As I write to you today, I find myself on my second trip to Ozz as I am in the fourth day of my six-month stay in Melbourne, Australia. I'm happy to write that I am back in Bomberland with Essendon and ready to partake in another exciting year of baseball down under. This could very well be the year that Essendon can overcome all of the hype, jump the hurdle and hoist the trophy.
As for what I have done since Indy ball in America finished up at the end of August...
I enjoyed several trips to Ocean City, N.J., to spend time with my wonderful girlfriend. I also had the luxury to catch several good days of surf back home and put in a couple three to four hour sessions. The weather was good for the majority of my time home which meant family trips to the beach, relaxation, and a good suntan. I was able to keep physically fit with a monthly membership at West OC Fitness. As always in the fall, I became obsessed with the fantasy football buzz and found myself watching games, drinking beers, and tracking my fantasy teams all at the same time on Sunday afternoons. Luckily, I had a ton of great family times as well and enjoyed mom's home cooking several times a week. Being back home is always great and I cherish the quality time I can spend with my family and friends. It's those times I think the most about when I'm away.
And now for whats happening now in Australia....
I threw my first bullpen on Australian soil last night at training. I was a bit up in the zone with my fastball but was happy with my offspeed stuff. I forgot how handy those high seams can be on with my slider and curveball! I am scheduled for a few innings in relief on Sunday against Fitzroy before I make my first start next Tuesday against a much improved Blackburn squad.
There are a couple new things I have discovered in just the first few days that I have been here. First, the midweek training sessions have improved and are much more detailed. Everyone is getting their work in and I'm sure the situational drills will make for a much relaxed atmosphere once game time comes around. I've noted in previous blogs how important camaraderie is on a baseball team and I'm glad its such an important emphasis at Don Cornish Field. In just my first training session, I noticed that the jump was taken to another level as those that turned out for the session worked together even better than last year (impressive). I see a focused and determined team, thanks in part to the hard work of the coaches that have organized it.
I am coaching the Under-14 State team for Essendon. I start at the helm this Sunday. The team is already 2-0 and has picked up double-digit win against each of its first two opponents. This should make my job a little easier! I'm helping coordinate the T-Ball program at Essendon as well. They kids meet every Friday night at 5pm.
Essendon features a very experienced pitching rotation this year. There are three of us who have professional time on the staff and a few others who have pitched on the collegiate level in the United States. Also, there are several pitchers that have come up through the Essendon system and have made big strides in the off-season. The hitting lineup from last season returns just about everyone. The middle spot of the Bomber lineup returns as still being one of the most dangerous alleys to go down in all of Australian baseball.
God Bless.
Other key notes:
-I am now just over 10,000 words in my book that I began writing in periodically over the last year. Writing in this book has become very therapeutic for me and serves as a good vent. It's been written to detail my life before my near death experience in July of 2009, elaborate on what happened that night and the path of recovery I took, and the miracle I was blessed with when I was able to heal - both physically, emotionally and mentally. My next step is to contact a literary agent and hopefully give a strong enough pitch to have them sign me on. I plan to put short sections of what I've written in the book on this blog from time to time.
-It's funny how baseball works; particularly with making connections and networking. In a conversation that I was having today with the radio guy in El Paso, there is a total of nine former and current El Paso Diablos playing baseball in Australia at the time being. Of those nine, seven are playing in the premier league of the Vodafone Baseball League here in Melbourne. I guess saying that an Australian-El Paso pipeline has been established may be an understatement.
-The Australian dollar is on the rise. Last week, it had actually surpassed the American dollar at fractions of a point but has dropped recently to a few cents below the American. Currently, the Australian dollar is trading at 97.80 cents, down from 98.92 the day before. Experts predict this number should stay relatively the same for the near future.
-The American Association has added four new teams for the 2010-2011 in Fargo-Moorehead, Gary, Kansas City and Winnipeg. The inclusion of this quadruplet now gives the league a total of 14 teams, which makes it the largest independent baseball league in North America. Also, three division are now featured with five teams in the Central and Southern Division and four teams in North Division.
