This summer was a great experience and I am glad that I got the opportunity to play for the Paints. I had a blast playing baseball but I also had fun off of the field as well. The guys on the team were very cool and I am glad that I had the opportunity to play with them and I know I can call all of them my friends. Its amazing how close we got as a team in that short amount of time. I feel like I know those guys as well as I know the guys on the Depauw team.
When I wasnt with the guys on the team I was with my host family and I enjoyed the time that I spent with them. I lucked out with having the Snyder's as my host family. Don, Donna, and Kellcie did a lot for Cody and I and they made it a fun summer. They came to every home game and always supported us in a positive manner. I couldn't have asked for a better host family and I look forward to going back to Chillicothe and visiting them.
All in all it was a great summer and I had fun everyday. I hope I have the opportunity to play there again next summer and do it all again.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
West Virginia & Lorain County August 2-5
We made our last trip to West Virginia and Lorain County this past week. We ended up losing both games in West Virginia but bounced back well and won both games in Lorain. At this point we are two games back in the second half behind West Virginia and Richmond. So depending how Richmond does these next two games we still have a shot at getting into the play offs. 
Sunday, July 29, 2012
July 27-29
On Friday the 27th we had a home game against Slippery Rock. The game the night before got canceled because the power went out and they couldn't fix it for a couple hours. We had a nasty storm come through and a power station down the street caught on fire. So we played both games on Friday. Instead of playing two nine innings games we just played two seven inning games. In the first game we had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh but we didn't get the job done. The pitching was a lot better in the second game and we won 1-0 in the bottom of the 8th inning. Brad Goldberg from Ohio State pitched for us and went 7 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts. After the game we had our first Party with the Paints. They do it after Friday home games but all the other ones this year were rained out. Everyone went on the party deck and they served us food and they had a band playing live music. There was a pretty good crowd that stuck around for the party.
On Saturday and Sunday we traveled to Richmond for our last series at their place. Since our bus' AC wast working we had a chartered bus. It felt like switching from flying coach to first class. Everyone was in a better mood when we got off the bus and we felt ready to play. It was true because we came our firing on all cylinders. The final score was 12-3. The next day our pitching wasn't as good and we lost 16-15. With seven games left in the season we are .5 games back from Richmond who is currently in first place.
On Saturday and Sunday we traveled to Richmond for our last series at their place. Since our bus' AC wast working we had a chartered bus. It felt like switching from flying coach to first class. Everyone was in a better mood when we got off the bus and we felt ready to play. It was true because we came our firing on all cylinders. The final score was 12-3. The next day our pitching wasn't as good and we lost 16-15. With seven games left in the season we are .5 games back from Richmond who is currently in first place.
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23
Today we had a day off after 10 straight games. It was nice to take a break and relax. I didn't wake up until 12 and I made some breakfast and then went to workout. After working out I went to Vinnie Booker's house to hang out with some of the other guys on the team. We actually went to a pond that Vinnie's host parents own to swim and hang out. It was only like 5 minutes down the street from his house. The pond was pretty nice and they had a slide and a rope swing. It was a blue-ish green which was nice compared to the normal brown ponds that are in Indiana. We stayed at the pond for about 3 hours and then we went back home for dinner. I arrived home just in time for dinner; we had meat loaf and mashed potatoes and green beans. It was a good meal ad it the spot after a long day in the sun. After dinner I just hung out at the house and watched a couple movies on Netflix. 
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Slippery Rock July 21 & 22
The bus for Slippery Rock left at 10:30 on Saturday. Beforehand we had a team breakfast at the ballpark that was put together by the booster club. They had a good assortment of fruit, homemade donuts, bacon, eggs, and breakfast casseroles. The food was really good and it was nice to get on the bus with a full stomach. The bus ride to Slippery Rock wasn't too bad. This time the A/C was actually working so it was rather comfortable on the bus.
The first game of the series went well. We went back and forth with the lead throughout the game. In the 8th inning they tied it up and we ended up going into extra innings. The game lasted til the 11th inning until we scored two runs in the top of the inning and then loaded the bases and Giancarlo hit a grand slam. We held them in the bottom of the inning and ended up winning the game. That night I went to Cody's house which was about an hour away. We went and hung out with one of his best friends and spent the night there. In the morning Cody's mom made us a hearty breakfast with homemade French toast, waffles, fruit, and bacon. After breakfast Cody took me on a tour of Pittsburgh. We went to the top of the mountain that looks over the whole city and then we drove around by PNC Park where the Pirates play. The downtown area was really nice and there was some cool architecture. After we drove back to Cody's house we watched tv for an hour then left for the ballpark.
Tonight's game didn't go as well as last nights. We had the lead most of the game but we lost it in the bottom of the 8th and couldn't score in the top of the 9th. This ended our 7 game winning streak. We are currently 10-7 and two games back from Richmond. If we keep it up we will have a good shot at winning the second half.
The first game of the series went well. We went back and forth with the lead throughout the game. In the 8th inning they tied it up and we ended up going into extra innings. The game lasted til the 11th inning until we scored two runs in the top of the inning and then loaded the bases and Giancarlo hit a grand slam. We held them in the bottom of the inning and ended up winning the game. That night I went to Cody's house which was about an hour away. We went and hung out with one of his best friends and spent the night there. In the morning Cody's mom made us a hearty breakfast with homemade French toast, waffles, fruit, and bacon. After breakfast Cody took me on a tour of Pittsburgh. We went to the top of the mountain that looks over the whole city and then we drove around by PNC Park where the Pirates play. The downtown area was really nice and there was some cool architecture. After we drove back to Cody's house we watched tv for an hour then left for the ballpark.
Tonight's game didn't go as well as last nights. We had the lead most of the game but we lost it in the bottom of the 8th and couldn't score in the top of the 9th. This ended our 7 game winning streak. We are currently 10-7 and two games back from Richmond. If we keep it up we will have a good shot at winning the second half.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Butler July 17 & 18
Tuesday we made our last trip to Butler, Pennsylvania. The bus ride was the longest one this season. There was a little construction along the way and we took a different route than last time. The total time including lunch was close to 6 hours and to top it all off the bus was about 80 degrees so it wasn't very comfortable.
The game went pretty slow as well. The first pitch of the game our lead off batter fouled off a pitch and it hit him directly in the eye. He had to go to the hospital and get stitches and went to see an eye specialist but everything is fine; nothing too serious. Our team hit the ball well this game and we got our first win at Butler. Every other game we played there we couldn't hit the ball. After the game I changed and went down to the restaurant in the hotel and got carry-out for dinner. The guys who were 21 went to the bar in the hotel and sang karaoke. That would've been a funny sight to see.
The following day I woke up at 9 and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast. After I ate I went back to sleep for a couple hours until we had to leave our room. Once we got kicked out of the room by housekeeping we just went to the lobby and hung our for 4 hours until we left for the ballpark. In that time I read 30 pages of my book and beat a good portion of a new iPad game I got. When we got to the ballpark I sat around for an hour an a half until I started to stretch and throw. Tonight I had my third start pitching. The first inning was a little rough and I gave up one run with two hits but the rest of the game went smoothly. I only gave up five hits total and only let up two runs. The relief pitchers did their job and held them scoreless the rest of the game and I got my first win in the prospect league. It was a good night. Right now we are on our way back to Chilli where we play Richmond in a two game series. If we win those games then we should still have a good chance of winning the second half.
The game went pretty slow as well. The first pitch of the game our lead off batter fouled off a pitch and it hit him directly in the eye. He had to go to the hospital and get stitches and went to see an eye specialist but everything is fine; nothing too serious. Our team hit the ball well this game and we got our first win at Butler. Every other game we played there we couldn't hit the ball. After the game I changed and went down to the restaurant in the hotel and got carry-out for dinner. The guys who were 21 went to the bar in the hotel and sang karaoke. That would've been a funny sight to see.
The following day I woke up at 9 and went downstairs for the complimentary breakfast. After I ate I went back to sleep for a couple hours until we had to leave our room. Once we got kicked out of the room by housekeeping we just went to the lobby and hung our for 4 hours until we left for the ballpark. In that time I read 30 pages of my book and beat a good portion of a new iPad game I got. When we got to the ballpark I sat around for an hour an a half until I started to stretch and throw. Tonight I had my third start pitching. The first inning was a little rough and I gave up one run with two hits but the rest of the game went smoothly. I only gave up five hits total and only let up two runs. The relief pitchers did their job and held them scoreless the rest of the game and I got my first win in the prospect league. It was a good night. Right now we are on our way back to Chilli where we play Richmond in a two game series. If we win those games then we should still have a good chance of winning the second half.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Lorain County July 13 & 14
We made our first trip to Lorain County after the all-star break. From the stories that I heard from the guys that were on the team last year I wasn't expecting too much from Lorain. They said that the hotel was pretty crummy and the field wasn't too great. They weren't lying. The hotel wasn't too bad but it definitely wasn't the JW Marriott. The field's playing surface was pretty rough. The infield had a comparable hardness to concrete. The ball would take some nasty hops. The stands at the field weren't too bad. They had one section in the middle with stadium seats.
Before the game I went for a run around the stadium and explored what Lorain County had to offer. From what I saw on the two and a half mile run I wasn't very impressed. It seemed like more of a industrial area with a lot of factories.
When the game started there weren't very many fans in the stands. Lorain has a reputation of getting pretty small crowds and that was definitely the case. Both games there were probably only 700 fans total which is pretty measly compared to our attendance record. Despite the weak crowds Lorain came out of the series with two victories. The first game our pitching couldn't handle their hitting and in the second game our hitting couldn't handle their pitching. It was a bad series for a team but we should be able to turn it around.
Before the game I went for a run around the stadium and explored what Lorain County had to offer. From what I saw on the two and a half mile run I wasn't very impressed. It seemed like more of a industrial area with a lot of factories.
When the game started there weren't very many fans in the stands. Lorain has a reputation of getting pretty small crowds and that was definitely the case. Both games there were probably only 700 fans total which is pretty measly compared to our attendance record. Despite the weak crowds Lorain came out of the series with two victories. The first game our pitching couldn't handle their hitting and in the second game our hitting couldn't handle their pitching. It was a bad series for a team but we should be able to turn it around.
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