Story #64, 65 -- Sac Town routine, Maumee environment

Well, the reason we pushed so hard to get home was because I had my regular pair of short-season notebooks due Sunday. They went up on MiLB.com today, so I thought I would post. Click here for the Pioneer League notebook, or here if the Northwest League is more your flavor.

DAY 3+1 -- The day after the last day of driving...

MAUMEE, Ohio -- For those of you that I kept in suspense...yes, we made it home. My dad and I rolled into Maumee yesterday around 8 p.m. EST! The California adventure is officially over, even if the MiLB.com internship continues (at least for the time being).

I figure that there will be some reflective posts in the future, but right now isn't the time for that. Right now I'm just happy to be home. The environment, family, the dog, the friends, the stuff to do (with people!)...well, it's just perfect. I jokingly told a few people I figured I would be socially awkward upon my return --I have been talking to myself for the past three months-- but I guess it's like riding a bike. Or maybe I was never that socially gifted before. Hmm...keep that to yourself, ha!

Some early news. I have a new cell phone. Uhh...my friends still rock. It's 24 days until Mary returns from Greece (HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, CUTIE!)! Oh, and I weigh 190 POUNDS!

Let me talk about the weight thing real quick. Entering Fall Quarter at OU this year, I was 240 pounds. In January I was down to 230. Before I left for Sac Town I was 225. In Yosemite, the hotel scale read 200. And yesterday, after a very satisfying shower, 190 pounds. I didn't even weigh 190 when I left for college! I was 210! So yeah...there's something to be said for the "poor college student living in solitude" diet. I hope to keep running, start lifting and keep eating wisely/healthy.

Can I hit 180 before Mary gets home!? That may be a lofty goal, but it's a goal all the same. I could settle for some definition, but I doubt the ladies could handle it. Sigh, there's always a risk attached.

Tomorrow I try to get my life in better order and settled in a bit more. The car needs to be washed. Grass needs to be mowed. Unpacking still has to be done. I need to get over and see the Fagans-s-s-s sometime and prepare for a family reunion this weekend. I think we're heading up to Em's cottage Friday, which would be stellar. I've never been. The Simpsons Movie is in the works somewhere. I need to square away monetary things with MiLB.com.

And yes, there's still stories to be written. I can only hope MLBAM keeps me on while I'm here, all the way though playoffs would be awesome. For now, I'm just happy that the money I am earning is profit. It's nice to not have to be paying a (almost) $700 rent every month. I'd like to make some money during this internship. Oh wait, I mean make back some money I spent moving to California, living in California, etc.

Sigh...one step at a time. Peace out. Sleep is a priority for the next week.

DAY 2 -- I-80...to the FACE!

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- For my lone poller who visits this blog "every full moon," welcome. The big hunk of the cheese in the night sky is indeed viewable in its entirety tonight, so since it's been like...wow, since my Yosemite trip...that you've been here, I'll make sure to make this post extra good! :)

(SHAMELESS PLUG FROM THE EDITOR: The poll closes soon! Don't miss out!)

My dad and I saw plenty of the moon tonight, as we rolled into our final destination for the day around midnight CST. We drove over 1000 miles today, making it from Elko, Nev., to Grand Island, Neb., which puts us about two hours from our (unfeasible) goal of Omaha I stated yesterday. The main goal --getting home tomorrow-- still stands though, thanks to our ridiculous pounding of I-80 today.

Go figure, after an (almost) 15-hour day of driving, I think my dad and I are pretty tired. Neither of us has ever driven more than 1000 miles in a day, so it was a milestone to say the least. And tomorrow, the Escort rolls over 80,000 miles (it's grown up so fast).

It's just a celebration on I-80...and you're all invited! I'm hoping to be home at a decent hour and --if I'm not passed out exhausted-- I may try to meet up with anyone willing to do something, if anything is even going on. Call me tomorrow if you're bored [insert YOUR name here]. We should have cell service for most of the remainder of the trip.

(Again, we shall see-- I will be tired and I have a FULL day Sunday of MiLB.com work).

We saw all the landmarks today-- the "Tree of Life" (aka crazy sculpture in the middle of the Great Salt Desert), the howling Coyote atop miscellaneous rocks in Wyoming (no details needed) and the Great Platte River Monument thing-a-majig (which had NO LIGHTS on it at night, you could almost miss it...ridiculous). I wish I could say they were all more exciting going East, but they're not. I-80 is a harsh mistress and extremely boring.

For the first time since visiting Mary (her 22nd b-day is Sunday! CELEBRATE!) in Cincinnati around Memorial Day, I saw rain. And then proceeded to see it, and have to deal with some intense drops, from Rawlins, Wyo., through most of Nebraska. I'm already sick of it, at least until this drive is finished. It was more annoying than anything else.

I'd love to type more right now but, again, tired. I will try to post more from HOME tomorrow!

PS-- My story on MiLB.com this week is posted below if you want to kill some time until I'm around to make your life more thrilling in Maumee! :)

Story #63 -- Isom happy at the helm in Helena

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- Just wanted to post my Farm's Almanac's story real quick, which went up on MiLB.com. That's right, even on the road I'm not going to keep you from some quality feature writing. Click here for my story on Helena Brewers manager Jeff Isom.

DAY 1 -- The trip home begins...

ELKO, Nev. -- Greetings from one of maybe three 'major' towns in Nevada located along I-80, and that number includes Reno.

It's weird to think about the timeline of this trip and our first stop puts it in perspective. The last time we were in Elko was around the time of the Virginia Tech shootings. Not a happy memory to associate with a destination, but it illustrates the time has, indeed, passed. In case you were worried.

(They still have a stuffed moose on the bed here too. Again, in case you were worried.)

I picked my dad up from the Sac Town airport and we began heading East around 1 p.m. PST. Around 420 miles and six hours later, here we are in Elko. We're not hitting the casino like last time because I've learned from my previous mistake, and my dad is understandably tired from a 7 a.m. flight from Cincinnati to Sac Town which rewarded him with a trip back East (longer than his flight with far less impressive results).

The goal tonight-- sleep. We are getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to continue East. If we make it to Omaha, Neb., we deserve medals, but we are definitely shooting to hit Nebraska (Ogallala, North Platte, Kearney or Grand Island maybe). The further we get tomorrow, the less overwhelming the distance to Maumee will seem Saturday, if doable at all.

It may even make doing this trip in three days seem sane.

We're rushing home because I have two stories due for MiLB.com Sunday, my weekly installments of short-season notebooks. If we get home at any hour Saturday (or early Sunday morning), then I will be good to go Sunday to get some sleep, wake up and routinely finish the stories. If not...well. That's when life on the road gets interesting. "The ultimate inspiration is the deadline."

Also, Sunday is Mary's birthday and, while she is in Greece --presenting her final project actually on her special day-- I'd like to be in a stable location, with phone service so I can (hopefully) get a quick call in to wish her a happy one. She's soon to be traveling Europe, and I'm totally jealous. But I have Maumee to look forward to, and with it regular human contact. I'm for it.

So will we make it to Omaha tomorrow? Check back to find out...

Story #62 -- Pitchers of the Week

Almost three months of working for MiLB.com have come and gone, and I finally had to do a story chronicling the various Minor Leagues' Pitchers of the Week. Sure, I've done tedious notebooks before like 'Peek at the Week,' and the weekly short-season notebooks for the Pioneer and Northwest Leagues, but the Pitchers of the Week wrap is a whole other animal.

Click here to check out the story.

Thankfully, due to travel back to Maumee this next weekend, I was excused from doing another Pitchers of the Week story next week. Safe...for now.

Story #60, 61 -- Short-season baseball, there's never enough.

Hooo-wee! I'm sure all of your are just fiending for your weekly fix of short-season notebooks. Well, you're in luck-- they went up on MiLB.com today! Click here to check out the Pioneer League recap (shout out to Brockman's Helena Brewers, one of the hottest teams in possibly all the Minors right now), or click here for my Northwest League recap.

One story to go before striking home for Maumee Friday. That's pretty exciting to think about, so make sure you check back for the article and to follow the I-80 adventure East-bound style. Because I-80 heading East is going to so much more exciting than it was heading West!

Story #57, 58, 59 -- 'On Location' in Modesto

OK, well I hope everyone has gotten a chance to check out my pics from Modesto. Here are the stories from this week's Farm's Almanac's 'On Location' section on MiLB.com chronicling the city and stadium, John Thurman Field and --of course-- the Modesto Nuts! Enjoy.

Click here for a general take on John Thurman Field. As far as ballparks I've seen in California, it's a bit humdrum, but it still had it's quaint features to make it unique. That's the Minors for you.

Click here for my interview with Nuts broadcaster Josh Suchon, who was by far one of my favorite interviews out here in California at the Minor League level. He gave up a successful writing career (one that I would kill for) to follow his love of radio. Interesting guy.

Click here for Nuts hurler Darric Merrell's take on John Thurman Field and Modesto, Calif. He's in his second season with the Nuts and a member of a successful pitching staff, and he made it sound like Modesto is pretty chill.

Sorry the posts are few and far between. My dad is here next week, and that's when we will begin the trek back across I-80 to Maumee so I've been getting my life in order out here in Sac Town.

"TO THE NUTS!"

Just wanted to post and let everyone know that the pics from my trip to Modesto, Calif., are up. Since I have maxed my slideshow capabilities at Flickr!, I would suggest the best way to view them would be by clicking on the MY PHOTOS link located amidst the links on the left.

Actually, the BEST way to view the photos would be to click on the MY PHOTOS (map) link on the left. That's a pretty cool way to see all of my pics really. Anyway, enjoy them for now. Stories are coming later this week, so check back.

(And yes, I know I linked to the photos in this post in addition to them being located on the left, I just want you to see them th-aaa-t much!)

Story #55, #56 -- Who likes notebooks? Eh? Eh!?

Whew-- don't worry everyone. I'm alive, well and --most importantly-- a bit rested for a change. After four or five weeks of nonstop mayhem, things have calmed down in the MiLB world with the conclusion of all of the All-Star Games. I've had a day off (almost two!) in the past week, which allowed me to take some time for myself.

During said free time, I was able to catch dinner with Mr. Sheets (a Maumee-ian!) yesterday, which was an excellent change of pace-- both a fancy dinner and the taste of home. He's been spending a ton of time in Sac Town lately on the job, something I know a bit about, so it was a good time to meet up and spend an hour or so chatting over food.

With my remaining free time I've started the move out process. My apartment complex knows I'm leaving at the end of the month, and I've started to try and move my bed/desk/chair via Craigslist. If they sell they sell, if they don't...well, oh well. Pretty soon I will have to start worrying about getting all the utilities turned off, get the mailing address changed back to M-Town and start packing.

Dad's trying to make it to Sac Town July 28, with that plan having us leaving Sunday morning. Ah, I-80, I can't wait to get reacquainted (shudders). If all goes as planned, we could be home either Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how motivated we get on the trip back. West to East is usually harder (losing an hour a day instead of gaining an hour wihle driving). We shall see...

Back to MiLB though. I'm taking off to Modesto (home of the Nuts!) today to gather some info for a batch of 'On Location' stories due this week for the Farm's Almanac. It's really ridiculous to think back to how stressed this set of three stories used to make me. Now having two or three days to write them seems like an eternity. I'll just have to make them the best yet, I guess!

(Pictures from the adventure will be posted, as usual.)

For now, enjoy this week's edition of the Pioneer League and Northwest League notebooks. Brockman's Helena Brewers are in the the race for first in their division in the PIO, while Paul's Yakima Bears are getting a taste of the cellar in the NWL. Can you feel the excitement!?

Story #52, 53, 54 -- Back in the 'Nac...

Just 'cause a guy spends his weekend in San Francisco covering the largest event in all the Minor Leagues doesn't mean he can live the dream forever. It was back to MiLB.com's Farm's Almanac soon after, and I've posted this week's trio of goodness below of your enjoyment.

Click here for a story on Giants prospect Bryan Bocock, who is currently with the team's Class A Advanced affiliate in San Jose. Bockcock gives us all a taste of what it was like as a player to get treated like a Major Leaguer for a day-- the guy was a fantastic interview.

Click here for a story on Modesto Nuts pitcher Brandon Hynick, who has been amazing this season for the Nuts. An ERA under 4.00 is unheard of in the Cal League (which traditionally favors the hitters due to gusting winds and hot air), but Hynick's rocking an ERA under 3.00 right now. That makes for a good story, trust me.

Click here for a feature on High Desert Mavericks radio announcer Jon Rosen. I've had the pleasure of meeting Jon earlier this season in San Jose, and he's a great gut-- very dedicated to the Mavericks and his craft. In short, worthy of a feature.

All that said, USE THE POLL! I want results, people!

The POLL is open...

Hey everyone-- do me a quick favor and check out the poll to the right. By check it out, I mean check an option and click vote. I'm stumbling across all kinds of cool features with this blog (a counter, polls etc.) sadly as this blog's time begins to wane (under 2 1/2 weeks to go), but I'd like to get a feel for how much you all checked out this blog, enjoyed it...or didn't. I'm thick-skinned so be honest. This whole experience has been a pleasure for me, and you can't take that away from me, ha!

Thanks, Mark

2007 Futures Game (in pics)

As promised, here is the slide show of pics detailing my adventure to San Francisco and back for the Futures Game. I have also updated the 'map' of pics (link located on the left, self-explained) for those of you who want to get a stalker-ish look at where I took the pics this weekend (or if you just want to get a better understanding of my trip). Without further hesitation...

Click here to view my San Francisco pics!

Story #50, 51 -- Back to reality...

Just because I was in San Francisco busting my hump (and enjoying myself quite a bit) with the whole 2007 Futures Game thing didn't mean that I could ignore my normal MiLB.com responsibilities. I had a pair of notebooks due, and they're linked to below.

Click here for my notebook detailing the past week in the Pioneer League. AND/OR click here for my notebook detailing the past week in the Northwest League.

San Francisco pics are coming! Check back soon!

Story #48, 49 -- A last glimpse into the Futures

SAN FRANCISCO -- My (work) weekend concludes with a pair of stories, written pre-game and post-game, about players involved in the Futures Game. Like I said before, the only word for the weekend is ridiculous, and I will have more on the details of it once I get back to Sac Town and can collect my thoughts, photos etc.

Click here for a story on Lexington Legends outfielder James Van Ostrand, who joined another couple of Canadians on the World Team roster. This story gave me another chance to talk with Mike Saunders, a coulda-been-an-NHLer turned up-and-coming-baseball player. Good times.

Click here for a story focusing on the U.S. Team's starting pitcher in the exhibition, Durham Bulls right-hander Jeff Niemann. Making the cut as 1-of-20 pitchers selected in the game out of all the Minor Leagues is one thing, becoming the 18th pitcher to ever start in a Futures Game is something else all together.

Again, check back sooner as opposed to later. Details and photos of really fun stuff this weekend is coming.

Story #47 -- Mark becomes a Hall of Famer...kind of

SAN FRANCISCO -- From MiLB.com, to MLB.com and now to the Baseball Hall of Fame's official Web site. Speaking with legends of the game like David Winfield and Juan Marichal is bound to take you somewhere, that's for sure. This weekend has been ridiculous, that's the only word I can use to summarize it. The city, the event, the stories...just ridiculous.

Click here to read about two Hall of Famers giving back to baseball's next generation of stars.

For the record, both Winfield and Marichal are, without a doubt, the best interviews I've ever had. It's nice to talk to a couple of players with a bit of poetry in their words instead of the normal cliche machines most athletes are. Winfield has a bit of wit about him I've never encountered in an athlete, he slips in some jokes and sly remarks effortlessly, which makes the interview process that much more fun. As for Marichal, he doesn't speak the best English, but he speaks it well enough. And like I've said before, people with some grasp of the English language usually command it better, and Marichal was no different. He didn't say a lot, but what he said was definitely powerful.

Story #46 -- Welcome...to the big show.

Holy crap! I just saw my Futures preview on MLB.com, and about lost it. MiLB.com is one thing, but to make it onto baseball's grandest (online) stage, well...I'm blown away. Of course, I think the rest of the stories I'm writing this week will make their way there too, but still. Wow. It just didn't sink in, what I'm getting into this weekend with the Futures Game, until about right now. Again, just wow.

Share in the glory by clicking here!

This story will be updated later today, after it is re-posted, after I get some quotes from JUAN MARICHAL and DAVID WINFIELD soon after my arrival in San Francisco. Yeesh, I can't take it.

Time to hit the road...

Story #44, 45 -- Back to the Futures

Here are the MiLB.com stories about the U.S. pitching staff that I promised the other day. I leave for San Francisco tomorrow and I can't help but be a little nervous. I keep seeing all the commercials for the MLB All-Star weekend all over the TV and it's starting to sink in-- hey, you're going to that buddy. It's my first experience at an event of this magnitude so it's leading to mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.

Click here for a quick look at the 10 U.S. players set to take the mound.

Click here for an closer look at Harrisburg Senators hurler Collin Balester, a surfer turned pitcher ready to leave his mark at the Futures Game Sunday. I really liked this story, probably because it wrote itself thanks to a good balance of story and good quotes.

Enjoy! I'll keep you posted on my adventures in San Francisco this weekend...

Story #42, 43 -- The Futures begins now...

I'm about three days from packing up my laptop and duffel for another road trip, this time to San Francisco for the 2007 Futures Game-- the 'IT' All-Star event of the Minor League season. We're talking AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, and a whole lot more...well, professional environment to boot (TV coverage on ESPN, my bosses at MiLB.com are flying out etc.).

So let's get this party started. Below are 2-of-4 stories I've written previewing position players on the U.S. team for the Futures Game. Today the outfield, tomorrow the pitching staff (that's a hint to check back tomorrow for my pitching previews too)!

Click here for a quick look at the five players in the U.S. outfield.

Click here to take a closer look at Chattanooga Lookouts (a fantastic Minor League name/logo) outfielder Jay Bruce, who is primed and ready to showcase his skills after garnering his first Futures Game nod.

Funny is funny...

I mean, I'm a Linkin Park fan and I still think this is hilarious. The guy nails just about every good burn about LP there ever was. If you're a fan this is a must-see. I enjoy the part after the pause in the middle the most, but the whole video is solid...

Story #40, 41 -- Notebooking my way into July...

HAPPY JULY+1, everyone. I had a couple of stories go up on MiLB.com today that are worth a quick read if you're bored and curious about short-season rookie league baseball. I know I am!

Click here to read a notebook chronicling the first couple of weeks in the Pioneer League. The league is home to Nick Brockman's Helena Brewers, so if you want to better understand what Nick's up to, or at least what his team is up to, check it out.

Click here to read a notebook chronicling the first couple of weeks in the Northwest League. The league is home to the Yakima Bears and I was able to pull some info from Paul's paper. It's amazing how small the world can be and how much you overlap with people you know.

Also, I meant to mention my 'stats' in my last post for the month of June. In total, I wrote 24 stories, which included coverage of the 2007 California/Carolina League All-Star game as well as miscellaneous notebooks and features of the normal day-to-day variety.

I hope July is even busier (since it will pass the time faster as my time out here winds down, the plan is to be back to Maumee during the first few days of August). This month will start off with the Futures Game in San Francisco, so make sure you're checking back regularly for stories and pictures related to that as I write/take them...

Yosemite National Park, complete coverage...

I am re-posting a link to my pictures documenting my adventures with my parents at Yosemite National Park. I found out that Flickr! only allows you to create three 'sets' of photos, and since I'm not going to pay for anything to post photos on a blog, I decided to free up a set heading into my coming weekend.

The Futures Game adventure is coming, and I'm planning on taking pics. So yeah, I have updated all of the old post's links with this slideshow link as well, so all the excitement is in one place for your enjoyment. You will thank me later, I'm sure...

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you want to see a really cool feature Flickr! has, click here. It's a good way to see all my pictures scattered across this blog...and WHERE I took them. Just click, you'll get it.

Story #39 -- Have a 'Peek at the Week'

Ugh, I hate Peek at the Week. It's a pain to research, tedious to write...BUT OH SO MUCH FUN TO READ! Ha, right. Anyway, click here for the link to that story over at MiLB.com.

As for my week, I have some preview stuff due for the Futures Game before heading to San Fran this weekend. Should be a good time, so be sure to check back.