Major League Debut: 7/19/09

Today I caught at Fenway! It was amazing and humbling. I was surprised that I was not as excited or hyped up as I thought I would be, it was weird I stepped on the field and it’s just silencing. I got to sit in the dugout when I wasn’t catching and that was really cool, it didn’t hit me then but to think of it now I was sitting in a dugout and playing on a field that is almost 100 years old and has seen many great players. I caught four times for about 10 – 15 minutes each and having not caught in a couple months is was tough but fun. It’s amazing the people I saw there were groups that were giving donations ( I would catch for one group) and there were small kids, old people, cancer survivors, and even at one time cancer patients, it was amazing. My dad took tons of pictures which I will post later, it hasn’t really hit me but tomorrow I think it will. I just have to thank God for this, you can’t make this stuff up!

My Faith Struggle

I am one step closer to being out of my spiritual struggle. This has been going on for a few months in which I have desperately tried to believe but found myself just out of reach of the faith that I needed. My dad took me to his Bible study, I was a little nervous but the guys that were there were really nice and funny and I had a great time. Anyway, these were all older men, much older that I am and we started talking; one guy comes up and talks about how when he was in college he had doubts about his faith and stopped believing for a while. When I heard that it hit me like a truck. Here is an older, wiser man who admits that he had doubts, I was amazed because the same thing happened to me. Throughout our lives the devil does his best to separate us from God and keep it that way, he can’t stand seeing us grow closer to God and will through anything he can at us: sin, doubt, addiction, the list goes on and on. It is our job to stick through it, to buckle down and say no to the devil. I tried to believe and I am still trying because I know that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I’ve listed to and read a fair amount of testimonies but nothing hit me harder than what that man said, I thought to myself “Geez, if a guy can go from believing to doubting and back to believing this has got to be more real that I have been thinking.’ I hope to have more faith soon and I pray God will give me strength.

A Day at Fenway

You won’t believe what I am doing tomorrow so I’ll post pictures later to prove it. I am catching at Fenway Park for the Jimmy Fund “fantasy day” event. I work at a baseball camp and my boss called up (knowing I catch) and asked me if I would like to help out, of course I said yes so I’ll be at Fenway tomorrow. I see it as such a great example of the way God rewards perseverance. Here I was in the spring sad that I was cut and that same day I went to the baseball facility to catch for a pitching class and here I am. I thank God for His grace and kindness and the opportunities He gave me to serve Him.

Here are a few Pictures from Oregon

Rose Garden

Mt. Hood

Haystack Rock

4th of July

Some Really Good Drills

Here are a few great baseball drills that really help you develop a quick and powerful swing, quickness is key in hitting it doesn’t matter how strong you are, if you aren’t quick you won’t hit. What most people don’t know is that hitting is all lower body; most guys use aluminum bats and develop a long swing that is all arms. To fix this I take my bat in my left hand (I’m right-handed) and choke up and then take about 10-20 swings off my tee to start off my workouts. This will help you bottom hand (because I’m right-handed that is my left) get through the zone quickly and pull your bat through. If you ever watch the homerun derby you see guys flicking their bats out and smacking the ball; that is what this teaches you to do. Next is a BP drill, you get someone to give you underhand soft toss, but they do it “rapid fire” style. Basically they flip you one ball after one another helps you get a quicker swing and better reflexes. Those are some more of my hitting tips I hope they help you wherever you play, but remember it’s all about having fun and giving the glory to God.

What the Psalms taught Me

Well this is a cool moment, this is the first post written on an airplane; I scribbled down some thoughts while on my trip to Oregon (I keep saying it but I’ll get the pictures up later). I wrote earlier that I came to a rocky spot in my faith a friend suggested that I read the Psalms. I’ve read the Psalms before but never thought much of them, then as I opened my Bible it hit me. I used to envy other people for how “rock solid” their faith seemed and if there is anyone to envy it’s King David. King David was chosen by God to be king and was often called a “man after God’s own heart” but wait a minute! The same guy that wrote “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name O Most High” Psalm 92 also wrote “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22. David’s faith wasn’t perfect, one glance at the Psalms shows that at times even he got lost. I just started reading “Surprised by Joy” written by C.S. Lewis and one thing that shocks me is that the faith giant that wrote classics like “Mere Christianity” and “The Screwtape letters” struggled and even was an atheist for a while! God can use everyone, even someone who once rejected Him, and one thing I noticed is every time my mind wanders off, every time I get a little too far away He always draws me back to Him. Life is not a perfectly paved journey it’s more like a dusty dirt road; I fell down in my faith I still stumble sometimes but I know that God never gives up and never stops drawing us toward Himself.

Keep on trying

My summer baseball season ended today with a 14 – 4 win that I was glad to say I was a part of. Offensively I’ve never been great, I can generally hit okay and demonstrate some power but this whole season was terrible. A combination of bad luck and poor mechanics led to a slump that drilled bad self esteem into my head. Then I went on a vacation to Oregon (I’ll post pictures later) and came back today, I was completely out of it my timing was off my arm was weak and I couldn’t play any defense. My first at bat resulted in a strike out, and then I got up for my last at bat in the season and BANG! The count was 1-2 I saw the pitcher give the catcher a look, he threw it inside and high and I smacked it deep into left field back by the wall. While I was in Oregon I kept complaining about how it kept on raining in MA. Little did I know I would soon thank God for the terrible weather that caused a game to be rained out for when I got back. I strongly believe in perseverance and I think God does too, no matter how hard something is or how bad the situation is we’ve got to keep trying. I could have given up and said I was a rotten hitter but then I wouldn’t have gotten that double.