Back in the Saddle - Apr 16
Season two is underway in Lakeland. It has been a while since I last thought about having time to blog, but between bus trips and down time before games, I decided to catch back up. (more…)
An Interesting Decision - Feb 20
It is great to be back on the baseball field. There is nothing like putting the uniform back on and getting ready for another season. We have some exciting young players in camp this year with the Tigers and we are working hard to prepare them to fill holes in major league games this spring. We are losing a bunch of players to the World Baseball Classic, so our young guys will have a chance to show what they can do. (more…)
For the Love of the Game…. - Jan 20
I feel like I am growing into an “old-timer” already. Only 35, getting ready to be 36 and I am starting to say things on almost a daily basis like, “They don’t make ‘em like the used to.” And, “Players today are not like they used to be.” And the number one old timer line, “Back when I played……” Get my drift? (more…)
Happy New Year….. - Jan 09
2009 was an interesting year and a learning experience. Managing a professional ball club at a higher level was an adjustment. I remember opening day in Tampa last season, and thinking, wow, this is much quicker pace than in rookie ball!!! But, you get used to it quickly. The game gets quicker as you move up. (more…)
Pro Tips: The “A-SWING” - Dec 12
“If I knew now what I knew then?” Is a question I always ask myself. As a high school, college and professional player, I spent countless hours in batting cages all over this great land and even world wide! (more…)
Better Than Winning - Nov 23
For the first time in my very young managerial career, I am fortunate enough to have managed a few players that were added to the Detroit Tigers 40-man roster this past week. Pitchers, Alfredo Figaro, Zack Simons, Guillermo Moscoso and outfielders Casper Wells and Wilkin Ramirez were added to the major league roster. It was really neat to read these names mentioned and I am looking forward to them all playing in the major leagues sometime soon. Figaro pitched for me in Oneonta in ‘07 and in Lakeland in ‘08. (more…)
What A Weekend! - Nov 13
There is a part of me that is ecstatic that the Combine at Tiger Town is over! In the months preceding the event, the work load is huge. There are a lot of moving parts to an event of this magnitude and making sure that all bases are covered can be stressful at times (to say the least). Now that it is over, there is a time of decompression. Where, you exhale, sit back and enjoy the thoughts of a very memorable weekend. (more…)
Who Has Time To Blog? - Oct 10
It has been a while since I have had time to sit here and write. And, to be honest, I don’t have time right now! I just got done managing the Instructional League Tigers for 2008 and my official “off season” has begun. (more…)
Just a Game - Sep 11
Hard to believe seven years have passed since the terrorist attacks of 2001. I was sitting in an IHOP in Oklahoma City, OK, eating breakfast with a friend of mine from church, when someone in the restaurant told us that two planes just hit the Twin Towers and they had both dropped to the ground. I didn’t believe the guy at first, it sounded too strange to be true. (more…)
Life’s Short, Play Hard - Aug 30
Two days left in the 2008 season. The end of the year is always tough. Even when you win the championship, the season is still over and we are all saying good bye to each other and to baseball until next season. (more…)