Season Wrap-up

The Winter League season came to a close for me Wednesday as we won our last game and I finished the season with a .348 AVG, league leading .704 OBP and 13 HBP, .962 fielding pct, with 10 runs, 3 doubles, and 13 walks. Unfortunately that seemed to not be enough to earn a contract to play Independent League this upcoming season. I am hoping that sometime in the near future there will be a team interested in a player of my caliber. 

This trip was a great experience for me. I met so many great people down here and am very grateful for the new friendships I have made. I congratulate all the guys who were offered a contract and wish them the best. I will be playing again sometime soon, it is just a matter of time. The month went by much faster than any of us could have anticipated. The month had its ups and downs but I'm willing to bet the majority of the players here enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Thank you guys again for a great time down here and as far as I'm concerned you are all family. 

To be continued...

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Last Week in Yuma

Today was our second to last game down here in Yuma. We beat Team Canada 7-4 knocking them out of playoff contention. With one game left to play, the playoffs are set. The American Division will be San Luis vs Yuma while the Canadian Division will be Saskatchewan vs Calgary. In today's game, I went 1-2 with a double, run, and HBP, moving my average to .364 and my OBP to .708 with our final game tomorrow. It has been a really great season and I am going to remember this month for as long as I live. Season ending updates to come tomorrow.

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Final Week of the Season

Yesterday marked the final day of week 4 as there are only 2 games remaining this upcoming week. We lost our last 2 games which put us out of playoff contention. I went a combined 1-3 with a double and 3 walks in the last 2 games. I hope that my consistent play this winter will earn me a shot with another club after this league finishes, but only time will tell. We practice tomorrow with games Wed and Thurs, with the playoffs following on Fri and Sat. There is a banquet on Sat morning where the season will be recapped and concluded before the championship game. Entering this last week, I hope to finish the season with my strong play. Until then...

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Playoff Push

Tonight the Surfdawgs beat Yuma 3-2 to move us into 3rd place, only a half game out of the playoffs, with 4 games left. Tomorrow we play 1st place San Luis in San Luis at 6:30. Today I came into the game in the 5th inning and only got 1 AB, where I got hit by pitch for the 12th time this season, moving my OBP to .718. With a strong showing in the last 4 games, we should be able to make the playoffs starting up next week. More to come.

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Week 4

Yesterday started week 4 down here and we got ourselves a win in a sloppy game. Today we gave away the game in the late innings, losing 11-8. I went 1-5 with 2 runs, 1 RBI, and 1 SB in those 2 games, making my average .353 with an OBP of .711. These last 2 games moved us to 7-7-1, still 2 games out of the division lead. Tomorrow night we have a big night game vs Yuma, where a win would help out drastically.

With the season winding down, it is weird that it has already almost been a month down here. The days flew by but the memories and friendships will always remain. With 5 games left, I keep reminding myself how important it is to take in all the memories I can. With that note, I will be leaving. Updates to follow after tomorrow's game.

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End of Week 3

Today we lost to the Yuma Scorpions 5-4 on a walk-off single. We played very well today but it just wasn't in the cards to win. I started at 2nd and went 1-1 with a double, hit by pitch, and walk. With only 7 games left on the season, time is running thin. Tomorrow is a much needed day off with practice on Tuesday and games starting back up Wednesday. With today's loss, the Surf Dawgs dropped into last place in a very tight American division. We will need to win almost all the rest of the games to make the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. More updates will come next week.

Happy Birthday Papa

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Back in the win column

Today we defeated the Saskatchewan Silver Sox 6-2 to put an end to our losing streak. The win brought us to 6-5-1 and knocking the Canadian first place team to 6-5. Today I played 3rd base and had a productive day. I went 1-2 with a walk and made 4 plays at 3rd. As a team, we started to hit the ball a lot better which is a good sign as we face off with first place Yuma tomorrow afternoon. Each day, the weather seems to be getting warmer and warmer which is great to be playing ball in. The rest of today looks to be low key as I plan on resting up the body to make sure I keep going strong through the remainder of the month. More updates to come tomorrow.

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Losing Streak

The Surf Dawgs have hit a bump in the road, losing our last 3 games, falling to 5-5-1. Fortunately many of the other teams have been playing up and down and we aren't out of the playoff hunt. The last 2 games only was at bat 3 times going 0-1 with a walk and yet another hit by pitch, making it 10 HBP and 7 walks on the season. These next two games are going to be important as we play 2 of the top teams. Two wins to finish the week will lessen the pain of the 3 game losing streak. I am anticipating a lot of good at bats the next couple days so hopefully there will lots to talk about on here. I'll be talking

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Rain in Yuma

First off, yesterday started off week 3 as we beat San Luis 5-2. I had another productive day as I went 0-0 with a walk and another hit by pitch, making it 9 on the season so far. On defense, turned a couple double plays and had some other plays mixed in there as well. Today the rains came into Yuma and cooled things off a bit here. We were able to get our game in this morning but unfortunately lost 2-1 to Blythe. I didn't start today but came into the game in the 5th and got a hit in my only at bat. So on the season to date, I am hitting .375 with an on-base percentage of .762 with 9 HBP and 4 walks. Defensively I am fielding .957 with only 1 error. As the halfway point is just about here, this is about the time I want to make sure I am playing my best ball. Another morning game tomorrow as the warm weather will make its way back to Yuma.

Surf Dawgs 5-3-1

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Week 2 Complete

So Week 2 is officially in the books. We are 4-2-1, which sort of bugs me because I didn't think you can tie in baseball, but apparently you can. So I am continuing to play well down here, but I feel that I need to start turning things up a bit. This week we play 6 games which gives me a lot of chances to show my stuff. Tomorrow is my last off day before the week starts up so I will plan on taking advantage of it to make sure I am good to go for the week. Details from this week to come.

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Another Win for the Dawgs

Today we improved to 3-1 on the season with a 5-0 win over the West Canada Miners. I played well today as I went 1-2 and got hit by pitch 2 more times. That is 6 times in 3 games played for me. Any way to get on base. Played good defense as well. Tomorrow we have the early game starting at 11 against the San Luis Atleticos. Hopefully we can continue our strong play throughout the rest of the week.

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Beginning of Week 2

It's been a few days since I last wrote. Not much has happened since. In my last game last week, I came into the game in the 3rd inning at 3rd base. I went 0-0 with yet another hit by pitch and a walk. So a little stat update after Week 1: 2 Games, 0-1 with 4 HBP, 1 BB, and 2 RBI, OBP .883. Defensively I am 11-11 in fielding opportunities. Yesterday was our day off so I was able to get my lifting and running in easier. Then went and saw Edge of Darkness last night with a few of the guys. Today was an instruction day where we worked on hitting, rundowns, cuts/relays, and PFP's. Week 2's games start tomorrow with us facing off against the Western Canada Miners at 2:00 PM. Need to do some laundry tonight and enjoy the Yuma night.

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1st Action

Yesterday we won but I didn't get to play because I was starting today. Today's game went well. We won 7-6 and I hit lead-off for the Surf Dawgs. I was 0-1 with 3 HBP and an RBI at the dish. I saw about 7 pitches and 3 of them hit me. On defense I played really well too. Turned 2 double plays and made a few other plays as well. Tomorrow we play the Blythe Heat again. I'm hoping to get a lot of playing time in tomorrows game as well. Just keep playing hard and doing my thing. Surf Dawgs 2-0

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Opening Day Tomorrow

Today we practiced with our team and were issued our uniforms. I am now officially #5 for the San Diego Surf Dawgs for the remainder of the AWL. Practice went really well today. The Skip is a good guy and seems to be appreciating my hard work. Our team has a lot of speed and is very strong defensively, so it will be good to see how we do tomorrow. We start at 11:00 AM and play the Calgary Vipers. I will have updates tomorrow after the game.

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Last Day of Spring Training/Draft Night

Today was the last day of Spring Training and the draft for the rest of the month. The workout today went well, got a lot of work in again. Got a couple of good at bats in today, as I am seeing the ball well right now. We have team practices tomorrow and games start up Friday. After the workout, I went back to the room and took a nap before we had to be back at the clubhouse to find out our teams. I got drafted by the San Diego Surf Dawgs and our first game is Friday morning at 11 against the Calgary Vipers. Our team has a lot of talent and I think we will be a strong team this next month. Practice in the morning so more to come tomorrow.

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Day 2 in the books

Just got back from dinner as Day 2 is officially in the books. Today was very similar to yesterday. We did mostly drills in the morning with scrimmages in the afternoon. These long days in the sun are starting to make my body feel like an old man. I got one at bat during the scrimmage which turned into a 2-out, 2-strike, 2 -run double. So I felt pretty good after that one. Went to a small Mexican restaurant for dinner which was very good. Probably ate too much but my body needs the fuel. The dry heat is probably the main contributor to the muscle aches and pains so I have been doing my best to stay hydrated. Tomorrow night is the draft so I will know what team I will be playing for the rest of the month by this time tomorrow. It is 7:30 and I feel like I can crash right now and sleep all night. Going to relax and watch some TV and recharge the batteries. More updates to come tomorrow.

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Day 1

Finally am able to sit down and relax after day one of Spring Training. Got started early this morning, 6 to be exact, and got some early work in at the field. Once training started today, we did some running, hitting, and fielding. After lunch, we had a scrimmage for a few hours. I stuck around a few hours after to get my running and some extra swings in before I headed back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, I decided to head to the gym which happened to be a lot farther than I anticipated, but what can you do. Got my lift in then headed back to the hotel. Went to get some groceries then finally got dinner around 7. Now I am finally back and able to relax before I do it all again tomorrow.

After just a day of playing with these guys, I have started to encounter a lot of different personalities and backgrounds. So far, I have met guys from all over America, Japan, and Latin America. It is really cool to play along side guys like that because even though there is a language barrier with some, the game is universal and understood through all of these cultures. All this after only one day of training. There are about 175 guys here and the only reason I am able to remember names is because it is on everyone's shirt. Off the field, I lost with the names. Also, I have witnessed more accidents, 3, in the past 24 hours than I ever have in California. People drive like crazies down here. Time to relax and watch some TV. Tomorrow brings another day, another opportunity.

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Tomorrow we start

Had our orientation meeting tonight and there were some names and faces I recognized. Pretty much got the low-down on how everything works for Spring Training as well as the season. It seems that there will be some good ballplayers here over the next month so I have my work cut out for me. My roommate is a nice guy from LA but is a Dodger fan (booo) but it shouldn't cause too much tension. Well have an early and long day ahead of me so might as well get some rest.

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Check-In and Registration

So it's about 12:30 MST here in Yuma and I am officially checked-in and registered for the AWL. We have a meeting tonight at 5:30 where we will get squared away for the first day of Spring Training tomorrow. As far as the hotel goes, the Ramada isn't too bad. It will be sufficient for the month. Just a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in is all I will need to be successful this month. The field is about a mile or so away and so is the gym but I am located on one of the main drags in Yuma. There will be a few guys I know for sure that I will have played with or against before, but after the meeting tonight I might find more familiar faces. Looking forward to meeting my roommate and all the new faces tonight. I will be updating later on.

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