The Comeback Is Officially Under Way - 2010 Baseball Season Begins

The season - and my comeback - is fully underway! As a write to you today, I have thrown a total of eight innings so far and have yielded just one earned run. I've had three total appearances, two of which were with the second tier and the other being a start with the Division I squad.

I've thrown in three games over the past 10 days. The team is trying to get me completely back in shape before they begin to lengthen out my starts. I've felt more and more comfortable with each appearance.

My first appearance and start was on the road at Newport. The guys warned me beforehand that the field would be a little different than what I was used to back in the US. The bullpen featured a five foot rubber mat underneath of the pitching rubber - which was extremely slippery and uncomfortable to throw on. The field conditions, although poor, were something that I had to get over. I threw two full innings on the day and picked up the win with four strikeouts and one hit. I never fully felt comfortable on the mound as my mechanics felt everywhere and I just didn't have that great of a feel on the ball. This was something that was expected and it was just my first real outing.

Three days later I received the start against Newport's Division I squad. This outing was much better as a threw three innings and did not allow an earned run. I ended up with four strikeouts and gave up a pair of hits. My mechanics still did not flow the way that I wanted them too but again, I'm still a work in progress. I want immediate results but understand there is still a period where I need to take it one step at a time. In this second start, I had glimpes of where I felt fully back to where I was this past summer. Late in the game I was boom-boom-boom, hitting my spots with sink to both sides of the plate.

I had my last appearance on Sunday with the seconds. I came out of the bullpen to throw three innings and again, no earned runs. This was the best I have felt yet as I was hitting my spots with total consistency. I had much more downward action on the ball as well. After looking at some photos of my previous outings, I saw some minor things that I was doing wrong. My dad helped me pick out a couple of others as well. The main problem lied in one small thing - eyes. I had been pulling my head off just before I released the ball. This caused my eyes to shift direction and the ball was being released in a completely different spot than what I thought. I saw this and now am not taking my eye off the glove from when I toe the rubber to after I release the ball. The concept is pretty elementary and almost funny as something so small as this was the reason for some inconsistency.

One thing I'd like to add is the only hit that I gave up this past weekend was a rocket up the middle. It was the first really hard hit ball hit back at me since the one I was faced with on July 2nd. It was weird because I never thought twice about the ball being hit back at me until someone in the dugout mentioned it. Just a further indication that I'm not afraid of the ball. To those who told me that I would be timid once a ball was hit back at me for the first time, thanks but no thanks. You're wrong.

I'm heading to the beach tommorow with my roomate and hopefully I can get a little sun. We play at Doncaster on Thursday and I'm looking to get some mid-relief time. I will throw then and this Sunday in minor appearances before starting to go deep into games the next week. At that point, I'll be fully ready to go seven strong. It's a work in progress and I understand that...but hey, its only January right? I'm playing baseball in amazing weather, with a bunch of great people, and continuing the journey to my dream. What a great life!

God Bless.

A life full of miracles

Albert Einstein once wrote, "There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

When you think about this quote...what does this mean to you?

Do you feel as if your life is a miracle? Are there events in your life that you know could not have happened without a superior being taking control?

I live a life full of miracles.

Everything that I do anymore feels like a miracle. There have been so many things that have happened to me recently that have further inked this belief into my soul. It is though amazing, almost undescribable moments that have made me realize how much God loves us. It is those

days of being comfortable and enjoying the company of loved ones that shows me how much God cares for me.

I remember getting up for an early run two weekends ago when I was at Anglesea, a beach just an hour south of Melbourne. As I jumped off a soil rooted trail and landed onto the beach, I vividly remember being so taken back from the landscape that surrounded me in all directions. Goosebumps ran all over my body as I looked to my left and saw a beautiful sun shining brightly, lying just above a sparkling ocean line. I looked to my right and saw a giant rocky bluff spanning the entire beach. Directly in front, I saw a series small waves softly breaking on the seashore. It took my breath away and I remember stopping right there in my tracks, thanking the Lord for letting me be apart of something so beautiful. Everything that led me to that moment was a miracle and being in that moment was a piece of God's plan for me.

God has a plan for all of us. Whether any of us really knows what that plan is another thing. But in the meantime, sit back and enjoy a life full of miracles. The very last breath that we took is a miracle. A miracle that was given to us to experience other miracles.

"What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:27.

It keeps getting better!

G'day!

The past little while has seen excursions to the beach, visits to downtown Melbourne, and much time spent around the baseball field. I have also had a chance to catch up with some great people involved with a Christian church in Melbourne. I cannot be thankful enough to meet up with Christians in the land of down under. It was something that I hoping to find and thanks to a good friend from the states - Matt Hamaker - I have been able to do this. Matt was a good friend from Virginia Wesleyan who studied abroad in Melbourne for the past few months before leaving days just before I arrived on December 30th. Thanks Matt for steering me in the right direction!

The beaches down here really are amazing. I went to Torquay Beach with a friend from the team and saw some amazing sights. The formation of the rocks on the beach is unlike anything I have ever seen in the states...something completely new and unusual. I had a chance to witness a huge brawl on the beach (out of control!) and ate some fish and chips on the way back. Chips are not what we think they are in the states as "chips" are the name for french fries here instead of "potato chips". Weird, I know.

The team has hooked me up with a sweet set of wheels out here. It's crazy how things have worked out that I am here in Australia and now have the car that I have always dreamed of getting. As many of you know, the Lexus Rx330 was the car I had always wanted. Guess what car the team has given me to drive out here? Lexus Rx330!

As for baseball, I think that I have finally found my sinker again. I was really getting worried that I had forgotten to bring it over from America but it seems after throwing it a bunch, I have rediscovered it. It's my bread and butter pitch that I can rely on in all situations and not having it was a little frightening. Good news is that it's beginning to be seen again, which is a good indicator of the direction I am heading in. I'm throwing live tommorow and look to be scheduled to start the opener of the second half this Sunday against Newport.

I've been really determined lately of making sure that this is the year that I get picked up by an affiliated team. I find myself thinking about it all the time - even to the point where I have trouble sleeping at night. I want it more than anything in the world and am going to do everything and more to better my chances of it happening. Baseball doesn't make me, it just defines the type of person I am.

Good night everyone. As I finish up this post, I findmyself going to bed listening to the tune, "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Being in Australia so far has taught me alot about being native to your roots and although I love it here, I am an American. It really is the land of the free and I'm really missing everyone back at home.

I've never been more proud to be an American.

Unforgettable Experiences To Begin 2010

Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 is a successful, safe, and healthy year for you all.

I am one week into my 3 month stay in Melbourne, Australia and as each day passes, I'm seeing more new and exciting things. I've stood with kangaroos, fished beside a rocky ocean bluff, surfed the kelp infested waters of the Indian ocean, and watched a cricket test match. All of which are very different than anything I've ever see in America!

One of the most important days of my life. so far, has finally come and past. This past Saturday I faced live hitters for the first time since July 2nd.

As I woke up on that Saturday morning, I had a very weird feeling inside of me. I wasn't afraid of facing hitters again but was reluctant to see how I would handle it once I was on the mound again. I've been told time and time again that I am never going to really know what it's going to feel like until I get back on the mound, peer into the glove, and see a hitter standing in the box.

I have good news.

I can inform you that facing hitters is no different than it was before.

Actually, as soon as I stepped onto the bullpen mound before I was set to throw live...that July 2nd moment never crossed my mind. My first outing facing live batters proved to be a bit rusty but after raking up 4 strikeouts and just one hit in two innings...I am well on my way back.

This injury has taught me so much about life. Fear is only as strong as you make it. Being afraid is natural, there is no doubt about that. The true definition of yourself is how you go about handling your fears. In my case, July 2nd will always be rooted in my soul but instead of being afraid of going back out and having it happen again, I look at the other 500,000 pitches I threw before that.

What happened happened and there is no other way to go about bettering myself than to throw myself back into action again. As I stepped on the mound the other day, that unspeakable feeling of being a pitcher was back.

God Bless.

*Update* - Here is an article written on feelgoodsportsstories.com about my experiences through my injury. The article can be found here.