Here we go...

It's the first day of December and we're about 3 months into the off-season, halfway to getting back to the game I love. This past year was a successful one. It was my first full season and going into the year I just had one goal and that was to stay healthy. I figured that if I was able to maintain my health then everything else would fall in place. I did everything that I could last off season to ensure the fact that I would be in the best shape of my life to endure a 140 game season. I ended up playing in Greensboro, North Carolina for the Greensboro Grasshoppers the class low a affiliate of the Florida Marlins. All my numbers for the year are on milb.com, just type in my last name in the player search and you can see how my year went numbers wise.

Being in low a with a bunch of 18 and 19 year old kids was definitely a learning experience. I was the old guy of all the position players and I not only felt like a player but I also felt a lot like a mentor and coach. I'd like to think that a lot of the guys looked up to me and saw how I went about my business and learned a few things from me. I ended up getting voted as the MVP of the team which makes me believe that I was respected in how everyone on the team viewed me. I've come to realize that gaining the respect and trust of your teammates can be a tough thing because of how the dynamics of pro ball are, but when you do gain those two things from your teammates then it's that much more special.

Going into the year everyone said how long of a season it was going to be and to be prepared. To me it wasn't the physical part of the season that was the hardest it was the mental part. When you don't get a hit one game you can't worry about it because you more than likely have a game the next day. If you do begin to worry about one game or one situation then that's when it all begins to snowball and then your facing the dreaded "s" word (s***p). It got tough for a lot of guys at the end of the year because the off season was approaching and guys began to shut it down. For me the last couple of months was when I began to turn it on. I looked at it as being a time when everyone else is waring down so it would be a great time to turn it on. It also helped me with the simple fact of knowing that I was getting to play baseball still. As I grow older I begin to appreciate the gift that I have been given to play baseball and I take less and less for granted.

It was hard at the end of the season to say goodbye to some of the guys on the team that I had grown close to, but I also knew that I was transitioning into a different part of my life where I was going to get to see some more people who are a big part of my life.

I ended up getting back to Liberty on September 3rd, and I had a lot of questions about what I was going to do with my off season. I decided to stay at home with my family (which has been a great idea) and workout here at William Jewell College. After a couple weeks of taking some time off I got really bored and decided that it was about time to get a job. I got a job as a server at my favorite restaurant, Rancho Grande Cantina. I love the job, it keeps me busy, and there are a bunch of great people who I get to work with.

Right now my weeks usually consist of working out in the mornings and either hitting, cardio, or working in the evenings. I try to keep myself occupied with things to do while getting myself into even better shape than I was in last year. I know what it takes now for a full season and I just want to build on some of my successes that I enjoyed last year.

I'm hoping to update my blog at least 2 or 3 times a week, so make sure you check back to see what I have to say!

"If you're affraid to fail then ultimately you're affraid to succeed."