A Euro Way of Living

Greetings from Vienna, Austria!

At the moment, the Stockerau Cubs are in the middle of a playoff race for a spot in the Austrian Baseball League postseason. The season has progressed well and we are enjoying our fair share of wins. A good amount of disappointment has been seen as well, being that we've lost a handful of one run games, several of which were extra-inning affairs. The playoff situation will begin to iron itself out in the next couple of weeks and hopefully we have enough to make a run at a championship.

My pitching has progressively gotten better as the season has gone by. I have been on the wrong end of a few one-run ballgames but for the most part, I am happy with my personal performance. The tough luck outings were highlighted by a complete-game, 16 strikeout, no walk effort in a 2-1 loss and a 5-4 loss in 10 innings on the road against the reigning Austrian champions. I'm experienced enough to know that is how baseball is at times, but still young enough to have difficulty accepting it.

The concept of losing is something that I have always struggled to grasp. We struggled when I was in college and even more in my first couple years of independent ball. I can even remember losing 20
consecutive games in 2010 with El Paso.

You would think by now I would be numb to such a concept.

Think again.

I think that is why this season I am hungrier than ever to win a championship. It is the one thing that I have always wanted to experience; a celebration that I envy watching others participate in.

I have enjoyed playing with the Cubs this season and I am sure to have a family here in Austria long after I go back home to the United States. It's about the experiences enjoyed, places seen and friends met that matter the most. Sure a championship would be the icing to a great baseball career, but winning and baseball are not what defines who I am as a person. It is the lessons learned and experiences I have attained that do.

Baseball is just the piece of the puzzle that got me here. It is what has allowed me to see this beautiful thing that we call life.

As for life outside of playing, I have become quite a fancy field architect and am serving as the team's pitching coach. Courtesy of their hard work and determination, I have seen several of the younger Cubs pitchers grow under my watch and it has been enjoyable to see them learn. The players out here are so receptive and it is just a matter of time before they begin to make their marks on baseball in the U.S.

My time in Austria has seen a good share of downtime, so I have had the opportunity to do some traveling. My biggest trips have been England, Ireland and Belgium in May, as well as Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia in late June. I am one week off of the biggest trek of the summer: an eight-day excursion in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Italy.

I think about all the places I have been able to see because of baseball. My life has expanded so much and my network has become so global. I think about where I would be if I had walked away from baseball when so many others before me had.

My decision to hold onto this dream has certainly paid off; a journey that I will forever look back on with happiness.

God Bless.

The true meaning of life - the Zach Sobiech story

I had the opportunity to witness something really powerful this morning.

It is a 20 minute video, but well worth watching. I am sure you will be as deeply impacted as I was.

"You don't have to find out you are dying to start living" - Zach Sobiech

Walk with Me - Season #6 in Europe

After a long offseason, my sixth season of professional baseball has finally began. While I was laying in bed today, it dawned on me that the Stockerau Cubs are the 10th team I have played for professionally. I would never have thought a few years ago that my baseball career could have spanned across three continents and half of the United States.

It has not been an easy journey for sure. Just one that I have made happen through diligence, hard work and determination.

I remember sitting in class when I was in middle school and having the teacher ask what we wanted to do when we grew up. The usual answers were seen in regards to lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. I vividly remember standing up and saying that I wanted to play baseball for a living. The teacher kind of scoffed and he asked that I kindly rethink my decision.

I was slightly embarrassed, but he just stated what seemed obvious to everyone else. I was the shortest kid in class and didn't have an ounce of muscle on my body. In theory he was probably right, but I couldn't take his deterrent as an insult. Just like he had his opinion, I had mine. I knew what my goal in life was.

It is true that I have never played in the big leagues or gotten any higher than good minor league baseball. I have never made the type of money that many probably thought I have either.

I know the facts when it comes to that.

But, I also know what it feels like to play in front of a few thousand fans. I know what it feels like to give away a few baseballs away to make a kids day. I even know what the long bus rides, countless hours of shagging batting practice and charting in the stands really entails.

It is not about the stardom of being a big leaguer that really drives me though. In fact, it never really has. I have not settled; just have an overwhelming feeling of being happy with where I am and where I have come from.

It is the feeling that I get sitting by my locker, knowing that I've done everything in power to make my dreams come true. I don't need the approval of someone else to make me feel like my walk in life is justified.

As for baseball here in Europe, I made my 2013 debut with a seven inning outing against the reigning champions of the Austrian Baseball League and European Cup qualifier, Vienna Wanderers. I struck out 11 in the outing and overcame some early wildness to limit the opposition to a handful of hits. We won the game 7-6 and currently sit in first place with a 4-1 record.

I have been able to get a few at-bats and despite the early rust, hit my first ever home run in our last series against the Wr. Neustadt Diving Ducks. Hitting a homerun has been the one thing that I have always wanted to experience.

Fittingly enough it happened this year.

Thank you to Stockerau for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

God Bless.

Europe - Summer 2013

It has been nearly eight months since my last post, so I'm sure I have plenty to catch everyone up with.

Last summer ended with me being released from the Southern Illinois Miners and I spent the off-season working as a pitching instructor with High Heat Baseball Academy and a media relations director at UMES. I've had the chance to step away from the game this past winter; a strategy that I used to relax and clear my head. In the time that I spent working with High Heat, I met several people that have made a big impact on my life. From the kids, to the parents, to instructors, the organization is the real deal. I’m thankful to don the blue and white.

As for my baseball career, I knew after last summer that I needed a break from ball in the United States. Whether it was being traded in the middle of the night, to failing a physical or even getting released … I was over it. I was also caught up in the job security game and found myself in the middle of a very stressful way of living. The baseball season could not have ended quick enough. 

After the whole ordeal, I figured that it was time to trade my jersey in for an office job. My thoughts all led me to this conclusion as it seemed like the only logical choice at the time.

Soon enough, though, baseball crept back into my life. The good thoughts came running back into my head.

I remembered dancing in the clubhouse, celebrating wins and after game festivities with the team. It was the positive memories that really propelled me to want to give baseball another go. There was no more negativity. Just a final decision.

I needed baseball in my life. I needed to give it one last go.

One more chance to walk away on a good note. 

A “victory” lap if you will.

Fast forward several months and I find myself on a plane bound for Vienna, Austria. I’ve signed to pitch with the Stockerau Cubs in the Austrian Baseball League. Soon enough, I will be completely involved with European baseball. The structure of the club is much like that in club baseball in Australia. There is an elite division with several feeder teams beneath it. There is also a youth program and women’s team.

As for the baseball, the level of competition is not on the same level as it is in the United States. That is okay though, because I’m excited about the travels and friendships ahead. I’ve heard a lot of great things about baseball over here in the fact that it’s team-oriented, relaxing and fun. The clubs are thirsty for championships and although everyone wants to win, playing the game right is what really matters. It sounds so much like club baseball in Australia, and I know how much I enjoyed every bit of pitching two years with Essendon.

So here I am just flying over Ireland at 6 a.m. local time. As I look out the window, I'm excited about the prospects ahead. I know this is where I am supposed to be at this point of my life. It's all about making the right decisions. 

And I know for me, it is playing baseball in Europe this summer.

God Bless.