Playing with a Purpose

Today was our first day of of the season… PHENOMENAL!. We have played every single day since June 1st and have gone 16-8, a pretty good start to the season. So the off day was well deserved. The team split up into two main camps for the day; some went to one teammate’s lakehouse on Lake Monona and others went to the Brewers game. I have never been to Miller Park so it was a no-brainer when I found out one host family had an extra ticket. I went with Ryan Bores (Kent State), Jonathan Crawford (Florida), Chris Burgess (Blackhawk), and Ryan and Jonathan’s host family. We went out for Jerry’s birthday. Thanks Jerry!!!

The sun was out and the roof was down on the stadium and it was a perfect day to watch a baseball game. We tailgated and ate some brats before the game.

My favorite hitter is a tie between Evan Longoria and Ryan Braun. Today I got to see Ryan Braun in action and we sat down the third base line, near where he was playing in right. After tossing in between innings, he actually tossed a ball that was heading towards us. I saw the whole flight of the ball, but it was a bit out of my reach, so it was up to Chris Burgess to haul it in. At the last minute, a dad came out of nowhere and boxed out Burgess and snagged the ball. He gave it to his son, so it was all good.

Today was really fun because I got to see Jim Thome (now almost 41 years young) knock in an RBI for the Twins, got to see Joe Mauer pinch hit and crush two balls, LaTroy Hawkins pitch an effortless 95, and Yuniesky Betancourt go 3-4 with a hard line out. In the 6th inning, it was so hot where we were sitting we decided to walk around the stadium. While walking around, we heard screaming while we were in the tunnel. The fans were pumped because my co-favorite hitter had just ripped a go ahead 2-run home run to center field. I was not happy with myself that we missed it live, but I got to see his beautiful swing immediately after. We also missed the Brewer mascot sliding down the slide, which happens after every Brewer home run. Nonetheless, we saw some great baseball and Navelson pitched great and even got an RBI double. We also got to see the sausage race, which was a relay race to smaller kid sausages. The Italian sausage team took the prize.

Overall, my off day was a success. I had the time of my life, relaxing at the beautiful Miller Park. I have gained some respect for the Brew Crew. I really hope I get another chance to see Braun go yard (live) soon. Going to Wausaw for a day trip to play the Woodchucks at 1130. There are 9 games left in the first half. Hopefully we can come off fresh from our off day and get another win. My coach always said, “Don’t follow an off day with a day off.” The key will be refocusing and pick up where we left off.

aB

song of the day: “Mercy” off the new Matt Nathanson CD. (Free single off iTunes)