College Fall Baseball 2012

Fun times ahead Three Bagger! I will be missing them! My wife and I are already planning on catching games in the spring down at the University of Tampa.
I wish you the best of seasons!

Three Bagger,
Just in case, make sure that they don't make plans to shut the ace down after too many innings.

After all, you never know when the opportunity will come again to play for division championships.

I won't let em!

I'm looking forward to the year ahead for Rhodes! Our lineup has gone relatively unharmed from last year's graduation, returning virtually everyone. Our pitching staff has taken a few significant hits and that will ultimately be the biggest wildcard. We do return 2/3 conference starters as well as a very experienced late reliever who could potentially slide in the rotation. Some freshmen that took their lumps last year may very well really pick up steam this season. We have some injured arms, including myself, an aforementioned freshman, and an experienced lefty reliever.

This is my personal "last" go of it health-wise. I am going to go through a normal pitching regimen this fall and hope for the best. If all goes relatively pain-free, I'll be ready to help the staff in any way I can. If I have pain or the general inability to pitch comfortably like I did last year and even somewhat in my first year of college, I will probably just hang it up and be a full-time student. So far, so good however. I have made some major tweaks to my motion and [u]so far[/u] the adjustment to a new motion seems to be the bigger hurdle than health, which is a battle I'm much more willing to fight. If my arm health stays stable, I'm confident I'll be able to be a big help to our staff. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm one of few with significant starting experience and of course the advantages that come with being in my third year of college baseball. The fact that I know that I'm pitching for my baseball "life" is also something I think that gives me an edge. The fear of failure no longer exists for me because I know that if things do not go well, I'll just be moving on to the next part of my life. There is no fear of four seasons on the bench, etc. I'm not sure how the coaching staff sees me slotting into the staff, but they probably are just waiting to see if I am healthy. A healthy me would have been a lock to take that vacant spot in the conference rotation once upon a time, but things have certainly changed since then. I think there are lots of innings to be had

We have a large freshman class, but I can't say I know much of their talent just yet. We brought in several lefties though, so that should make things interesting. We now have a surplus of left handed pitching, contrasting to a lone freshman lefty when I arrived at Rhodes. We have an experienced and capable offense, but have some to prove on the mound and perhaps on defense as well. I feel pretty good about our chances to do it, though! We should be in the conversation for a Pool B bid this year.

Little surprised we have not received more posts here already. This is usually one of our most popular threads of the year as it is the first time parents gets to find out how their freshmen kids match up to real college talent who may in fact be years older, much more experienced, and in many cases, much stronger. Never forget the excitement in my son's voice (or how excited I was in hearing it) when he called and told me about his first college hits in the fall of his freshmen year.

ClevelandDad,

Perhaps it's a little early yet??? Some schools haven't even started yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Truman:
ClevelandDad,

Perhaps it's a little early yet??? Some schools haven't even started yet.

You might be right about that - perhaps I jumped the gun a bit with my comment

Just hearing from my freshman on the grueling 545am workouts, individual hitting, then 3 hour practices and how exhausted he is, is a joy to hear. I remind him thats what he has been wanting and striving for, keep plugging away. Anxious to see some scrimmaging adn him hitting against live pitching.

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
I won't let em!

Is you son attending a university in Texas?

The youngest will be off to UC Irvine in a week. This has been something he has been working toward for half of his life and now it is coming true. At this point, I am going to remain with the same approach and stay out of his way. He is laser focused, determined and a goal set to win a starting job. He loves his school and can't wait to play under Skip.

I will say that over the past few years I very much appreciate the words of wisdom and personal stories from you all. Priceless!!! Your wisdom has made our sons journey a little smooter as a result! Thank you....

quote:

Eric G said.....Just hearing from my freshman on the grueling 545am workouts, individual hitting, then 3 hour practices and how exhausted he is

Did that not come up in the recruiting video and marketing brochure? Welcome to the funhouse.

quote:

Originally posted by fenwaysouth:

quote:

Eric G said.....Just hearing from my freshman on the grueling 545am workouts, individual hitting, then 3 hour practices and how exhausted he is

Did that not come up in the recruiting video and marketing brochure? Welcome to the funhouse.

I'm glad my coach is NOT a morning person

bostonbulldog,

No, my son attends Delta State in Mississippi.

quote:

Originally posted by Three Bagger:
bostonbulldog,

No, my son attends Delta State in Mississippi.

In case you have not heard of Delta State before, they were National Championship contenders last year. My guess is that since Three Bagger's son is on the team again, they will be contenders again this year as well

My son's college coaches are not only morning people they are late night people. A couple of nights a week they have 10pm lifting. A couple of days a week they have 5am running. They get a text during the day that informs them of when and where. Needless to say it keeps the guys on their toes if you know what I mean.

So far just lifting, running, and some individual work in groups by position. Tuesday morning they had running and conditioning at 5am. Two players completed the "Event" without stopping or throwing up. I was happy to hear that my son was one of them. Coach said as they arrived "It's time to find out who the men are and who the little boys are."

This is my son's last fall season and he loves his coaches, team mates and school. He has always enjoyed the process. He has always loved the work that it takes to prepare for the season. I am amazed at the growth as a person over the last 5 years he is a RS Sr. He is relaxed and confident and a leader on and off the field. As you can tell from this post I am very thankful for him and the young man he has become. Baseball has been a tool that has helped shape and mold him into the man he is today.

To him hard work, discipline and team work are givens. Baseball has helped him learn this. Tools that will serve him long after the game is no longer played. That is something that I am very thankful for. Good luck to all of your son's this fall because it is a very important time. For the young players just coming into a program an opportunity to make your mark. For players yet to make their mark at their program a fresh start to do just that. For the established players in a program an opportunity to get even better, help the younger players adjust to the rigors of college baseball and school as well.

Enjoy it and make every game you can. It's something you will be glad you did once its all said and done. It doesn't matter if they are in the line up or not. They worked just as hard as anyone else to put on that jersey. They are doing something that is not given but earned. And they deserve your support regardless of their standing on the roster at that given time. Just some thoughts.

ClevelandDad,

Thanks for the kind words! My son is motivated by coming so close last year and having so many guys back. Just praying that he has a healthy year and I would love to see Cary, North Carolina again. Lovely area of the country.

floridafan,

Congratulations on Eric's great pro debut and you're so right, the college season is so much fun and I want to enjoy every minute of it!

Coach May,

A great message for parents whose sons are freshman or seniors. Perhaps if we both have some luck our son's teams will meet in the post season this year!

quote:

To him hard work, discipline and team work are givens. Baseball has helped him learn this. Tools that will serve him long after the game is no longer played.

Coach May, as I think back over the years on this board, it's hard not to get a little wistful.

First, comments like the above echo my thoughts precisely, which is something I have thought about your posts, oh, about three thousand times.

Second, I think my son was in 8th grade when we first met here. Your son was a freshman. Both of our sons are catchers, both named Jeff. Both recruited by Duke. We've share many stories and thoughts over the years, and I considered you a good friend long before we finally met in person.

Now, both of our sons are in their last year of the college phase of their baseball lives. Whether or not their baseball lives extend beyond this year, I couldn't agree more that my son's college baseball experience has forged him into a person who has qualities that will serve him well no matter what his future holds.

And I thank you for being a part of his experience. For him knowing that if he ever needed anything, you would be there to help him.

It's hard to believe. Last year of college ball.

Thank you Rob. I remember that day we met at Duke's field like it was yesterday. Going out to eat and spending time getting to know your lovely wife and Jeff. I already knew you. You were the person I expected you to be when we met in person. I can't tell you how many times I have pulled up gametracker to watch your son play. Lol. Just to hope that he did well and knowing at that exact moment you were doing the same thing. One of the great things about this site is having so many great young men to follow and more importantly to pull for.

I hope Jeff has another outstanding season and I hope he gets the opportunity to play a little longer past college. But I know he is a great young man with a bright future and I feel good knowing just that about your son.

It seems like only yesterday that Jeff May and Jeff Kremer were starting their college catching careers and now they are starting their final college campaigns???

Where exactly did the time go and my oh my does it fly by ever so quickly...

For those lamenting the stresses of recruiting, take a step back, breath, and enjoy today. You can never go back and get it back. Sometimes we get so focused on what we want to have happen in the future that we forget about the blessings of today.

It's really sad and amazing at the same time that about the time I joined here and started getting involved with all you Einstein's that I remember most of your son's who were just playing their final year of HS ball or beginning their 1st year of College fall ball. And now 5yrs later here we are, some of us, in our son's possible last year of baseball. EVER.

My son is also a RS Senior and Lord knows the ride he has had over the past 4yrs. Like Coach May, he has experienced pain, heartache, adversity, disappointment, girl problems, priorities, issues, how to win and influence friends, etc etc etc. All to the hopes that today he can stand up and be proud of how he handled them all along the way. That they have helped prepare him for the beginning of life's long journey, and not how to throw in the towel at the face of failures and trials. College baseball has been a God-send for my son, and our family. Hindsight there were times I was about to pull the cord on him because I wasn't sure it was for him to try and juggle all these things. But I stood by and tried my best to encourage him to stay the course and fight the fight knowing that personal growth was beyond the horizon. And to interfere would have been detrimental to his future.

The advise, friendships, ears to listen all these years on this site have been instrumental to my son and our family in ways I can't explain. I know most of you reading this are nodding your heads as well. You all in one way or another have reached out to me and my son to encourage him playing this game we all love so much. Some more than others with invites to attend a showcase, or a team to play on during the summer.

Today when I read these highschool parents who all they can think or talk about is getting their son recruited and off to college I want to shake them and scream "SLOW DOWN, your son will grow up fast enough. Sit back and enjoy each day in school TODAY".

I've recently talked to a few of Dad's on here that you all know whose son's have finished playing baseball as of late and are now done with the game altogether. For now that is. Only God knows if they may find a way back into it through another channel. But I just wanted to reach out to these parents who have poured out their hearts all these years watching their boy(s) play and this fall, there is nothing there. Take a deep breath and look back at the special times ya'll had through the ups and downs, and the man he grew into today. You had a HUGE part of that Dad, and mom. Be proud of who he became and the future he will now be better prepared to face. Please keep coming back here to this site and sharing your wisdom with those coming up. Your insight and wisdom is precious and valuable to us all, still. We really need you.

On the note of fall ball, son made it through gut week quite well. But the best call was when he called a couple weeks ago and said that that particular friday 5am 1-mile run he had ran the mile just under 6min and would no longer have to get up at 5am on fridays to run. Anyone finishing in 6 min or less received an "Elite Athlete" tshirt and was excused during the fall from that run. When asked what he was going to do now he said "go to the gym now and workout". Finally, he gets it! (What makes this even more spectacular was that in high school he ran like he had a piano on his back! No kidding!) LOL

Here's hoping and praying for a great fall to your sons and to you Parents. And that all the hard work put in now will pay off to a great spring that is just around the corner!

YGD

Good stories. One point I keep mentioning to others is the high quality make up of the baseball players on the various teams our son has played on. I do think there is something about the game that attracts good kids. Even if he wasn't playing the game, the guys on his college team that he associates with are just the kind of young men I'd want him to hang around with.

Life long relationships are formed via the unique bonds on a baseball team.

igball that is so true.

My son is starting his junior year of DIII. It seems like only yesterday I was asking dumb questions about his freshman year of high school. He's gone from a catcher to a short stop to a center fielder during that time. He's excited about the coming season and looking forward to a scrimmage against a DI team on Sunday

Personal update: After a successful bullpen, I was scheduled to pitch in a practice game. Despite feeling okay during warm-up flat ground tossing, I experienced some rather severe pain in the bullpen as I tried to warm up to enter the game. At this point I'm almost certainly done for the fall and it is likely that I've thrown my last pitch, ever. It looks like I'll be leaving the squad in very capable hands, though.

JP, I really hate that your ball COULD be over but as they say "the fat lady hasn't sang yet" so don't give up hope. Seriously. Keep doing things right.

I really appreciate your great attitude and you need to know that this will serve you well as you grow older and get into the buisness world.

You're A'ok in my books young man.



YGD

quote:

Originally posted by YoungGunDad:
JP, I really hate that your ball COULD be over but as they say "the fat lady hasn't sang yet" so don't give up hope. Seriously. Keep doing things right.

I really appreciate your great attitude and you need to know that this will serve you well as you grow older and get into the buisness world.

You're A'ok in my books young man.



YGD

I couldn't have said that any better. I am guessing the pain in your heart is much worse than the pain in your arm right now JPontiac. Live long and prosper no matter how things in the short term transpire!

Son's team was doing individual's though last weekend. Had tryouts over the weekend and paired down the 80+ to 38 players. Two of the extra players were invited and promised roster spots through the fall; meaning only one player got through the tryout process, at least through the fall.

They have scrimmages this weekend, so I might sneak over when my son is pitching... I can't believe he is a junior already!

Son just finished his first Fall Review. Yes, like many others in the high school recruiting process he was originally told by the coach, "yeah, you look like you could play with us" and on second meeting "hey, did you get bigger", the first fall baseball meeting coach greeted the large group with "last year was our first sub 500 year in 20 years. That isn't going to happen this year. Part of that will be carrying fewer players than last year. Veteran or Freshman, you're all on the block.

Happily, son just texted me picture of his Fall Hat and Shirt, meaning he made it through the process.

And then proceeded to run his own 2.5 mile route in just over 15 minutes.

And so the experience starts off on a good note.

quote:

birdman14 said....They have scrimmages this weekend, so I might sneak when my son is pitching... I can't believe he is a junior already!

Birdman14,
You know I'm chomping at the bit to get a sneak peak at my son too, but 8 hrs one way is a very good deterrent. Not only do I want to see my son, but see what the freshmen class is going to add to the program. I'm not sure if we showed up if he'd had time for us....he's caring 18 hrs this semester but loving his eng. classes. I also can't believe my son is a junior. Where has the time gone? Glad to see your son is pitching again, and hopefully remains healthy. I know he is raking it! Any chance they have D1's tallest leadoff two seasons in a row?

quote:

RedsoxFan21 said...Happily, son just texted me picture of his Fall Hat and Shirt, meaning he made it through the process.

RedsoxFan21,
Good stuff! Congrats, and it sounds like your son is part of the plan to turn things around!

Well, my son is a freshman this year. Up until today, just been doing workouts, conditioning, long toss and some bullpens. He had a tweaked elbow and only pitched like 9 innings during his HS season, then took the whole summer off from baseball. When he started throwing, he felt good. His elbow hurt after his first bullpen, but got a little better during each of his next three sessions.

I talked to him today after they had their first intersquad scrimmage. He was disappointed in how he did. Said he went to a 3-2 count on a number of batters, walked some, hit two and gave up a double, two solid singles and an infield single in an inning and a third. Didn't sound great until I asked him some questions. The guys he hit were on inside fastballs. Most of the balls, he was missing low. 1st baseman had 3 errors in one inning on ground balls. He also said that he didn't feel very strong. The best news was that he said his arm was sore, but not hurting. He was pretty bummed about his outing, but I think there were some positives. He was missing to where he was throwing, he was missing low, wasn't missing by a ton (wasn't wild) and all he had was some normal soreness. It sounds to me like he has some dialing in to do after not really pitching competitively in close to a year.

I'm not trying to make excuses, but trying to find the positive and provide some encouragement to bballson. It's not easy knowing he is pretty much beating up on himself and me being 2 hours away. This comeback period will be a character builder for him. He's going to have to wait another week to see what he's got and make some improvement. Anyway, that's where we are. I'm encouraged by some things, still excited to see what happens throughout the rest of the fall.

quote:

Originally posted by bballman:
Well, my son is a freshman this year. Up until today, just been doing workouts, conditioning, long toss and some bullpens. He had a tweaked elbow and only pitched like 9 innings during his HS season, then took the whole summer off from baseball. When he started throwing, he felt good. His elbow hurt after his first bullpen, but got a little better during each of his next three sessions.

I talked to him today after they had their first intersquad scrimmage. He was disappointed in how he did. Said he went to a 3-2 count on a number of batters, walked some, hit two and gave up a double, two solid singles and an infield single in an inning and a third. Didn't sound great until I asked him some questions. The guys he hit were on inside fastballs. Most of the balls, he was missing low. 1st baseman had 3 errors in one inning on ground balls. He also said that he didn't feel very strong. The best news was that he said his arm was sore, but not hurting. He was pretty bummed about his outing, but I think there were some positives. He was missing to where he was throwing, he was missing low, wasn't missing by a ton (wasn't wild) and all he had was some normal soreness. It sounds to me like he has some dialing in to do after not really pitching competitively in close to a year.

I'm not trying to make excuses, but trying to find the positive and provide some encouragement to bballson. It's not easy knowing he is pretty much beating up on himself and me being 2 hours away. This comeback period will be a character builder for him. He's going to have to wait another week to see what he's got and make some improvement. Anyway, that's where we are. I'm encouraged by some things, still excited to see what happens throughout the rest of the fall.

That's an outstanding and honest post imho.

Look, if you are a baseball parent, you better learn to start seeing the glass as half full because that is as good as its going to get. If you cannot deal with failure, then find another sport. You have to find other ways to gather self-esteem in this sport than just raw stats. I love stats just as much as the next guy but when they are not there, you have to find something else to hang your hat on.

quote:

I love stats just as much as the next guy but when they are not there, you have to find something else to hang your hat on

One of the most important things anyone can learn coming to this site.

bballman I wish there were more people like you on this site. That post was powerful because it was honest. Its the type of post that everyone who has had a son play this game for any length of time can relate to. If they can't relate to it its only because their son has not played long enough yet to be in a situation like that.

Your going to see a tremendous amount of growth as a player and a person over the next four years. And the truth is your going to do some growing as well as a parent. Thank you for that post. We have all been there. Its part of the game. Your son has to be tough to play this game. And we have to be tough as well. And this site is full of people who will be more than glad to share a shoulder from time to time as the years go by.

We share in the accomplishments like CD's son had the other night. And we share in the tough times as well. The fact is never get too down when your in the baseball valley. And never get too high when your on the mountain top. Good luck to your son. Your post tells me he is in good hands with a Dad like you.

Thanks CD and Coach May. You're right, it isn't easy. Growth for me is coming from not being able to do much right now. I'm trying to be encouraging and seeing the positive (which I really believe there is). It's hard to see how he really is responding to this because you can't see body language or look into his eyes. He has had bad outings before and has responded very positively. He does not like to fail and is he is tough on himself even when he does well - by normal standards. My wife actually pointed out that that is what makes him so competitive. Never satisfied. I can only hope that he takes this as a challenge to get better. I believe he will. I reminded him last night in a text that he worked hard to get where he is and deserves to be there. He has the stuff to be very good, he just needs to get back to that place. Hard times will make you stronger - as long as you work to overcome them.

A quick story from his freshman year of HS. His pitching coach from since he was 9 works in the MLB system. Just before his freshman HS season started, he was at a lesson and I was talking to his PC. I told him what I would like to see was for him to pitch varsity and play position on JV. I thought he needed the challenge of pitching on varsity. PC said two things - One, if he doesn't pitch varsity, the coaches are idiots and Second, he hoped he did pitch varsity, he hoped he got rocked. I was astounded and asked him why would he want that to happen? He was the pitching coach for the Red Sox AA team at the time. He said one of the biggest things the pitchers at that level have to overcome is the mental aspect of the game. He said most of the guys who get there went their whole baseball career being dominant. He said that at that level, it doesn't matter who you are - you will get hit, and hit hard. He said some of those very talented pitchers never overcome an outing like that mentally. They are never the same again. He said my son would benefit by having to overcome something like that early, so that as he moves up, he will be prepared to overcome it mentally. Very interesting perspective. Well, bballson did make the varsity team as a freshman pitcher. He did very well really, but about halfway through the season, he had one of those outings his PC wanted him to have. He got shelled. I think he gave up like 7 runs in 3 innings. It was tough. We talked about it and I told him he could either take it that he just stinks, or that it was a bump in the road and come back and get to it next outing. Well, his next start told the story. He pitched a complete game, 7 innings, 69 pitches, gave up 1 unearned run and won the game 3-1. That is probably my most proud moment of him to this day.

Hopefully, he will take this first outing - and maybe the next 2 or 3, who knows and respond in the same way. I think he knows he is good and just needs to get back on track. Stay tough mentally, work hard to get back in the groove. I think he will be fine. It may be harder on me than on him. I'll check back in from time to time and let you know how things are going. Like I said, I'm still excited. I'm still looking forward to what the future holds. I think he is too.

Emotionally my son and myself are very different and I'm so thankful for that. When I played I was either higher than a kite or lower than low depending on how I was doing. My son is totally different. He is able to comparmentalize every at bat or every half inning. If he strikes out his first two at bats, it doesn't mean he is likely to strike out a third time. If he k's in an at bat, it has no effect on him in the outfield. He has that wonderful mindset of each play being an independent event and he knows he has hit before and he knows he is likely to do it as soon as his next at bat. He knows he can help win a game with his glove or baserunning alone, so a bad day at bat doesn't phase him out in the field. I think a player is better able to handle the upper levels of baseball if he can learn to do that. I know it separates professional from amateurs. A player still has to have the talent to move to the next level or be successful, but it sure helps if they can develope this mindset. In baseball I never had it unfortunately but I can see it in mine son and thank goodness for that!

From my limited knowledge of this game I would say that the ability to overcome adversity may be the
#1 skill necessary to actually play college baseball. I'm not saying its the number 1 skill to be recruited to play college ball, but it very well may be # 1 necessary tool to actually play it.

Why? Because in college you will find yourself surrounded by many many talented players. Many of whom were POY in their state, or all this or all that and many will have their old press clippings still hanging from their back pockets.

At the same time nearly everybody, no matter your recruiting status, will run into challenges their first year. You will also find yourself outside of your comfort zone, away from adoring friends and family. And you will find you're challenged in the class room, on the ballfield, at parties and sometimes just looking at yourself in the mirror trying to figure out who you are and what you're doing there.

The ability to deal with all these issues and still find a way to remain confidant and believe in yourself and perform at a high level often results in who plays and who doesn't in the uber competitive world of college baseball imho.

My son's fall season of his freshman year he was struggling at the plate and I could tell he was down after scrimmages. Finally I went down to visit him and I told my wife it had all the makings of a mission of mercy. One evening after dinner he asked if I wanted to throw BP to him in their indoor facility. I was delighted to.

After we were walking back in the dark and I could tell he was looking for some affirmation (not his normal makeup) so I simply told him I was very proud of him that he went higher in the game than I ever did and if he never made it on the field that I couldnt have been more happy where he was and who he was. He seemed to be happy hearing that.

The end result was he didnt play much his freshman year but found the pitching mound and was able to make the transition there and set himself up for a very successful (and happy) sophomore season.

Funny game. It's always teaching us.

Bballman:

The “glass half full” and “something to hang your hat on” advice is outstanding. I’ll relate a story from my son’s Frosh season in college last year.

We’re “watching” our son’s first college game on live stats. Gives up 7 runs in 2 IP. Texts us that night “kinda rough, but the one guy I K’d is a pretty good player I think. It’s all good…”

Glass half full: I didn’t know, but it turns out that player was pretty good, was drafted and put up pretty solid numbers in minors last summer.

Next week we’re watching his 2nd outing in-person. Son called in bottom of 8th, tie game. Kid puts a great swing on a pretty nice pitch for a 2B to the wall, then seeing-eye ground single to give up the lead. Son re-groups, retires last batter on a pop-up. Game is lost. Can tell from a distance that son is pretty upset in front of team bus.

Glass half full: What we didn’t know or see at the time was the guy our son made a nice pitch against to end that inning ended-up earning Player of Year” honors in his conference.

Next day, son comes in relief again, gives up 3 runs in 2 1/3 IP. So I’m thinking, “kids making pitches, but has given up 11 runs in 5 IP…..”

Following weekend son’s team is playing a pre-season top 10 team, a perennial powerhouse. He texts mid-week that coach told him he’s game 3 starter. I’m thinking “Ok….?”

We huddled around the computer that weekend, watched the broadcast, and our son threw 7 IP no earned runs. Left with the lead, but ultimately got a no-decision. The play-by-play guy couldn’t stop talking about him, and we were cheering like crazy.

He ended up staying in the starting rotation the rest of the season, and although there were still lots of ups and downs, from that point forward I never doubted that he belonged on that field.

Lesson I learned? The coaches see things that you may not see. Your son was recruited by that coach for a reason – he earned it.

This should be Golden.

quote:

Originally posted by fenwaysouth:
You know I'm chomping at the bit to get a sneak peak at my son too, but 8 hrs one way is a very good deterrent. Not only do I want to see my son, but see what the freshmen class is going to add to the program. I'm not sure if we showed up if he'd had time for us....he's caring 18 hrs this semester but loving his eng. classes. I also can't believe my son is a junior. Where has the time gone? Glad to see your son is pitching again, and hopefully remains healthy. I know he is raking it! Any chance they have D1's tallest leadoff two seasons in a row?

Fenway, any way you might have a business meeting in upstate NY? Time sure does fly as we get older! Not sure were he will end up batting this year. Just know he is having the time of his life and enjoying every minute.

Hopefully your son is healthy and ready to go! I look forward to following the Big Red this year too.