Grand Final shots vs. Waverley at Altona

A common "Aussie" phrase can speak of Essendon's position at the time being.

No worries.

Bob Marley sings it just right in his son "Three little birds", "dont worry...about a thing...cause every little thing is gonna be alright" A music genius, Marley lived the life of "no worries" as stressing about the little things was something he never did. I've always been a fan of his music because in a world where lyrical sludge is so common, he rises above with powerful words and meaningful messages.

We head into today's match with Waverley down 1-0 in the series as our counterpart escaped with a narrow win this past Wednesday. In the seventh, Essendon posted a 2-0 lead and I was in complete control but a few hours later, the score would change dramatically as we fell 10-9. There is not much worry (or pressing) around the Bomber locker room for today's crucial game.

I have decided to change my travel plans. My itinerary back to the US has changed from March 31st to April 11th. I am in the process of extending my visa and re-booking my flights. This will give me more time to travel - which I completely plan on doing! This being said, I am very excited about coming home and catching up with family and friends back in the states in just a few weeks. I miss you all dearly.

I have posted a few shots from last Wednesday's Grand Final game against Waverley. The photos are courtesy of Russ Edwards and Hannah Olson.


My boys in the bullpen...Kingy keeping them ready for action!

Don't. Ever. Give. Up.

Jimmy Valvano's 1993 ESPY speech.

One of the most moving and thoughtful speeches that I have had the opportunity to listen to. Jimmy V's words reach out to any type of human being as he gives the world hope in dark times. This was the last ESPY he would receive but his words will forever last in my heart.

Don't give up, don't ever give up.

Let the good times roll

By the time its said and done, my trip to Australia will have lasted just over 15 weeks. Although the past 12 weeks have been quite an amazing experience, the next two weeks represent one of the pivital reasons why I've traveled across the world.

It's Grand Final time.

In American terms, its championship time. Essendon is going to the "ship".

In the ones, we claimed the minor premeirship this weekend with a win and Waverley loss. The result was a top seed in the playoffs, a meeting with Geelong, and another showdown at Altona this Wednesday night. This will mark the fifth consecutive start - and week - that I've started a game at Altona. Each start has been against a different opponent with each start having better results.

I've had some inquiries recently about how much I've grown as a pitcher in my time out here. My velocity is definately on the rise and I feel like I'm throwing harder now than I have in my entire life. I cant seem to put a single head on the nail in regards to this but my guess has been my bullpen routines, long toss, and increased stretching time. There is no doubt that my muscles tightened up significantly in the initial wake of this injury but with more stretching, I feel much looser and fluent. I'm throwing five pitches now and I have confidence in each.

Essendon' seconds are moving their way to the GF after holding off Geelong today, 8-7. There is one thing I would like to comment on in reference to my experience with the first and seconds.

This team represents quite a melting pot of age, experience, and talent but I've got to tell you...this is one of the most enjoyable teams I've ever had the chance to play with. These guys are quite the characters but know how to get the job done on the field. I've been playing this game for awhile and I've learned such a combination speaks dividends to championship teams.

For those of you who have followed me since my Little League days, this tight-knit group and degree of comraderie stands alongside a pair of outstanding teams that I had the luxury of playing with. I can remember those times in the summer of '04 with Post 64 Legion and in the summer of '06 with the Monroe Channelcats. Two great teams that I will never forget. These teams were probably the most successful teams I have ever played for. There is one glaring similarity between these two teams and I'm hoping the third time through may have a different result at the end of the year. We never won a premiership.

Its time to bring that premiership back to Essendon.

God Bless.

Essendon vs. Sandringham

This game saw me fall just 5 outs shy from my first ever no-hitter (well, since Little League). In the game, I fanned 11 Royal hitters as I carried the no-no into the 8th inning. This game was played on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 and was the first of a twin bill at Melbourne Ball Park in Altona, Victoria. With the win, Essendon solidifies second spot in the playoffs and has the chance to claim the top-seed if Waverly falls at Sandringham this weekend.

The review of the contest can be found here

Some Oz to American translation

seppo - American
wog - Italian
misses - girlfriend
birds - pretty women
brecky - breakfast
mince - hamburger meat
tea time - dinner
tassie - Tasmanian
Kiwi - New Zealander
Mary - native of NZ
pot - glass of beer
jug - pitcher of beer
barbie - BBQ
thongs - flip flops
heaps of roos - kangaroos everywhere
dig - inning in baseball
gun - pitching ace of the team
thorpedo - ian thorpe's nickname (famous Ozz swimmer)
hairy nipple - triple
take a whack - big swing
pissed - drunk

March 1st: Baseball is surely in the air

Its now March 1st...which is an important day in regards to a number of things. For starters, today represents the first day of training and tryouts in the US when I was growing up. It's kind of crazy that I've wound up on the other side of the world from the place where I spent so much time on the diamond as a kid. It's kind of amazing when I think of being here, in Australia, when just years ago I never had any inclination of playing baseball outside of the US. My decision was definately for the better as I've made friends that will last a lifetime and been introduced to a culture that has made its mark forever in my heart.

Today also represents the first day of the final month of my three month vacation in Oz. As I reflect upon my first few days here in Australia, I can only think about how uncertain I was with just about everything. There were so many things that went through my mind in those initial days and I'd like to share with you a couple of those items.

I never knew how I was going to react on the mound again actually. After plenty of bullpen sessions, I figured I'd be ready to go again but facing live hitters again I knew was going to be a challenge. Traveling to a foreign country all by myself and not knowing hardly anyone, living with complete strangers (who've turned out to be friends that will last a lifetime), and having to navigate around by myself were all items thrown at me from the beginning. The toughest of all was rather the last: having to live up to the expectations of a club that is thirsty for a premiership victory. The process of bringing over an American is no easy or cheap task. It involves much hardwork, diligence, and patience.

I feel very fortunate to have landed on this Essendon squad as I am truly having the time of my life out here. The players on the team, coaches, and supporters of the club have all been great. Everytime I walk around the Bombers' facility, there is always a sense of warmth and an overwhelming feeling of being welcome. Although I'm an American, it means close to nothing as I am now "one of the boys". I spoke before of how excited I was to be able to experience that "I'm back feeling again" but I don't really know that feeling really could have ever come back if not for the support of the Bomber faithful.

SInce my last post, I've thrown 10 innings. These innings were spread out over two starts with six innings of those being thrown at Melbourne Ball Park against Waverely where I fanned seven and held the Wildcats to just two hits over six innings. Ross Hipke closed out the game in the seventh as the game was called shortly after. The following Thursday, I squared off in the late game against Malvern and went four innings while giving up one run and fanning three. Both of my starts helped propel the team to victories as we have not lost a game since our first game of the new year.

So far in the firsts this year, I have thrown just about 20 innings while striking out 29 and giving up just 10 hits. My ERA stands at 1.85. My outings are getting better each time and I feel more dialed in with every passing appearance. The team is playing well in all facets of the game and we've picked up some great wins as of late. I'm scheduled to throw in the teams next game this Wednesday (vs. Blackburn @ Melbourne Ball Park, 6:30 pm) and hope that the string of good outings continue to come my way.

I'm looking forward to sharing my beers of choice (Boags Draught and VB) with some teammates following a win this Wednesday. I plan on bringing a few of these back to the US in just a couple of weeks. We'll tip a couple back to not only celebrate a victory of my time in Australia but for the exciting opportunities I have in the future to come.

Also,
-You can click here for the Baseball Victoria website or you can try this one for the Essendon Bomber page.
-My statistics can be retrieved from this location.

God Bless.