This past week, I was much less busy than the previous week. I felt like I
had never-ending amounts of down time, especially in the late afternoon and
early evenings. I think this is a dilemma that minor leaguers often have to
confront- what should we do when we’re not at the ballpark? Last summer,
we would typically spend our down time (in the afternoons) walking around the
mall or going to the movies. I honestly think I walked around every mall in the
entire state of Montana- twice. I also bet that I averaged just under a movie
per week last summer. This past week, I continued that trend by checking out two
flicks. I went to Mission: Impossible III with Peter Duda (a fellow Diamondback
pitcher and former Stanford teammate) and I saw Poseidon with Aric LeClair (a
pitcher who is currently rehabbing also). I thought they were both
above-average films and that MI 3 was particularly captivating. Some of
the spy technology used in that movie is incredible. Sometimes I wonder
how anyone can think that up, but I guess that’s why they’re movie writers.
I’m looking forward to the opening of The DaVinci Code on Friday. I’ll have to
see that movie at some point next week. I think everyone in America has read the
book, except for me. I’ve been holding out for the movie, so I guess my time has
arrived.
I’ve been following a lot of my friends and former teammates on-line these past
few weeks. It’s amazing how easy it is to keep tabs on everybody. I
can hop on-line and check up on anyone in a matter of seconds, including my
buddies who are still playing at Stanford, my former teammates from school who
signed and are playing in different organizations, my USA baseball friends, and
the guys I played with in Missoula last year. I’ve always been thankful
for all the great friends that baseball has enabled me to make. It’s
amazing that I have played with guys from all regions of the country from my
high school travel baseball days through college and into pro ball.
Hopefully I’ll stay in the game long enough to create enough friendships to be
able to drive cross-country and have a place to stay in every state. That would
be awesome! I probably won’t be able to drive through the Dakotas because
I don’t think I’m going to befriend any guys in the game of baseball from up
there (I don’t even think they have High School baseball). I’m actually
curious how many professional baseball players hail from North and South Dakota
(if any). I’ll have to Google that.
Editor's Note: Mark...Roger Maris was from North Dakota. I
think that's enough for all the Majors.
Checking up on my former teammates just makes me want to get back on the field
more and more. In addition, I’ve been itching to get back out there every
time I watch a Major League game on TV. There have been a lot of good
games recently with good starting pitchers . Usually if there’s a left-handed
pitcher starting, I’ll record the game on our DVR and watch it when I get a
chance. I think I learn a lot about how to approach hitters by watching
big-league lefties and paying attention to their pitch sequences in order to see
how they set guys up. Guys like Mark Mulder, Randy Wolf, Barry Zito, Andy Pettitte, Chris Capuano, Tom Glavine, and Mark Buehrle are a just a few of my
favorites to watch. All those guys really know how to pitch in every sense of
the word. They change speeds and hitters’ eye levels constantly and it’s always
neat to watch them keep hitters off balance.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and to all the Moms out there- Happy
Mother’s Day! Look for a rehab update next Monday.
Until next time………
Mark