Just wanted to give a quick shout out to an outstanding aging gentlemen, John Hollowed. It is hard to find a better guy... Happy B-Day buddy. You can send money and fan/birthday letters to John at my address here in Opwijk, and I'll make sure he gets them. Make checks and mail out to Ethan Guevin.
In other great news, Rachel arrived today. Aside from thinking that it is 6 pm right now instead of mid(k)night, she has been a studette at adapting so far. She even made it out to the field to throw the ball around.
Finally, we play on the road tomorrow against the Antwerp Royal Grays. I will be starting on the bump and pitching from my one good leg (after repeated trauma over the last week... don't even get me started on the kid who hit me with the bat). I place whatever happens in the game tomorrow on Rachel's shoulders.
In all seriousness... we need to get on a hot streak and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to set the tone. Big game day tomorrow... stay tuned for updates.
Peace and Love
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Game Pics
Here are a few pics from our home game againts the Hoboken Pioneers. More can be found on the Merchtem Cats website (link located on the right).
Monday, April 26, 2010
A painful weekend of baseball and the unlucky 'stache
After getting swept by the Hoboken Pioneers last week, our team was on a 3 game skid. Trying to do everything I could to end it, and with a week old beard already, I turned to the mustache for answers. It was the perfect scenario, as I would be able to sport the dirty during our games, and also at the Merchtem Cats' annual formal, "The Galabal" Saturday night.
The 'stache started the weekend off well with its debut in Brugge on Friday. Reid and I took to the trains and headed to Brugge to meet Mike Neff, an American player for the Brussels Kangaroos. Mike played at Amherst and we have met him on several occasions to travel around and see what Belgium has to offer. I could tell the 'stache was doing well when upon entering the ancient city of Brugge we were immediately surrounded by thousands of people. I'm sure it was my full upper lip and not being in the "Venice of Belgium" that attracted the people around us, because those crowds also followed us onto the rush hour train back in the direction of Gent and Brussels.
Brugge was a nice city, and we passed the day wandering around and taking in the churches, squares, canals, and all that the romanticized ancient city had to offer. I will definitely have to go back to Brugge with more of an agenda now that I am better informed about the city, because I could tell that it has a lot more to offer than what we saw. As a new "loc" (or local, for all of you who are not Reza), I just wish that I could cut the number of tourists by 3/4 and it would be perfect. Seeing really cool stuff is right up my alley, but when you are joined by thousands of others standing in the way and impeding the flow of daily life, it doesn't really do it for me. I can only imagine what it is like for the Brugge citizens, as I caught a glimpse of how annoying tourists can be while living in Sitka. I am one of them now, however, so I guess I can just try to be as cognizant of the tourist mentality as possible and go from there.
On the way to Brugge, we filled in our Go-Pass train ticket, but were not checked. Intuitively, we swapped the names of our destination and departure places and hopped back on the train for Opwijk. When the angry Belgian train conductor stopped to check our tickets, he wasn't fooled. First he took Reid's ticket and disappeared. After causing a big brouhaha in the train car and yelling at us in Dutch that we could not understand, he turned to me. My swapping of the names was a little more neat that Reid's, prompting the conductor to say something along the lines of, "And this one thinks he is an artist!" much to the delight of the locs we were riding with. Other than the signs put up by the extremist Flemish group, Vlaams Belang (roughly translated "Flemish Importance), a group that wants to rid Flanders of everyone who is not Flemish, this was our first encounter with an angry Belgian. I didn't take it too hard, as I knew he was just jealous of the 'stache.
I went to bed on Friday night, excited for the weekend of baseball ahead, the Galabal, and dinner at Maaike's parents on Sunday night (Maaike's mom is an unbelievable cook). Unfortunately, Saturday started with disappointment at the ball field, something that would be a trend for the weekend. Much to my dismay, they threw a solid lefty/complete ass hole. In my first at bat, I quickly got down 0-2 on two strikes that scraped the bottom of the zone on the corners. I then chased a high fastball with a check swing strikeout, in what has probably been my least productive and worst at bat (at least until that point). Meanwhile, our team was right in the game, and Reid was on cruise control for the first few innings. An error right through the wickets by us changed the momentum of the game for the worst, and started the snowball effect. They were still only up 2-0 when I came up for the second time. On a fist pitch fastball, I slapped the ball into right-center for a base hit. After a strikeout by the next hitter, I tried to get some momentum going for us from the basepath. The pitcher had a balk move, which he had already displayed (crossing the rubber with his foot, but still picking over) but was slow getting the ball to first. I went first movement, he balked, the incompetent umpire didn't call it, I beat the throw to second and the umpire, missing his 3rd call in the matter of a minute, called me out. Our coach came out to argue to no avail, and my attempt to light a spark was thwarted.
As their offense heated up, ours missed several opportunities to score and by the time I made the switch from 3rd to the pitchers mound, it was 7-0. Despite a zone about 1/2 the size of their pitchers (a typical favoritism toward the Antwerp teams), I threw 4 innings of solid ball, surrendering 2r, 1er, scattering a few hits, and inducing some key double plays. The most interesting batter I threw to was none other than the pithcer, who I walked despite throwing maybe 6 strikes to during the at bat. This got our crowd into it a bit, and things got a little heated. After getting the next batter to end the inning, I came up to bat for us. After working the count full and fouling off 2 pitches, I called time after a long wait in the box. Despite calling for it when the pitcher was still taking this signs, it was granted late and the pitcher sailed the throw to the backstop in a display of disgust. The next pitch, I struck out on again chasing a high fastball. Pissed off at myself for ruining a good battle, I hear the pitcher gawking at me, staring me down, and telling me to go sit down. In my best French I told him to shut his mouth and a few other choice words before heading into the dugout. This was yet another display of the douchebaggery and bush league play that has characterized many of our opponents. Cooler heads prevailed the rest of the game... and they took the pitcher out after that inning. Still, we couldn't come up with the clutch hit with the bases loaded and suffered at 9-1 defeat. I finished 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, but an unacceptable 2ks.
After downing a few pintjes, we rushed home to prepare for the Galabal. Dressed to impress with my yellow shirt, blue tie, slacks, and red mustache, our teammate Ruud picked Reid and I up and we went out to dinner with a bunch of our teammates and their significant others. They treated us to a delicious meal and good company. A perfect way to forget about the bad game and start a fun night. At the ball, despite some poor DJing, the dance moves were on display and we especially rocked the Hucklebuck Dance. We decided that Bart should have spun the music and gave him the title PhDJ Dance. If he ever makes it as a DJ, I want some of the royalty. The ball lasted deep into the night and was a great time. The turnaround that mustache needed for game 2 of the weekend? Unfortunately not.
Game 2 of the weekend series started out pretty well. In the first, I walked and got to second on a pick to first that scooted away. I took my lead off second and again they picked. This time, the pick went straight into the side of my knee with no interference, causing my foot to go numb. This was pretty much the way the day would go, ending a painful weekend of baseball (both literally and figuratively). My knee started to swell and I could hardly run. I stayed in the game, but was handicapped and ineffective. I felt like I was playing on one leg, as I could hardly push off and my lateral movement severely hampered. I felt like the knee problem took the hustle out of my game and I couldn't physically play hard like I normally do. Accordingly, I had another miserable day at the plate (I will not put the blame directly on the knee, as I was not seeing the ball well and still had opportunities to alter the flow of the game). I ended up 0 for 3 with a walk, but another ugly K and a DP with the bases loaded. All in all, a weekend of baseball I can happily forget.
Unfortunately, my inability to walk well with the knee forced Reid and I to cancel our trip to Amsterdam, stranding Mike, who was already there waiting for us. I feel really bad and definitely owe Mike, but it is hard to justify missing a game because I didn't allow my leg to heal while hobbling around Amsterdam. After all, I came here to play baseball. And I think Mike could be stuck in worse places by himself, so hopefully he meets some people and has a blast anyways.
We ended the weekend on a positive note, however, eating our weekly Sunday dinner at Maaike's parents' place. Maaike's mom is an amazing cook, and I rank these meals right up there as the best I have had since coming to Belgium, which is saying a lot.
I guess the best way to sum up the weekend is with a quote.
After the game, I apologized to some of the guys for the unlucky 'stache and told them that it would be gone for the next week. Bart again gets the quote of the week, describing the state of affairs and its connection to my blossoming upper lip by saying, "We played like you look. Like shit." Thank you Bart.
I have a short memory, it is a fresh week, and I have a clean shave. I look forward to the games this weekend against the Antwerp Royal Grays, last years runner up and to Rachel's arrival on Friday. Stay tuned for more updates to come and thanks for reading.
A big shout out to my Bro and his Vrouw to be!
The 'stache started the weekend off well with its debut in Brugge on Friday. Reid and I took to the trains and headed to Brugge to meet Mike Neff, an American player for the Brussels Kangaroos. Mike played at Amherst and we have met him on several occasions to travel around and see what Belgium has to offer. I could tell the 'stache was doing well when upon entering the ancient city of Brugge we were immediately surrounded by thousands of people. I'm sure it was my full upper lip and not being in the "Venice of Belgium" that attracted the people around us, because those crowds also followed us onto the rush hour train back in the direction of Gent and Brussels.
Brugge was a nice city, and we passed the day wandering around and taking in the churches, squares, canals, and all that the romanticized ancient city had to offer. I will definitely have to go back to Brugge with more of an agenda now that I am better informed about the city, because I could tell that it has a lot more to offer than what we saw. As a new "loc" (or local, for all of you who are not Reza), I just wish that I could cut the number of tourists by 3/4 and it would be perfect. Seeing really cool stuff is right up my alley, but when you are joined by thousands of others standing in the way and impeding the flow of daily life, it doesn't really do it for me. I can only imagine what it is like for the Brugge citizens, as I caught a glimpse of how annoying tourists can be while living in Sitka. I am one of them now, however, so I guess I can just try to be as cognizant of the tourist mentality as possible and go from there.
On the way to Brugge, we filled in our Go-Pass train ticket, but were not checked. Intuitively, we swapped the names of our destination and departure places and hopped back on the train for Opwijk. When the angry Belgian train conductor stopped to check our tickets, he wasn't fooled. First he took Reid's ticket and disappeared. After causing a big brouhaha in the train car and yelling at us in Dutch that we could not understand, he turned to me. My swapping of the names was a little more neat that Reid's, prompting the conductor to say something along the lines of, "And this one thinks he is an artist!" much to the delight of the locs we were riding with. Other than the signs put up by the extremist Flemish group, Vlaams Belang (roughly translated "Flemish Importance), a group that wants to rid Flanders of everyone who is not Flemish, this was our first encounter with an angry Belgian. I didn't take it too hard, as I knew he was just jealous of the 'stache.
I went to bed on Friday night, excited for the weekend of baseball ahead, the Galabal, and dinner at Maaike's parents on Sunday night (Maaike's mom is an unbelievable cook). Unfortunately, Saturday started with disappointment at the ball field, something that would be a trend for the weekend. Much to my dismay, they threw a solid lefty/complete ass hole. In my first at bat, I quickly got down 0-2 on two strikes that scraped the bottom of the zone on the corners. I then chased a high fastball with a check swing strikeout, in what has probably been my least productive and worst at bat (at least until that point). Meanwhile, our team was right in the game, and Reid was on cruise control for the first few innings. An error right through the wickets by us changed the momentum of the game for the worst, and started the snowball effect. They were still only up 2-0 when I came up for the second time. On a fist pitch fastball, I slapped the ball into right-center for a base hit. After a strikeout by the next hitter, I tried to get some momentum going for us from the basepath. The pitcher had a balk move, which he had already displayed (crossing the rubber with his foot, but still picking over) but was slow getting the ball to first. I went first movement, he balked, the incompetent umpire didn't call it, I beat the throw to second and the umpire, missing his 3rd call in the matter of a minute, called me out. Our coach came out to argue to no avail, and my attempt to light a spark was thwarted.
As their offense heated up, ours missed several opportunities to score and by the time I made the switch from 3rd to the pitchers mound, it was 7-0. Despite a zone about 1/2 the size of their pitchers (a typical favoritism toward the Antwerp teams), I threw 4 innings of solid ball, surrendering 2r, 1er, scattering a few hits, and inducing some key double plays. The most interesting batter I threw to was none other than the pithcer, who I walked despite throwing maybe 6 strikes to during the at bat. This got our crowd into it a bit, and things got a little heated. After getting the next batter to end the inning, I came up to bat for us. After working the count full and fouling off 2 pitches, I called time after a long wait in the box. Despite calling for it when the pitcher was still taking this signs, it was granted late and the pitcher sailed the throw to the backstop in a display of disgust. The next pitch, I struck out on again chasing a high fastball. Pissed off at myself for ruining a good battle, I hear the pitcher gawking at me, staring me down, and telling me to go sit down. In my best French I told him to shut his mouth and a few other choice words before heading into the dugout. This was yet another display of the douchebaggery and bush league play that has characterized many of our opponents. Cooler heads prevailed the rest of the game... and they took the pitcher out after that inning. Still, we couldn't come up with the clutch hit with the bases loaded and suffered at 9-1 defeat. I finished 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, but an unacceptable 2ks.
After downing a few pintjes, we rushed home to prepare for the Galabal. Dressed to impress with my yellow shirt, blue tie, slacks, and red mustache, our teammate Ruud picked Reid and I up and we went out to dinner with a bunch of our teammates and their significant others. They treated us to a delicious meal and good company. A perfect way to forget about the bad game and start a fun night. At the ball, despite some poor DJing, the dance moves were on display and we especially rocked the Hucklebuck Dance. We decided that Bart should have spun the music and gave him the title PhDJ Dance. If he ever makes it as a DJ, I want some of the royalty. The ball lasted deep into the night and was a great time. The turnaround that mustache needed for game 2 of the weekend? Unfortunately not.
Game 2 of the weekend series started out pretty well. In the first, I walked and got to second on a pick to first that scooted away. I took my lead off second and again they picked. This time, the pick went straight into the side of my knee with no interference, causing my foot to go numb. This was pretty much the way the day would go, ending a painful weekend of baseball (both literally and figuratively). My knee started to swell and I could hardly run. I stayed in the game, but was handicapped and ineffective. I felt like I was playing on one leg, as I could hardly push off and my lateral movement severely hampered. I felt like the knee problem took the hustle out of my game and I couldn't physically play hard like I normally do. Accordingly, I had another miserable day at the plate (I will not put the blame directly on the knee, as I was not seeing the ball well and still had opportunities to alter the flow of the game). I ended up 0 for 3 with a walk, but another ugly K and a DP with the bases loaded. All in all, a weekend of baseball I can happily forget.
Unfortunately, my inability to walk well with the knee forced Reid and I to cancel our trip to Amsterdam, stranding Mike, who was already there waiting for us. I feel really bad and definitely owe Mike, but it is hard to justify missing a game because I didn't allow my leg to heal while hobbling around Amsterdam. After all, I came here to play baseball. And I think Mike could be stuck in worse places by himself, so hopefully he meets some people and has a blast anyways.
We ended the weekend on a positive note, however, eating our weekly Sunday dinner at Maaike's parents' place. Maaike's mom is an amazing cook, and I rank these meals right up there as the best I have had since coming to Belgium, which is saying a lot.
I guess the best way to sum up the weekend is with a quote.
After the game, I apologized to some of the guys for the unlucky 'stache and told them that it would be gone for the next week. Bart again gets the quote of the week, describing the state of affairs and its connection to my blossoming upper lip by saying, "We played like you look. Like shit." Thank you Bart.
I have a short memory, it is a fresh week, and I have a clean shave. I look forward to the games this weekend against the Antwerp Royal Grays, last years runner up and to Rachel's arrival on Friday. Stay tuned for more updates to come and thanks for reading.
A big shout out to my Bro and his Vrouw to be!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Game Tomorrow Vs Deurne, Updated Stats
Here is the link to the updated statistics: http://www.frbbs.be/statistique.php (may have to copy and paste, its at the top of the page)
Went to Brugges today, mobbed in a Mercedes (as the driver), got yelled at by an angry train conductor, and more.
Tomorrow is a game at home vs. deurne, i'll be at 3b and pitching in relief. After is the annual Cats Galabal... stay tuned for all the updates, probably at the end of the weekend.
Much love everyone
Went to Brugges today, mobbed in a Mercedes (as the driver), got yelled at by an angry train conductor, and more.
Tomorrow is a game at home vs. deurne, i'll be at 3b and pitching in relief. After is the annual Cats Galabal... stay tuned for all the updates, probably at the end of the weekend.
Much love everyone
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Dates with Hugo and Becoming Lance Armstrong
Rachel probably will not be happy to hear this, but the last 3 days I have been on a few dates. After what seemed like months of eating chocolate, drinking beer, and turning into a marshmallow (tough life, right?), I finally got my gym membership on Tuesday at Hugo's Power Gym in Merchtem. Since then I have had a date with Hugo everyday, making the 4-5km bike ride each way.
Although the gym wouldn't pass any fire codes in the States, it has the most character of any gym I have even been in. This starts with the owner, Hugo de Grauwe, a former powerlifting world champion (and maybe olympian?) from Merchtem (http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/hugo-de-grauwe-1.html). Hugo is a really friendly guy and even gave me a discount on my membership. The normal membership rates are 45 Euro for 3 months or 99 Euro for a year, a very generous deal compared to anywhere back home. Him giving me 6 months for 45 Euro is nice, but him being a nice guy is even better because if he was mean or got mad, he could easily crush me with a hand behind his back. Let's just say I'll try to stay on his good side.
The gym is open from 5-12 and 4-11, Mon-Fri and 2-6pm Saturday. And on Sunday, Hugo goes to church. Every morning when I go in and ask him how he is in my broken Dutch, he responds, "Always good," and I believe him. He seems very happy with his job and always takes the time to have a quick chat with me.
At the front of the gym is a bar so that you can grab a post-workout pintje or other reasonably priced drink. Behind the bar sits Hugo and a small television. The only rule Hugo has is that you can't bring your own drinks, and beyond that it seems like everything goes. After walking through the bar room, you get to the cardio room, adorned with 2 treadmills, a few stair steppers, and some exercise and spinning bikes, in case Allie Meyer ever comes in. To get to the weight room, you have to walk down what I like to think of as the Hugo Hall of Fame. On the walls are pictures of Hugo from competitions and at the end there is an almost life-size painting of a muscular Hugo in his youth, wearing only a banana hammock and flexing. A painting that only he could pull off having. The H.H.o.F. opens up into the main weightroom, a long rectangular room packed with a machine for every muscle in the body. The main floor is crowded with the ancient looking machines and leaves little room to walk around. While the machines are by no means state of the art, many having rope instead of cables and coming from a few decades back, they add to the ness of the gym and get the job done. The free weight sections have wooden plank floorboards that resemble something you might be able to find in an old western saloon. While I must admit I was skeptical of the gym when I first walked in, I now know the method behind the madness. Not only does the gym have everything you need, but using the aged equipment and old school machines/ropes makes you feel like even more of a bad ass.
If my camera didn't suck and break again already, I would take a picture of the place, but for now you will just have to use your imagination. I look forward to making trips to the gym a part of my weekly routine here in Belgium.
In addition to the gym, I have also been making the attempt to bike around Opwijk and the surrounding towns. If it weren't for a flat tire (probably from going too fast) I might have already turned into Lance Armstrong.
As a side note, I managed to finish up and send off the postcards and chocolate I had for my old students at PHS. Hopefully it gets there alright because it cost a pretty penny for even the small package and took a long time to write some 37 individualized postcards. I miss working with the students back in Sitka, but certainly have my hands full coaching the youth teams.
I'm off to go for a pre-practice run... hope everyone is doing well back home!
Peace
P.S. gave my first autograph as a paid baseball player after the last game, hope the kid takes good care of it because when I go into the Belgian Baseball Hall of Fame, it will be worth millions HAHA
Although the gym wouldn't pass any fire codes in the States, it has the most character of any gym I have even been in. This starts with the owner, Hugo de Grauwe, a former powerlifting world champion (and maybe olympian?) from Merchtem (http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/hugo-de-grauwe-1.html). Hugo is a really friendly guy and even gave me a discount on my membership. The normal membership rates are 45 Euro for 3 months or 99 Euro for a year, a very generous deal compared to anywhere back home. Him giving me 6 months for 45 Euro is nice, but him being a nice guy is even better because if he was mean or got mad, he could easily crush me with a hand behind his back. Let's just say I'll try to stay on his good side.
The gym is open from 5-12 and 4-11, Mon-Fri and 2-6pm Saturday. And on Sunday, Hugo goes to church. Every morning when I go in and ask him how he is in my broken Dutch, he responds, "Always good," and I believe him. He seems very happy with his job and always takes the time to have a quick chat with me.
At the front of the gym is a bar so that you can grab a post-workout pintje or other reasonably priced drink. Behind the bar sits Hugo and a small television. The only rule Hugo has is that you can't bring your own drinks, and beyond that it seems like everything goes. After walking through the bar room, you get to the cardio room, adorned with 2 treadmills, a few stair steppers, and some exercise and spinning bikes, in case Allie Meyer ever comes in. To get to the weight room, you have to walk down what I like to think of as the Hugo Hall of Fame. On the walls are pictures of Hugo from competitions and at the end there is an almost life-size painting of a muscular Hugo in his youth, wearing only a banana hammock and flexing. A painting that only he could pull off having. The H.H.o.F. opens up into the main weightroom, a long rectangular room packed with a machine for every muscle in the body. The main floor is crowded with the ancient looking machines and leaves little room to walk around. While the machines are by no means state of the art, many having rope instead of cables and coming from a few decades back, they add to the ness of the gym and get the job done. The free weight sections have wooden plank floorboards that resemble something you might be able to find in an old western saloon. While I must admit I was skeptical of the gym when I first walked in, I now know the method behind the madness. Not only does the gym have everything you need, but using the aged equipment and old school machines/ropes makes you feel like even more of a bad ass.
If my camera didn't suck and break again already, I would take a picture of the place, but for now you will just have to use your imagination. I look forward to making trips to the gym a part of my weekly routine here in Belgium.
In addition to the gym, I have also been making the attempt to bike around Opwijk and the surrounding towns. If it weren't for a flat tire (probably from going too fast) I might have already turned into Lance Armstrong.
As a side note, I managed to finish up and send off the postcards and chocolate I had for my old students at PHS. Hopefully it gets there alright because it cost a pretty penny for even the small package and took a long time to write some 37 individualized postcards. I miss working with the students back in Sitka, but certainly have my hands full coaching the youth teams.
I'm off to go for a pre-practice run... hope everyone is doing well back home!
Peace
P.S. gave my first autograph as a paid baseball player after the last game, hope the kid takes good care of it because when I go into the Belgian Baseball Hall of Fame, it will be worth millions HAHA
Monday, April 19, 2010
First Start/Great People
After the game yesterday, I refrained from writing because I was exhausted and wanted to reflect on the game and my personal performance. I had planned on writing completely about the game, but at the moment, I feel like there is something more important to write about... namely, all the great people I have met because of baseball/all the people who have supported me playing baseball.
If you are reading this right now, I am talking to you, so thank you X a million.
I have long thought that baseball was the greatest invention since reproduction, and this belief continues to be reinforced on a daily basis. Through baseball I have learned so many lessons... mental toughness, how to deal with failure, how to handle adversity, how to manage time, how to work with people of all different back ground and personalities, and the list goes on. Above all, the game of baseball has given me relationships that I will never forget, friendships that will last a lifetime and allowed me to meet people from all walk of life. I have been blessed to have played with outstanding people my entire life. These are not necessarily people I would have befriended had it not been for the common interest of baseball, but that is exactly my point. Baseball has allowed me to meet amazing people, period. And in the words of the Wu-Tang Clan (shout out to Geoff King, a great person I met through baseball) on the Chapelle's show, in terms of making friends, the game has allowed me to "deversify my bonds."(make all different kinds of friends... sorry, at the moment I felt that reference was entirely necessary)
I guess what has made me feel like writing this is the way that I have been received by my teammates here in Belgium. At first, the game allowed me to meet amazing and interesting people in the States, and now it is going international. Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly, I can't even put it into writing. Whether it has been welcoming me into their home, translating Dutch conversations so I feel like I am part of the discussion, busting my balls for my overt "American-ness", buying me a beer, inviting me to play on their indoor soccer team, taking me out for a wild night, and the list goes on. Not to get overly emotional and sentimental, but starting with my family and girlfriend and going right down the line, the people who have supported me in my baseball playing (teammates especially), I can't thank you enough. You all have helped to make my life better than anyone could ever ask for. I can only hope that other ballplayers feel so lucky.
And now switching gears a bit to our game on Sunday.
Sunday, as many of you know already, I had my first start on the hill for the Merchtem Cats, and my first time pitching since July. Instead of testing the waters, I dove in head first against the defending number one team from Belgium. I got off to a great start, thanks in large part to my defense. We don't have a bullpen, so it was hard to tell how things were going in warm-ups, but I felt great once I got on the mound. I breezed through the first 4 innings, giving up what I remember as 1 hit, while getting a few strike outs and inducing groundball after groundball. After four innings, we were up 2-0 and things were looking good. In the 5th inning, things started to take a turn for the worse. The first batter of the inning popped a single into right center field, and then, if memory serves me correctly, I got behind 2-0 on the next batter. I took my sign, 1 finger for fastball, and despite every inch of my body telling me to go with offspead, I threw a fastball that went for another single. The pioneers are a very good team, having patient ABs and capitalizing on mistakes. In my opinion, the 2-0 pitch is one of a few pitches that I wish I could have back.
The next batter bunted, and I bounced off the mound, getting the force at third comfortably. During the next batters AB, we had a chance to get the runner at 3rd on a double steal attempt, but the ball was dropped. I didn't really think anything of it at the time, our team was playing hard and solid defense behind me. As it would turn out, this error, as it was scored would lead to the runs that I would give up being unearned (I think), but I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Now, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, our infield was drawn in. A diving play by our second baseman saved a second run from scoring as we got the batter at first. The score was now 2-1 us, with 2 outs and a runner at 3rd base. For 4 pitches, I unacceptably lost my focus and walked the hitter. With runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs, I still felt in control. I got ahead of the next hitter, but with 2 strikes on him I made another pitch I wish I could have back. I left a curve up in the zone and the lefty belted it over our centerfielder's head for an easy triple. I stopped the bleeding there, but not before the damage was done and they had a 3-2 lead.
I still felt like I had a lot in the tank, but my pitching debut was done and I was taken out of the game. Overall, although I am disappointed with the end result (a 9-3) loss, I was happy with the process and felt that I pitched pretty well, especially for my first time out. Are there things that could be improved, absolutely, there always are... but personally I thought I threw well. They made the most of my mistakes, and I paid the price. As a team, we also made great strides. Keeping the game in perspective, we displayed a great deal of improvement from the day before, and showed that if we play our best, we can compete with the best. And if we can sustain it for a full game, we showed we could beat the best that Belgium has to offer. There is a lot of work to be done, but if we keep working hard I believe the future is bright for our club if everyone buys into us being an elite Belgian club.
An abbreviated version of my hitting... I went 1 for 3 with a BB and a run. Unfortunately I picked the wrong AB to get my hit, as it was my only AB with no runners on. I had a chance right after their 5th where I came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. After working the count full and fouling off 2 pitches, I grounded out to short on a slider. Even though I put some good wood on it, I was a little early and our chance to regain the lead was spoiled. I look forward to the next time I have that opportunity.
As for right now, I apologize for the spelling and grammar mistakes.. I'm exhausted and off to bed. Thanks for follwing along and THANKS AGAIN FOR SUPPORTING, it definitely doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.
If you are reading this right now, I am talking to you, so thank you X a million.
I have long thought that baseball was the greatest invention since reproduction, and this belief continues to be reinforced on a daily basis. Through baseball I have learned so many lessons... mental toughness, how to deal with failure, how to handle adversity, how to manage time, how to work with people of all different back ground and personalities, and the list goes on. Above all, the game of baseball has given me relationships that I will never forget, friendships that will last a lifetime and allowed me to meet people from all walk of life. I have been blessed to have played with outstanding people my entire life. These are not necessarily people I would have befriended had it not been for the common interest of baseball, but that is exactly my point. Baseball has allowed me to meet amazing people, period. And in the words of the Wu-Tang Clan (shout out to Geoff King, a great person I met through baseball) on the Chapelle's show, in terms of making friends, the game has allowed me to "deversify my bonds."(make all different kinds of friends... sorry, at the moment I felt that reference was entirely necessary)
I guess what has made me feel like writing this is the way that I have been received by my teammates here in Belgium. At first, the game allowed me to meet amazing and interesting people in the States, and now it is going international. Everyone here has been so welcoming and friendly, I can't even put it into writing. Whether it has been welcoming me into their home, translating Dutch conversations so I feel like I am part of the discussion, busting my balls for my overt "American-ness", buying me a beer, inviting me to play on their indoor soccer team, taking me out for a wild night, and the list goes on. Not to get overly emotional and sentimental, but starting with my family and girlfriend and going right down the line, the people who have supported me in my baseball playing (teammates especially), I can't thank you enough. You all have helped to make my life better than anyone could ever ask for. I can only hope that other ballplayers feel so lucky.
And now switching gears a bit to our game on Sunday.
Sunday, as many of you know already, I had my first start on the hill for the Merchtem Cats, and my first time pitching since July. Instead of testing the waters, I dove in head first against the defending number one team from Belgium. I got off to a great start, thanks in large part to my defense. We don't have a bullpen, so it was hard to tell how things were going in warm-ups, but I felt great once I got on the mound. I breezed through the first 4 innings, giving up what I remember as 1 hit, while getting a few strike outs and inducing groundball after groundball. After four innings, we were up 2-0 and things were looking good. In the 5th inning, things started to take a turn for the worse. The first batter of the inning popped a single into right center field, and then, if memory serves me correctly, I got behind 2-0 on the next batter. I took my sign, 1 finger for fastball, and despite every inch of my body telling me to go with offspead, I threw a fastball that went for another single. The pioneers are a very good team, having patient ABs and capitalizing on mistakes. In my opinion, the 2-0 pitch is one of a few pitches that I wish I could have back.
The next batter bunted, and I bounced off the mound, getting the force at third comfortably. During the next batters AB, we had a chance to get the runner at 3rd on a double steal attempt, but the ball was dropped. I didn't really think anything of it at the time, our team was playing hard and solid defense behind me. As it would turn out, this error, as it was scored would lead to the runs that I would give up being unearned (I think), but I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Now, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, our infield was drawn in. A diving play by our second baseman saved a second run from scoring as we got the batter at first. The score was now 2-1 us, with 2 outs and a runner at 3rd base. For 4 pitches, I unacceptably lost my focus and walked the hitter. With runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs, I still felt in control. I got ahead of the next hitter, but with 2 strikes on him I made another pitch I wish I could have back. I left a curve up in the zone and the lefty belted it over our centerfielder's head for an easy triple. I stopped the bleeding there, but not before the damage was done and they had a 3-2 lead.
I still felt like I had a lot in the tank, but my pitching debut was done and I was taken out of the game. Overall, although I am disappointed with the end result (a 9-3) loss, I was happy with the process and felt that I pitched pretty well, especially for my first time out. Are there things that could be improved, absolutely, there always are... but personally I thought I threw well. They made the most of my mistakes, and I paid the price. As a team, we also made great strides. Keeping the game in perspective, we displayed a great deal of improvement from the day before, and showed that if we play our best, we can compete with the best. And if we can sustain it for a full game, we showed we could beat the best that Belgium has to offer. There is a lot of work to be done, but if we keep working hard I believe the future is bright for our club if everyone buys into us being an elite Belgian club.
An abbreviated version of my hitting... I went 1 for 3 with a BB and a run. Unfortunately I picked the wrong AB to get my hit, as it was my only AB with no runners on. I had a chance right after their 5th where I came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs. After working the count full and fouling off 2 pitches, I grounded out to short on a slider. Even though I put some good wood on it, I was a little early and our chance to regain the lead was spoiled. I look forward to the next time I have that opportunity.
As for right now, I apologize for the spelling and grammar mistakes.. I'm exhausted and off to bed. Thanks for follwing along and THANKS AGAIN FOR SUPPORTING, it definitely doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Pics from Leuven
From top to Bottom (because for some reason the format got messed up): Interesting Art; the University library with me in the forefront (red sweatshirt); the beautiful city hall building; Bart; The crew with the meter of beer; The crew (L to R: Bart, Reid, Jan, Tim, and Tom); Bart, Reid, and me giving the stink eye; another pic of me and the guys.
Game Summary @ Hoboken
Lets start with some good news... Bruins won 5-3, my boys at Carleton put up a 12 run 5th inning that went as follows:
Carleton College 5th
Fujisawa doubled to left center.
Wirta lined out to ss.
Bowen homered down the lf line, 2 RBI; Fujisawa scored.
Philley tripled down the rf line.
Ames reached on a fielding error by 2b, RBI; Philley scored.
Fabry doubled to left field; Ames advanced to third.
C. Cline to p for M. Johnson.
Parrish struck out swinging.
D-Valentine singled through the right side, 2 RBI; Fabry scored, unearned; Ames scored, unearned.
Cushing pinch hit for Gomi.
Cushing walked; D-Valentine advanced to second.
Fujisawa walked; Cushing advanced to second; D-Valentine advanced to third.
Wirta singled to left field, RBI; Fujisawa advanced to second; Cushing advanced to third; D-Valentine scored, unearned.
Bowen walked, RBI; Wirta advanced to second; Fujisawa advanced to third; Cushing scored, unearned.
A. Aebly to p for C. Cline.
Philley singled down the rf line, 2 RBI; Bowen advanced to second; Wirta scored, unearned; Fujisawa scored, unearned.
Ames homered to left center, 3 RBI, unearned; Philley scored, unearned; Bowen scored, unearned.
Fabry flied out to cf.
12 runs, 8 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Nicely done boys.
Now, as for the real reason I'm writing right now, we got handed another bad loss today against the Hoboken Pioneers, 16-6. The game was similar to the one last week at Namur in that there was some good, some bad, and some ugly.
Hoboken has a solid team, but in my opinion, we gave them far too much credit. All week the talk was about how good Hoboken is, how well we will have to play to beat them, etc., etc. In the end, we beat ourselves and didn't make them earn the W. I will reserve commenting on the umpiring in case this somehow manages to get back to them (paranoid? maybe.), but lets just say that there seemed to be 2 different zones, and the one was expanding like the galaxy while the other one would be hard to pick up with an electric microscope. Umpiring, however, had nothing to do with the outcome, as no umpire could possibly account for the 15 free passes we gave them (15 BB+HBP). This was where our problems started, but they definitely didn't end there. Some poor base running mistakes, too many K's (of which I too am guilty, although one of the two was an atrocious call), and mental mistakes (throwing to the wrong base, not anticipating, not holding runners, etc.) all contributed to the poor outcome. The bottom line is we had some chances to make it a different game and we didn't capitalize. We had 8 hits and so did they. Hopefully tomorrow will be a different story. I will be on the bump for the first time all year and am looking forward to the challenge of pitching to a good team. I also decided that if I give up 15 free passes, I will walk back home from Belgium directly from the game, so everyone hold your breath.
On the day I was 2 for 4 with a double, and two runs. Unfortunately I struck out twice as well, once on a nice curveball that I swung over in my first at bat, and once on a terrible call on a pitch that was high and tight and almost hit me. In my 3rd ab, I got behind 0-2 on another questionable call before fouling off a nice slider, working the count to 2-2 and then smashing a double in the right center gap on a high fastball. In my final ab, I hit a line drive over the second baseman's head for a single. In my last two at bats I scored.
I also saw my first action of the year at 2nd base. I had one nice sliding play in the hole to get the guy at first and also threw a runner out at 3rd on a long relay from out in right field. I guess 2 was the number of the day for me as everything seemed to come in pairs. Anyways, I'm looking forward to bouncing back and taking a game from them tomorrow.
Carleton College 5th
Fujisawa doubled to left center.
Wirta lined out to ss.
Bowen homered down the lf line, 2 RBI; Fujisawa scored.
Philley tripled down the rf line.
Ames reached on a fielding error by 2b, RBI; Philley scored.
Fabry doubled to left field; Ames advanced to third.
C. Cline to p for M. Johnson.
Parrish struck out swinging.
D-Valentine singled through the right side, 2 RBI; Fabry scored, unearned; Ames scored, unearned.
Cushing pinch hit for Gomi.
Cushing walked; D-Valentine advanced to second.
Fujisawa walked; Cushing advanced to second; D-Valentine advanced to third.
Wirta singled to left field, RBI; Fujisawa advanced to second; Cushing advanced to third; D-Valentine scored, unearned.
Bowen walked, RBI; Wirta advanced to second; Fujisawa advanced to third; Cushing scored, unearned.
A. Aebly to p for C. Cline.
Philley singled down the rf line, 2 RBI; Bowen advanced to second; Wirta scored, unearned; Fujisawa scored, unearned.
Ames homered to left center, 3 RBI, unearned; Philley scored, unearned; Bowen scored, unearned.
Fabry flied out to cf.
12 runs, 8 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB.
Nicely done boys.
Now, as for the real reason I'm writing right now, we got handed another bad loss today against the Hoboken Pioneers, 16-6. The game was similar to the one last week at Namur in that there was some good, some bad, and some ugly.
Hoboken has a solid team, but in my opinion, we gave them far too much credit. All week the talk was about how good Hoboken is, how well we will have to play to beat them, etc., etc. In the end, we beat ourselves and didn't make them earn the W. I will reserve commenting on the umpiring in case this somehow manages to get back to them (paranoid? maybe.), but lets just say that there seemed to be 2 different zones, and the one was expanding like the galaxy while the other one would be hard to pick up with an electric microscope. Umpiring, however, had nothing to do with the outcome, as no umpire could possibly account for the 15 free passes we gave them (15 BB+HBP). This was where our problems started, but they definitely didn't end there. Some poor base running mistakes, too many K's (of which I too am guilty, although one of the two was an atrocious call), and mental mistakes (throwing to the wrong base, not anticipating, not holding runners, etc.) all contributed to the poor outcome. The bottom line is we had some chances to make it a different game and we didn't capitalize. We had 8 hits and so did they. Hopefully tomorrow will be a different story. I will be on the bump for the first time all year and am looking forward to the challenge of pitching to a good team. I also decided that if I give up 15 free passes, I will walk back home from Belgium directly from the game, so everyone hold your breath.
On the day I was 2 for 4 with a double, and two runs. Unfortunately I struck out twice as well, once on a nice curveball that I swung over in my first at bat, and once on a terrible call on a pitch that was high and tight and almost hit me. In my 3rd ab, I got behind 0-2 on another questionable call before fouling off a nice slider, working the count to 2-2 and then smashing a double in the right center gap on a high fastball. In my final ab, I hit a line drive over the second baseman's head for a single. In my last two at bats I scored.
I also saw my first action of the year at 2nd base. I had one nice sliding play in the hole to get the guy at first and also threw a runner out at 3rd on a long relay from out in right field. I guess 2 was the number of the day for me as everything seemed to come in pairs. Anyways, I'm looking forward to bouncing back and taking a game from them tomorrow.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Loving Leuven (this is a long one)
Let me preface my post on Leuven with a tidbit that pretty much sums up the shenanigans from last night/this morning. From what I remember, this is how it went.
Bart had work at 9 this morning. We got in after 6.
Bart (waking me up): Shit, it's 1(pm). I forgot to set my alarm.
Me: Oh shit.
Bart (getting ready hurriedly): I had a meeting with my supervisor and am supposed to give a potential masters thesis student a tour at 1:20...
Later in the Day...
(Bart gets back from work)
Me: You still have a job?
Bart: Yeah.
Me: What did your supervisor say?
Bart: I said "Sorry, I overslept" and they said "Ok. Don't worry about it."It's not the first time it has happened.
Having set the stage, let me now elaborate on our first time in Leuven.
We arrived in Leuven at around 10 pm, having come directly after practice and the traditional post practice gathering and pintjes. Before cleaning up, we grabbed some dinner from where other than the local Frituur. If I keep eating fries and other fried food at the rate I am right now, I will probably way about 200 lbs by the time my stay here is up. Combine that with the beer and chocolate and I may double in size, but it will be worth it. Bart graciously offered me and Reid his last two Trappist beers from the Brouwerij Westvleteren. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer) One of the 7 Trappist beers you can find, the beers are brewed and sold by Trappist monks. The monks are the only ones who can produce and distribute the beer, adding to its legend and allure. To get the Westvleteren Trappist beer, you have to go straight to the source. Each beer comes in a different kind of bottle (because they are recycled) and you purchase them by the crate (a sweet wooden box with Westvleteren stenciled on the side). We enjoyed the treat that Bart had been saving for over a year in its special glass, and it was a great way to kick off the night.
After eating and showering up, we were joined by Bart's friend and we headed out for the night. Leuven is a happening college town and home to Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a college with more than 35,000 students. After checking out the library and city hall, both amazingly beautiful buildings that seem like they would fit better as palaces, we headed towards the mass of bars. To describe them as a mass may be an understatement. In the square, there are actually 35 different bars, a bunch of restaurants, and (for some reason) a high school. Lets just say that this would be a pub crawl that would give the most fit Beer Olympians a run for their money. After our first drink, we were joined by a few more teammates, Tim, Tom, and Jan. With our full crew now assembled, the night could really get started.
After going to 4 different bars, we settled into our final stop for the night, The 7 Oaks Bar. We had earlier been told that you either hate it at 7 Oaks or you love it, and luckily my preference was the latter. The setup of the bar is underground and almost dungeon-like, but in a good way (if that is at all possible). Another cool part about the bar was that you could order beer by the meter. Each meter of beer was a round of 12ish beers, placed in a long skinny wooden box/crate. Between the 12 glasses of beer and the wood, it probably should have been called a ton of beer. It was quite an adventure trying to maneuver through the crowd, carrying the heavy meter (which actually seemed like it was longer than a meter) while fending off hands trying to swindle a freebie. We ordered several meters of beer throughout the night, just to make sure no one went home thirsty.
Meanwhile, the music was bumping and not to toot our own horn, but our dancing circle was by far the best in the joint. As such, it didn't take too long before we found ourselves up on this elevated little stage, showcasing our moves to all our fans below. Okay, so maybe that isn't exactly what it was like, but it was still a blast. In actuality, it was almost impossible to dance with anyone and despite my tour through the crowd to try to recruit people to the stage, only several joined throughout the course of the night. Among these adventurous souls was a girl who was about 8 feet tall and wanted to make basketball babies with Bart (also very tall), a girl who wanted to drink everyone's beer, and a guy from Singapore with his entourage of 2 girls. In the end, Bart likes baseball over basketball, we didn't want to give up our beer (except that I did give her someones beer from another table that had been sitting there all night, which she happily drank), the guy from Singapore disappeared, and the two girls didn't speak Spanish, which I tried speaking to them on multiple occasions.
When you dance like we do, it turns out you actually don't need any new people to dance with and before we knew it, it was approaching 6am. It was a great night out and we walked home to get some shut eye (as construction workers were starting their work). Reid and I slept in late and spent the afternoon doing some sight seeing in Leuven while waiting for Bart to get home from work. I was quite impressed with the city of Leuven and its never ending nightlife. It seems like a great place to go to school and I have a feeling it won't be our only time visiting there. Big ups to Bart for the Hospitality.I'll throw some pictures of the trip up at some point.
Tomorrow we head into Antwerp for game 1 of the weekend series against the Hoboken Pioneers, last years Belgian champ. I will be pitching at home on Sunday and playing either 3rd or 2nd tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates and until then, take care...
Peace and Love
Ethan
Bart had work at 9 this morning. We got in after 6.
Bart (waking me up): Shit, it's 1(pm). I forgot to set my alarm.
Me: Oh shit.
Bart (getting ready hurriedly): I had a meeting with my supervisor and am supposed to give a potential masters thesis student a tour at 1:20...
Later in the Day...
(Bart gets back from work)
Me: You still have a job?
Bart: Yeah.
Me: What did your supervisor say?
Bart: I said "Sorry, I overslept" and they said "Ok. Don't worry about it."It's not the first time it has happened.
Having set the stage, let me now elaborate on our first time in Leuven.
We arrived in Leuven at around 10 pm, having come directly after practice and the traditional post practice gathering and pintjes. Before cleaning up, we grabbed some dinner from where other than the local Frituur. If I keep eating fries and other fried food at the rate I am right now, I will probably way about 200 lbs by the time my stay here is up. Combine that with the beer and chocolate and I may double in size, but it will be worth it. Bart graciously offered me and Reid his last two Trappist beers from the Brouwerij Westvleteren. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trappist_beer) One of the 7 Trappist beers you can find, the beers are brewed and sold by Trappist monks. The monks are the only ones who can produce and distribute the beer, adding to its legend and allure. To get the Westvleteren Trappist beer, you have to go straight to the source. Each beer comes in a different kind of bottle (because they are recycled) and you purchase them by the crate (a sweet wooden box with Westvleteren stenciled on the side). We enjoyed the treat that Bart had been saving for over a year in its special glass, and it was a great way to kick off the night.
After eating and showering up, we were joined by Bart's friend and we headed out for the night. Leuven is a happening college town and home to Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, a college with more than 35,000 students. After checking out the library and city hall, both amazingly beautiful buildings that seem like they would fit better as palaces, we headed towards the mass of bars. To describe them as a mass may be an understatement. In the square, there are actually 35 different bars, a bunch of restaurants, and (for some reason) a high school. Lets just say that this would be a pub crawl that would give the most fit Beer Olympians a run for their money. After our first drink, we were joined by a few more teammates, Tim, Tom, and Jan. With our full crew now assembled, the night could really get started.
After going to 4 different bars, we settled into our final stop for the night, The 7 Oaks Bar. We had earlier been told that you either hate it at 7 Oaks or you love it, and luckily my preference was the latter. The setup of the bar is underground and almost dungeon-like, but in a good way (if that is at all possible). Another cool part about the bar was that you could order beer by the meter. Each meter of beer was a round of 12ish beers, placed in a long skinny wooden box/crate. Between the 12 glasses of beer and the wood, it probably should have been called a ton of beer. It was quite an adventure trying to maneuver through the crowd, carrying the heavy meter (which actually seemed like it was longer than a meter) while fending off hands trying to swindle a freebie. We ordered several meters of beer throughout the night, just to make sure no one went home thirsty.
Meanwhile, the music was bumping and not to toot our own horn, but our dancing circle was by far the best in the joint. As such, it didn't take too long before we found ourselves up on this elevated little stage, showcasing our moves to all our fans below. Okay, so maybe that isn't exactly what it was like, but it was still a blast. In actuality, it was almost impossible to dance with anyone and despite my tour through the crowd to try to recruit people to the stage, only several joined throughout the course of the night. Among these adventurous souls was a girl who was about 8 feet tall and wanted to make basketball babies with Bart (also very tall), a girl who wanted to drink everyone's beer, and a guy from Singapore with his entourage of 2 girls. In the end, Bart likes baseball over basketball, we didn't want to give up our beer (except that I did give her someones beer from another table that had been sitting there all night, which she happily drank), the guy from Singapore disappeared, and the two girls didn't speak Spanish, which I tried speaking to them on multiple occasions.
When you dance like we do, it turns out you actually don't need any new people to dance with and before we knew it, it was approaching 6am. It was a great night out and we walked home to get some shut eye (as construction workers were starting their work). Reid and I slept in late and spent the afternoon doing some sight seeing in Leuven while waiting for Bart to get home from work. I was quite impressed with the city of Leuven and its never ending nightlife. It seems like a great place to go to school and I have a feeling it won't be our only time visiting there. Big ups to Bart for the Hospitality.I'll throw some pictures of the trip up at some point.
Tomorrow we head into Antwerp for game 1 of the weekend series against the Hoboken Pioneers, last years Belgian champ. I will be pitching at home on Sunday and playing either 3rd or 2nd tomorrow. Stay tuned for updates and until then, take care...
Peace and Love
Ethan
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Fietspad
Finally the first Dutch word I learned has started to come in handy. The last few days I discovered a fietspad (bike path) that goes along the country side and farm country from just behind my house in Opwijk and leads to Aalst. There are some extensive fietspads all over Belgium and I'm looking forward to exploring them.
Today, I road from home to Aalst, about a 45-50 minute ride each way. The path meanders along farms and small towns and is sprinkled with tempting cafes and dirt roads that I can't help but to want to go down. There are even some trails with dirt jumps and birms (spelling?)that my friends and I would have killed to have growing up. As far as I could tell, these trails were well established and not in danger of being torn down by angry farmers, a luxury we didn't have as bikers in Davis.
Along the way, I enjoyed the company of almost every kind of farm animal there is. At the end of my trek, I also found a sweet wearhouse building covered in spray paint murals... I took video of it and will try to add it to the posting later. As for right now, I'm off to practice and then heading to the college town of Leuven for a night on the town with my teammate Bart.... Should be a blast, and I have been told not to expect to go to bed before 5... stay tuned to hear about the adventure
Today, I road from home to Aalst, about a 45-50 minute ride each way. The path meanders along farms and small towns and is sprinkled with tempting cafes and dirt roads that I can't help but to want to go down. There are even some trails with dirt jumps and birms (spelling?)that my friends and I would have killed to have growing up. As far as I could tell, these trails were well established and not in danger of being torn down by angry farmers, a luxury we didn't have as bikers in Davis.
Along the way, I enjoyed the company of almost every kind of farm animal there is. At the end of my trek, I also found a sweet wearhouse building covered in spray paint murals... I took video of it and will try to add it to the posting later. As for right now, I'm off to practice and then heading to the college town of Leuven for a night on the town with my teammate Bart.... Should be a blast, and I have been told not to expect to go to bed before 5... stay tuned to hear about the adventure
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
With an off day on Monday, Reid and I headed to Brussels for the first time, where we met up with Mike Neff, an American playing for the Brussels Kangaroos of the 2nd division. Fun ensued, take a look...
My first Belgian waffle in Belgium. Strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar topped with melted chocolate. It didn't disappoint.
Grand Plaza (Grote Markt) in central Brussels. One of the beautiful buildings surrounding the square.
Me with the signature tourist/chump status double peace sign in front of Manneken Pis. An 18" statue of a boy peeing that tourists flock to. We figured why not join the party.
A chocolate replica of Manneken Pis, only about twice the size of the actual statue. Gotta love that Belgian chocolate.
Janneken Pis, the sister statue of Manneken Pis. Conveniently located next to Delirium (see below pictures for explanation).
Conveniently located in the same back alley as Janneken Pis was delirium. A must see for beer lovers and what I suspect to be mostly a tourist bar. It boasts the widest selection of beer available in the world, as the first page of its encyclopedia-esque beer menu suggests. With over 2,000 beers to choose from, why would you ever leave? We were happy to find the bar almost vacant. One of the few people we saw there was an American who had arrived only 2 hours prior. President of his beer club back home, the softwear technician for Bath and Bodyworks came to Belgium alone. His agenda consists of traveling around Belgium for a week, following a trail of breweries and bars. That is right, he came to Belgium... alone... for one week... to do nothing but drink. Maybe a little extreme, but I'm sure he will meet some fine friends along the way.
The walls of Delirium are covered in currency from all over the world, signed by the travelers who bring it. Missing from the college wall was Carleton, so I decided to let everyone who comes into Delirium know that no matter what the hour is, it will always be KnightTime.
The three of us left our mark. Amherst, Carleton, and Suffolk in the house. Behind, one of the most delicious beers I have ever had.
The bar tender, Julian, poses with our fine assortment of beers. In the middle right, La Guillotine... so good it is to die for.
My first Belgian waffle in Belgium. Strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar topped with melted chocolate. It didn't disappoint.
Grand Plaza (Grote Markt) in central Brussels. One of the beautiful buildings surrounding the square.
Me with the signature tourist/chump status double peace sign in front of Manneken Pis. An 18" statue of a boy peeing that tourists flock to. We figured why not join the party.
A chocolate replica of Manneken Pis, only about twice the size of the actual statue. Gotta love that Belgian chocolate.
Janneken Pis, the sister statue of Manneken Pis. Conveniently located next to Delirium (see below pictures for explanation).
Conveniently located in the same back alley as Janneken Pis was delirium. A must see for beer lovers and what I suspect to be mostly a tourist bar. It boasts the widest selection of beer available in the world, as the first page of its encyclopedia-esque beer menu suggests. With over 2,000 beers to choose from, why would you ever leave? We were happy to find the bar almost vacant. One of the few people we saw there was an American who had arrived only 2 hours prior. President of his beer club back home, the softwear technician for Bath and Bodyworks came to Belgium alone. His agenda consists of traveling around Belgium for a week, following a trail of breweries and bars. That is right, he came to Belgium... alone... for one week... to do nothing but drink. Maybe a little extreme, but I'm sure he will meet some fine friends along the way.
The walls of Delirium are covered in currency from all over the world, signed by the travelers who bring it. Missing from the college wall was Carleton, so I decided to let everyone who comes into Delirium know that no matter what the hour is, it will always be KnightTime.
The three of us left our mark. Amherst, Carleton, and Suffolk in the house. Behind, one of the most delicious beers I have ever had.
The bar tender, Julian, poses with our fine assortment of beers. In the middle right, La Guillotine... so good it is to die for.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Game 2
After a big win yesterday, we traveled to Namur (to the Walloons)/Namen (to the Flemish) to finish off the weekend set against the Angels. Namur looked like a beautiful city that I would like to go back and explore a bit, but the sugar coating for the day ends there. To put it bluntly, today was a miserable day of baseball.
Unlike yesterday, when we rallied from behind to win, today we played uninspired baseball that was deserving of the 13-2 thumping we suffered. For starters, it was about 40 degrees out, the wind was howling, we got rained on a little bit at the beginning of the game and there was no sun to be found. Mix that in with some poor pitching, costly mental errors, and bad at bats and that about sums it up.
The sequence that changed the game went like this. Ground out to the pitcher. Ground out to short (or somewhere else). 2 outs on 3 pitches and we are in pretty good shape down only 2-0 early... or at least temporarily. Walk. Walk. Walk. Bases loaded. Hit batsmen. Hit batsmen. Error. Walk. Grand Slam. Now it is 10-0 in the 4th, rather than 2-0 and the game was well out of reach.
Perhaps the worst part of it all was that Namur played what I feel like was bush league baseball. At one point, their pitcher stepped off the mound and yelled at our batter to stop looking at the signs, which he wasn't doing. As a pitcher I know how annoying it is when batters peak, but there is a way to handle it the right way and that wasn't it. On another play, when there was no play at the plate and the ball wasn't even in the infiled, their runner slid and took our catcher out. When our coach came out to say something about it, their coach started going after our catcher for standing around the plate. There is no if, and, or buts about it... it was a cheap shop. As if the game couldn't get any worse, they lay a base hit bunt down up 11-2 in the bottom of the 7th. The next kid hits a home run, and does a spin move before touching the plate and I was told later a backflip, rubbing the win in our face. Individually, each of these things got me a little heated and collectively even more so. Losing sucks, losing bad sucks even worse, and losing to bush teams is the worst. Lets just say that I took down a few numbers for the next time we play these guys and look forward to whooping up on them.
I finished the day 0 for 2 with a BB and a run scored. In my first plate appearance I got down 0-2, then worked it to 2-2 while fouling of 3 or 4 pitches, but my good battle was for not, as I got jammed on an inside cutter I was trying to foul off and was thrown out at first. In my second AB, I lined the first pitch in the left center gap, but it hung up too long and was caught. AB 3 I walked and scored, and I was left on deck in with 2 runners on in our team's final frame.
All in all, a loss is a loss, but I hope that next time we win game one of the weekend series we play game 2 like we smell blood rather than as if we are content with just winning 1. For now, its time to lick the wounds and get ready for a big series against the Yankees of the Belgian 1st Division, the Hoboken (not NJ) Pioneers.
To end on a positive note, we went to Maaike's parents' house for dinner and the food was delicious. We chowed on a version of Beef Burgnion (spelling?) made with 5 kg of beef and 1 kg of bacon. And as if my heart wasn't going to stop already, we had what else but some homemade frites (fries) and a delicious banana tart.
Tomorrow Reid and I are off to Brussels to explore...
Until next time... keep it classy
Unlike yesterday, when we rallied from behind to win, today we played uninspired baseball that was deserving of the 13-2 thumping we suffered. For starters, it was about 40 degrees out, the wind was howling, we got rained on a little bit at the beginning of the game and there was no sun to be found. Mix that in with some poor pitching, costly mental errors, and bad at bats and that about sums it up.
The sequence that changed the game went like this. Ground out to the pitcher. Ground out to short (or somewhere else). 2 outs on 3 pitches and we are in pretty good shape down only 2-0 early... or at least temporarily. Walk. Walk. Walk. Bases loaded. Hit batsmen. Hit batsmen. Error. Walk. Grand Slam. Now it is 10-0 in the 4th, rather than 2-0 and the game was well out of reach.
Perhaps the worst part of it all was that Namur played what I feel like was bush league baseball. At one point, their pitcher stepped off the mound and yelled at our batter to stop looking at the signs, which he wasn't doing. As a pitcher I know how annoying it is when batters peak, but there is a way to handle it the right way and that wasn't it. On another play, when there was no play at the plate and the ball wasn't even in the infiled, their runner slid and took our catcher out. When our coach came out to say something about it, their coach started going after our catcher for standing around the plate. There is no if, and, or buts about it... it was a cheap shop. As if the game couldn't get any worse, they lay a base hit bunt down up 11-2 in the bottom of the 7th. The next kid hits a home run, and does a spin move before touching the plate and I was told later a backflip, rubbing the win in our face. Individually, each of these things got me a little heated and collectively even more so. Losing sucks, losing bad sucks even worse, and losing to bush teams is the worst. Lets just say that I took down a few numbers for the next time we play these guys and look forward to whooping up on them.
I finished the day 0 for 2 with a BB and a run scored. In my first plate appearance I got down 0-2, then worked it to 2-2 while fouling of 3 or 4 pitches, but my good battle was for not, as I got jammed on an inside cutter I was trying to foul off and was thrown out at first. In my second AB, I lined the first pitch in the left center gap, but it hung up too long and was caught. AB 3 I walked and scored, and I was left on deck in with 2 runners on in our team's final frame.
All in all, a loss is a loss, but I hope that next time we win game one of the weekend series we play game 2 like we smell blood rather than as if we are content with just winning 1. For now, its time to lick the wounds and get ready for a big series against the Yankees of the Belgian 1st Division, the Hoboken (not NJ) Pioneers.
To end on a positive note, we went to Maaike's parents' house for dinner and the food was delicious. We chowed on a version of Beef Burgnion (spelling?) made with 5 kg of beef and 1 kg of bacon. And as if my heart wasn't going to stop already, we had what else but some homemade frites (fries) and a delicious banana tart.
Tomorrow Reid and I are off to Brussels to explore...
Until next time... keep it classy
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Opening Day
I know I am going to leave myself with a lot of things to come back and discuss but here is a quick rundown of opening day...
Reid "Big Horse" Jackson set the tone right off the bat, starting the game by striking out the side. He continued that tone the whole game with a dominating performance. 9 inning, CG, 12 K (including 3 for Namur's American), 1 ER and only a few hits and couple walks. However, after some defensive lapses, we found ourselves down 3-0 after a few innings. In the 5th or 6th (it escapes me now after celebrating with a half dozen pintjes in the post game), Bram started a 3 run, two out rally. In the 7th we took the lead and never looked back. I played the three bagger and hit 2nd. I was 2 for 3 with an rbi, run and sac bunt on the day (maybe 1 for 3, depending on the scoring... not sure because I was running with my head down). Despite making an error on a hard hit ball that took an unexpected skip, I played 3rd base pretty well considering my limited time spent playing there. It will take some getting used to, but I think I showed some decent range and ability to make tough plays. I had a few nice plays and a few more that would have been nicer had the umpire gotten (what I perceived to be) the right call.
All in all it was great to be back on the field and even nicer to get that W. It is so much more fun to play ball when you feel a connection with the people you are playing with, and this certainly falls under that category (unlike in arizona). This may seem unlikely since I have only been here for 2 weeks, but spending time with the youth programs and working out/getting to know the guys on the team has been great. It is a great group of guys, and I can honestly say that wanting success not only for myself but for my teammates and wins for the guys around me makes me play harder and care more (another thing missing from arizona).
I'm looking forward to game number 2 tomorrow when we travel to namur to play the angels in another 9 inning battle. Today's game ball to Reid... Stay tuned for updates on tomorrow.
Also, I bet a case of beer on the U.S. winning the world cup... we'll see how that goes.
Reid "Big Horse" Jackson set the tone right off the bat, starting the game by striking out the side. He continued that tone the whole game with a dominating performance. 9 inning, CG, 12 K (including 3 for Namur's American), 1 ER and only a few hits and couple walks. However, after some defensive lapses, we found ourselves down 3-0 after a few innings. In the 5th or 6th (it escapes me now after celebrating with a half dozen pintjes in the post game), Bram started a 3 run, two out rally. In the 7th we took the lead and never looked back. I played the three bagger and hit 2nd. I was 2 for 3 with an rbi, run and sac bunt on the day (maybe 1 for 3, depending on the scoring... not sure because I was running with my head down). Despite making an error on a hard hit ball that took an unexpected skip, I played 3rd base pretty well considering my limited time spent playing there. It will take some getting used to, but I think I showed some decent range and ability to make tough plays. I had a few nice plays and a few more that would have been nicer had the umpire gotten (what I perceived to be) the right call.
All in all it was great to be back on the field and even nicer to get that W. It is so much more fun to play ball when you feel a connection with the people you are playing with, and this certainly falls under that category (unlike in arizona). This may seem unlikely since I have only been here for 2 weeks, but spending time with the youth programs and working out/getting to know the guys on the team has been great. It is a great group of guys, and I can honestly say that wanting success not only for myself but for my teammates and wins for the guys around me makes me play harder and care more (another thing missing from arizona).
I'm looking forward to game number 2 tomorrow when we travel to namur to play the angels in another 9 inning battle. Today's game ball to Reid... Stay tuned for updates on tomorrow.
Also, I bet a case of beer on the U.S. winning the world cup... we'll see how that goes.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Opening Day Optimism and More
Ok... this really needs to be quick, but I wanted to write a quick little note about highlights/lowlights from the last few days and the like (shout out to Nader Saeidi)...
1. Reid and I have had a hellish schedule of coaching a youth camp this week... Tuesday-Friday we were at the field anywhere from 9-12 hours, coaching the youngsters in the mornings and the older kids in the afternoons. If you want to put your patience to the test, I would suggest doing the same thing we did this week. I will elaborate more later. I really shouldn't be bitching about it because it certainly beats doing any other job and there were definitely some good times, but it did make for a long/tiring day. More to follow, including a 11-year old's meltdown that would be guaranteed to get a million hits on youtube... as a teaser I will tell you that it included a double middle finger and two F-bombs directed at a coach and some minor physical assaults...
2. Tonight is the eve of Opening Day here in Belgium, and we play Namur tomorrow for our first game. Namur is a team I easily could be playing for, as they were one of the teams on my short list of possible places to play this year. It was nothing they did wrong or didn't have, it just worked better personally and for Rachel for me to come play for Merchtem, and I have yet to be disappointed with my decision. I guess I should be feeling like I have to prove that I made the right choice tomorrow, but I am surprisingly calm about tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about the game, but I'm trying to keep the Taoist attitude that helped me and the team be successful last year... Less can be more and don't try to do too much. Regardless, I hope we take two from them this weekend and confident that we will. Confidence is a funny thing and there is no better time than opening day to talk about it. One of the things I love about opening day is the optimism that always comes at the beginning of the season. No matter how good or bad your team is, it is always "your year" and you are filled with positive thoughts. Hopefully after this weekend I still feel like it is our year.
3. Had a delicious BBQ tonight. Lamb, hamburgers, chicken, ribs... hard to beat.
4. Bets are huge on our team. Before the season every player makes a bet on a beer coaster and it gets put up in the clubhouse. The bet is only valid if on the beer coaster, which has a special name that I will find out and replace the last 2 sentences with. I couldn't think of anything good, so they put me down for hitting above .350. Reid said he would make 0 errors in the field this year. If you have any good suggestions, let me know... right now mine is weak and should be replaced. Speaking of bets, I am going to bet a crate of beer (bets are always, at least I think always, on pintjes (beers) or crates of beer) that the US wins the World Cup... I think we know how that will turn up.
5. This is getting too long again.... more later.
Starting at 3B tomorrow, hitting second and pitching in relief... i'll let you know how it goes.
I will end with a quote from a professor (from last year when I told him I would not make class due to a game)... "With deep breath and effortless efforts, you will win the game."-Qiguang Zhao
Great advice and my plan for tomorrow.
1. Reid and I have had a hellish schedule of coaching a youth camp this week... Tuesday-Friday we were at the field anywhere from 9-12 hours, coaching the youngsters in the mornings and the older kids in the afternoons. If you want to put your patience to the test, I would suggest doing the same thing we did this week. I will elaborate more later. I really shouldn't be bitching about it because it certainly beats doing any other job and there were definitely some good times, but it did make for a long/tiring day. More to follow, including a 11-year old's meltdown that would be guaranteed to get a million hits on youtube... as a teaser I will tell you that it included a double middle finger and two F-bombs directed at a coach and some minor physical assaults...
2. Tonight is the eve of Opening Day here in Belgium, and we play Namur tomorrow for our first game. Namur is a team I easily could be playing for, as they were one of the teams on my short list of possible places to play this year. It was nothing they did wrong or didn't have, it just worked better personally and for Rachel for me to come play for Merchtem, and I have yet to be disappointed with my decision. I guess I should be feeling like I have to prove that I made the right choice tomorrow, but I am surprisingly calm about tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited about the game, but I'm trying to keep the Taoist attitude that helped me and the team be successful last year... Less can be more and don't try to do too much. Regardless, I hope we take two from them this weekend and confident that we will. Confidence is a funny thing and there is no better time than opening day to talk about it. One of the things I love about opening day is the optimism that always comes at the beginning of the season. No matter how good or bad your team is, it is always "your year" and you are filled with positive thoughts. Hopefully after this weekend I still feel like it is our year.
3. Had a delicious BBQ tonight. Lamb, hamburgers, chicken, ribs... hard to beat.
4. Bets are huge on our team. Before the season every player makes a bet on a beer coaster and it gets put up in the clubhouse. The bet is only valid if on the beer coaster, which has a special name that I will find out and replace the last 2 sentences with. I couldn't think of anything good, so they put me down for hitting above .350. Reid said he would make 0 errors in the field this year. If you have any good suggestions, let me know... right now mine is weak and should be replaced. Speaking of bets, I am going to bet a crate of beer (bets are always, at least I think always, on pintjes (beers) or crates of beer) that the US wins the World Cup... I think we know how that will turn up.
5. This is getting too long again.... more later.
Starting at 3B tomorrow, hitting second and pitching in relief... i'll let you know how it goes.
I will end with a quote from a professor (from last year when I told him I would not make class due to a game)... "With deep breath and effortless efforts, you will win the game."-Qiguang Zhao
Great advice and my plan for tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
More Paradise and Some Cultural Consciousness
Top: Me and FDR posing for a pic in Midelburg
Center: Bram getting ready to slug on of my pitches during a friendly BP session on the beach in Holland
Bottom: The condo on the Holland coastPictures courtesy of Reid Jackson
This will have to be a short post despite the many sweet things that I could elaborate on.
We spent Easter weekend on the Holland Coast at a condo that Bram's parents own. It was the four of us from "my house" and Bram's parents. In addition to quizzing me and Reid on new Dutch vocab, the Deny's generously showed us around Veer and Midelburg, two small cities in the Zeeland province of the Netherlands and fed us great meal after great meal. It wasn't a typical Easter, it was better (minus missing family). Maybe I'll start a tradition of heading to the Holland Coast on Easter instead of opening an Easter basket (and bring my family with me... to get the best of both worlds).
The second thing that has been in my mind constantly are just some of the cultural/stylistic differences between Belgium and the USA. I have been thinking about this a lot, but what made me want to write about it is this scenario...
Today at practice, and the other day at practice we finished up with conditioning. We ran 2 "Ws". This is where you start at home plate, run to the 3rd base side foul poll and back, then to the center field wall and back to home plate, and then to the 1st base side foul poll and back. During each practice we ran 2. Each time, I paced myself behind the lead runner(s) for most of the time and then sprinted ahead on the final leg or two of the last W. I ended up finishing ahead of everyone, but that is only a small part of the point of this story. I have always been one who prides myself on my effort and the amount of time I put into training for baseball or whatever else it might be that I am trying to do well. In the States, at least in athletics, this is a good thing and people/teammates appreciate you busting your ass to get better. It would be looked down upon if you didn't push yourself to get better/try your best and people would say you were dogging it.
Anyways, what I was thinking about for the first W and 3/4 or the second was this... In Belgium, would I be showing off or being too competitive by taking the lead in the end and finishing first? Would teammates think of me as a showoff or showing them up? Or would my teammates recognize that I am just trying to push myself to make myself the best player possible (and in doing so making the team better)?
This is just one example of how something seemingly obvious in the U.S. may have different implications over here. I try to be as aware of cultural differences as possible and tailor my normal habits according to what my hosts/host country deem most appropriate, but I do wonder how many times I have done what is "normal" and "right" for me and left locals thinking, "God, what a complete asshole," or "why is he always getting in the way."
I guess in the end it come down to striking a balance and being aware of your surroundings/having some social awareness. While it may seem somewhat easy, language barriers and comfort level may impede what would make things more comfortable for everyone. The bottom line is that the people here have all been very welcoming and supportive. I just hope that when I run as hard as I can, do the dishes, or (attempt) to do my own laundry, people at least recognize that I am trying to be helpful... even if the way they see it is as me getting in the way.
This turned out to be much longer than I anticipated, but check back later and I still might try to add in more details about our weekend in Holland, the baseball camp that we are running this week, or the million other things I could write about all KNIGHT. KnightTime at St. Mary's... get 'em boys.
First games for us this weekend against Namur.... stay tuned. Until next time, Peace.
Friday, April 2, 2010
1st week tidbits (a lot of them)
Where to start? Well, it seems like a lot has happened since I arrived in Belgium on Tuesday afternoon, and looking into my brain at the list of things I want to talk about, I guess a lot has. I'll start with the most important...
If you have been following along with me from the beginning, you may have noticed a new feature on the right hand side of my blod, the "Fun-O-meter" (for lack of creativity and a better name). Here I will keep a running tally of the two best things about being in Belgium, the beer and baseball. For each time that I go to the field, I will add a tally to practice. I will also tally the number of beers (for as long as I can remember) that I drink in the post-practice get together in the clubhouse/bar adjacent to the field. Let's just say that "pintjes" (beers) are a plenty post practice. Other than being delicious, it is also a nice way to get to know the teammates and relax. It makes it feel like more of a team atmosphere, something I really missed about playing in Arizona last summer. Anyways, keep an eye on the tally and before long I may have to put a tally for the pounds I gain from the good beer, french fries, chocolate and more. Today after the workout at the field with Bram, Ruud, Kleinner and Reid my beers/practice (which will probably be higher than my batting average) took a hit as I opted for water, but stay posted as it goes up and down like the stock market.
In other big news, I found out yesterday (I don't know how I missed this piece of information) that Reid and I can only combine to throw 9 innings a week (1 of the 2 games). That definitely changes things from a preparation standpoint and logistical standpoint. I am not sure if I will be starting, relieving or a combination of both, but I will welcome any role with open arms. Either way the mentality is the same: get outs and win games.
The weather here hasn't quite turned towards summer yet, so there have been some interesting moments at practice. It has been mainly in the 40's with wind and rain of and on, but we have powered through it. It is sometimes difficult to see the potatoes that we use for taking ground balls and hitting BP, because their brown skin blends in with the dirt and background. Not real potatoes of course, but they might as well be, since the hide of the ball has gone from white to dark brown or even lighter shades of black due to the mud. For me, this has made reading hops on ground balls particularly difficult, especially as I try to shake off the rust from my long layover, also known as winter in Alaska. Another thing that I have noticed about practice is that there are very little times between reps. For me, this is both good and bad. While it definitely helps with efficient use of time, I sometimes find myself taking bad swings because I am rushed or not fully set up before the next pitch is on the way. It will take some getting used to and maybe when I get accustomed to the way things are run I can find a way to get that extra few seconds in between reps so that I am getting quality reps every time. While I'm all for maximizing efficiency and cutting out downtime at practice, I am not in favor of substituting quantity for quality. This is not a big deal, but rather something I noticed from the first few practices and shouldn't effect the quality of reps I take once I get accustomed to practice and the way things are done over here.
One thing that won't get any easier to adjust to is the time difference. This is not for normal reasons, but rather because I woke up today at 5:30 to once again dominate my BDPFL '10 Fantasy Baseball Draft. I have no doubt that after my solid performance on the board today that I will 3-peat as league champ. Its nice to have Reza back in the league, not from a competition standpoint (lets be honest, he can't compete either) but because the league banter has been great. Following the draft, Bram and I went down to the town hall and I became registered as a legal 3 month resident. Bram has been super chill and helpful about everything, despite having a lot on his plate with work, us hooligans, baseball, etc. I finished out the day with a good workout at the field (as mentioned above) with a good bullpen session, ground balls, and plenty of BP in the cage. After practice, we came home for a delicious spaghetti dinner that Maaike had prepared (she is a great cook and i'm loving the subtle differences between even similar dishes to back home). After dinner, Reid and I crashed Bram and Maaike's date to the movies and the four of us saw Ghost Writer. The movie theaters in Belgium have much more comfortable seats that many of those that I have been to in the States and also have much more efficient and better concessions. Everything is self serve, and you just pay when you leave the snack area. Simple, but genius... take notes Regal Cinema. We topped off the night by grabbing a few drinks at a bar in Merchtem, where we chatted it up and listened to an eclectic mix of everything from alanis morsette to 50 cent. That finished off another great day in Belgium.
Since I have arrived, everyone here has been super friendly and accommodating. Here at the house, Bram and Maaike have been awesome in making us Americans feel right at home and welcome, and teammates and other coaches have done the same away from the house. I know I already mentioned it above, but Maaike's cooking has definitely helped ease the withdrawals from the great seafood that Sitka had to offer. We are taking a weekend trip to the coast in the Netherlands this weekend, so maybe I can have a reunion with my good friends salmon and cod.
I think that about covers everything I had on my mind. Again I have been lucky to be placed with a chill roommate and it has been cool to bounce ideas about baseball, europe, and plenty of other things off of Reid. I'll keep you posted as we try to figure out all this country has to offer and debate which beer is best.
Stay tuned for more pictures and stories to come and much peace and love
PS: also find at right a link to my roommate Reid's blog for a different perspective on the Belgian baseball experience
If you have been following along with me from the beginning, you may have noticed a new feature on the right hand side of my blod, the "Fun-O-meter" (for lack of creativity and a better name). Here I will keep a running tally of the two best things about being in Belgium, the beer and baseball. For each time that I go to the field, I will add a tally to practice. I will also tally the number of beers (for as long as I can remember) that I drink in the post-practice get together in the clubhouse/bar adjacent to the field. Let's just say that "pintjes" (beers) are a plenty post practice. Other than being delicious, it is also a nice way to get to know the teammates and relax. It makes it feel like more of a team atmosphere, something I really missed about playing in Arizona last summer. Anyways, keep an eye on the tally and before long I may have to put a tally for the pounds I gain from the good beer, french fries, chocolate and more. Today after the workout at the field with Bram, Ruud, Kleinner and Reid my beers/practice (which will probably be higher than my batting average) took a hit as I opted for water, but stay posted as it goes up and down like the stock market.
In other big news, I found out yesterday (I don't know how I missed this piece of information) that Reid and I can only combine to throw 9 innings a week (1 of the 2 games). That definitely changes things from a preparation standpoint and logistical standpoint. I am not sure if I will be starting, relieving or a combination of both, but I will welcome any role with open arms. Either way the mentality is the same: get outs and win games.
The weather here hasn't quite turned towards summer yet, so there have been some interesting moments at practice. It has been mainly in the 40's with wind and rain of and on, but we have powered through it. It is sometimes difficult to see the potatoes that we use for taking ground balls and hitting BP, because their brown skin blends in with the dirt and background. Not real potatoes of course, but they might as well be, since the hide of the ball has gone from white to dark brown or even lighter shades of black due to the mud. For me, this has made reading hops on ground balls particularly difficult, especially as I try to shake off the rust from my long layover, also known as winter in Alaska. Another thing that I have noticed about practice is that there are very little times between reps. For me, this is both good and bad. While it definitely helps with efficient use of time, I sometimes find myself taking bad swings because I am rushed or not fully set up before the next pitch is on the way. It will take some getting used to and maybe when I get accustomed to the way things are run I can find a way to get that extra few seconds in between reps so that I am getting quality reps every time. While I'm all for maximizing efficiency and cutting out downtime at practice, I am not in favor of substituting quantity for quality. This is not a big deal, but rather something I noticed from the first few practices and shouldn't effect the quality of reps I take once I get accustomed to practice and the way things are done over here.
One thing that won't get any easier to adjust to is the time difference. This is not for normal reasons, but rather because I woke up today at 5:30 to once again dominate my BDPFL '10 Fantasy Baseball Draft. I have no doubt that after my solid performance on the board today that I will 3-peat as league champ. Its nice to have Reza back in the league, not from a competition standpoint (lets be honest, he can't compete either) but because the league banter has been great. Following the draft, Bram and I went down to the town hall and I became registered as a legal 3 month resident. Bram has been super chill and helpful about everything, despite having a lot on his plate with work, us hooligans, baseball, etc. I finished out the day with a good workout at the field (as mentioned above) with a good bullpen session, ground balls, and plenty of BP in the cage. After practice, we came home for a delicious spaghetti dinner that Maaike had prepared (she is a great cook and i'm loving the subtle differences between even similar dishes to back home). After dinner, Reid and I crashed Bram and Maaike's date to the movies and the four of us saw Ghost Writer. The movie theaters in Belgium have much more comfortable seats that many of those that I have been to in the States and also have much more efficient and better concessions. Everything is self serve, and you just pay when you leave the snack area. Simple, but genius... take notes Regal Cinema. We topped off the night by grabbing a few drinks at a bar in Merchtem, where we chatted it up and listened to an eclectic mix of everything from alanis morsette to 50 cent. That finished off another great day in Belgium.
Since I have arrived, everyone here has been super friendly and accommodating. Here at the house, Bram and Maaike have been awesome in making us Americans feel right at home and welcome, and teammates and other coaches have done the same away from the house. I know I already mentioned it above, but Maaike's cooking has definitely helped ease the withdrawals from the great seafood that Sitka had to offer. We are taking a weekend trip to the coast in the Netherlands this weekend, so maybe I can have a reunion with my good friends salmon and cod.
I think that about covers everything I had on my mind. Again I have been lucky to be placed with a chill roommate and it has been cool to bounce ideas about baseball, europe, and plenty of other things off of Reid. I'll keep you posted as we try to figure out all this country has to offer and debate which beer is best.
Stay tuned for more pictures and stories to come and much peace and love
PS: also find at right a link to my roommate Reid's blog for a different perspective on the Belgian baseball experience
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A Few Pics From Opwijk
Church in downtown Opwijk.
Proof that I will survive in Opwijk (as long as it opens at some point during the day).
Sweet tree in front of Church.
Street in Opwijk.
Flags
Markstraat (main street) in downtown Opwijk.
Wesseling or Lucca, anybody?
Just in case you are going to Dublin.
Our flat from the front, my window on the far right.
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