Although the promotions vary by stadium, some common examples are the dizzy-bat race, the mascot vs. cute kid race around the bases, and the mascot vs. fan dance-off. These are a few of the more generic mid-inning games. As you are about to find out, a stadium’s staff will occasionally venture far, far off the promotionally beaten path.

At some point during the middle of our first game against the Carolina Mudcats, I looked up, then thought, “this can’t be what I think it is.” I looked a little closer and realized, “this is exactly what I think it is.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact name of the promotion or the company that sponsored it, so I will just explain what I saw. There were 3 kids on each team, and they were in a race. The race was similar to a potato sack race. However, instead of collaborating inside one large potato sack, each team worked together inside one enormous pair of whitey-tighties.

That’s right, it was a team vs. team race whereby each set of 3 children was informed that they were to step together into the largest pair of underwear* they had ever seen–if whales wore underwear they’d need a smaller size. Each team of 3 was to then run as fast as possible to a nearby cone, turn around, and run back. The first trio to cross the finish line still wearing its collective undies would be declared the winner.

The crowd roared, likely with laughter, and loved it. The kids loved it. The underwear? Well, the underwear was put under a lot of stretch.. In spite of the strangeness, the promotion was a success. Yes, if I were a baseball fan living near Zebulon, NC, I would surely look forward to my next opportunity to attend Five County Stadium, grab a hot dog and peanuts, catch some AA Mudcat action, and watch local children race each other in the infamous underwear race.

 

*Disclosure: The children remained fully clothed during the entirety of the event.

 

 

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Posted in Life on the Road, Minor League Moments, Professional Baseball

A Minor League season is sometimes not the best time to blog about a Minor League season

Posted on July 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

Over 1 month and an All-Star break have taken place since my last entry. As you’d expect, I have learned during that time that it is easy to get away from making official entries into an online blog during a Minor League season.

Here are some reasons* why:

  • Rare Time Alone: 60% of my time is spent at a ballpark with 24 other guys. Fortunately for me, since the All-Star Break, much of the other 40% has been spent with my family or with my lovely girlfriend. As a result, my time alone in a dark corner has been limited–Human Interaction: 1; The Inside Fastball: 0
  • Bad outings: Believe it or not, the first thing I think after giving up 5 runs in 4 innings is not, “Gee, I can’t wait to go blog about this.” It’s more like, “Dadgummit.”
  • Rhythm of the Season: A Minor League season is extremely susceptible to groove-staying. What I mean is, whatever I have been doing, I am likely to continue doing. The All-Star festivities brought great family time, long days, and little time to write a blog. Since then, I have stayed in a similar rhythm of working, hanging out, and not writing blog entries.
For the remaining two months of the season, I plan to enter a productive blog-writing groove in which I will spend plenty of time in dark corners writing about the good with the bad. I hope you will enjoy and, even better, learn from what I write. 
         *”Reasons” in this case can be used interchangeably with “excuses.”

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Posted in Professional Baseball

On the Road Again

Posted on June 8, 2011 | 6 Comments

As a Minor League Baseball player, I don’t look forward to early mornings. Night games translate to late nights, and Friday night was no exception. After we won an extra-inning contest, I headed back to my apartment, packed my bag for our 10-game road trip, and fell asleep around 1 a.m. I set my phone alarm for 5:40.

My iPhone did its job, and I headed to the field just after 6 a.m. Stanton and I hurried onto the bus to grab our seats in the coveted exit row; extra leg room immediately improves an unavoidably cramped bus trip. Five hours and a team full of sore knees later, we made it to Kodak, Tennessee’s Days Inn—our newest home away from our home away from home.

Shortly after arriving in Kodak, we headed to the Tennessee Smokies’ stadium. As mundane as it may seem, my first walk into the visiting clubhouse always brings a level of excitement. Every clubhouse is different, so I will typically take a few minutes to explore the intricacies of my new environment. I quickly discovered that my current circumstances in the Smokies’ visiting clubhouse are favorable. To give some detail, here are three reasons why I like this clubhouse:  1) The clubhouse is large—space is very important; 2) I have a corner locker; 3) Bottled waters are always available in a mini fridge.

 

 

It is four great days after that first walk through the clubhouse, and we are checking out of the Days Inn. Being only a few hours from home, I’ve been fortunate to hang out with my parents, throw rocks at my brother in a Smoky Mountain stream, see 3 of my favorite aunts, my funniest uncle (Ben, I’ll be sure to give you a shout-out soon ha), and my best Pa-Pa. On the field, we have played four games against the first place Smokies; if we win today we win the series and pull to within a game of a first-place tie. I pitched in game 3 and got to help the team get a W.

Regardless of today’s outcome, we will climb back onto the bus around 11 p.m. and begin our southbound trek to Huntsville, Alabama. I hope I get an exit row seat…

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Posted in Professional Baseball

What free time does to a pitcher: cools him down

Posted on May 12, 2011 | 3 Comments

The largest amount of creativity on any baseball field will almost always be found in its bullpen. Our bullpen’s pre-BP antics before Monday’s game are but one example of that creativity at work. I should begin by presenting the definition of a ‘cool-down:’

A cool-down: an aerial delivery of cold water by one player into                             another player’s face or down the back of his jersey; the purpose of a                   cool-down is to cool down a teammate — Sample Sentence: Hey                       Moran, Penney wants a cool-down.

Now, typically, cool-downs will be isolated incidents whereby one player, usually a bullpen pitcher, is feeling especially in need of cold water to the face or back. However, on this blogworthy day, our bullpen took cool-down activity to an unprecedented level. We decided the heat of the day elicited a more aggressive and simultaneous delivery of cool-downs.

As such, we gathered in a large circle around home plate in the Mississippi Braves’ visiting bullpen. We were to count to 3, at which point each member of the circle would thrust his cup of icy water into the face of any other member of the circle. We began the countdown: 3-2… of course, one especially eager member of the bullpen pulled the trigger early. As he blasted water into the face of his neighbor, everyone looked around, shocked. The trigger puller’s neighbor returned the favor, quickly seeking vengeance. Chaos ensued, and everyone, laughing, got soaked. At this point, a normal person would chuckle off the preceding event and head out into the outfield, hoping his shirt would dry before batting practice started. Bullpen pitchers are not normal people.

So.. we quickly thought through what we could do next. We decided upon the creation of a cool-down firing squad. The way it worked: the first shooter of ice water chose his victim, stepped back, and delivered a well-aimed and powerful blow to his mate’s face or chest. Forced to face the attack, each respective victim stood with his back against the brick wall while he received a dousing onslaught. As a reward for his bravery, the now wetter member of our group was allowed to choose the man whom he would next drench. With fire in his eyes, the victim turned perpetrator then did his best to deliver an equally crushing yet cooling shot.

I know what you’re thinking. That sounds awesome!!! You’re right, it was.

Unfortunately, we lost the game later that night and so have yet repeat any major cool-down activity. Baseball superstition: 1; Cool-downs: 0

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Posted in Life on the Road, Minor League Moments, Professional Baseball

Vote for Tyler Wilson to win the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award

Posted on May 9, 2011 | 1 Comment

Tyler Wilson, the Virginia basball team’s Saturday starter, has been named a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. He currently ranks second in voting!

Go here and vote for Tyler. The contest allows one vote a day per computer.

I played with Tyler in 2008 and 2009. He pitched some really important innings for us in 2009 and, subsequently, was a major part of our Omaha-reaching team. He is a great leader, setting an example to be followed by his teammates. ‘Hoo knows, by the time this season is over, he may have been a central contributor for the 2011 national champions… Statistically, he currently has a 2.85 ERA and is 5-0 while striking out more than a batter an inning.

Regarding how great Tyler is off the field, I could easily fill a 500 word post. I’ll save your eyes and just ask you to take me for my word. He is one of those people who passionately cares for anyone whom he meets. He carries his zest for life into the numerous leadership positions which he holds within student groups. Straight up, he’s awesome.

Oh yeah, and he gets good grades as a Biology major.

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Posted in Professional Baseball

The Beginning of a Marathon

Posted on May 1, 2011 | 1 Comment

The energy and freshness with which Spring Training began gradually turned to a lull. As we progressed toward the last day of camp, the day’s main source of anticipation revolved around the clubhouse bulletin board. Each morning, I sauntered nervously toward the board and sheepishly looked up, hoping that my name remained on the AA roster. Alongside many of my peers, I held my breath for 6 days. Then, finally, before boarding the plane to Nashville, I exhaled a long release of relief. I was really doing it—happy and excited, I broke camp with the Jackson Generals.

It is truly a joy, once again, to be geographically close to my family. Adding exhilaration, this is my first season pitching in AA, the organic chemistry of baseball; to baseballers, it’s clear that this is the level that separates the boys of summer from the men who drive Range Rovers. Our season started 3 days after our initial trip into Jackson, and the energy was building every hour.

Following a bus trip into Pearl, Mississippi, we prepared to face my hometown team’s AA squad, the Mississippi Braves. The rush, the blood pulsing through my veins, quickened when I laid eyes on the Tomahawk laden scoreboard. When Stephen Penney was called into the game as our first reliever, I opened my eyes wide and was agog with an anxious eagerness. The electricity I felt as I saw Penney jog onto the battlefield is comparable to my feeling when I watched Michael Schwimer trek to the mound to face Georgia Tech during my first ACC series as a Cavalier. In each instance, I sat in the bullpen, my heart racing, my gaze fixed upon an unforgettably wonderful yet terrifying scene, thinking, “Wow, he’s really about to do this,” followed by, “Yikes, I may be next.”

Amidst the rush of our first series, I was eventually summoned to pitch. Regrettably, I did not pitch well. As a disgrace to the way the game should be played, I walked two batters, including one walk that brought in a run. With the start of the season still moving at a frenzied pace, I got a chance in series two to bounce back. With a 1-2-3 inning I jumped back on the horse, and it felt great. The rush continues, and I look up—we’re 21 games in.

At some moment between day one and today, I realized that I have been here before, contextually, anyway. I know this race; I ran it last year. The rhythm of the days, the routine of the workouts, the daily baseball tossing: this territory looks familiar. And as I pause to breathe, I realize, once again, that I have entered myself into a Minor League Marathon. The mile marker reads “2.” My work has just begun.

My pause ending, my breathing slowed, it is time for me to put my head back down and work through the 26th mile.

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Posted in College Baseball, Life on the Road, Minor League Moments, Professional Baseball

The Sociology of Baseball?

Posted on March 31, 2011 | 12 Comments

Jason Markovitz is from California, and I am from the East Coast. I have known Markovitz for two weeks. Remarkably, in those two weeks, we have twice discussed the merits of In-N-Out Burger versus those of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. Being from Cali, he holds a West Coast bias that I believe pushes his opinion of In-N-Out burgers above reality. Admittedly, I likely hold an East Coast bias that pushes my hometown burger joint above its actual tastiness—whatever, 5 Guys is clearly better.

I know what you’re thinking. Who, aside from the Hamburglar, spends 85 words on burger talk?

Well, I think that there is some significance to a situation where a group of people are pushed to frequently talk about cross-country cheeseburgers. The same significance is present whenever a person is blasted by reggaetón* only to walk two feet and catch a hook by country music star Jason Aldean. Situations similar to these two will likely be found in every professional baseball clubhouse. The cause leading to these occurrences is that professional baseball mashes together young men from as many backgrounds as there are Minor League mascots.

Yes, in any clubhouse, massive are the distinctions between a player’s geographic background, level of education, financial background, language(s) spoken, cultural heritage, etc. In fact, I challenge any reader to bring forth a profession whose workers come from as wide a spectrum as those who work in professional baseball.

What does it matter that a baseball clubhouse is a current day melting pot? In my opinion, the diverse atmosphere is a result of a system that should be heralded as a model. At its highest level, the baseball world is one of merit. The barrier to entry is simple and clear: you have to be good. If you grow up with a ball and a glove, some talent and a will to work, a bat and a dad who cares about you, you’ve got a chance. No matter the language you speak, the amount of money in your wallet, or the brain in your head, you’ve got a chance.

Within America’s pastime is an embodiment of America’s commitment to being a land of opportunity. And you may be thinking that these open opportunities are present everywhere in the US of A. To that I say, think about the people against whom you compete for a position or who share your profession. Do they look like you, talk like you, and live in places similar to yours?

Somewhere, below the surface, are reasons why your answer to that question is probably yes, while a baseball player’s answer to that question is no.

 

 

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggaeton

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Posted in Professional Baseball