An Open Invitation

Today was the final day of spring training and while we had planned on having an on-field workout, the weather conditions had other plans. When I stepped out of the house I was greeted by a rainy 48 degree morning. Just lovely....this may be the one of the few places on Earth where one day you'll be playing in perfect conditions and the next you'll have no interest in being outdoors for any purpose. The day's workout was moved to Extra Innings, a very well conceived indoor facility on the outskirts of town. The goal of the day was to "get locked in" before opening day. After the workout we had a team meeting where we learned that our pitching coach was let go and replaced by what is being referred to as a "roving pitching instructor". There is a veil of secrecy over the circumstances of this move but from what I could tell it did not seem well received by certain members of the staff. This is a common theme among independent league ball clubs....There are certain personnel decisions made and no one ever hears anything specific about them. One day someone's locker is empty, a coach doesn't show up or whatever the case and you just go about your business like nothing happened. One thing you never forget as an independent league ball player is that your job is ALWAYS on the line and that EVERYONE is replaceable. The best advice I ever received regarding this phenomenon was to approach every day like a tryout. There aren't any jobs that I can quickly think of that have this level of NON-job security.

Now that we have spring training behind us it is finally time to get into the routine of the regular season schedule. Routine is something us ball players truly cherish. It is very comforting to know that you will be doing the same thing, at the same time for the next three months. Aside from the baseball related preparations for opening day, there have been a few other preparations made by members of the Defenders. Most of them are due to the relationship our team has with the US Military All-Stars. While no one is quite certain what the exact nature of this relationship is, one thing has been made very clear, personal appearance is one of, if not their only priority this season. Everyone must have short hair and be clean shaven all of the time. For those of you who know me personally you know this news has not exactly been embraced with open arms by yours truly. All argumentation and objection aside, I have complied with these rules and am excited to be a part of this organization. One thing I can't help but wonder is that if our ownership was asked to choose between winning a championship with long haired, beard wearing hooligans (like I USED to be) or finish last with a team full of guys who appear to be heading to Camp Lejune, which would they choose?? For now, we'll leave that one as a hypothetical question for you all to ponder.

In less than 24 hours I will take the field in an official, meaningful game for the first time since last August. After months of training, it is finally for real. With this comes the usual nervous, anxious feelings about starting a season. There are so many questions and the answers all seem to be in the very distant future. I always wish that I had a crystal ball and could look about 3 months into the future to find out what will transpire but in the meantime I will be taking them one game at a time. I cordially invite you to experience this journey with me. Warning -It will be filled with ups and downs, home runs and strike outs, good, bad and ugly but my goal throughout will be the same....to provide an in-depth account of the rigours of a minor league baseball season and to also shed light on some things that most probably don't know about this strange life we have chosen (or did it choose us, who knows?).