Mark Your Monday v1.3: Cacti

For those of you trying to justify to your friends that baseball players have just as tough a job as garbagemen or dishwashers...this might not be the week to dive into Mark Your Mondays. For those of you looking for a quick behind the scenes, and inside the mind, peek at a top lefty pitching prospect...enjoy.

            I hope everyone had a good weekend and isn’t suffering from a case of “the Mondays.”  I honestly lose track of the days since we are at the field 7 days a week.  I only realize it’s the weekend when my usual 20 minute commute to the complex takes about 10 minutes and I think, “It must be Saturday.”

            Rehab has continued normally for me over the past week.  My mornings have been filled with elasticity bands, 3-pound dumbbells, physioballs, and rice buckets while my afternoons have consisted of running, core workouts, and lower body lifting.  The weather actually altered my routine slightly last week when I opted to do my cardio workout on the bike as opposed to outdoors so I could avoid the rain.  The downpour also meant one other thing- I had to water my cacti (this sounds peculiar, but I can explain).  I always envisioned Arizona as a vast desert with miles and miles of cacti.  When I arrived here in January and I knew I would be living here for some time, I decided I had to buy a few cacti to call my own.  I was able to find four of them in a little pot in a store at the Tucson Mall for only $15.  Half-kidding, I asked the clerk if I needed to water them and she half-kiddingly responded by saying, “Water them every time it rains.”  I thought that seemed rather logical so I’ve heeded her advice ever since.  For the record, I’ve watered them twice since I’ve been here.

            On another non-baseball related note, I made a few trips to the driving range this past week.  Yesterday, we had a very short workout, so Anthony Cupps, Matt Green, Greg Smith, and hit a few buckets.  Smitty and I are actually novices when it comes to golf but the other guys offered some helpful hints.  All four of us met when we played together last summer in Missoula and I shared an apartment with Anthony.  All of the guys that played in Missoula formed a pretty tight-knit group.  It’s crazy how well you get to know guys when you play with them for a few months, especially when you go on the road together.

            That’s all for today.  I hope everyone has a great week.  I’ll be keeping my “nose to the grindstone.”