Happy New Year

I know there has been a bit of time since my last post.  However, I have been consumed with a lot of nothing.  I have been in Cancun on a family vacation and have been doing many non-baseball related activities.  Aside from a few workouts at the gym, I have used this time to become detached from baseball and clear my mind.  This will enable me to begin the last two months before leave for spring training with an eager and fresh outlook for the 2009 season.

As brief aside to the non-baseball world, I will be taking two classes this spring as independent studies to finish my MBA degree.  My Advanced Business Forecasting class is entirely self-paced, while my Database Design, Development, and Administration class will be taken regularly for the first six weeks, then I will finish it independently after my departure for spring training.  Yes, I am sure those classes seem scintillating to most, but they satisfy the final two electives I need for my Management Information Systems concentration.  I am looking forward to completing my MBA and will attempt to find a part-time job with a company in the financial services industry during next off-season.  If anyone knows anyone who would want to hire an MBA part-time in the Tampa area, feel free to let me know.  Most often, it comes down to whom you know and not necessarily what you know.

In addition, in response to a comment I received last week about my Offseason Training post, I felt that both pitchers were throwing very well.  Joe Torres was looking very fluid and had good velocity and command before his departure for Puerto Rico.  Joey Eischen was also throwing the ball with authority, and I am confident that one Major League team will give him an invite to spring training.

I want to wish everyone a very happy and successful New Year.  I feel that 2008 will be remember mostly for is tumultuous times, particularly the devastating flooding and downtrodden economy.  However, the bright spot about being at the bottom is that up is the only place to go from there.  I am always confident at the start of a new year that the upcoming year will be better than its predecessor.  Happy New Year.

Offseason Training

I travelled home to New York this past Tuesday, and will be here until my return to Tampa on Monday.  For Christmas, I will be meeting my family in Cancun for weeklong vacation.  While on these trips, I will be continuing my workout programs, which have been going on since mid-October.  There has been considerable interest among several readers as to what comprises my offseason training regimen.  It has been a combination of weight training/conditioning and baseball specific work, which I discuss in detail.

With the exception of some sporadic running, I took four weeks off to rest and recuperate after the season’s conclusion.  During this time, I went through a strength evaluation given by Larry Mayol, former athletic trainer for the New York Mets, at his training place in Largo, about a half hour drive from Tampa.  Next week, I will start my eleventh week of strength and conditioning training, which I do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  All of these workouts begin with 15-20 minutes of cardio on a bike, elliptical, or treadmill, and take between two and three hours to finish.  Workouts are a combination of machine-based and functional-based exercises, and are designed to promote muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance.

My workout location has several minor and major league players coming in and out, some rehabbing and some preparing for the upcoming season.  During or after a workout, I have been playing catch outside of the facility and catching bullpens.  During the first few weeks, I was catching Joe Torres, a former draft pick of the Angels who pitched for the AA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox last season, while he prepared to play winter ball in Puerto Rico.  Recently, I have been catching for Joey Eischen, a nomadic left-handed reliever with ten years (324 appearances) of major league service with four different organizations (he has played with Montreal and Washington – I count this as one organization).  His last major league appearance was in 2006, and he is looking to pitch one more season.  So, I have been catching his bullpen workouts and his showings for scouts.

As for the baseball specific workouts, I have been consistently been hitting, throwing, and doing catching drills on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Coach Don Reed in St. Petersburg.  Coach Reed is the winningest coach ever in the Cape Cod Collegiate League and I have been working out with him since 2001 (when I would make trips twice a year to St. Petersburg during my high school years and first two years at the University of Rochester).  I have put emphasis this offseason on my throwing and hitting mechanics, trying to quicken the throwing and keep my weight back hitting, as well as keeping a firm front side.  Those workouts are generally three hours, and will start taking place on Saturdays as well after the New Year.

I will also begin mixing in at The University of Tampa Baseball practices, to get extra hitting and drill work when I need it.  Overall, I workout five to six days a week, and this is anywhere from two to five hours a day.  Occasionally, I run on my own, just to further my conditioning for the upcoming season.  This working out has occurred amidst taking three courses this past semester.  I will delve into the academic side of things at a later time.  Putting in the hard work in the offseason is what leads to longevity in this game, both during a season, and a career.  Our hitting coach from this past season told us toward the end of the season, when we were discussing offseason plans that, our hitting coach, Damon Mashore said something to the effect, ‘Every day you spend not working on one aspect of this game, you slip one day farther away from making it to the top.’  Fortunately, I grasped that concept at an early age, but it still holds true today and I will continue to utilize this in my offseason training approach.

Congratulations Cedar Rapids

I am at it again.  Season two of the blogging has commenced, just as my second-to-last semester in the MBA program has ended.  At the request of some, I have decided to start blogging for the 2009 season a little early to give people insight on what goes on during the offseason.  I will get into that in upcoming posts; however, I felt this post needed to be made first and foremost. 

I want to congratulate the Cedar Rapids Kernels organization for being named Minor League Baseball’s top franchise.  Cedar Rapids was awarded the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy, the top MiLB award, at the winter baseball meetings last week in Las Vegas.  This award is described as follows: “The President’s Trophy is presented annually to honor the complete baseball franchise–based on franchise stability; contributions to league stability; contributions to baseball in the community; and promotion of the baseball industry.”

This award signifies a tremendous accomplishment for everyone involved in the organization, from the front office to the fans.  It is a true testament to the dedication to excellence and service that I admired and respected during my 2008 season in Cedar Rapids.  Without the tireless hours of work invested by Jack Roeder and the front office and support staff, and Jesse Roeder and the grounds crew, and most importantly, the support provided by the fans, this award is not possible.

The fans.  Without them, the team is nothing.  The strength of the Cedar Rapids community was given the greatest possible test during the devastating floods of 2008.  The city could have easily succumb to the destruction and given up on the hopes of recovering.  However, the human spirit prevailed, and I was able to witness a community aid one another and build itself back up.  The Kernels tried to help where possible, and the city responded through their continuous support of us and propelled us to the city’s first playoff series win in eight years.

This award symbolizes more than the greatness of a minor league baseball team.  It represents a city that persevered during trying times and will grow stronger in the future.  It represents a community that is proud of its history and supportive of its teams.  While this award was presented to the Cedar Rapids Kernels, it is also commending the city and surrounding area of Cedar Rapids for its greatness and being the city the Kernels are very proud to call home.