Hello everybody, and welcome to round 2 of Reggio Baseball. Baseball season is getting dangerously close, and I have arrived in Italy ready to go. I am genuinely excited about this year. It should pose to be an interesting one filled with different experiences and encounters.
First and foremost, I will obviously be doing the blog again. After some thought and constructive criticism, I want to try and do things a little differently. As you can see, I have changed the look. I am aware of the fact that while writing last year I had a lot of content in the beginning and slowly began to dwindle at the end. My posts were mostly about baseball related things, kind of a recap of sorts. This year, I am going to try to add a little bit more to it, and that should start with a more consistent approach. I plan to write every Sunday/Monday. I want to spend less time on the games and more time on other aspects of being here. Hopefully it all goes according to plan, and you all enjoy it.
To start, I want to touch upon a question that has been asked to me more times than I'd like to remember: Why? Why come back after having the experience of last year? The answer to this question is two fold. For one, I love baseball. Baseball is the game I have dedicated my life to for as long as I can remember. To walk away from it isn't easy, nor is it something I'm prepared to do. I'm finding success and still loving it. I think that is the simplest answer, but there is another part. Although I miss my family, and I am well aware that I am putting work experience second, I truly believe the experience I am getting here is worth it's weight. I enjoy adventure, I enjoy exploration, and I enjoy meeting new people. Being here is allowing me to accomplish all those things, all things that I believe are just as valuable as work experience. I may be putting off growing up, but if I don't do this now then when will I?
So now that that's out of the way, I'm back. I flew into Reggio on March 17 and jumped right into the mix. Within the last 4 days, I have gone out with my teammates, moved into my new apartment, had the team physical, played 2 games, and even attending an upscale art show (which was one of the strangest things I have ever been apart of). I have been alone in the apartment, which leads me to my next point. Both of my teammates from last year, Chris and Luis, are not coming back. We have replaced them with two new American players. Our new shortstop is Thomas DiBenedetto. He attended Trinity College and played A ball in the Red Sox organization. Our new foreign pitcher is Josh Rickards. He attended Marist University and played last year in the German baseball league. Although I haven't met them yet, I'm excited about the new editions. Both players have great experience and numbers, and should help us immensely in our title defense.
Our new apartment is located within the city center. It's not as big as last years, but still of decent size and much better location. Considering I was here first, and have one year of Reggio baseball under my belt, I got the biggest room. I will post pictures and possibly a video soon, depending on how ambitious I am feeling. Our season officially starts April 2nd, but we won't be playing. A team dropped out of our division, causing each team to have 2 byes. I know, ridiculous, but true. So we will start league play April 9th. Next weekend, we are scrimmaging the Haar Disciples from Munich in a two game set.
This year should pose new challenges and a different experience. I am taking on a new role, helping acclimate my new teammates to Italian baseball. I am excited about the travels, and I plan on doing as much as I can in the time frame given to me. I plan to take full advantage of this opportunity, and I look forward to sharing it with everybody that reads this blog.
Also, before I forget, if you haven't done so please go to www.reggiobaseball.com and become a fan. It's easy and takes 2 seconds. This year will also feature Italian Fantasy Baseball, which you can find on the website. So if you're up for it, check it out and join.
Until the next post, have a great day!
First and foremost, I will obviously be doing the blog again. After some thought and constructive criticism, I want to try and do things a little differently. As you can see, I have changed the look. I am aware of the fact that while writing last year I had a lot of content in the beginning and slowly began to dwindle at the end. My posts were mostly about baseball related things, kind of a recap of sorts. This year, I am going to try to add a little bit more to it, and that should start with a more consistent approach. I plan to write every Sunday/Monday. I want to spend less time on the games and more time on other aspects of being here. Hopefully it all goes according to plan, and you all enjoy it.
To start, I want to touch upon a question that has been asked to me more times than I'd like to remember: Why? Why come back after having the experience of last year? The answer to this question is two fold. For one, I love baseball. Baseball is the game I have dedicated my life to for as long as I can remember. To walk away from it isn't easy, nor is it something I'm prepared to do. I'm finding success and still loving it. I think that is the simplest answer, but there is another part. Although I miss my family, and I am well aware that I am putting work experience second, I truly believe the experience I am getting here is worth it's weight. I enjoy adventure, I enjoy exploration, and I enjoy meeting new people. Being here is allowing me to accomplish all those things, all things that I believe are just as valuable as work experience. I may be putting off growing up, but if I don't do this now then when will I?
So now that that's out of the way, I'm back. I flew into Reggio on March 17 and jumped right into the mix. Within the last 4 days, I have gone out with my teammates, moved into my new apartment, had the team physical, played 2 games, and even attending an upscale art show (which was one of the strangest things I have ever been apart of). I have been alone in the apartment, which leads me to my next point. Both of my teammates from last year, Chris and Luis, are not coming back. We have replaced them with two new American players. Our new shortstop is Thomas DiBenedetto. He attended Trinity College and played A ball in the Red Sox organization. Our new foreign pitcher is Josh Rickards. He attended Marist University and played last year in the German baseball league. Although I haven't met them yet, I'm excited about the new editions. Both players have great experience and numbers, and should help us immensely in our title defense.
Our new apartment is located within the city center. It's not as big as last years, but still of decent size and much better location. Considering I was here first, and have one year of Reggio baseball under my belt, I got the biggest room. I will post pictures and possibly a video soon, depending on how ambitious I am feeling. Our season officially starts April 2nd, but we won't be playing. A team dropped out of our division, causing each team to have 2 byes. I know, ridiculous, but true. So we will start league play April 9th. Next weekend, we are scrimmaging the Haar Disciples from Munich in a two game set.
This year should pose new challenges and a different experience. I am taking on a new role, helping acclimate my new teammates to Italian baseball. I am excited about the travels, and I plan on doing as much as I can in the time frame given to me. I plan to take full advantage of this opportunity, and I look forward to sharing it with everybody that reads this blog.
Also, before I forget, if you haven't done so please go to www.reggiobaseball.com and become a fan. It's easy and takes 2 seconds. This year will also feature Italian Fantasy Baseball, which you can find on the website. So if you're up for it, check it out and join.
Until the next post, have a great day!
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