With a dominating win, one that was never in question, The Bears move back into a tie for first place, with a Carine win over Rockingham this afternoon. The hot bats were back, thumping out 17 runs in 7 innings and Freezer filled the zone on his way to a CG Shutout. Look for more of the same against Kelmscott next week before the competition heats up again into the winter break.
In other happenings, I rescued and found eaters for about 25 sandwiches from the garbage at work yesterday. Working in a restaurant has its perks, but it is also pretty sad how much food gets wasted. Unfortunately, I couldn't possibly eat all the food in the warmer and fridge. Damn.
Sorry for the quick update, more interesting stuff coming soon.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Feeling Lucky
It being Thanksgiving (well, just after Turkey Day), it is only natural to be thinking of things you are thankful for. Even thousands of miles from the Turkey Day celebrations back home, the thought of thankfulness and appreciation did not escape me.
Rachel and I had a low-key but very nice Thanksgiving together. Thanks almost entirely to Rach's persistence and efforts, I arrived from practice to the heavenly smell of diner. As a side note, one of my favorite things in the world is the smells that waft out of homes at dinner time. As a kid I used to love riding my bike home from practice, getting a whiff of what others would be enjoying...but I digress. The end product of Rach's hard work was a bird (chicken... Turkeys are hard to come by around here), stuffing, cranberry sauce, whipped sweet potatoes, grilled veggies, gravy, and of course apple pie, apple and blueberry crumble, and vanilla ice cream. A meal fit for a king. Although the company of friends and family miles away was sorely missed, it was nice to have a celebration, albeit a small one.
I was thankful for the meal to be sure, but my thankfulness runs a lot deeper than that. I consider myself to be the luckiest guy in the world, and I say that in all seriousness. My whole life, I have essentially been able to do what I am passionate about and be surrounded by GREAT people. I have the best family, friend, girlfriend, blog readers, teammates... and the list goes on... that anyone could ask for.
All the places I have been able to go, things I have been able to do, and people I have been able to meet starts with my parents, who did as good a job of raising children as you can do. From there, it has been a trickle down effect of wonderfulness that makes up my life. For fear that I am sounding cheesy and too sappy to be fun to read, I am going to cut this writing short. But before I sign off, I just want to thank you, because if you are reading this right you are someone who has helped to make my life better than I ever could have asked for. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and is doing well. Sending much love to everyone.
Thankfully,
Ethan
Rachel and I had a low-key but very nice Thanksgiving together. Thanks almost entirely to Rach's persistence and efforts, I arrived from practice to the heavenly smell of diner. As a side note, one of my favorite things in the world is the smells that waft out of homes at dinner time. As a kid I used to love riding my bike home from practice, getting a whiff of what others would be enjoying...but I digress. The end product of Rach's hard work was a bird (chicken... Turkeys are hard to come by around here), stuffing, cranberry sauce, whipped sweet potatoes, grilled veggies, gravy, and of course apple pie, apple and blueberry crumble, and vanilla ice cream. A meal fit for a king. Although the company of friends and family miles away was sorely missed, it was nice to have a celebration, albeit a small one.
I was thankful for the meal to be sure, but my thankfulness runs a lot deeper than that. I consider myself to be the luckiest guy in the world, and I say that in all seriousness. My whole life, I have essentially been able to do what I am passionate about and be surrounded by GREAT people. I have the best family, friend, girlfriend, blog readers, teammates... and the list goes on... that anyone could ask for.
All the places I have been able to go, things I have been able to do, and people I have been able to meet starts with my parents, who did as good a job of raising children as you can do. From there, it has been a trickle down effect of wonderfulness that makes up my life. For fear that I am sounding cheesy and too sappy to be fun to read, I am going to cut this writing short. But before I sign off, I just want to thank you, because if you are reading this right you are someone who has helped to make my life better than I ever could have asked for. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and is doing well. Sending much love to everyone.
Thankfully,
Ethan
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Things are Heating up in Perth
Dear Faithful Readers,
It has been a while since a proper update, and for that I am sorry. Things on my end have been a little more hectic with the lack of internet at our apartment and a busier schedule.
1. I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving. It is 80-100 degrees here on a daily basis and winter holidays are the last thing on my mind.
2. This last week, the Bears went to Rockingham to face our biggest challenge of the year in the Rams. Two teams putting their undefeated records on the line during the last game of the first round. The game lived up to its promise, with the game going down to the last out. Unfortunately, we were on the short end of a 5-4 ballgame. While 5-4 hardly seems like a pitching duel, in a game with two teams averaging more than 15 runs per game (in mainly 7 innings, due to mercy rule), it was ultimately a day for pitchers.
I was on the mound and threw arguably the best I have this year. Looking at my stat line wouldn't give you any indication of this, but in terms of hard hit balls and stuff, I was on my game. In the end, it was my inability to keep the ball in the yard that led to the loss. *** Those stars are the bells going off in your head, letting you know that something is not right. If this were the SAT reasoning section, you would be screwed. If they didn't hit the ball hard, how can one give up 3 (solo) home runs? The answer, my friends, is my new nemesis. His name is metal bat/small field combo. I would go into a spiel about metal bats right now, but am not sure if children are reading this or if the long list of curse words would be found online years from now and cost me a job ( A disease known as Boynonsky-phobia). Basically I feel like none of the home runs would have gone out with either or all of the following... a) a normal size field or b) woods bats. I am not trying to make excuses, it is just frustrating when you feel like you made a good pitch that should have been an our and it ends up being a home run. Regardless, I threw well and feel like 8 times out of 10, we would have won a game of that nature. Unfortunately we didn't, and now its time to start a new win streak. Go Bears, Go!
3. Last Friday, we had Race Night at the Bear Cage in the famous (or infamous after Friday night) Stephenson room. Using a grid to simulate a race track, player nicknames with bios full of low blows as horses, and two big foam dice to represent which horse moves and how many spaces the, everyone in attendance was hoping to spend most of their time sipping champagne in the winners lounge. At the end of the night, winners and losers alike all seemed satisfied. I don't know whether that was the alcohol consumption or the merry spirit of Da Bears, but it didn't matter. Rach and I left up a hundred or so dollars and had a great time.
4. We did not bounce back to go to the real races like some other Bears, no names mentioned, Clint and Timmy Free, Gabbo, and Spooner. We did however go check out the Perth Heat V. Adelaide Bite game at Barbagallo ballpark, which was a good game and fun affair.
5. I am still scared of sharks.
6. I have been working a lot.
7. Rach and I just booked tickets for a 3 week trip to Indonesia (Bali), Thailand, and Malaysia through Christmas and the holidays... I pretty much can't wait for that.
8. Probably also gonna pick up some U2 and Jay-Z concert tickets...
9. Is the best number.
10. Happy Turkey Day to everyone.
11. Finished two of my 3 grad school apps today...
12. Running out of time...
13. skipping it like a hotel building
14. Skipping out of here for a Thai dinner
Peace and Love,
Ethan
It has been a while since a proper update, and for that I am sorry. Things on my end have been a little more hectic with the lack of internet at our apartment and a busier schedule.
1. I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving. It is 80-100 degrees here on a daily basis and winter holidays are the last thing on my mind.
2. This last week, the Bears went to Rockingham to face our biggest challenge of the year in the Rams. Two teams putting their undefeated records on the line during the last game of the first round. The game lived up to its promise, with the game going down to the last out. Unfortunately, we were on the short end of a 5-4 ballgame. While 5-4 hardly seems like a pitching duel, in a game with two teams averaging more than 15 runs per game (in mainly 7 innings, due to mercy rule), it was ultimately a day for pitchers.
I was on the mound and threw arguably the best I have this year. Looking at my stat line wouldn't give you any indication of this, but in terms of hard hit balls and stuff, I was on my game. In the end, it was my inability to keep the ball in the yard that led to the loss. *** Those stars are the bells going off in your head, letting you know that something is not right. If this were the SAT reasoning section, you would be screwed. If they didn't hit the ball hard, how can one give up 3 (solo) home runs? The answer, my friends, is my new nemesis. His name is metal bat/small field combo. I would go into a spiel about metal bats right now, but am not sure if children are reading this or if the long list of curse words would be found online years from now and cost me a job ( A disease known as Boynonsky-phobia). Basically I feel like none of the home runs would have gone out with either or all of the following... a) a normal size field or b) woods bats. I am not trying to make excuses, it is just frustrating when you feel like you made a good pitch that should have been an our and it ends up being a home run. Regardless, I threw well and feel like 8 times out of 10, we would have won a game of that nature. Unfortunately we didn't, and now its time to start a new win streak. Go Bears, Go!
3. Last Friday, we had Race Night at the Bear Cage in the famous (or infamous after Friday night) Stephenson room. Using a grid to simulate a race track, player nicknames with bios full of low blows as horses, and two big foam dice to represent which horse moves and how many spaces the, everyone in attendance was hoping to spend most of their time sipping champagne in the winners lounge. At the end of the night, winners and losers alike all seemed satisfied. I don't know whether that was the alcohol consumption or the merry spirit of Da Bears, but it didn't matter. Rach and I left up a hundred or so dollars and had a great time.
4. We did not bounce back to go to the real races like some other Bears, no names mentioned, Clint and Timmy Free, Gabbo, and Spooner. We did however go check out the Perth Heat V. Adelaide Bite game at Barbagallo ballpark, which was a good game and fun affair.
5. I am still scared of sharks.
6. I have been working a lot.
7. Rach and I just booked tickets for a 3 week trip to Indonesia (Bali), Thailand, and Malaysia through Christmas and the holidays... I pretty much can't wait for that.
8. Probably also gonna pick up some U2 and Jay-Z concert tickets...
9. Is the best number.
10. Happy Turkey Day to everyone.
11. Finished two of my 3 grad school apps today...
12. Running out of time...
13. skipping it like a hotel building
14. Skipping out of here for a Thai dinner
Peace and Love,
Ethan
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Quickie
Despite a poor showing at the plate by our leadoff man (0-3, 2 bb, rbi, r), The Bears again won in a blowout at The Bear Cage by a score of 14-4 or something of that nature. With the win, we stayed in first place by a half game over Rockingham, who we will play next week in what promises to be our toughest game yet. Rockingham is fresh off putting up 30 against UWA, and surely will be gunning for us.
I am looking forward to personally playing a little better brand of baseball. I feel like I have come no where close to my potential, so I look forward to next weeks challenge. I will be on the mound, looking to keep us in first place.
In other news, Rachel and I are fully moved into our new apartment and settling in nicely. Unfortunately, our internet situation is not ideal and it will be a little tougher to update but I'll try my best.
Hope all is well on the home front!
I am looking forward to personally playing a little better brand of baseball. I feel like I have come no where close to my potential, so I look forward to next weeks challenge. I will be on the mound, looking to keep us in first place.
In other news, Rachel and I are fully moved into our new apartment and settling in nicely. Unfortunately, our internet situation is not ideal and it will be a little tougher to update but I'll try my best.
Hope all is well on the home front!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
For the Last time
The link to the article on the last USA v. Heat game... because I love torturing myself and find Hughes' comments interesting... looks like I should have gone with the fastball.
http://web.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101109&content_id=16039306&vkey=news_t4068&fext=.jsp&sid=t4068
To me his comments are thought provoking and really get into pitch selection, pitch patterns, good in-game awareness and making adjustments...
Here is a scenario, I am interested in your thought process:
Good hitter comes up. You fall behind in the count. He is ahead of a 2-0 pitch, and hits it hard but foul down the left field line. What do you come back with?
My thought process was this: Throw something slower to try to get him out front.
His was: He is probably going to come back with something soft to try to get me out front... So should you try to come back soft and execute the pitch better, or know he will be looking for that and try to catch them off guard with something harder?
Let me know what you think.
http://web.theabl.com.au/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101109&content_id=16039306&vkey=news_t4068&fext=.jsp&sid=t4068
To me his comments are thought provoking and really get into pitch selection, pitch patterns, good in-game awareness and making adjustments...
Here is a scenario, I am interested in your thought process:
Good hitter comes up. You fall behind in the count. He is ahead of a 2-0 pitch, and hits it hard but foul down the left field line. What do you come back with?
My thought process was this: Throw something slower to try to get him out front.
His was: He is probably going to come back with something soft to try to get me out front... So should you try to come back soft and execute the pitch better, or know he will be looking for that and try to catch them off guard with something harder?
Let me know what you think.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
One Bad Pitch...
This weekend, we wrapped up our second series against the Perth Heat. The series, which unfortunately went in the Heat's favor was full of close games. On Thursday, as I already wrote about, we tied. Boo. On Friday night, I spent all game hoping I would get a chance to come in and nail down the W. We jumped out to a 4-0 lead and like all week, had great starting pitching. I watched from the bench as we ran into trouble in the late innings and ended up going down by 1 in the 7th, before tying it up in the 8th, and then losing the lead for good in the bottom of the 8th. We failed to get that big hit to put the game away in the middle innings in a game that I think we all felt like we should have won. I wish I had gotten a chance to come in, but that chance would have to wait until Saturday night.
Saturday nights game, the last game for Team USA, was another nail biter. In front of probably the biggest crowd in the 6 games, we again got great starting pitching. The pitching was strong on both sides and we got through 7 innings with the score tied at zeros. I took the ball in the bottom of the 8th to face the heart of their order. Among the hitters I faced were Evan McArthur, a former player at Cal State Fullerton who plays in the Giants system, Luke Hughes of the Minnesota Twins, and Allan de San Miguel, the AAA Catcher for the Twins.
I was throwing well and making good pitches. I got the first batter to fly out to right on a change up and then struck out McArthur with a curve. Things were feeling good until Luke Hughes stepped into the box. He had had a tough series so far, striking out a lot in the first two games, but was heating up and had laced a few balls earlier in the night. My first mistake to Hughes (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/H/Luke-Hughes.shtml)was falling behind in the count. I lost my grip on a first pitch curve high and then missed with a second pitch low. What followed, will no doubt be a good story to tell, but one I would rather not be telling. I would have really liked to strike him out, get back in the dugout, score a run, come back out and nail down the W. That didn't happen. Instead, I did something very rare...I gave up two home runs to the guy in one at bat.
I threw a 2-0 curve ball. Not a great pitch, but the location was such that when he teed off on it, it was a foul home run by about 10 feet. He pimped it, never leaving the box. Hr number 1.
Trying to get him out front, I came back with a change-up. This was really my one mistake of the night, and happened to be a really bad mistake to a really bad person to make a mistake to. He teed off on the belt high blunder and deposited it about 10 feet beyond the left field wall. Fair. Hr number 2. I wasn't looking, but some teammates told me he basically stayed in the box admiring it until it landed.I don't really care about that, but am pissed at myself that I let myself get beat with not my best pitch. Mistake 2, or maybe 3... whatever it was. I tried to throw the change too hard, leaving it up over the middle. In retrospect, I should have come back with another curve (he had been swinging over a lot of them throughout the series), or executed the pitch better. I broke de San Miguel's bat inducing a grounder to short, but he reached on a throwing error. I got the next batter to fly out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
At the moment, the fact that he hit a home run in his first Big League AB doesn't make me feel much better, but like I said it will make a good story to tell. Right now I am just disappointed that I gave up the winning run, and cost us a ballgame. On a positive note, it was a lot of fun to be challenged by some good hitters and play in front of a sizable crowd in a good baseball atmosphere. I made one mistake and it made the difference in the ballgame. That is why baseball is the best and hardest sport. The small things make a difference, and when the game is on the line, you can't pass the ball off to a teammate. You can go all game in the field without a ball and then have to make the biggest play or sit on the bench for 7 innings and come in and have to pitch in a tie game. You can't beat that. I wish there were more games so I could face him again but it will have to wait for another time... for now, its just a story to tell.
After the game, I went to a bbq at the Free's place with some of my teammates from the bears. Despite the loss, it ended up being a good night and I look forward to the many bbqs that are still to come.
Sunday, Adam (one of the Stephenson boy's from the bears) and his wife Liza with their two sons and Lee showed us around Perth, where we checked out King's Park, Freemantle, and along the coast. Another good day and a big thanks to them for showing Rachel and I around.
This morning was my first real day of work at Lawley's bakery and cafe, where there are about 3049403 different pastries and 3409823 different breads for me to remember and about 309393 other things to serve. For a first day it went pretty well, especially considering that you could not hear anything because they were re-doing the pavement outside. There was one customer who was a huge you-know-what because 1) she said she wanted a pre-toasted sandwich toasted, so I thought she meant the un-toasted sandwich with the same name and 2) because I had to ask her twice. Basically she can .... aaaah customer service. The best part is that I work the 6-12 shift, meaning there is plenty of beach time left in the afternoons, which is where I am going now... comments, questions, and fan/personal letters are all welcome... miss you all!
E
Saturday nights game, the last game for Team USA, was another nail biter. In front of probably the biggest crowd in the 6 games, we again got great starting pitching. The pitching was strong on both sides and we got through 7 innings with the score tied at zeros. I took the ball in the bottom of the 8th to face the heart of their order. Among the hitters I faced were Evan McArthur, a former player at Cal State Fullerton who plays in the Giants system, Luke Hughes of the Minnesota Twins, and Allan de San Miguel, the AAA Catcher for the Twins.
I was throwing well and making good pitches. I got the first batter to fly out to right on a change up and then struck out McArthur with a curve. Things were feeling good until Luke Hughes stepped into the box. He had had a tough series so far, striking out a lot in the first two games, but was heating up and had laced a few balls earlier in the night. My first mistake to Hughes (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/H/Luke-Hughes.shtml)was falling behind in the count. I lost my grip on a first pitch curve high and then missed with a second pitch low. What followed, will no doubt be a good story to tell, but one I would rather not be telling. I would have really liked to strike him out, get back in the dugout, score a run, come back out and nail down the W. That didn't happen. Instead, I did something very rare...I gave up two home runs to the guy in one at bat.
I threw a 2-0 curve ball. Not a great pitch, but the location was such that when he teed off on it, it was a foul home run by about 10 feet. He pimped it, never leaving the box. Hr number 1.
Trying to get him out front, I came back with a change-up. This was really my one mistake of the night, and happened to be a really bad mistake to a really bad person to make a mistake to. He teed off on the belt high blunder and deposited it about 10 feet beyond the left field wall. Fair. Hr number 2. I wasn't looking, but some teammates told me he basically stayed in the box admiring it until it landed.I don't really care about that, but am pissed at myself that I let myself get beat with not my best pitch. Mistake 2, or maybe 3... whatever it was. I tried to throw the change too hard, leaving it up over the middle. In retrospect, I should have come back with another curve (he had been swinging over a lot of them throughout the series), or executed the pitch better. I broke de San Miguel's bat inducing a grounder to short, but he reached on a throwing error. I got the next batter to fly out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
At the moment, the fact that he hit a home run in his first Big League AB doesn't make me feel much better, but like I said it will make a good story to tell. Right now I am just disappointed that I gave up the winning run, and cost us a ballgame. On a positive note, it was a lot of fun to be challenged by some good hitters and play in front of a sizable crowd in a good baseball atmosphere. I made one mistake and it made the difference in the ballgame. That is why baseball is the best and hardest sport. The small things make a difference, and when the game is on the line, you can't pass the ball off to a teammate. You can go all game in the field without a ball and then have to make the biggest play or sit on the bench for 7 innings and come in and have to pitch in a tie game. You can't beat that. I wish there were more games so I could face him again but it will have to wait for another time... for now, its just a story to tell.
After the game, I went to a bbq at the Free's place with some of my teammates from the bears. Despite the loss, it ended up being a good night and I look forward to the many bbqs that are still to come.
Sunday, Adam (one of the Stephenson boy's from the bears) and his wife Liza with their two sons and Lee showed us around Perth, where we checked out King's Park, Freemantle, and along the coast. Another good day and a big thanks to them for showing Rachel and I around.
This morning was my first real day of work at Lawley's bakery and cafe, where there are about 3049403 different pastries and 3409823 different breads for me to remember and about 309393 other things to serve. For a first day it went pretty well, especially considering that you could not hear anything because they were re-doing the pavement outside. There was one customer who was a huge you-know-what because 1) she said she wanted a pre-toasted sandwich toasted, so I thought she meant the un-toasted sandwich with the same name and 2) because I had to ask her twice. Basically she can .... aaaah customer service. The best part is that I work the 6-12 shift, meaning there is plenty of beach time left in the afternoons, which is where I am going now... comments, questions, and fan/personal letters are all welcome... miss you all!
E
Thursday, November 4, 2010
And the game ends in a... Tie?
I feel like I have seen this scenario before... great baseball game involving USA All-Stars (okay, maybe I shouldn't group the Perth USA team with the actual All-Stars, but hey...), down to the wire, a late comeback... and then... it ends in a tie. What the!?!??
That is pretty much how it went down last night in our game against the Perth Heat. Great game... 0-0 going into the late innings. We appear to have scored the go-ahead run on a great slide by Zack McMillan, but he is called out on what appeared to be a bad call. So what does Zack do? Keeps having a day, gunning a guy down at the plate with a perfect throw from right to keep us down by only 1 going into the 9th. Then, with two outs, two strikes and the tying run at 2nd, he fouled off 5 pitches before lacing one into left and tying the game up. A great all round performance by him and by our team. The staff did great, but never got the chance to finish off the comeback. The game was called because a lack of pitching from their side, something I find a little hard to believe seeing as that we still have two more games to play in the next two days. In the end, they are exhibition games to get the Heat ready for their season, but it just doesn't feel right to end a baseball game in a tie, much less a game as sharp as that one. What can you do.
In other news, I am finally gainfully employed and we appear to have found an apartment to rent.
A Baker Boy is Born:
A few weeks ago I saw a sign in a bakery window down the street from where we are staying indicating that they were looking for part timers with experience. Like most jobs I have looked into here, my lack of restaurant experience killed my chances for a job. This week, I went to check back up on it and noticed that the sign now had the experienced part crossed off... Alllll Riiiight! I popped in to have a chat with the manager, the next day I had a trial, and after the trial, which was basically a 30 minute crash course on the million different hot pockets, pastries, breads, and sandwiches, they threw me into the fire to deal with orders. To say it wasn't a little rough would be a lie, but mainly I just hate feeling like I am getting in the way of the other employees. Hopefully with a few more shifts I will be handling things no problem, and can actually be more of a help than a nuisance. Regardless, I got a job which I needed. The better part is that the shifts run from 6-1, leaving me beach time in the afternoon. Yeah buddy!
Rachel and I also found a good deal on an apartment to rent for a few months in a good central location. Still waiting on details, but looks like we will be moving in within a week. Only downside to this is that I may have to cut back on the internet time, as the apartment uses 3G, making it harder to stay in touch with you all. Anyways, the Heat series continues tonight if anyone wants to listen in the middle of the night... I'll leave you with a picture of the beach, which I plan on frequenting when at all possible, and the best looking girl on it. Unitl next time, peace
P.S. Welcome back Big Papi
That is pretty much how it went down last night in our game against the Perth Heat. Great game... 0-0 going into the late innings. We appear to have scored the go-ahead run on a great slide by Zack McMillan, but he is called out on what appeared to be a bad call. So what does Zack do? Keeps having a day, gunning a guy down at the plate with a perfect throw from right to keep us down by only 1 going into the 9th. Then, with two outs, two strikes and the tying run at 2nd, he fouled off 5 pitches before lacing one into left and tying the game up. A great all round performance by him and by our team. The staff did great, but never got the chance to finish off the comeback. The game was called because a lack of pitching from their side, something I find a little hard to believe seeing as that we still have two more games to play in the next two days. In the end, they are exhibition games to get the Heat ready for their season, but it just doesn't feel right to end a baseball game in a tie, much less a game as sharp as that one. What can you do.
In other news, I am finally gainfully employed and we appear to have found an apartment to rent.
A Baker Boy is Born:
A few weeks ago I saw a sign in a bakery window down the street from where we are staying indicating that they were looking for part timers with experience. Like most jobs I have looked into here, my lack of restaurant experience killed my chances for a job. This week, I went to check back up on it and noticed that the sign now had the experienced part crossed off... Alllll Riiiight! I popped in to have a chat with the manager, the next day I had a trial, and after the trial, which was basically a 30 minute crash course on the million different hot pockets, pastries, breads, and sandwiches, they threw me into the fire to deal with orders. To say it wasn't a little rough would be a lie, but mainly I just hate feeling like I am getting in the way of the other employees. Hopefully with a few more shifts I will be handling things no problem, and can actually be more of a help than a nuisance. Regardless, I got a job which I needed. The better part is that the shifts run from 6-1, leaving me beach time in the afternoon. Yeah buddy!
Rachel and I also found a good deal on an apartment to rent for a few months in a good central location. Still waiting on details, but looks like we will be moving in within a week. Only downside to this is that I may have to cut back on the internet time, as the apartment uses 3G, making it harder to stay in touch with you all. Anyways, the Heat series continues tonight if anyone wants to listen in the middle of the night... I'll leave you with a picture of the beach, which I plan on frequenting when at all possible, and the best looking girl on it. Unitl next time, peace
P.S. Welcome back Big Papi
Monday, November 1, 2010
From F to W...
Halloween in Australia was on Sunday, which also happened to be a game day with the Bears. I started the game on the hill, in what was by far the worst game I have had on the bump in memory. What started out as a dirty trick, turned into a sweet treat and a W at the end. All is well that ends well, right?
Well, unless you have KNIGHTmares about your performance for days...Before I verbally abuse myself like Pedro's rant against Kareem Garcia, I should say how pumped I am that my teammates picked up the slack and we remained perfect on the season. The bats stayed hot and Gabbo threw some huge innings for us in relief. It was awesome. In the end, what I care about is getting that team W. Since we got that, I am 1) relieved/pumped/disappointed we have a bye next week, and 2) feel like I can spend less time worrying about us losing and more time grilling myself.
What follows will be a brutally honest account of my pitching because while it is much easier to write about success... to leave out the failures would be painting a false picture of the game... because let's face it, it's not roses all the time.
Guevin Bashing Guevin:
I am a pretty positive guy... In baseball, I try to take something good out of every bad situation. For the last 3 days, I have been searching for that positive spin, but just find my blood boiling.
I didn't have it Sunday, that is for sure. Having said that, there are plenty of games I "haven't had it" and found a way to compete and battle and pitch productive innings... Instead on Sunday I was pretty much a joke. I was actually embarrassed by the way I pitched. I didn't have good stuff, I wasn't locating, I wasn't consistent, I had poor pitch selection, I didn't trust my 3rd and 4th pitches, I relied too much on my curve, I was mechanically off... this recipe resulted in me giving up 10 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings, including 3 HRs. I blew leads of 4-0 and 6-4, exiting the mound with us trailing 10-6.
During the implosion that was my 5th inning, I had thought I had batters struck out before I gave up a 2-run hr and then a 3-run dinger, but didn't get the calls. I say this not as an excuse, but to point out my frustration. Much of the damage came with 2 outs. Baseball is a game where you can be so close, yet so far. That is also part of the reason why I think it is the greatest game. The worst part about my pitching performance is that I don't get to take the bump for the Bears for another 3 weeks, as we have a bye and then league rules prevent me from throwing in our next game. Also, I F-ing hate metal bats with a passion.
From F to W:
At the end of the game, the boys picked me up big. We jumped right back into the game in the 6th, trailing 10-9 only because of an atrocious call on what should have been ball 4 with the bases loaded on Matty. I chipped in with a nice defensive play in the 7th or 8th at 2b, laying out full extension and finishing the play off to get the guy at first. This proved to be a big defensive play, as they would get a few more runners on that inning. We went ahead for good in the 8th on a 3 run bomb from TJ with 2 outs. Gabbo slammed the door, getting a 6-4-3 DP to squash the threat they were mounting in the bottom of the 9th... Bears Win. I went from F-bombing to a W. And now I can forget about my ineffectiveness in the game and move forward.
Gigantes:
I have been getting up relatively early to watch the Giants all post-season. While I can't claim that the Giants are my number one team, it was great to see them do well. I remember going to Candlestick as a kid, even painting GIANTS on my bare chest during a summer game, and more than anything, imitating the old Giants Will "The Thrill" Clark, Kirt Manwaring, Robby Thompson, Jose Uribe, Matt Williams, Kevin Mitchell, Darren Lewis, Willie McGhee, Rod Beck, John Burkett, Atlee Hammaker, Dave Drevecky, Rick Ruscheul, Billy Butler, Royce Clayton, and Barry Bonds in my backyard (pre satellite TV and Sox games on NESN). Glad that all my friends get to feel the thrill of waiting a long time for this and getting to celebrate. Giants had an awesome team and have been fun to watch in the absence of the Sox. Love the beards too... only thing better would have been fear the 'stache.
Rachel and I celebrated the win with a day at the beach and a drive along the West Coast Hwy, a scenic stretch along the coast. Life is tough when you are unemployed...
which brings me to my next point...
I have been somewhat picky, but dropped off resumes at probably around 20 different places... I have a job for later in the summer, but have been rejected by all but 2. The main problem... no experience in restaurants/retail. For some reason I think if I could make it through Carleton, I could pick up on how to bus tables and run food.
Anyways, that's all my griping for now... hope everyone had a good Halloween and got out to vote.
USA series continues this week, stay tuned!
Well, unless you have KNIGHTmares about your performance for days...Before I verbally abuse myself like Pedro's rant against Kareem Garcia, I should say how pumped I am that my teammates picked up the slack and we remained perfect on the season. The bats stayed hot and Gabbo threw some huge innings for us in relief. It was awesome. In the end, what I care about is getting that team W. Since we got that, I am 1) relieved/pumped/disappointed we have a bye next week, and 2) feel like I can spend less time worrying about us losing and more time grilling myself.
What follows will be a brutally honest account of my pitching because while it is much easier to write about success... to leave out the failures would be painting a false picture of the game... because let's face it, it's not roses all the time.
Guevin Bashing Guevin:
I am a pretty positive guy... In baseball, I try to take something good out of every bad situation. For the last 3 days, I have been searching for that positive spin, but just find my blood boiling.
I didn't have it Sunday, that is for sure. Having said that, there are plenty of games I "haven't had it" and found a way to compete and battle and pitch productive innings... Instead on Sunday I was pretty much a joke. I was actually embarrassed by the way I pitched. I didn't have good stuff, I wasn't locating, I wasn't consistent, I had poor pitch selection, I didn't trust my 3rd and 4th pitches, I relied too much on my curve, I was mechanically off... this recipe resulted in me giving up 10 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings, including 3 HRs. I blew leads of 4-0 and 6-4, exiting the mound with us trailing 10-6.
During the implosion that was my 5th inning, I had thought I had batters struck out before I gave up a 2-run hr and then a 3-run dinger, but didn't get the calls. I say this not as an excuse, but to point out my frustration. Much of the damage came with 2 outs. Baseball is a game where you can be so close, yet so far. That is also part of the reason why I think it is the greatest game. The worst part about my pitching performance is that I don't get to take the bump for the Bears for another 3 weeks, as we have a bye and then league rules prevent me from throwing in our next game. Also, I F-ing hate metal bats with a passion.
From F to W:
At the end of the game, the boys picked me up big. We jumped right back into the game in the 6th, trailing 10-9 only because of an atrocious call on what should have been ball 4 with the bases loaded on Matty. I chipped in with a nice defensive play in the 7th or 8th at 2b, laying out full extension and finishing the play off to get the guy at first. This proved to be a big defensive play, as they would get a few more runners on that inning. We went ahead for good in the 8th on a 3 run bomb from TJ with 2 outs. Gabbo slammed the door, getting a 6-4-3 DP to squash the threat they were mounting in the bottom of the 9th... Bears Win. I went from F-bombing to a W. And now I can forget about my ineffectiveness in the game and move forward.
Gigantes:
I have been getting up relatively early to watch the Giants all post-season. While I can't claim that the Giants are my number one team, it was great to see them do well. I remember going to Candlestick as a kid, even painting GIANTS on my bare chest during a summer game, and more than anything, imitating the old Giants Will "The Thrill" Clark, Kirt Manwaring, Robby Thompson, Jose Uribe, Matt Williams, Kevin Mitchell, Darren Lewis, Willie McGhee, Rod Beck, John Burkett, Atlee Hammaker, Dave Drevecky, Rick Ruscheul, Billy Butler, Royce Clayton, and Barry Bonds in my backyard (pre satellite TV and Sox games on NESN). Glad that all my friends get to feel the thrill of waiting a long time for this and getting to celebrate. Giants had an awesome team and have been fun to watch in the absence of the Sox. Love the beards too... only thing better would have been fear the 'stache.
Rachel and I celebrated the win with a day at the beach and a drive along the West Coast Hwy, a scenic stretch along the coast. Life is tough when you are unemployed...
which brings me to my next point...
I have been somewhat picky, but dropped off resumes at probably around 20 different places... I have a job for later in the summer, but have been rejected by all but 2. The main problem... no experience in restaurants/retail. For some reason I think if I could make it through Carleton, I could pick up on how to bus tables and run food.
Anyways, that's all my griping for now... hope everyone had a good Halloween and got out to vote.
USA series continues this week, stay tuned!
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