So this weekend was yet another big weekend for us. Sala Baganza is a good team, complete with good pitching and a solid offense. We knew how important these games were, especially after splitting with Modena the week before. In game one, our offense started off slow. Luckily, Fillo threw his best game of the year, barely walking anybody and throwing strikes consistently. He let up some early runs, and there Italian pitcher wasn't all that bad.
When I arrived at the field, I felt like there was something wrong with my swing. I couldn't find a rhythm at the plate during bp, and knew that if I didn't adjust I would struggle all game. My first at bat proved that, as I struck out. In my second at bat, I fell behind 1 and 2. The pitcher came with a fastball outside, and I was able to stick my bat out and hit a line drive over the first basemens head. I legged it out for a double. The next 2 at bats were miserable. I would get up with runners in scoring position both times. At this point, the game was still close and these runs would have put us ahead. Both times, I got jammed and grounded out to the left side of the infield. I knew something had to be wrong, I just didn't know what.
The team started to pull ahead, and soon enough our offense exploded. By the time I got up again, the score was 9-3. I was 1 for 4 so far, but felt like I was 0 for 7. I went over to my teammate Paul, who instead of giving me hitting advice told me to stop worrying about it and remember to have fun. He reminded me of my first game, and how I was just excited to be playing professional baseball. He was right, and in my next at bat, I went to the plate and allowed myself to trust my instincts. Sure enough, on a 2-2 pitch and a man on second, I hit a long fly ball into the left center gap for a triple. It's amazing how this game can wear on you mentally. Yogi wasn't kidding when he said "The game is 90% mental, the other half is physical."
After a scary 9th inning, we ended up winning 10-8. The next game would prove to be a great one. The foreign pitcher was American. He was from Chicago, and was a little bit crazy. He was one of those, I wear my emotions on my sleeves, type of pitchers. He had played two years in independent ball, and this was his first year in Italy. Luis took the mound, and after a shaky first inning which Sala scored on an error by our second basemen, he was lights out. He dominated their entire lineup, throwing all his pitches for strikes. I look forward to catching him each week and watching him work. He shows no emotion, and just focuses on the job at hand.
There pitcher was in a groove too. In my first at bat, he jammed me with a fastball and I grounded out to shortstop. The rest of the lineup wasn't doing better either. He threw a fastball that sat in the upper 80's, and a hard breaking slider, while mixing in a changeup and the occasional knuckleball. The score remained 1-0 until my next at bat in the fifth. After falling behind 1 and 2, he threw me a letter high fastball. I drove the pitch into right center for a double. The next hitter, Quinta, hit a slider up the middle for a basehit, and I came around to score. It would be the only run until the 9th inning.
With the score tied 1-1 in the ninth, the inning started off with Paul. At this point, Sala had taken out there starter and put in a tall, crafty lefty. He walked Paul on four straight pitches. Claudio was up next, and made a textbook bunt to move Paul to second. I would step up with the winning run on second, but wasn't given the opportunity to win the game. They intentionally walked me with first base open. With one out and runners on first and second, Quinta stepped up. He hit a dribbler down to third. Knowing I needed to break up the double play, I was taking a big secondary lead. I went in hard, and as I was sliding to take out the second basemen, I saw the throw sail into the outfield. Paul rounded third and scored easily. It was a walk off, maybe not a pretty one, but a big win. I finished the day 3 for 8 with two doubles and a triple.
This week should be a slow one. On Thursday, Chris, Me, and a couple of other guys are going up to Parma to play the IBL team in a scrimmage. That should be fun. This week we head back down south to Viterbo. I don't think we will be doing any traveling this week, but you never know. I hope you guys have a great Memorial Day Weekend. Talk to you soon!
Reggio Baseball: Pro Days in Italy
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pisa and Siena
Yesterday, my roommate and I decided that we should take another trip. This time, instead of taking the train, we decided to drive the Panda. It turned out to be a great idea. After my roommate won a poker game with some of the guys, we took that money and filled up the gas tank. We got the directions, and we were on our way.
The first stop we would make was to Pisa. Pisa is along the coast, and Siena is a little farther south and in the middle of the Tuscan wine country. It was absolutely beautiful driving through the country side. We were surrounded by mountains, as the roads seemed to cut through them like you see in a car commercial. It took us about 2 hours to arrive at Pisa. After finding parking, we got out and started the walk into the center.
The center entrance is a big arched wall. I was excited to see the tower, and I didn't really know what to expect. We walked through the arches and into a massive courtyard. To our right were vendors, lined up selling merchandise. To the left, green grass and a large church. There was both a dome and a church, and behind it was the leaning tower.
I had expected the tower to be bigger than what it was. I also expected it to be brown. I don't know why, but it's just what I thought. Needless to say, it was very white, made of marble of course. The church was the same, and it was surrounded by beautiful grass. The courtyard was very nice, and tourists surrounded the buildings. You can tell the tower is being held up at this point. It is amazing how it leans, and that it hasn't fallen by now. Back in the day, they wouldn't let tourists into the tower. Now, for a fee of course, you can climb the tower. It was a little too steep in price for us, so we took a pass. After walking around the center a bit and getting some food, we left Pisa to go to Siena. Pisa really only has the tower and church to offer. Once you have seen a city center, you have seen them all.
The drive from Pisa to Siena was about 2 hours as well. We went from the coast into the legitimate Italian countryside of Tuscany. Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful vineyards. It made Napa valley look like Staten Island. There were amazing homes on top of mountainous terrain, and the air smelt pure. We arrived at Siena and started walking toward the city. The city from a distance is a sight to be seen. In such a small radius, there are buildings upon buildings. At its highest point stands the duomo. It wouldn't be an Italian city without a duomo, right?
If you have seen the James Bond movie, The Quantom of Solace, there is a scene where there is a horse race in the middle of a city circle. This takes place in Siena twice a year. It is a huge event, and thousands upon thousands of people come to the city to see the spectacle. We actually may try to get to it in June. The main circle has turns much like a race track, angled all around. The fill these cobblestone streets with dirt, line the circle with mattresses, and the horses race. Look it up if you haven't seen it, it is pretty cool.
Anyway, we got on line to climb the tower. They only let 30 people at a time up, as it is the highest viewing point in the city. While waiting on line, we met a couple who was vacationing from California. We climbed the tower with them, and looked at the beautiful city below. You could see the whole countryside. When the pictures are posted, you will see for yourself.
After the tower, we took a walk to the oldest functioning bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi. It is over 500 years old, and still functioning today. We then made our way over to the duomo. The outside of the church is amazing, with gold plated paintings near its peak. Much smaller than Florence, the inside was incredibly detailed. I will let the pictures and video do the explaining for me.
We then parted ways with our new friends, and got back in the Panda and headed home. Siena is an amazing city, and if you ever venture to Italy make sure you put it on your list of things to see. It has certainly been one of my favorites so far. I hope everybody had a great weekend, and I would also like to shout out the Gina's for a weekend sweep. Enjoy the pictures and video and talk to you soon!
Pisa
Siena
The first stop we would make was to Pisa. Pisa is along the coast, and Siena is a little farther south and in the middle of the Tuscan wine country. It was absolutely beautiful driving through the country side. We were surrounded by mountains, as the roads seemed to cut through them like you see in a car commercial. It took us about 2 hours to arrive at Pisa. After finding parking, we got out and started the walk into the center.
The center entrance is a big arched wall. I was excited to see the tower, and I didn't really know what to expect. We walked through the arches and into a massive courtyard. To our right were vendors, lined up selling merchandise. To the left, green grass and a large church. There was both a dome and a church, and behind it was the leaning tower.
I had expected the tower to be bigger than what it was. I also expected it to be brown. I don't know why, but it's just what I thought. Needless to say, it was very white, made of marble of course. The church was the same, and it was surrounded by beautiful grass. The courtyard was very nice, and tourists surrounded the buildings. You can tell the tower is being held up at this point. It is amazing how it leans, and that it hasn't fallen by now. Back in the day, they wouldn't let tourists into the tower. Now, for a fee of course, you can climb the tower. It was a little too steep in price for us, so we took a pass. After walking around the center a bit and getting some food, we left Pisa to go to Siena. Pisa really only has the tower and church to offer. Once you have seen a city center, you have seen them all.
The drive from Pisa to Siena was about 2 hours as well. We went from the coast into the legitimate Italian countryside of Tuscany. Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful vineyards. It made Napa valley look like Staten Island. There were amazing homes on top of mountainous terrain, and the air smelt pure. We arrived at Siena and started walking toward the city. The city from a distance is a sight to be seen. In such a small radius, there are buildings upon buildings. At its highest point stands the duomo. It wouldn't be an Italian city without a duomo, right?
If you have seen the James Bond movie, The Quantom of Solace, there is a scene where there is a horse race in the middle of a city circle. This takes place in Siena twice a year. It is a huge event, and thousands upon thousands of people come to the city to see the spectacle. We actually may try to get to it in June. The main circle has turns much like a race track, angled all around. The fill these cobblestone streets with dirt, line the circle with mattresses, and the horses race. Look it up if you haven't seen it, it is pretty cool.
Anyway, we got on line to climb the tower. They only let 30 people at a time up, as it is the highest viewing point in the city. While waiting on line, we met a couple who was vacationing from California. We climbed the tower with them, and looked at the beautiful city below. You could see the whole countryside. When the pictures are posted, you will see for yourself.
After the tower, we took a walk to the oldest functioning bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi. It is over 500 years old, and still functioning today. We then made our way over to the duomo. The outside of the church is amazing, with gold plated paintings near its peak. Much smaller than Florence, the inside was incredibly detailed. I will let the pictures and video do the explaining for me.
We then parted ways with our new friends, and got back in the Panda and headed home. Siena is an amazing city, and if you ever venture to Italy make sure you put it on your list of things to see. It has certainly been one of my favorites so far. I hope everybody had a great weekend, and I would also like to shout out the Gina's for a weekend sweep. Enjoy the pictures and video and talk to you soon!
Pisa
Siena
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A new idea: Your-talian Adventure
As I was sitting in my room, I was thinking about ways to make this blog more interesting. I know it is extremely interesting as it is now (humble?), but I wanted to be able to get everybody who reads it more involved. So, after much thought, I think I figured out a way to take this blog to the next level.
I am learning a lot about Italy, but I don't claim to be an Italian or an expert of the country. There is a lot about this country I know nothing about, and many things I would never have known to see or do. That is where you guys come in. I thought it would be cool to do something that would incorporate the reader. So, I've decided to start listening to your ideas. Now, I know this could go one of two ways. It could either go great, where people tell me things they would like to see or have me do, and I can take a note of it and try to do it. Or, it could go in a miserable direction and people could start telling me to do impossible or crude things, mostly taking it as a joke. Although I won't ever turn down a good laugh, I hope people take it seriously. I know that I am very lucky to have this opportunity, and I'm trying to not just make it about myself, but also about everybody that has taken interest in Italian Baseball.
So, without further distractions, I would (hopefully) like to start what I like to call, Your-talian Adventure. Hopefully, this will give some people the opportunity to see something they wish they could see, or help me and everybody else know great things to see and do in Europe. You can send your ideas in a couple of ways. You can either comment on the blog, send me an email, or tell me on facebook. I hope this turns into something cool, and if not, then it was worth a shot.
You can contact me at marmo.mike@gmail.com or search for me on facebook. I'll make sure to shout you out! I hope you enjoy this, and I'll talk to you soon.
I am learning a lot about Italy, but I don't claim to be an Italian or an expert of the country. There is a lot about this country I know nothing about, and many things I would never have known to see or do. That is where you guys come in. I thought it would be cool to do something that would incorporate the reader. So, I've decided to start listening to your ideas. Now, I know this could go one of two ways. It could either go great, where people tell me things they would like to see or have me do, and I can take a note of it and try to do it. Or, it could go in a miserable direction and people could start telling me to do impossible or crude things, mostly taking it as a joke. Although I won't ever turn down a good laugh, I hope people take it seriously. I know that I am very lucky to have this opportunity, and I'm trying to not just make it about myself, but also about everybody that has taken interest in Italian Baseball.
So, without further distractions, I would (hopefully) like to start what I like to call, Your-talian Adventure. Hopefully, this will give some people the opportunity to see something they wish they could see, or help me and everybody else know great things to see and do in Europe. You can send your ideas in a couple of ways. You can either comment on the blog, send me an email, or tell me on facebook. I hope this turns into something cool, and if not, then it was worth a shot.
You can contact me at marmo.mike@gmail.com or search for me on facebook. I'll make sure to shout you out! I hope you enjoy this, and I'll talk to you soon.
Reggio vs Modena
I was told that this weeks games were very important. I'm not one to put stress on games this early in the season, so I didn't buy into the hype. I was excited, however, to play a real good quality team. We were set to play Modena at their home field. We were currently tied for first place. Modena is a team built on strong pitching. Our team is mostly built on a strong offense. Let the battle begin.
In game one, we knocked out their starting pitcher in the first inning. He was grooving mid 80's fastballs right down the middle, and we weren't missing them. We scored 4 runs in the first. I was the last hitter he faced, hitting another double off the wall. I have been working out everyday, but I guess it's not enough. I should probably start lifting harder. The pitcher they brought in after was a crafty lefty. I have learned that our team struggles against these slow pitching lefties.
After a couple times through the lineup, the offense picked up again. We ended up beating them in game one 10-0. Our starter, Fillo, took a no hitter into the 7th. It was his best start of the year. I ended up going 1-3 with an rbi. We were excited about the win, but we anticipated the next game. Their foreign pitcher, Angel Marquez, is tops in the league. He leads the league in all major pitching categories. From Venezuela, he throws low to mid 90's with a 12 to 6 breaking curveball. He also mixes in a split changeup.
From the first inning, he was locked in. He was striking out everybody. Not only did he throw hard, but he was able to locate his fastball. In my first at bat, I took him to 3-2 and hit a hard ground ball to the thirdbasemen. It was the best at bat I would have against him, as he would strike me out the next 2 times. I wasn't all that upset about my at bats. My second at bat, I again took him to a full count. He threw a fastball on the outside black, and I swung threw it. It was a good pitch. In my final at bat, he struck me out on a fastball about 5 feet outside. One of the main themes of this game was terrible umpiring.
When a pitcher of this caliber is on the mound, umpires have a hard time not calling strikes, in fear that he will get upset. He was giving fastballs about 3-5 inches off the plate, a pitch Luis wasn't receiving. I really try hard not to get on the umpires, given that I have to be near them all game, but I let him know about my displeasure with the call. Plus, I'm the only thing stopping him from getting hit with a 90 mph fastball in the gut. He should take that into consideration.
The field umpire was no better. In game 1, I threw out there shortstop who leads the league in stolen bases. In game two, he tried again. I threw a perfect ball that tailed right into the baseline. Chris, my roomate and shortstop, made the tag. The umpire called him safe, and he ended up scoring. The next runner tried to steal, and I threw him out by 10 feet. I went to the mound and told the umpire that run was on him and that he should get his f**king act together. He may not speak english, be he understood that. He proceeded to try to get my attention, possibly to eject me, but I just turned around and ignored him, running off the field.
Marquez had a no hitter going into the 8th. Luckily, we were able to scrap a couple of hits against him in the 8th and 9th. Nothing worse than getting no hit, especially when your supposively the best offense in the league. Luis threw a great game as well, but after some stupid fielding mistakes and timely hitting, we ended up losing the game 4-0. Although I had a poor game, I tried not to get down on myself. I am excited for when he comes to Reggio. I'll be waiting for him.
So now, the race draws closer. The split between us and Modena allowed other teams to join the race. This week, we play Sala-Baganza, who are right on our tails. It should make for some interesting series, and a true test of our merit.
Tomorrow, my roomates and I will be traveling to Siena and Pizza. We are going to take the Red Panda out instead of the train. I have heard Siena is beautiful, and I am very excited to see the leaning tower. So expect pictures soon! I hope everybody had a great weekend and talk to you soon!
In game one, we knocked out their starting pitcher in the first inning. He was grooving mid 80's fastballs right down the middle, and we weren't missing them. We scored 4 runs in the first. I was the last hitter he faced, hitting another double off the wall. I have been working out everyday, but I guess it's not enough. I should probably start lifting harder. The pitcher they brought in after was a crafty lefty. I have learned that our team struggles against these slow pitching lefties.
After a couple times through the lineup, the offense picked up again. We ended up beating them in game one 10-0. Our starter, Fillo, took a no hitter into the 7th. It was his best start of the year. I ended up going 1-3 with an rbi. We were excited about the win, but we anticipated the next game. Their foreign pitcher, Angel Marquez, is tops in the league. He leads the league in all major pitching categories. From Venezuela, he throws low to mid 90's with a 12 to 6 breaking curveball. He also mixes in a split changeup.
From the first inning, he was locked in. He was striking out everybody. Not only did he throw hard, but he was able to locate his fastball. In my first at bat, I took him to 3-2 and hit a hard ground ball to the thirdbasemen. It was the best at bat I would have against him, as he would strike me out the next 2 times. I wasn't all that upset about my at bats. My second at bat, I again took him to a full count. He threw a fastball on the outside black, and I swung threw it. It was a good pitch. In my final at bat, he struck me out on a fastball about 5 feet outside. One of the main themes of this game was terrible umpiring.
When a pitcher of this caliber is on the mound, umpires have a hard time not calling strikes, in fear that he will get upset. He was giving fastballs about 3-5 inches off the plate, a pitch Luis wasn't receiving. I really try hard not to get on the umpires, given that I have to be near them all game, but I let him know about my displeasure with the call. Plus, I'm the only thing stopping him from getting hit with a 90 mph fastball in the gut. He should take that into consideration.
The field umpire was no better. In game 1, I threw out there shortstop who leads the league in stolen bases. In game two, he tried again. I threw a perfect ball that tailed right into the baseline. Chris, my roomate and shortstop, made the tag. The umpire called him safe, and he ended up scoring. The next runner tried to steal, and I threw him out by 10 feet. I went to the mound and told the umpire that run was on him and that he should get his f**king act together. He may not speak english, be he understood that. He proceeded to try to get my attention, possibly to eject me, but I just turned around and ignored him, running off the field.
Marquez had a no hitter going into the 8th. Luckily, we were able to scrap a couple of hits against him in the 8th and 9th. Nothing worse than getting no hit, especially when your supposively the best offense in the league. Luis threw a great game as well, but after some stupid fielding mistakes and timely hitting, we ended up losing the game 4-0. Although I had a poor game, I tried not to get down on myself. I am excited for when he comes to Reggio. I'll be waiting for him.
So now, the race draws closer. The split between us and Modena allowed other teams to join the race. This week, we play Sala-Baganza, who are right on our tails. It should make for some interesting series, and a true test of our merit.
Tomorrow, my roomates and I will be traveling to Siena and Pizza. We are going to take the Red Panda out instead of the train. I have heard Siena is beautiful, and I am very excited to see the leaning tower. So expect pictures soon! I hope everybody had a great weekend and talk to you soon!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
My new haircut
I know, the title is a great play off the viral video and scrubs. Put it on my tab. I did get a new haircut, and it was awesome. As you could probably see in pictures, my hair was starting to look ridiculous. Part of me wanted to grow it out, just for the fun of it. However, the longer it grew, the more I realized how stupid I looked. When I grow out my hair, its like I am aging backwards, Benjamin Button style. I start looking like a high schooler. Plus, I highly doubt any Italian girls will find me attractive with a mop on my head. So, I decided it was time for my first haircut in Italy.
Taka had told me if I ever needed a haircut, he would take me to where he gets his. I gave him a call, and it turned out he needed to get a haircut as well. So with that, we were on our way. We drove from my place into the center, parked, and started walking to the salon.
I don't remember the name of the place, but essentially it was a salon. He insisted on calling it a barber, but I knew better. Steve's Modern, where I get my haircut at home, is a barber. You walk in, you get your haircut in record time, mix in a couple of crude jokes, and you're on your way. This was pretty much an empty room, with seats along the walls and large mirrors in front of them. Taka had called ahead, and they were waiting for us.
The lady called my name, and I walked over to her. She spoke no english, so Taka was needed to help me describe how I wanted my haircut. First, I sat down so she could wash my hair. I have done this before, but this was different. She wet my hair, and started massaging my head. I hate to say it, but it was awesome. It felt amazing. What guy doesn't love that? Even when she was drying it with the towel, she massaged.
When I sat down to get my haircut, I called Taka over to help describe what I wanted. My hair was pretty long, and I wanted to go short again. I was concerned about what it would turn out like. European haircuts vary from ultra conservative to crazy weird. Taka insisted that I get a feux hawk. I am no stranger to the hairstyle, considering I usually come dangerously close to having one most of the time, but I have never gotten a haircut tailored to the style. I thought about it, and figured I'm in Italy, so I might as well. I essentially gave the girl free reign, telling her to do what she thought would look best.
She started to cut my hair. She only used scissors, no buzzer. She was incredibly meticulous. Every little strand of hair seemed like it was incredibly important. I was amazed at how passionate she was about what she was doing. There was no rush, she just wanted it to be perfect. At first, I thought it was a disaster. As she continued, it started to look better and better. By the time she was done, I was very satisfied with how it looked.
Now normally once the haircut is done, it's done. You get up, pay, and go. Not here. After she received my approval, we got up, and I sat back down to get my hair washed again. Yep, a post haircut wash. Unbelievable. I know this is a very small thing, but it really excited me. It was an unexpected perk. Normally, you have to go home and shower to get rid of all those cut hairs. Here, they wash it, then you sit back down and they re-do your hair for you! It was a 20 euro haircut, which is fairly expensive, but man was it worth it.
I know I just did a full post on a haircut, but I felt it was important. Tonight, some of the guys are coming over for some food, beers, and poker. Should be a good time. Hope you are all well and talk to you soon!
Taka had told me if I ever needed a haircut, he would take me to where he gets his. I gave him a call, and it turned out he needed to get a haircut as well. So with that, we were on our way. We drove from my place into the center, parked, and started walking to the salon.
I don't remember the name of the place, but essentially it was a salon. He insisted on calling it a barber, but I knew better. Steve's Modern, where I get my haircut at home, is a barber. You walk in, you get your haircut in record time, mix in a couple of crude jokes, and you're on your way. This was pretty much an empty room, with seats along the walls and large mirrors in front of them. Taka had called ahead, and they were waiting for us.
The lady called my name, and I walked over to her. She spoke no english, so Taka was needed to help me describe how I wanted my haircut. First, I sat down so she could wash my hair. I have done this before, but this was different. She wet my hair, and started massaging my head. I hate to say it, but it was awesome. It felt amazing. What guy doesn't love that? Even when she was drying it with the towel, she massaged.
When I sat down to get my haircut, I called Taka over to help describe what I wanted. My hair was pretty long, and I wanted to go short again. I was concerned about what it would turn out like. European haircuts vary from ultra conservative to crazy weird. Taka insisted that I get a feux hawk. I am no stranger to the hairstyle, considering I usually come dangerously close to having one most of the time, but I have never gotten a haircut tailored to the style. I thought about it, and figured I'm in Italy, so I might as well. I essentially gave the girl free reign, telling her to do what she thought would look best.
She started to cut my hair. She only used scissors, no buzzer. She was incredibly meticulous. Every little strand of hair seemed like it was incredibly important. I was amazed at how passionate she was about what she was doing. There was no rush, she just wanted it to be perfect. At first, I thought it was a disaster. As she continued, it started to look better and better. By the time she was done, I was very satisfied with how it looked.
Now normally once the haircut is done, it's done. You get up, pay, and go. Not here. After she received my approval, we got up, and I sat back down to get my hair washed again. Yep, a post haircut wash. Unbelievable. I know this is a very small thing, but it really excited me. It was an unexpected perk. Normally, you have to go home and shower to get rid of all those cut hairs. Here, they wash it, then you sit back down and they re-do your hair for you! It was a 20 euro haircut, which is fairly expensive, but man was it worth it.
I know I just did a full post on a haircut, but I felt it was important. Tonight, some of the guys are coming over for some food, beers, and poker. Should be a good time. Hope you are all well and talk to you soon!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
My first home games
The Reggio weather has been having a tough time cooperating with me when it comes to playing home games. As you already know, I was scheduled to play my first homes games against Sicily a few weeks ago, but was rained out. On Saturday, we arrived at the field for our scheduled games against Florence. Of course, it was raining. After much debate on what to do, the games were pushed for Sunday. Normally, the games are at 3:30 and 8:30. Sunday is a very important day in Italy. It is the day of rest, and it is also supposed to be relaxing before the work week. With these thoughts in mind, the games were scheduled for 10 am and 3:30 pm.
I started my Sunday waking up at 7:30 am. After a quick breakfast, quick shower, and throwing my things together, we headed to the field. The field took some damage, and a few people were hard at work trying to get it game ready. We took bp in the tunnel, stretched and threw. There was no infield outfield, which was a nice surprise. We ended up taking the field at 10:30.
Florence is the worst team in the league. It would be all to easy for us to jump to an early lead and never look back. Instead, we came out flat. When I say we, I mean everybody. Our defense was poor, and our situational hitting was brutal. We must have left 15 runners on base, and due to poor defense allowed 3-4 runs. By the time the ninth rolled around, it was 6-6. This is where things get interesting.
After many terrible at bats and blown opportunities, we were about the enter the eleventh. International rules state that after one extra inning, they put runners on first and second and the inning starts with one out. This is the equivalent of little league baseball, maybe travel ball. I couldn't believe what was happening. To me, it was disrespectful to the game of baseball to do such a thing. Either way, it was happening and there was nothing I could do.
Our first basemen, Claudio, came in to pitch. Remember, only Italian pitchers are allowed in the first game. With runners on first and second, he got a ground ball to short. We were able to get the force at second, but unable to complete the double play, leaving runners on first and third. The next hitter hit a dribbler to third, and was safe at first. The runner at third scored, and they were ahead by one. After a couple of wild pitches, we went into the bottom of the eleventh down two. We wouldn't recover, and ended up losing the game. It was a devastating lose, and the circumstances made it that much harder to swallow. I had a miserable game, going 1-5. I knew something was wrong, and I needed to make an adjustment.
While getting our food in between games, I asked my teammate Paul if he had seen anything wrong with my swing. The foreign players need to help eachother out. Essentially, we are eachothers coaches. It is hard to communicate with the Italian coaches, so you rely on eachother. He told me I wasn't loading early enough, and this was causing me to force my swing. It turned out he couldn't be more right.
In the next game, we came on strong. In my first at bat, with nobody on, I hit an absolute bomb. Now normally I wouldn't say it that way, but it was the farthest ball I have ever hit in my life, metal or wood. Our field is one of the largest fields in the world. Yes, that includes major league parks and every other professional field in the world. Center field is approximately 450 feet away. The gaps are about 425. The lines are approx. 375. It is a monstrous field. The pitcher threw me a letter high fastball. I turned on it, throwing everything I had into it. I hit the ball to left center field, and it hit the fence on a fly. It was about 5 feet away from being a homerun. You can do the math. My teammates, as well as myself, were in shock that it even happened. I ended up getting a triple, then scoring on a passed ball.
Luis was throwing yet another gem. Going into the fifth inning, we were up 3-0. I got up with the bases loaded and nobody out. Facing the same pitcher, I was looking for him to make a similar mistake. After getting ahead 0-1, he did. I hit a line drive to left center for a bases clearing double. I then went on to steal third, and score on a sac fly.
We ended up winning the second game in dominating fashion. Luis pitched a gem, and all aspect of the lineup contributed. The final score was 8-0, but the other team never had a chance. We left in high spirits. Needless to say, it was an exhausting day.
I will try to write more about my weekend and the rest of this week in the next few days. Quite frankly, right now I am just too tired. I hope that my adjustment will translate in the weeks to come. I also hope you all had a great weekend, and I will be speaking to you soon. Ciao!
I started my Sunday waking up at 7:30 am. After a quick breakfast, quick shower, and throwing my things together, we headed to the field. The field took some damage, and a few people were hard at work trying to get it game ready. We took bp in the tunnel, stretched and threw. There was no infield outfield, which was a nice surprise. We ended up taking the field at 10:30.
Florence is the worst team in the league. It would be all to easy for us to jump to an early lead and never look back. Instead, we came out flat. When I say we, I mean everybody. Our defense was poor, and our situational hitting was brutal. We must have left 15 runners on base, and due to poor defense allowed 3-4 runs. By the time the ninth rolled around, it was 6-6. This is where things get interesting.
After many terrible at bats and blown opportunities, we were about the enter the eleventh. International rules state that after one extra inning, they put runners on first and second and the inning starts with one out. This is the equivalent of little league baseball, maybe travel ball. I couldn't believe what was happening. To me, it was disrespectful to the game of baseball to do such a thing. Either way, it was happening and there was nothing I could do.
Our first basemen, Claudio, came in to pitch. Remember, only Italian pitchers are allowed in the first game. With runners on first and second, he got a ground ball to short. We were able to get the force at second, but unable to complete the double play, leaving runners on first and third. The next hitter hit a dribbler to third, and was safe at first. The runner at third scored, and they were ahead by one. After a couple of wild pitches, we went into the bottom of the eleventh down two. We wouldn't recover, and ended up losing the game. It was a devastating lose, and the circumstances made it that much harder to swallow. I had a miserable game, going 1-5. I knew something was wrong, and I needed to make an adjustment.
While getting our food in between games, I asked my teammate Paul if he had seen anything wrong with my swing. The foreign players need to help eachother out. Essentially, we are eachothers coaches. It is hard to communicate with the Italian coaches, so you rely on eachother. He told me I wasn't loading early enough, and this was causing me to force my swing. It turned out he couldn't be more right.
In the next game, we came on strong. In my first at bat, with nobody on, I hit an absolute bomb. Now normally I wouldn't say it that way, but it was the farthest ball I have ever hit in my life, metal or wood. Our field is one of the largest fields in the world. Yes, that includes major league parks and every other professional field in the world. Center field is approximately 450 feet away. The gaps are about 425. The lines are approx. 375. It is a monstrous field. The pitcher threw me a letter high fastball. I turned on it, throwing everything I had into it. I hit the ball to left center field, and it hit the fence on a fly. It was about 5 feet away from being a homerun. You can do the math. My teammates, as well as myself, were in shock that it even happened. I ended up getting a triple, then scoring on a passed ball.
Luis was throwing yet another gem. Going into the fifth inning, we were up 3-0. I got up with the bases loaded and nobody out. Facing the same pitcher, I was looking for him to make a similar mistake. After getting ahead 0-1, he did. I hit a line drive to left center for a bases clearing double. I then went on to steal third, and score on a sac fly.
We ended up winning the second game in dominating fashion. Luis pitched a gem, and all aspect of the lineup contributed. The final score was 8-0, but the other team never had a chance. We left in high spirits. Needless to say, it was an exhausting day.
I will try to write more about my weekend and the rest of this week in the next few days. Quite frankly, right now I am just too tired. I hope that my adjustment will translate in the weeks to come. I also hope you all had a great weekend, and I will be speaking to you soon. Ciao!
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Cibus
I'm sure you are wondering what a Cibus is. It sounds like some old Greek building or ritual. It is actually a large food festival. It is a play on the word cibo, which means food in italian. I am talking about this because yesterday I attended the Cibus. The brother of my teammate Paul, Andrew, is starting a beverage company. The company is called SanTasti. The premise of the drink is to clear your pallate, so that you can enjoy the tastes of other foods and wines. It is a good idea, and the drink is good as well.
So, one of the events they planned to attend this year was the Cibus. This is a huge food festival held in Parma every other year. It is massive. To support my teammate and his brothers brand, Chris and I decided to head over to the Cibus. We arrived in Parma via train, then got the bus to the Cibus. It was about 3 kilometers outside of the center of the city. When we arrived, it was much like arrived at the Jacob Javits Center. It was a massive convention center, and I was excited that it was filled with food. Paul had given us tickets, which normally would have cost 40 euros. I called Paul and we walked in.
We walked into the part where the beverages were and arrived at there stand. It was a nice stand, and was attracting a lot of consumers and other business people. This was the fourth and last day of the convention, so they were all pretty tired. After having a coffee and hanging out, we decided to walk around.
The convention was broken up in sections. We first went the the meats section. It was like a cemetary of pigs. Everywhere you went, there were meats being cut and sliced infront of you. It was pretty intense. We went about our day, eating and eating. We moved from the meats section onto the dessert section. This was best section by far. There was every kind of dessert imaginable, right there for the taking. It's safe to say we took advantage of the opportunity.
After desserts, we moved onto the wine and spirits section. There were many, many different kinds of wines. Some wines were very light and pleasant, and others were very heavy. There were also many different kinds of beers, waters, and soft drinks. The "booths" were amazing, and it was cool to walk around and see everything.
By the time we came back to the SanTasti booth, we had been walking around for two hours. You could have easily killed a full day at this convention, but I had to get back for the gym and practice. We left, and I went about my regular day.
It was a spectacle worth seeing, and a great way to score some free food and drinks. It's one of the largest food conventions in the world, and I enjoyed every second of it. I took some pictures so you could get a better understanding of the Cibus.
Tomorrow we play at home against Florence. Hopefully the rain holds out. It will be my first home games, and I hope they actually happen this time! Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon!
So, one of the events they planned to attend this year was the Cibus. This is a huge food festival held in Parma every other year. It is massive. To support my teammate and his brothers brand, Chris and I decided to head over to the Cibus. We arrived in Parma via train, then got the bus to the Cibus. It was about 3 kilometers outside of the center of the city. When we arrived, it was much like arrived at the Jacob Javits Center. It was a massive convention center, and I was excited that it was filled with food. Paul had given us tickets, which normally would have cost 40 euros. I called Paul and we walked in.
We walked into the part where the beverages were and arrived at there stand. It was a nice stand, and was attracting a lot of consumers and other business people. This was the fourth and last day of the convention, so they were all pretty tired. After having a coffee and hanging out, we decided to walk around.
The convention was broken up in sections. We first went the the meats section. It was like a cemetary of pigs. Everywhere you went, there were meats being cut and sliced infront of you. It was pretty intense. We went about our day, eating and eating. We moved from the meats section onto the dessert section. This was best section by far. There was every kind of dessert imaginable, right there for the taking. It's safe to say we took advantage of the opportunity.
After desserts, we moved onto the wine and spirits section. There were many, many different kinds of wines. Some wines were very light and pleasant, and others were very heavy. There were also many different kinds of beers, waters, and soft drinks. The "booths" were amazing, and it was cool to walk around and see everything.
By the time we came back to the SanTasti booth, we had been walking around for two hours. You could have easily killed a full day at this convention, but I had to get back for the gym and practice. We left, and I went about my regular day.
It was a spectacle worth seeing, and a great way to score some free food and drinks. It's one of the largest food conventions in the world, and I enjoyed every second of it. I took some pictures so you could get a better understanding of the Cibus.
Tomorrow we play at home against Florence. Hopefully the rain holds out. It will be my first home games, and I hope they actually happen this time! Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Weekend
Hello everybody. Hope you all are doing well. I had a very long weekend, and it got pretty exhausting. As you already know, we had one game on Saturday at 3:30 pm and then a game on Sunday at 10am. After the game on Sunday, I took a trip to Florence to meet up with the same people we met in Rome. First, the games.
On Saturday we took on Poviglio at their field. When I first arrived, I noticed the field was small. I really thought that there were going to be a bunch of home runs hit, but to my surprise, there wasn't one all series. Our Italian starter, Fillo, took big strides in his performance. Although finding himself in jams throughout, he was able to settle down and put up a good performance. There pitcher was a Jamie Moyer type, keeping people off balance. In the first few innings, both pitchers did a good job shutting down the offenses.
Our offense started to come around around the 4th inning. We were having better at bats, and we started plating some runs. By the time the 7th came around, we were up by ten and putting the game away. For the first time in my professional career, I felt a little out of sync at the plate. I ended the game at 1 for 4 with 2 rbis and a walk.
After the game, the team got some food and we went straight home. I was exhausted, and fell asleep. We had to be up and out at 7:30 am. It was the earliest game I had played in a while. After a quick breakfast, we arrived at the field. We took bp and did the normal routine, then squared up for game two.
We threatened in the first inning, and I stepped to the plate with runners on second and third. The foreign pitcher was a lefty Venezuelan. He had previous experience pitching on the Venezuelan national team. He wasn't overpowering, but commanded the zone with a good fastball and changeup, complimenting the two with a slider. I went to the plate anticipating a slider, and after falling behind 1-o, he threw it. I took the ball to right center for a single, plating the two runs. Unfortunately, that would be the extent of my success that day at the plate. I finished the day an average 1 for 4 with two rbis again. Paul, the other American, proceeded to ask me what I finished the series at. I told him 2 for 8, and he then wittingly said, "Makes you a pretty average hitter." I laughed, and told him I was coming for him in the average race. He currently sits second in the league in hitting, but I'll get him.
We ended the weekend with two wins, putting us in a commanding lead of first place in the division. Luis, our foreign pitcher, threw another gem, completely shutting down Poviglio for a one run complete game. He has been lights out, and although we can barely communicate thru words, we work well together on the field.
After the games, we headed back to Florence. We were meeting up with the girls we had met in Rome. We had a good time, and I was able to see some things I didn't get to see before. I included some pictures here of the city. Exhausted Monday, we came back and I fell asleep right away.
This weekend we play at home against Florence. If it doesn't rain, it will be my first home series. I am excited to play a home game in front of the Reggio crowd. I will be taking a lot of swings and doing a lot of work this week to get back into good form. I hope everybody is doing well at home and please keep in touch. I'll talk to everybody soon!
On Saturday we took on Poviglio at their field. When I first arrived, I noticed the field was small. I really thought that there were going to be a bunch of home runs hit, but to my surprise, there wasn't one all series. Our Italian starter, Fillo, took big strides in his performance. Although finding himself in jams throughout, he was able to settle down and put up a good performance. There pitcher was a Jamie Moyer type, keeping people off balance. In the first few innings, both pitchers did a good job shutting down the offenses.
Our offense started to come around around the 4th inning. We were having better at bats, and we started plating some runs. By the time the 7th came around, we were up by ten and putting the game away. For the first time in my professional career, I felt a little out of sync at the plate. I ended the game at 1 for 4 with 2 rbis and a walk.
After the game, the team got some food and we went straight home. I was exhausted, and fell asleep. We had to be up and out at 7:30 am. It was the earliest game I had played in a while. After a quick breakfast, we arrived at the field. We took bp and did the normal routine, then squared up for game two.
We threatened in the first inning, and I stepped to the plate with runners on second and third. The foreign pitcher was a lefty Venezuelan. He had previous experience pitching on the Venezuelan national team. He wasn't overpowering, but commanded the zone with a good fastball and changeup, complimenting the two with a slider. I went to the plate anticipating a slider, and after falling behind 1-o, he threw it. I took the ball to right center for a single, plating the two runs. Unfortunately, that would be the extent of my success that day at the plate. I finished the day an average 1 for 4 with two rbis again. Paul, the other American, proceeded to ask me what I finished the series at. I told him 2 for 8, and he then wittingly said, "Makes you a pretty average hitter." I laughed, and told him I was coming for him in the average race. He currently sits second in the league in hitting, but I'll get him.
We ended the weekend with two wins, putting us in a commanding lead of first place in the division. Luis, our foreign pitcher, threw another gem, completely shutting down Poviglio for a one run complete game. He has been lights out, and although we can barely communicate thru words, we work well together on the field.
After the games, we headed back to Florence. We were meeting up with the girls we had met in Rome. We had a good time, and I was able to see some things I didn't get to see before. I included some pictures here of the city. Exhausted Monday, we came back and I fell asleep right away.
This weekend we play at home against Florence. If it doesn't rain, it will be my first home series. I am excited to play a home game in front of the Reggio crowd. I will be taking a lot of swings and doing a lot of work this week to get back into good form. I hope everybody is doing well at home and please keep in touch. I'll talk to everybody soon!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Important Italian Facts
I decided it was important for everybody to know interesting facts about Italy. I have officially been living here for a month, and I have learned a lot. I figured I should let everybody know what I have been learning here, and fill you in on some cultural differences. What better way to do that then create a list. This list contains no particular order of importance, but just a form of organization.
1. All the vehicles are small: This is true. They are all small, manual, and driven by aggressive Italians. There are no street lights, or very very few. Lights are replaced with rotundas, which makes for interesting driving. The largest vehicle I have seen here is a Range Rover. Most people drive Fiats and any form of hatchback. If you came on the road with an Expedition or Escalade, you might as well be driving a monster truck.
2. Italians love food: No secret there. Except they love food, but never get fat. Everything is healthy, and everybody eats healthy. It's really amazing. For breakfast, they eat sweet meals. No eggs or pancakes. Just a sweet dessert looking thing, topped off with some cafe. Lunch, why not have some pizza. Dinner? Well, before dinner, you must have a couple of drinks, with some finger foods set up. This is known as an Appertivo, their better version of a happy hour. These finger foods aren't chicken tenders and fries. Instead, they are prosciutto or eggplant, maybe even pasta if your lucky. Then it's time for dinner, which you may not finish until 11pm or later. After your meal, you have to have a dessert. Now normally I am not a big fan of sweets, especially dessert. Italian dessert is unreal. It's almost a waste if you don't have it. And if you don't want dessert, then get gelato. The more south you go, the better the gelato. Don't believe me? Find out for yourself. Like I said, Italians love food.
3. Italians don't wear different clothes everyday: Now this is a great fact. Everybody dresses nice, and I mean everybody looks good. Whether its Prada, Gucci, or Burberry, they got it. Nice pair of shades, some expensive shoes, a sweet pair of jeans and a baller shirt, and they are ready to go. Funny thing is, they will wear that outfit a couple times in a row. Not a problem. It really is a nice thing. If its expensive, why not wear it a bunch of times before washing?! Doesn't bother me one bit.
4. Bars aren't bars: So in America, if I said we are going to the bar, we are going out to drink. Here, bars are where you go for food, maybe a scotch or top shelf beverage, but mostly used for cafe. Now when I say cafe, I mean espresso. Haven't found traditional coffee here as of yet. And they LOVE their cafe, and I do too. It's a great quality and absolutely delicious, as well as quick and easy. But if you want to grab a beer and some food, your going to the pub, not the bar. Oh, and if you want to dance and party, your going to the disco, not the club.
5. Italians are Green: They obviously aren't actually the color of green, but they live their lives gren. Everybody recycles, everybody is conscious of the environment, and everybody actually cares. For example, the grocery store charges for bags. Yep, they do. Why? This forces you to buy a bag you can use over and over again, hence promoting going green. I bought one, and it's actually very convenient. And if you do have a grocery bag, you use it to throw out your garbage. There is purpose for everything.
6. They love American foods: Fact. They may think there food is better than yours, and quite frankly it probably is. But the truth remains that if you told an Italian you are making hamburgers or a philly cheese steak, they are on it. A few days ago, for the team dinner, Taka and Fillo made hamburgers. It was awesome.
7. The train is the way to travel: This should come as no surprise to anybody that has been to Europe. The train systems are incredibly efficient, and fairly simple. Granted, having experience of the New York system helped me immensly in figuring out how to get where. I would venture to say that anybody can figure this out, and mostly every station has somebody who can speak English. My recommendation is to use the machines. You can set it to English, and it's very simple and helpful. You can get anywhere in Europe, and for a little extra coin you can hop on a high speed and travel at incredible speeds. It's like being on an airplane that never takes off.
8. Italians are prideful people: They have a lot of pride about where they are from and what they are about. Whether they have the best food, the better dialect, or the more beautiful city, they are loyal and full of pride.
9. Work is work, and family life is family life: This is an important one. Business in Italy, and I'm assuming Europe as a whole, is different. In New York City, business can consume somebody's life. It can be taken home, and effect the family and influence their lives. That's very rare here. People go to work, do what they need to do, and then when they are off work it's family time. They value that time with their family, and seperate work and business. Could be a good thing, could be a bad thing. I'll leave that up for debate amongst yourselves.
10. Italy is beautiful: This is an obvious fact. Everywhere you go, each city has a different story to tell. Each city has its own draw, whether its Milan with great night life and the fashion district, or Bologna with it's old Italian style and large population of students. Whether you travel down South to the Almalfi Coast for the beautiful walking tours, or stay north in Rimini for the amazing beach. I feel lucky to say I am a resident of this country. This doesn't mean that I am short changing New York. Living here has shown me how amazing it is to live in New York. Everybody here loves New York, and I am proud to be from there.
I am by no means an Italian, and I stand out like a sore thumb in the city of Reggio. I respect the people here, and I respect this country. This month has flown by, and I can't believe how much has happened and how much I have seen and learned. But as the saying goes, may the best of your today's be the worst of your tomorrows. I hope that this experience will only get better. Plus, everything is better in the summer.
So this weekend we play on Saturday and Sunday in Poviglio. Everybody hope for no rain, and I hope to have some good news and a couple of wins under our belt. Hope you enjoyed the post and talk to you soon.
1. All the vehicles are small: This is true. They are all small, manual, and driven by aggressive Italians. There are no street lights, or very very few. Lights are replaced with rotundas, which makes for interesting driving. The largest vehicle I have seen here is a Range Rover. Most people drive Fiats and any form of hatchback. If you came on the road with an Expedition or Escalade, you might as well be driving a monster truck.
2. Italians love food: No secret there. Except they love food, but never get fat. Everything is healthy, and everybody eats healthy. It's really amazing. For breakfast, they eat sweet meals. No eggs or pancakes. Just a sweet dessert looking thing, topped off with some cafe. Lunch, why not have some pizza. Dinner? Well, before dinner, you must have a couple of drinks, with some finger foods set up. This is known as an Appertivo, their better version of a happy hour. These finger foods aren't chicken tenders and fries. Instead, they are prosciutto or eggplant, maybe even pasta if your lucky. Then it's time for dinner, which you may not finish until 11pm or later. After your meal, you have to have a dessert. Now normally I am not a big fan of sweets, especially dessert. Italian dessert is unreal. It's almost a waste if you don't have it. And if you don't want dessert, then get gelato. The more south you go, the better the gelato. Don't believe me? Find out for yourself. Like I said, Italians love food.
3. Italians don't wear different clothes everyday: Now this is a great fact. Everybody dresses nice, and I mean everybody looks good. Whether its Prada, Gucci, or Burberry, they got it. Nice pair of shades, some expensive shoes, a sweet pair of jeans and a baller shirt, and they are ready to go. Funny thing is, they will wear that outfit a couple times in a row. Not a problem. It really is a nice thing. If its expensive, why not wear it a bunch of times before washing?! Doesn't bother me one bit.
4. Bars aren't bars: So in America, if I said we are going to the bar, we are going out to drink. Here, bars are where you go for food, maybe a scotch or top shelf beverage, but mostly used for cafe. Now when I say cafe, I mean espresso. Haven't found traditional coffee here as of yet. And they LOVE their cafe, and I do too. It's a great quality and absolutely delicious, as well as quick and easy. But if you want to grab a beer and some food, your going to the pub, not the bar. Oh, and if you want to dance and party, your going to the disco, not the club.
5. Italians are Green: They obviously aren't actually the color of green, but they live their lives gren. Everybody recycles, everybody is conscious of the environment, and everybody actually cares. For example, the grocery store charges for bags. Yep, they do. Why? This forces you to buy a bag you can use over and over again, hence promoting going green. I bought one, and it's actually very convenient. And if you do have a grocery bag, you use it to throw out your garbage. There is purpose for everything.
6. They love American foods: Fact. They may think there food is better than yours, and quite frankly it probably is. But the truth remains that if you told an Italian you are making hamburgers or a philly cheese steak, they are on it. A few days ago, for the team dinner, Taka and Fillo made hamburgers. It was awesome.
7. The train is the way to travel: This should come as no surprise to anybody that has been to Europe. The train systems are incredibly efficient, and fairly simple. Granted, having experience of the New York system helped me immensly in figuring out how to get where. I would venture to say that anybody can figure this out, and mostly every station has somebody who can speak English. My recommendation is to use the machines. You can set it to English, and it's very simple and helpful. You can get anywhere in Europe, and for a little extra coin you can hop on a high speed and travel at incredible speeds. It's like being on an airplane that never takes off.
8. Italians are prideful people: They have a lot of pride about where they are from and what they are about. Whether they have the best food, the better dialect, or the more beautiful city, they are loyal and full of pride.
9. Work is work, and family life is family life: This is an important one. Business in Italy, and I'm assuming Europe as a whole, is different. In New York City, business can consume somebody's life. It can be taken home, and effect the family and influence their lives. That's very rare here. People go to work, do what they need to do, and then when they are off work it's family time. They value that time with their family, and seperate work and business. Could be a good thing, could be a bad thing. I'll leave that up for debate amongst yourselves.
10. Italy is beautiful: This is an obvious fact. Everywhere you go, each city has a different story to tell. Each city has its own draw, whether its Milan with great night life and the fashion district, or Bologna with it's old Italian style and large population of students. Whether you travel down South to the Almalfi Coast for the beautiful walking tours, or stay north in Rimini for the amazing beach. I feel lucky to say I am a resident of this country. This doesn't mean that I am short changing New York. Living here has shown me how amazing it is to live in New York. Everybody here loves New York, and I am proud to be from there.
I am by no means an Italian, and I stand out like a sore thumb in the city of Reggio. I respect the people here, and I respect this country. This month has flown by, and I can't believe how much has happened and how much I have seen and learned. But as the saying goes, may the best of your today's be the worst of your tomorrows. I hope that this experience will only get better. Plus, everything is better in the summer.
So this weekend we play on Saturday and Sunday in Poviglio. Everybody hope for no rain, and I hope to have some good news and a couple of wins under our belt. Hope you enjoyed the post and talk to you soon.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Rome Pictures and Videos
Okay, so here is the situation. On my camera, I had about 70 pictures. Putting them directly into the blog takes too long and is too annoying. So I decided it would be easier for me to just use a flickr account. I will put the link in here, that way you can just go to the account and see all the pictures, and it won't take me 10 hours (not kidding) to do. Also, I will embed the videos via youtube (Sorry about the originals. I fixed them. Don't worry, they aren't long!)
On a negative note, for some reason it is giving me a hard time with my blackberry, saying I haven't the appropriate means to upload the pictures onto my computer. I will do my best to figure that out, and hopefully get the pictures up for you. For now, there are plenty of pictures and a few videos to hold you over. Enjoy!
Photo's of Rome
On a negative note, for some reason it is giving me a hard time with my blackberry, saying I haven't the appropriate means to upload the pictures onto my computer. I will do my best to figure that out, and hopefully get the pictures up for you. For now, there are plenty of pictures and a few videos to hold you over. Enjoy!
Photo's of Rome
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
I'm gonna stop making tables, and start making miracles
Hello everybody. It has been a while since we last spoke, and I have a lot to tell you. Actually so much to tell you that I will probably have to leave some of it out. As you all know, this weekend we played in Anzio, which is about 30 minutes outside of Rome. My roommate Chris and I decided to take advantage of this trip, and stay in Rome for a couple of days. But first, let's talk about the games.
Game one against Anzio was miserable. We were flat on both defense and offense. We struggled with our pitching, walking God knows how many people and hitting even more. It wasn't the best situation. I went 2 for 4 on the day with a couple of singles. We ended up losing the game 8-2. It was a game we would quickly forget.
After the between game meal, we got back out on the field and started getting ready. This is the foreign game, and Anzio came ready. Their pitcher was from Santo Domingo, as is my roommate. It was a Dominican battle. Last week, Anzio's starter struck out 19 batters. He was a lefty, and threw decently hard, about 88 mph. His ball had some natural lefty movement, and he threw a hard slider. Little did he know that we would get the best of him.
In the first innings things were looking up for both teams. Anzio's pitcher struck out two, and our pitcher struck out the side. In the second, with a couple of hits and walks, I got up with the bases loaded and one out. My plan was to attack the fastball on the inside half of the plate. I knew that he would resort to his fastball, thinking he could overpower me. I got my pitch, and just rolled over on it. I did get decent barrel on the ball and was able to put it up the middle. The shortstop made a good play and was able to flip the ball to second for the force out. Either way, a run scored and we were ahead.
After that inning, Anzio's pitcher seemed to shut down. It was the first run he let up for the year, and he wasn't happy. For the rest of the game he was erratic. He was making mistakes, and we were taking advantage of them. By the time the fifth inning came around, we were up 4-1. Luis, on the other hand, was lights out. He was dealing, shutting down Anzio's offensive attack. We went on to win the game 5-2. I ended up 0-3 on the day with a walk and a RBI. It was my first 0-fer game of the year, but I hit the ball hard and the team came out on top. Anything for a win! Luis pitched great, and the team overall had a great game. Everybody came to play that second game, and we showed how good we can be.
After a long day of baseball, we got on the bus, got some pizza, and the team dropped us off in Nettuno (the next town over) to stay for the night. We were going to get up the next morning and head into Rome. A little fact, Nettuno is known as the "City of Baseball" in Italy. If you have time, look it up on Wikipedia so you can read about the baseball history of the city. It is fairly interesting.
Anyway, now for Rome. We arrived in Rome at about 1 pm. We took a train in directly to the Roma Termini. It is the largest train station in Italy. Our hostel wasn't far away. We decided to walk to the hostel, check in, then head over to Downtown Rome. We dropped the bags off and walked back to the Termini to catch the Metro. It reminded me of a smaller New York subway system, packed full of interesting people. After about 4 stops, we arrived at the Colloseo stop. We walked out of the station to see the Colosseum right in front of us. It amazed me how large it was for the era it had been built in. We walked a little ways, and at the entrace to the Colosseum we found a tour. For 20 euro, we would see the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and the Roman Forum. It sounded like a great deal, and we were on our way.
The Colosseum is absolutely amazing. To think of the inginuity of that era to create such a modern looking stadium. The tour guide was great, telling us interesting facts about the building and its history. For example, the Colosseum is not actually the name of the buidling. Next to it, Emperor Nero built a huge marble statue. This became known as the Colossus. The original name of the Colosseum is the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the Flavian brothers who financed the construction. Colosseum is just a nickname given by the Roman people because of its location next to the statue. The statue no longer stands because the people "recycled" the marble for their constructional purposes.
After the Colosseum, we headed up to Palantine Hill. Palantine Hill is where Rome began. As our tour guide said, it was the Beverly Hills of Rome. Anybody who had power and money lived on this Hill. It is also where the Emperors lived. Today, it is mostly ruins, although the palace (of which the word originates from) still stands. On Palantine Hill you can also see the houses of Augustus and his wife, the most preserved houses of its time. After walking around this magnificent place, we came to an overhanging. This overhang looked over the Roman Forum. It was absolutely amazing. All of the Roman empires important buildings stood below. When I post the pictures, you will be able to see what I mean. We then ventured down in the Roman Forum, seeing things like the senate building and where Julius Ceasar was cremated (which people still put flowers on today). It truly shows how the Roman Empire was the start of our modern day civilization.
After a day full of history and amazing sites, we headed back to the hostel for dinner. At dinner, we met three girls who were staying there as well, Francesca, Christina, and Melana. Francesca and Christina live in Florida and go to the University of Florida. They both have international backgrounds. Christina was born and raised in Ecuador. Francesca was born in Montreal. Melana was also from Montreal. We decided to head out into Rome for some drinks. We went to one of the local pubs, and there was karaoke. When the pub was closing, we were still pretty awake and energized. Somebody had the idea to go out and sight see a bit. Regardless of it being 3 am, we started to walk.
The first place we went was the Fontana del Tritone. This is the fountain where you are supposed to throw in a coin and make a wish. It is absolutely amazing how large it is and how beautiful. After about twenty minutes, I made my wish, and we moved on to the Spanish steps. These steps are the longest and widest in Europe. It strangely reminded me of the Rocky steps, but just had more history and most likely more importance (depending on who you ask). Anyway, like the Rocky steps, I began my run up. There are 138 steps, and I felt it when I got to the top. It also didn't help that it was 4 am. After a couple of pictures, we decided to call it a night. We got back to the hostel around 5 am, and agreed that we would get up at 8:30 am to go to the Vatican.
Amazingly, everybody stayed true to their word and got up in the morning. We ate a quick breakfast, and took the Metro to the Vatican. The line was insanely long, going around a few blocks. We found a tour group, and for 40 euro we would cut the line and get a fully guided tour. As you may know, the Vatican is not apart of Italy. It is the smallest country in the world. After a little wait, we went through the metal detectors, got our ear pieces, and started the tour.
Now I have seen a lot of cool things, and Italy in general is absolutely beautiful. The Vatican is nothing like I have ever seen before. Everything is made of marble, and everything is so detailed with art. From the landscaping of the squares and gardens to the interior of all the buildings, everything is amazing. We walked thru the museum and around the grounds. The tour guide flooded us with information, and thousands and thousands of people were around us. The last stop we would make was St. Peters, but first came the Sistine Chapel.
Before we walked in, they told us that nobody was allowed to talk or take pictures. By the time we got in, I realized there were way to many people for these rules to be strongly enforced. Everybody took pictures and spoke. Part of me found it disrespectful, but the other part of me realized that many people would never be back, and pictures were necessary. I agreed, and started taking video and pictures. The chapel is absolutely breath taking. The amount of detail in the paintings is incredible, and to think most of it was done by one person. We stood in the chapel for about 15 minutes, amazed at the detail and in awe of where I was. We then went out of the chapel and made our way towards St. Peters.
St. Peters, as you know, is the largest church in the world. We walked in, and immediately I stopped in my tracks. It is absolutely enormous, and makes all other churches seem uninteresting. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. I walked around with my mouth open, amazed at what I was seeing. A lot of emotions came over me, and it humbled me like I have never felt before. It truly is an amazing place. We walked around to see all the amazing artwork and alters. None of them were as amazing as La Pieta. Made from a single slab of marble, it was the most amazing piece of art I have ever seen. I am no art buff, nor do I particularly enjoy it, but this statue is something more.
I then entered a room that was strictly for prayer. I will never sit here and say that I am the most devoted Catholic in the world, but I went in and sat down. In this little room was a beautiful alter and the most amazing design. I sat there in silence for about ten minutes, just thinking about everything. It was my favorite part of my Italian journey so far, and it made me realize how lucky I am. I hope everybody gets to experience this amazing place one day.
We then went to get food. After some pasta, we headed to the top of St. Peters. After a long, long, narrow journey up, we stood on top of the most beautiful church in the world, staring down at Rome. It was the best way to finish the Vatican. It was great to be up there with amazing company, and we went about the rest of the day walking around Rome and finally ending it with a few drinks for happy hour. The girls we traveled with were great, and we shared stories and laughs the whole day. We hope to run into them again in Italy at some point. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and that is something that will be shared forever.
We got a train at 10pm and started the long journey home. I didn't walk into my apartment until 5:30 am. It was a long trip, but very much worth it. Rome has its faults, but it truly is an amazing place. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have a bunch of pictures and some short videos. My camera died immediately after the Sistine Chapel, so I had to take the rest of the photos with my phone. I'm sorry if the quality is bad. I'm also sorry for the long, long entry, but I figured it would be interesting enough. I hope everybody had a great weekend and I'll post these pictures and videos as soon as I can.
Oh, and if your asking yourself about the title. As we stood in line waiting to get into the Vatican, we were joking and I said this. The girls and Chris suggested I use it as the title of the entry, so it is in homage to them. Thanks everybody and I'll talk to you soon!
Game one against Anzio was miserable. We were flat on both defense and offense. We struggled with our pitching, walking God knows how many people and hitting even more. It wasn't the best situation. I went 2 for 4 on the day with a couple of singles. We ended up losing the game 8-2. It was a game we would quickly forget.
After the between game meal, we got back out on the field and started getting ready. This is the foreign game, and Anzio came ready. Their pitcher was from Santo Domingo, as is my roommate. It was a Dominican battle. Last week, Anzio's starter struck out 19 batters. He was a lefty, and threw decently hard, about 88 mph. His ball had some natural lefty movement, and he threw a hard slider. Little did he know that we would get the best of him.
In the first innings things were looking up for both teams. Anzio's pitcher struck out two, and our pitcher struck out the side. In the second, with a couple of hits and walks, I got up with the bases loaded and one out. My plan was to attack the fastball on the inside half of the plate. I knew that he would resort to his fastball, thinking he could overpower me. I got my pitch, and just rolled over on it. I did get decent barrel on the ball and was able to put it up the middle. The shortstop made a good play and was able to flip the ball to second for the force out. Either way, a run scored and we were ahead.
After that inning, Anzio's pitcher seemed to shut down. It was the first run he let up for the year, and he wasn't happy. For the rest of the game he was erratic. He was making mistakes, and we were taking advantage of them. By the time the fifth inning came around, we were up 4-1. Luis, on the other hand, was lights out. He was dealing, shutting down Anzio's offensive attack. We went on to win the game 5-2. I ended up 0-3 on the day with a walk and a RBI. It was my first 0-fer game of the year, but I hit the ball hard and the team came out on top. Anything for a win! Luis pitched great, and the team overall had a great game. Everybody came to play that second game, and we showed how good we can be.
After a long day of baseball, we got on the bus, got some pizza, and the team dropped us off in Nettuno (the next town over) to stay for the night. We were going to get up the next morning and head into Rome. A little fact, Nettuno is known as the "City of Baseball" in Italy. If you have time, look it up on Wikipedia so you can read about the baseball history of the city. It is fairly interesting.
Anyway, now for Rome. We arrived in Rome at about 1 pm. We took a train in directly to the Roma Termini. It is the largest train station in Italy. Our hostel wasn't far away. We decided to walk to the hostel, check in, then head over to Downtown Rome. We dropped the bags off and walked back to the Termini to catch the Metro. It reminded me of a smaller New York subway system, packed full of interesting people. After about 4 stops, we arrived at the Colloseo stop. We walked out of the station to see the Colosseum right in front of us. It amazed me how large it was for the era it had been built in. We walked a little ways, and at the entrace to the Colosseum we found a tour. For 20 euro, we would see the Colosseum, Palantine Hill, and the Roman Forum. It sounded like a great deal, and we were on our way.
The Colosseum is absolutely amazing. To think of the inginuity of that era to create such a modern looking stadium. The tour guide was great, telling us interesting facts about the building and its history. For example, the Colosseum is not actually the name of the buidling. Next to it, Emperor Nero built a huge marble statue. This became known as the Colossus. The original name of the Colosseum is the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the Flavian brothers who financed the construction. Colosseum is just a nickname given by the Roman people because of its location next to the statue. The statue no longer stands because the people "recycled" the marble for their constructional purposes.
After the Colosseum, we headed up to Palantine Hill. Palantine Hill is where Rome began. As our tour guide said, it was the Beverly Hills of Rome. Anybody who had power and money lived on this Hill. It is also where the Emperors lived. Today, it is mostly ruins, although the palace (of which the word originates from) still stands. On Palantine Hill you can also see the houses of Augustus and his wife, the most preserved houses of its time. After walking around this magnificent place, we came to an overhanging. This overhang looked over the Roman Forum. It was absolutely amazing. All of the Roman empires important buildings stood below. When I post the pictures, you will be able to see what I mean. We then ventured down in the Roman Forum, seeing things like the senate building and where Julius Ceasar was cremated (which people still put flowers on today). It truly shows how the Roman Empire was the start of our modern day civilization.
After a day full of history and amazing sites, we headed back to the hostel for dinner. At dinner, we met three girls who were staying there as well, Francesca, Christina, and Melana. Francesca and Christina live in Florida and go to the University of Florida. They both have international backgrounds. Christina was born and raised in Ecuador. Francesca was born in Montreal. Melana was also from Montreal. We decided to head out into Rome for some drinks. We went to one of the local pubs, and there was karaoke. When the pub was closing, we were still pretty awake and energized. Somebody had the idea to go out and sight see a bit. Regardless of it being 3 am, we started to walk.
The first place we went was the Fontana del Tritone. This is the fountain where you are supposed to throw in a coin and make a wish. It is absolutely amazing how large it is and how beautiful. After about twenty minutes, I made my wish, and we moved on to the Spanish steps. These steps are the longest and widest in Europe. It strangely reminded me of the Rocky steps, but just had more history and most likely more importance (depending on who you ask). Anyway, like the Rocky steps, I began my run up. There are 138 steps, and I felt it when I got to the top. It also didn't help that it was 4 am. After a couple of pictures, we decided to call it a night. We got back to the hostel around 5 am, and agreed that we would get up at 8:30 am to go to the Vatican.
Amazingly, everybody stayed true to their word and got up in the morning. We ate a quick breakfast, and took the Metro to the Vatican. The line was insanely long, going around a few blocks. We found a tour group, and for 40 euro we would cut the line and get a fully guided tour. As you may know, the Vatican is not apart of Italy. It is the smallest country in the world. After a little wait, we went through the metal detectors, got our ear pieces, and started the tour.
Now I have seen a lot of cool things, and Italy in general is absolutely beautiful. The Vatican is nothing like I have ever seen before. Everything is made of marble, and everything is so detailed with art. From the landscaping of the squares and gardens to the interior of all the buildings, everything is amazing. We walked thru the museum and around the grounds. The tour guide flooded us with information, and thousands and thousands of people were around us. The last stop we would make was St. Peters, but first came the Sistine Chapel.
Before we walked in, they told us that nobody was allowed to talk or take pictures. By the time we got in, I realized there were way to many people for these rules to be strongly enforced. Everybody took pictures and spoke. Part of me found it disrespectful, but the other part of me realized that many people would never be back, and pictures were necessary. I agreed, and started taking video and pictures. The chapel is absolutely breath taking. The amount of detail in the paintings is incredible, and to think most of it was done by one person. We stood in the chapel for about 15 minutes, amazed at the detail and in awe of where I was. We then went out of the chapel and made our way towards St. Peters.
St. Peters, as you know, is the largest church in the world. We walked in, and immediately I stopped in my tracks. It is absolutely enormous, and makes all other churches seem uninteresting. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. I walked around with my mouth open, amazed at what I was seeing. A lot of emotions came over me, and it humbled me like I have never felt before. It truly is an amazing place. We walked around to see all the amazing artwork and alters. None of them were as amazing as La Pieta. Made from a single slab of marble, it was the most amazing piece of art I have ever seen. I am no art buff, nor do I particularly enjoy it, but this statue is something more.
I then entered a room that was strictly for prayer. I will never sit here and say that I am the most devoted Catholic in the world, but I went in and sat down. In this little room was a beautiful alter and the most amazing design. I sat there in silence for about ten minutes, just thinking about everything. It was my favorite part of my Italian journey so far, and it made me realize how lucky I am. I hope everybody gets to experience this amazing place one day.
We then went to get food. After some pasta, we headed to the top of St. Peters. After a long, long, narrow journey up, we stood on top of the most beautiful church in the world, staring down at Rome. It was the best way to finish the Vatican. It was great to be up there with amazing company, and we went about the rest of the day walking around Rome and finally ending it with a few drinks for happy hour. The girls we traveled with were great, and we shared stories and laughs the whole day. We hope to run into them again in Italy at some point. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and that is something that will be shared forever.
We got a train at 10pm and started the long journey home. I didn't walk into my apartment until 5:30 am. It was a long trip, but very much worth it. Rome has its faults, but it truly is an amazing place. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have a bunch of pictures and some short videos. My camera died immediately after the Sistine Chapel, so I had to take the rest of the photos with my phone. I'm sorry if the quality is bad. I'm also sorry for the long, long entry, but I figured it would be interesting enough. I hope everybody had a great weekend and I'll post these pictures and videos as soon as I can.
Oh, and if your asking yourself about the title. As we stood in line waiting to get into the Vatican, we were joking and I said this. The girls and Chris suggested I use it as the title of the entry, so it is in homage to them. Thanks everybody and I'll talk to you soon!
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