Opening Day Is Here at Last

Hello everyone, sorry for my long absence, although to a certain extent I plead innocence.  I usually post something about once a week, which I have slightly behind pace on so far but in my defense I did write out and hit the “post” button for two entries during that time and they never showed on the website.  I’m not sure exactly what the deal is there, but hopefully this post actually makes it out to readers.    The past 3+ weeks have been pretty eventful.  I threw very well throughout minor league camp but am frustrated to once again be back in AA, taking up residence in Midland, TX.  Obviously it is not a situation that I am pleased with, but it cannot be changed and I have resolved to be unflinchingly positive about the experience and not let it ruin my enjoyment of the game.  As if to test my resolve on this point right out of the gates, the shortage of housing caused by a large influx of oilfield workers has left me without a long-term housing solution as opening day dawns.  The process has been agonizing so far, not aided by the fact that a couple times I thought I had resolved the issue only to have plans fall through.  Hopefully something snaps into place soon so I don’t have to go to super-secret option #456: commuting back and forth to my apartment in Phoenix.

 

The baseball activities of recent days have been fairly minimal, consisting of some light workouts and some inter-squad work.  We do have opening day to look forward to tonight, however, and whatever my situation it is a day I always look forward to.  If you don’t like your assignment it is the first opportunity to start making inroads into doing something about it and it represents the beginning of what we all work so hard for all offseason.  As players we can finally start getting into our normal game routines and the fact that there is usually a packed house never hurts either.  I have had a couple unique opening day experiences in my five previous years.  Included are games that got suspended due to snow in 2007 in Charleston, WV and a power outage after the third inning in Kinston, NC in 2008.  Away from the field much of my time has been devoted to the aforementioned fruitless housing search and to doing homework as the courses I am taking approach the home stretch.  I have managed to squeeze in some planning ahead for our next off day (May 11th, not that I’m looking forward to it already or anything) and to make significant progress on the book March by Geraldine Brooks, which has been great but not necessarily what I had expected of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel to this point.  I will end there for now and check back in about a week (the whims of the internet permitting) and leave you with a couple poems to compensate you for not having posted one in a while.

 

A Man may make a Remark

by Emily Dickinson

 

A Man may make a Remark –

In itself – a quiet thing

That may furnish the Fuse unto a Spark

In dormant nature – lain –

 

Let us divide – with skill –

Let us discourse – with care –

Powder exists in Charcoal –

Before it exists in Fire –

 

Before

by Carl Adamshick

 

I always thought death would be like traveling

in a car, moving through the desert,

the earth a little darker than sky at the horizon,

that your life would settle like the end of a day

and you would think of everyone you ever met,

that you would be the invisible passenger,

quiet in the car, moving through the night,

forever, with the beautiful thought of home.

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