It's a Long Way to the Top

if you wanna rock and roll. As the middle of May brought about the end of school, it meant I had to go through one of the most annoying days of the year: Move-out Day.

I had all my clothes, wardrobes, baseball equipment, bed linen, school books, electronics, etc. It can get very overwhelming. Finally getting it done, I loaded the car and drove on home. That is only half the battle. Once you get home, things need to find their place and a lot of cleaning and moving around needs to get done. One of the only good things to come from this day, was perhaps finding some old things you kind of forgot about. That would happen to me.

I came across my evaluation paper from my first summer in baseball camp. Remember that I had zero experience playing baseball and began playing it with my brother in my junior year of high school. That summer, I signed up for camp. The camp was geared toward the college bound high school player, and I was ignorant enough to sign up.

The evaluation is broken into several parts: Running, Arm, Fielding, Hitting, and General. Now I will give the individual scores within each section. Prepare to be really shocked at what you see. Aside for running and velocity, everything is scored based on 1-5, 1 being needs improvement, 2 is below average, 3 is average skill, 4 is above average, and 5 is outstanding skill.

For Running, they held the 40 and 30 times. I an the 40 in 5.20 and the 30 in 4.17. I'm not too concerned about the speed back then, and I really don't know how much faster I got, but I did go 9-9 in stolen bases this past year, so I'd have to say I did gain somewhere along the way.

For Arm, this is where it shows how out of place and in over my head I was. There were four parts to Arm. Arm strength, velocity, accuracy, and mechanics. Accuracy and mechanics, I scored a 3-, and I was lucky for that. I was also lucky to receive a 2 when it came to arm strength. You know why? I was pumping them in there at...can you guess? 54 miles per hour! 54! You show me a junior in HS who's a catcher throwing 54 mph, try to project where he can end up. I think today (and this is based on other people's opinions), after a nice long toss session I can hit 80, which I still work on to get better. Who would have known that four years can bring a 26mph gain in velocity. Not only that. I bet you 54 was what I topped out at. I bet I averaged around 52.

Moving along, we get to fielding. I was a catcher who couldn't block for squat. I was also terrible at catching the ball. I have a VHS of my performance at camp, and I recall it not working after a couple years, but they had a college pitcher just throw to tape catchers receiving skill. I was awful. However, playing for a week straight, I was making lots of improvement is every facet of defense. So by the time evaluations came around, I was able to change enough to got completely embarrass myself. I got a 2+ in mechanics, throwing footwork, framing, blocking, and release to 3B. I got a 2 in release to 2B, and a 3 in bunts.

Ah, Hitting. I got an at bat a day I think because we only played a few innings each afternoon as a game. I think I struck out every day except the last I was determined to hit the damn ball. I hit an opposite field XBH, I can't remember if it was a double or triple. I'm pretty sure it was a triple, and I hit a double the next year at camp. Anyway, I got a 3- for lower body mechanics, backside, frontside containment, upper body mechanics, swing, swing arc, bunting, and multiple skills. I got a plan 3 for stance, stride, point of contact, extension, follow through, and power. I scored a 2+ for contact.

The General section was my pride and glory. I scored a 4 across the board - attitude, coachability, and work ethic.

I guess you can say that my General scores is what gave me the chance to improve into the player I am today. I'd love to get evaluated again, but most of all, I'm just taking time to appreciate my accomplishments and consider some perspective. I wouldn't say I'm at the top, but it has certainly been a long way.

Recap

Wow, it has certainly been a while. Definitely no reason why it had to be this long, I guess I got lazy, but now I have several topics to blog about so hopefully they will pop out like a Hasidic mother and her Hasidlings.

So to start this blog comeback, it is fitting I fill you all in on the remainder of the Yeshiva season. That is why the title is called: Recap.

To start, the year was a tremendous disappointment. For one thing, we finished the year 1-28. Now, we aren't a team expected or expecting to finish with a winning season. We need to keep it one game at a time and finish with seven, eight, and that's an extreme success. I think the team's failure can be credited to two things, which, when combined, led to a disaster: terrible weather allowing for one outdoor practice before the season, and having all the "winnable" games at the beginning of the season.

I'm sure you can already see where this is headed. A team like Yeshiva, where we are already suffering from terrible lack of experience, not getting our reps in on a field is huge. We were cooped up in a tiny gym, where Bengie Molina can go home to first in 2.5. The reason for being indoors can be credited to two really annoying snow storms. To add onto that, our only baseball exclusive facility in school, our outdoor batting cage, was knocked over during the second storm.

So there we were, a team who hadn't been able to take BP since the fall, beginning our season after seeing the outdoors just once since the leaves were brown. We were determined to come out strong and not be bothered by our poor circumstances. And we actually played good baseball. Five out of our first eight games were decided by three runs or less. Problem was, we were always on the losing side. Two of the teams we had faced during that time we had beaten last year.

We went on to the tougher teams and didn't fare well at all. Our hitting was non existent. At this point, we were playing too many games to practice in between (remember that school comes before baseball) and we still had no cage. No way to really work on the issues we had. What was really bad was that our pitching, for the most part, kept us in the games, and our fielding was also a big improvement since last year. I really think a cage could have helped us find our stroke.

By the year's end we squeezed a win against Baruch on senior day, which was definitely huge for the team. Going through a season winless, with games getting tougher and tougher can really be taxing. We went through it during my freshman year, and it really creates a bad energy in terms of the chemistry. It is understandable; nobody wants to lose.

For me personally, the year was also a big letdown. I came into the season ready to mash and I wanted to make a push for all conference, but I came nowhere close. For the beginning of the year, I started off a little slow, but I had productive at bats, driving in six runs in seven games. I started to square up the ball pretty well for the rest of the first half, but I was unlucky several times. I remember several times lining out to infielders and outfielders alike. It was frustrating, but I knew I was good as long as I was making hard contact.

After the Passover break, I came back very determined to hit. I had gotten to take a nice amount of BP and actually hit four over the wall in one session. I was ready to go. Not quite. The first game back I went 1-3, and actually broke up a no hitter, but it ended up being a one hitter for the guy, so I don't feel too bad. After that, I went on to experience the worst slump of my career. I hit 1-23, with just two walks and a stolen base. I wasn't striking out, which is something I can say lasted the entire season (16% K rate over the year and 17% over the slump period). With that info, I have to imagine I wasn't being very selective at the plate. I mean, being really selective. Like, if it's not two strikes, to really sit on something I like. I wasn't doing it and I learned my lesson.

At the time I wasn't too hooked on the pitch selection part. Maybe I was too stubborn to believe it, who knows. But I did just try to simplify my swing as much as possible. And I came out of my slump in style. After going 1-3 in the opening game of a DH, we found ourselves down 2-1 early. The rain was coming down hard and we figured we knew the game would be called after five innings. In the bottom of the third, their pitcher had trouble throwing strikes. After getting one quick out, he walked the next two on eight pitches. I came up, with a self-made red light, but once he throws any sort of strike, I'm hacking at the next good one. After one ball, and one strike, I was ready. He threw a fastball slightly above the waist and put my best swing on it, and sprinted around the bases as it sailed over the CF wall.

I really started hitting for the remainder of the season. Going into the last game of the year I was 9-20 (.450) with five doubles and a home run. That's what I expect to be doing! Nothing wrong with an .850 slugging percentage. The reason why I bring up the last game is because we were facing Pat Gale, CUNY's best pitcher. Scouts came to watch him. Needless to say, I got really geared up to hit, chased three straight pitches and went right back to the dugout. I got way too amped up and got myself out. That got me furious for the remainder of the day. I struck out once more against the relief but relaxed myself at the end and put together a good at bat.

So, at year's end, I finished .226, 7 walks, 8 doubles, 1 HR, 3 HBP and I was 9-9 in stolen bases. I With 93 at bats, that left me with a .301 OBP, and .341 SLG. Not what I'd like to be doing, but because of the obvious positives, I will go at it, and I am confident next year will be better.

Defensively, I thought I had a great season. As a catcher, that is the most important as well. I thought my receiving was good, my blocking was excellent, and the throws also were much better than years before. I don't think that I get a good shot at all bases attempted against me, but I'm a big critic of myself, so I need to make sure my throws are there anyway. And they were. Coaches assured me, I was executing my half of the play. But towards the end of the first half I was coming down with a dead arm. Nothing on it. My long toss distance dropped, my throws had no carry. Over the break I got on the Jaeger throwing program, designed to improve arm strength and durability. I was most excited about not losing velocity after consecutive days of throwing. It paid off tremendously. Teammates noticed the pop in my throws and the numbers show it as well.

Here is an estimation of the breakdown of numbers before and after break. I can't find the info, but I'm 90% it is very accurate. I am pretty sure I had thrown out 3 runners before the break, which came out to 5%. The math would indicate that 60 bases were stolen against. At years end, they had stolen 109, and I had thrown out 6 since then. Taking away the 60 from before the break (and 3 SB), I threw out 12% during the second half. That's over twice the amount in the first half. Lesson learned: Jaeger Throwing Program = Excellent. I'm really proud of that 12%, and I hope to see it get bigger next year.

That basically covers it. So, going into the summer, this is what I'm doing: For offense, just being really patient and sticking to it. I already see the results in the few games we played so far (lots of walks and more power hitting). Defensively, I plan on sticking to that long toss program, getting a stronger arm, and working on consistency and accuracy.

Stay tuned, more posts on the way.

Beat

OK, it's definitely time for an update, as we are seven games into our season. The games have been OK, although we haven't won. It's pretty frustrating because for the most part we are playing good baseball but it's not all coming together at any one game. I'm sure it'll come, just have to keep playing hard and be patient.

As usual, I'm off to a slow start - definitely not as bad as last year though. I'm having good at bats, and hitting the ball hard, just not falling. And still under 25 at bats, so a knock here and there makes the world of a difference in the batting average. Not that I'm concerned about my numbers, but it's always nice to tell someone you are batting a high number. When I tell someone I'm batting .208, it really doesn't give the whole picture.

We just came off a stretch with four games in three days. I caught every inning, and my body is really beat. Luckily we have two off days before our DH Sunday. I can start to imagine the physical toll on professional baseball players, although I know I could go out get loose and play today, it's still incredible they play through six months of this. But I was thinking this morning as I sorely hobbled to the bathroom - imagine after all this, I got trucked by a 215 pounder in a play at the plate. I would wake up in a world of hurt - and still have to play.

The only thing really bothering me is that on Thursday (yesterday) my arm had nothing in it. It wasn't even that it was hurting, it was just dead. I don't know what to do at this point. Thankfully we have off days, but it's not comforting knowing that my arm can't play a week of baseball without losing some pop. And if you know me, pop in my arm is not something I have extra to spare. Another time to appreciate pro players.

I'd like to end off with a quote from Joe Crede, although it will be paraphrased because I can't find the official quote: The only time a baseball player is pain free is the first day of Spring Training.

No Fear

Season to start in two days. We are looking to rent a turf field, because our grass field we normally on is definitely not in good condition.

Anyway, with the season starting, it's time to focus more on the mental side of the game and less on the physical/mechanical. For me, and almost every ballplayer, we've just spent months upon months working toward this short season.

What I want to talk about is fear of failure. It's always frustrating to lose, but it hurts more when you've really really tried to succeed.

I don't think it comes down to getting in the box and being afraid of not hitting well, or stepping on the field and being afraid of booting the baseball. Instead, I think fear of failure hurts in a different way. I think after working really hard, you are so ready to just mash, you may get too anxious in the box.

It's very important to take note of the mental game and play very healthily from that perspective. At the plate, make sure you aren't hacking, but you are aggressive only at your pitches. On the field, just try to anticipate every possible situation and slow the game down for yourself.

I can't wait to play.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Aight. It's getting down to business, practice is getting more intense as the season draws closer. Not that they haven't been until now, but with the season approaching, more things are expected of us. It's funny how several colleges have already played a few games already, but Spring Training hasn't even started yet.

I've been watching a whole lot of video from Pitchers and Catchers and it really fires me up. The only thing is that you take a look at what they have; indoor facilities, outdoor facilities, it makes me so jealous. Our batting cage has been all ice the past week and a half, but it finally dried. At this point, with the weather the way it has been, we'd be lucky if we started the season on time. I've accepted the fact that we probably won't get any outdoor practices before the season starts. Maybe one or two.

I don't want this post to just be updates and complaining so let's talk about aging players. More specifically, Jorge Posada on coaching the Yankee catching prospects. He needs to do this because at some point in the next two years, someone will have to take over as starting catcher while Posada fades into retirement. It's definitely not easy, especially for such an intense player like Posada to get used to that kind of role.

But that gets me thinking - I would say that 99% of ML players love baseball (There might be the Andre Agassi equivalent somewhere), and suddenly when they are too old to play, it all stops. I guess after it dominating your life for the better part of two decades (or more), it can come as a relief, but I think it gets hard for most players after a year or so of being out of the game. Many try to come back as coaches, managers, etc.

As you age you mature and it can't come as a shock to you that the organization is looking for your replacement. The classy player, like Posada is trying his best to be (and I think he is), sees the mentoring as part of his role on the team. A guy like him is not loving the fact that he might lose playing time just for someone to get some experience but he did it to Girardi back in '98. What goes around comes around.

Daily Dozen

OK, so I got the title from a marine workout, but what I'll do is give twelve things that I work on during practice everyday. I think I'm going to leave hitting out, only because there's so much to write about hitting, I'll keep offense and defense separate.

Obviously I try to do everything right, but I think you are more effective when you clearly define what you are working on. So perhaps twelve things may be a bit excessive, but I like the sound of the title so it's staying.

1. Sticking the low pitch. A big thing heard with catchers is "let the ball get deep." It gives the umpire a good view. But when the ball is low, it will only get lower (based on trajectory of pitch - except submarine delivery). Therefore, catching it sooner will keep the ball in the bottom of the strikezone.

2. Letting the high pitch get deep. (See what I did? I split the framing part into two sections. That's how you fill up a dozen things.) Same concept of catching the ball in the strikezone. Catching it deeper (closer to your body) will allow the ball to drop as much as possible, hopefully letting the umpire see it low enough for a high strike.

3. Blocking the fastball in the dirt. This is one of the hardest things to do. I almost never see a ML catcher get their body in front of it. They always go for the pick. They do this because they don't have time, and mostly because you never expect it. Pitchers are not supposed to be bouncing fastballs. I like to think that when I'm in-season, my reflex is to block everything that hits the dirt. But today I had a wild pitcher and he bounced a bunch, and I blocked zero. The key to blocking is anticipating the ball in the dirt and being ready to drop in front of the ball.

4. Don't get crazy. Like I mentioned before, to block well, you need to anticipate every pitch being in the dirt. But the same goes true when working on how to frame. So I'll need decide when I'm working at which. I guess for the wild pitcher, I'll make sure I keep the ball in front of me.

5. Tucking the chin when blocking. I tend to not look the ball into my chest when blocking. This had led to tooth chipping twice, one mouth guard and a neck extension for my mask. What I need to do here is take several reps blocking and focus on the mechanical execution.

6. Getting into a good stance. I noticed that a bunch of times I don't spread my feet wide enough to effectively sway behind the dish. Swaying is effective when it comes to staying in front on the ball, allowing for better framing technique. Keeping my feet close together is more comfortable, but I need to get used to getting in the inside of my toes and being a good target back there.

7. Good transfers. This is the easiest thing to work on, but only because you get to do this any time you catch a ball. Warming up, you get 30-40 throws at least. Every time you catch a ball, get the glove and hand working together up by the ear.

8. Keeping elbow up on throws. Consistency in throwing mechanics is so important, and for every position. I tend to drop my elbow and that leads to errant throws. So now, every time I throw, I work on my transfer, and make sure my throwing elbow is up and ready to whip. I already notice increased accuracy and zip .

9. Stay low on throws. This means keeping an athletic bend in the knees, allowing to get more power from lower half. It also helps keep the ball down, throwing through second and not over it.

10. Appreciate every day on the field, whether in a practice or a game. OK, this is pretty cheesy, but it's getting really difficult to think of new things. But, the truth is, not taking anything for granted allows for a more dedicated work ethic. When you enjoy being out there, you'll work harder.

11. Know what each batter has done previously. I used to be better at this, but I've slipped. I obviously remember the guys who have gotten the big hit, or the guys who've looked silly on a curveball, but I feel like I should know much more. Granted, this isn't something I can do daily during practice, but I need to fill up the dozen somehow.

12. Keep working. Just work.

OK, I did it. That took some decent effort. If you have anything to add, let me know. Tomorrow is a new day, get another chance to do my daily dozen. Repetition, repetition, repetition.

Final Stretch

First day of practice was this morning. Not too surprisingly, I actually slept last night. I didn't get much sleep over the weekend, but even though I was tired the anticipation of practice kept me up for a while.

We were told not to bring our gloves because Day 1 would only be conditioning. Coaches held true to their word. The only purpose a glove would have served would be to vomit into - in case you couldn't make it into a garbage or toilet. At least four threw up this morning, possibly even six. No, I wasn't one of them. I made sure to hydrate very properly the day before and even woke up early to make eggs and toast before practice. When I woke up this morning and went to the bathroom, I saw my urine had some yellow color and I was disappointed. But I was fine in the end.

I feel like all of my posts in the past few months (all three of them) have basically been about me working really hard and waiting for the season to watch everything pay off. But now that practice is here, I like to see how it pays off now. I know small D3 college isn't a good comparison but I kind of feel like the catcher who comes into camp having shed some pounds and got into decent shape. And you kind of hope that everyone notices, especially the coaches. I know that you shouldn't be playing trying to impress people, but it's normal to want to impress the people who decide when you play.

Anyway, we basically have practice 5-6 days a week for a month and then the season starts. I am super pumped to get rolling. Part of me wants to be able to practice more than a month before the season, especially because we get maybe one week outdoors. Damn northeast.

Before you know it I'll be writing my season recap. Anyway, I got to get moving, I need to get a good night's sleep and I want to do some hitting and a core workout. Peace.

Milestone

So first of all, a big shout out to my older sister and younger brother on their birthdays this week. Obviously, that is a big milestone in their respective lives, turning one year older. But you want to hear another milestone? This is post number fifty! So thanks to all you readers who've stuck through everything, the good and bad.

To keep with the milestone motif, I feel obliged to tell everyone about the most recent weigh in. This past Wednesday we again measured our weight, BMI, and fat percentage. So in the past month, I lost four pounds, dropping to 191, which made my BMI drop from 26.5 to 25.9. Now, weight loss is not really a goal of mine. Losing fat is the priority, while gaining muscle. I was obviously very pleased to see that my fat percentage dropped from 15.2% to a microscopic 12%. It was great to see these results, especially because practice begins in one week, February 1st.

So I wouldn't go ahead and say that the weigh ins are becoming milestones, although I truly look forward to them. It definitely keeps me motivated when it comes to doing my cardio and I think that being fit and in good shape will help me tremendously on the field. Being as I routinely catch doubleheaders, carrying less fat will definitely keep me fresher.

Now, keeping all that in mind, being in better shape, being stronger, and the work I've been doing on my hitting, hopefully I can have some on-field milestones. 38 days until opening day!

Baseball Writers

I was originally going to write about the coming out of Mark McGwire, but like I've said before, I'm sick of talking about steroids. See previous post about it.

I heard Peter Gammons talking about what he thought about the whole situation. I was never sure why writers are the ones who get the say on who gets in the Hall. It seems unfair. What exactly do they do that puts them in a position to do that? If anything it seems unfair because they can be very biased, based on who was media-friendly. We saw just last year how Jim Rice was finally voted in, and many speculate it took this long because he was very unfriendly to the media.

Writers often get me very upset because I find that so few have any playing experience, their outlook on the skills of baseball are so skewed, what often comes out on paper makes me want to vomit. The way it works is that the writer must belong to the Baseball Writers Association of America for ten years - then he or she has voting writes.

But back to Gammons, his view on the McGwire situation was very refreshing. Not so much about Mark himself, but on the game of baseball. While saying he doesn't think he would vote for McGwire ever again he states his reason. "It is a form of cheating. Can you award someone with the highest honor in baseball? I say no." I do not necessarily agree with this. If someone would have been great enough to make it anyway, I wouldn't necessarily be upset to see him be inducted, althout it's a tough judgement call. But here's when I fell in love with Gammons.

"You guys know how hard it is to be a major league player." I do believe that some writers don't. "And the Hall of Fame is an honor. It's not a statistical right." This is a brilliant statement in my opinion. While obviously the ones in the Hall have noteworthy stats, not every player with noteworthy statistics are voted in. Example: Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.

Gammons said later that "Writers say, 'well, my eyes tell me he must have done steroids.' There are going to be 1-5 people that were innocent that don't make the Hall of Fame because of the people who did cheat. And that really breaks my heart, knowing how hard all of you worked to get where you are." Marry me, Peter Gammons!

Gammons points out the true crime of steroid users. I think we can all deal with the fact that some guys have ruined it for themselves, but the worst part is how they ruined it for other players. For opposing pitchers (or hitters, if the user is a pitcher) and innocent players alike. And finally, the appreciation for the Major League players. I cannot recall hearing or reading someone just acknowledge the skills, aside for me, of course.

I just hope most of the writers think like him. God bless you, Peter.

Homeward Bound

God bless them.

So that's it. My stay in Miami is over. I had a great time, except for the itchy minor burns I got all over my back and front. As good and relaxing time that I've had, part of me is very glad it's over.

I'm going to be very honest with you avid readers and fans. I haven't been eating too well, and haven't been getting to the gym (which was not as advertised; I was expecting better facilities). I've totally broken the rhythm I had going for the past 6 weeks. I know its not the craziest deal, but I'm looking forward to getting everything back together.

I'll have a week until school starts and then about a week and a half until "Spring" practice kicks off. Well, I'm going to sign off here from Miami Beach, I got to watch some TV, get some sleep and rock out my morning flight.

Stay classy.

Israel Baseball League

Many of you know this is my ideal professional league. Mostly because I haven't the skill or experience to play professionally in the States. But in Israel, the obstacle of playing on the Sabbath is easily overcome and it is a high level of play that I think would suit me well.

Anyway, many may have heard of the IBL, but I feel like giving them some free promotion time on this great blog and let everyone know - watch "Holy Land Hardball" on the MLB Network tonight at 10pm. It is a great documentary about the struggles of the league, players and everyone involved. I've seen in twice and would see it again if I found access to the MLB Network. (I'm still in Miami Beach and coming back tomorrow morning.)

I hope this national showing helps bring awareness to the league and hopfully they will be able to jumpstart it again, maybe in the summer of '11. That would be the most clutch thing ever because I graduate in May 2011, and I would be able to continue my baseball career without a bump in the road.

There are only two things that I don't like about the IBL. The first is that games are seven innings long. They do this because the season is crammed in and they don't have free dates to make up games (as they don't play Friday nights or Saturdays). And to keep players healthy, the don't have extra innings- they decide the game in a HR Derby. While I'm sure that's exciting, it just doesn't seem fair or normal at all.

But I'd easily dismiss that if they can get that league going again. While I work out and practice and diet all for college baseball, in the back of my mind there's always that thought it doesn't end with a diploma in my hand.

Enjoy the film!

Vegas

OK, I didn't go to Vegas, but I went to the Hard Rock and played some blackjack. Obviously, I played by the book, went with what gave me the highest chance of winning, and was fortunate to walk away with a profit.

In thinking how this applies to baseball (because all I do is take what's going on to me and translate into baseball terms), it could come in a few different scenarios. The most obvious one that comes to mind first is pitching matchups, like bringing in the lefty, or a hitter's history vs. a certain pitcher.

As a Yankee fan, it got very annoying watching Joe Girardi get his cardio in everyday by taking several trips to the mound replacing each relief pitcher after a dozen pitches. But, at the end of the day, you can't really expect any different. (And now that they all buying a case for a new ring they just got, it seems it was the right way to go.)

I know this isn't how anybody should think - but how would you answer the media if you clearly went against extreme odds and let the .230 hitter face the closer with the tying run on second. If your answer is similar to "well, I went with my gut," then you're likely to make more mistakes, but if you have evidence that supports your decision, you can't really blame the manager.

But at the end of the day, Jeter bunts on his own.

Too Many Mind

I threw today. Not too much, barely anything hard. I was shoeless on a beach. I hadn't thrown since fall practice, probably early November.

It felt nice, but I need the proper warmup. The pregame jogging, stretching and long toss. Arm strength has never been one of my assets. Some people just have the ability to just rear back and that ball comes zipping out. I don't.

I don't need to explain why a strong arm is valuable at every position, but I will explain why "too many mind" applies to myself. First of all, the phrase comes from the movie, The Last Samurai, when one warrior explains to an American newcomer, that he must stop thinking about outside distractions.

I'm obviously very annoyed that I can't light up a radar gun, and I'm fortunate that throwing comes last on a catcher's priorities. But here in lies my problem. I know that to gain arm strength, I'll need to spend months on a daily long toss program, as such. And I've tried to get a LT partner over the summers, but there's really nobody in Brooklyn that I know that can commit to it. It's really a shame I go to such a prestigious University where the athletes come from across the country to play.

Anyway, so instead of really getting out there to long toss everyday (and again, during the winter, it's hard to do anything baseball related), I just think about everything when I throw. Keeping my front side closed, getting my throwing elbow back, keeping the knees bent and staying low, etc.

I think it's good that I'm aware of the proper mechanics, but I should probably just be throwing the ball and focus on being consistent, because thinking about all these things won't make me throw faster, only long tossing will.

Well, that's all that is going on inside my head these days.

Cold

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It wasn't quite sixty degrees down in Miami Beach, but better than NY, that's for sure.

With Baseball (again, religions are capitalized) always on my mind, I can't help but think how awesome it would be to play baseball in this weather. Upper fifties, that's totally fine, especially compared to 20 in NY. But in the 40s, you are starting to push it. Baseball isn't a cold weather sport, I think everyone can agree on that.

So please tell me why Target Field (new home for the Twins) will be completely outdoors? Granted, baseball is probably not meant to be played indoors, but if you're going to build a new stadium, why not make it retractable like Safeco?

I'm still shocked why the Yankees and Mets built outdoor stadiums. Lets put it this way, I would hate an indoor-only stadium, but to prevent rain-outs, and other bad conditions, make it retractable.

That's just my take. Maybe Joe Mauer will get fed up playing this year in the Minnesota cold and decide to sign with the Yanks after the season. Of course, when that happens, the Yankees would have just won their second straight championship, so there will be other motivations. Keeping those fingers crossed.

Routine

So my last post - I ended because I needed to go workout when the gym opened because I was heading to a small party later in the night. Well, unbeknownst to me, the gym no longer opens Saturday night because of intersession. In the long run, of course it doesn't really matter, but it gets annoying when your routine gets knocked off course, even for a little bit.

The past month or so, the baseball team was able to reserve exclusive gym time from 8am-9:30am. We were all put on a 5 day a week lifting program, and it was pretty exciting. First couple weeks, attendance was pretty good. But obviously, these aren't mandatory and plenty of guys were switching to evening workouts. Either way, I stuck to those mornings like gum under a school desk. The only two mornings I missed were the two days I had finals at 9:30am.

OK, enough about me, lets talk about the importance of a routine. I'm mostly jealous of the big leaguers who get paid to spend all day in a stadium (indoor and outdoor facilities) to work out, take reps, and just chill hard. There's no doubt these guys are much more likely to get into a routine, especially because many have 1-1 conditioning coaches. But, they do deserve it. The big leaguers obviously get the best treatment. Check out what Crash Davis has to say about the treatment in the show.

It should be noted that it is very likely that the big leaguers are the ones who have been able to keep a routine back when they were amateurs and minor leaguers. Even if it is not a routine that you follow to the tee, I think that baseball has to take precedence over other things. It has to become routine enough, that everyday you are hitting the gym, everyday you are taking swings, everyday you are taking fielding reps, everyday throwing pens and whatnot. Obviously off days are very important also, so I don't really mean every day.

But, in a physical sense, the practice time is what matters. The more swings, the more fine tuned your swing is. Apply that to anything in life. Practice is what makes you good. The better your routine is, the better practice you are getting. Also, I think the routine is good for you mentally. When you know you've put in the time, you know how good you're getting, you have more confidence, which goes a long way in this game.

(Note: When I said I was done talking about me, I lied.) As many of you know, I'm leaving to Miami tomorrow. One week on the beach and away from the frigid cold. Well, of course, I made sure the place I'm staying has a gym that suits my needs. Losing one week of the routine is really bad, especially because the season is approaching so quickly.

One last thing about routines. Lets see how routinely I can keep posting.

Excuse

No computer is the biggest. My motherboard died and I was without a computer for quite some time. Granted, I did have access at the library and computer labs in school, but I could never stay there for long periods of time.

But lately, with finals and whatnot, I haven't had too much time. Not that my grades reflect that at all.

Anyway, a lot has happened since my last post. Obviously the offseason for MLB proved to be an exciting one. For the Yankees, seeing Matsui go was tough, especially to the Angels. He's such a good hitter, and I feel like it's going to be tough having to face him in the playoffs. But at least Chone Figgins is no longer wearing the halo above his head. The only problem is, with the way the Mariners are running things, the Yanks just may face him in October.

Uch, October. Not that I hate it, but the player inside me is looking forward to dates much closer to now. For instance, February 1st brings the first "spring" practice. Unfortunately, I have inside information and I know there will be a lot of conditioning tests, so not too much baseball on Day 1. I have been working out, no doubt, but who wants to do sprints during baseball practice? Or ever?

After a short month of practice comes a short season. In the coming weeks I'm sure I'll write every detail of what my plans and goals are, but for now, I really want to get off to a good start. In my first two seasons in college, I started 0-9 and 0-15, respectively. I'm on pace to start 0-25 this year. That's a 2/3 growth for all you figger filberts out there. Just in terms of sticking to what was working in the summer, I'm going to try to just "barrel it up" instead of trying to wreck the ball. And you'd be surprised that it just might happen anyway.

Anyway, it's great to be writing again. The gym opens up in five minutes and I have to stick to my routine. A few teammates and I are having "weigh ins" every 3-4 weeks to track our BMI and fat percentage. We've had two so far. My BMI was first 27.3 and fat percentage of 15.9%. Three weeks later, on December 23rd, my BMI dropped to 26.5 and fat percentage to 15.2. So in truth, in the first three weeks, I was cutting my cardio short, but now I'm hitting it harder on the bike and treadmill (not too much on the latter, trying to protect the knees) and hopefully it'll pay off on January 20th, the next scheduled weigh in.

Alright, peace.