Thoughts Of A Golden Glover

Sorry I haven't written more frequently during the camp, it's because I've been very very busy. The camp had 2 days with double headers, 1 game before lunch and one after, and all the other activities going on, I was either eating, sleeping or playing baseball..... It Was Awesome! From the group talks with Randy Johnson, and an MLB Umpire, who's name escapes me, to the mini golf outing, and the coaches dinner, when we weren't playing, they still they kept us busy. 6 games over 7 days, with 2 double headers, and truth be told, my team lost all of our games. Yup, "Pitch Slap" got bitch slapped, there's no way around it. Still, despite that, I'm extremely happy with the way the week turned out. For me, it really wasn't so much about the competition, it was more about playing the game, the people I met, the friends I made, the camaraderie with the other campers, and finding out that all of the 17 Coaches, are just like regular folks off the field. ...

 I decided to break up these posts into 2 day chunks, so that I don't have to clog up your timelines as frequently. You're welcome. * Tuesday was the busiest day so far. There is a Double Header scheduled. A game in the morning, then lunch, change uniforms, and go out in the afternoon for Game 2. It's not as tough as it sounds, since there  are 12 Camper Players, plus 1 coach pitching, we decided to  rotate the 4 outfielders, since Outfielders do the most running around. I play the outfield, so it works out that I'm mostly playing every other inning. All 12 Campers bat. The batting order is determined by The Coaches.  * Some of the baseball rules are slightly modified for safety and/or increased fun. There is no called strike 3, only a swinging strike 3 applies. There are no "Walks", since your own coach is pitching. There is an "L Screen" in front of the Pitcher, so hitting the screen on the fly is an automatic 1st base, however hitting it on a grou...

Day 1 * The Diamondbacks Baseball Fantasy Camp has begun. Day 1 was relatively unassuming. After training for this for the last 2 months, I think I'm ready. I checked in to The Talking Stick Resort Hotel, then there was a dinner, and an orientation + meet the Coaches meeting. There are 94 Caampers (a sellout), and there are 17 Diamondbacks former players coaching us, including Luis Gonzales, Mark Grace, Matt Williams, Jay Bell, and Greg Colbrunn to name a few. This was my first time staying at The Talking Stick Resort, and of course the room is really nice. It ought to be at the $200/day rate. I called it an early day, because I have a feeling tomorrow will be busy. Day 2 * I was right, busy day. The shuttle to The Talking Sticks Fields Baseball Complex picked us up at 7:30am. Did I mention that the Camp is being held at The Spring Training Facilities shared by The Diamondbacks and The Colorado Rockies? It is, and I can really tell there is an upgraded quality of the fields and the...

Even though The Arizona Diamondbacks season is done, for me, it's not. I may or may not have mentioned, that this November, I'm attending a 1 week Baseball Camp, run by The Diamondbacks. For 1 week in November, I am going to live, eat sleep and play baseball as a member of the Diamondbacks. Uniforms and everything. It's something that I've always wanted to do, and I figured I better do it while I still can..... Ya know? So what, if anything does this have to do with The Golden Glovers? I got a $100 fee discount for being a Glover, that's what. 😁 Anyway, I've actually been training since the beginning of September, that's what all those wind sprint runs, baseball throwing and batting cage visits has been about. Getting ready to at least not make a fool of myself, but I needn't have worried, so far, it seems to be all about the fun. There's a good mix of people and ages, and there's even one guy who said he was 88 years old! I think he's going...

So that's it. The DBacks still have a few games left, but my first season as a 2025 Diamondbacks Golden Glover is done. I "worked" a total of 14 games, and the time just flew by. At this point, I just wanted to take a moment thank The Diamondbacks for giving me this opportunity. I do plan on reapplying next year, but just in case things don't work out, I just wanted to say that this was one of the best things that's ever happened to me, and I appreciate the lifetime of memories. Thank You Diamondbacks and my Golden Glover Teammates. Speaking of memories, here were a few of the best highlights for me..... * So, I'm trying out for The Diamondbacks Golden Glovers..... Again. It's actually the 5th time I'm trying out. Prior to Covid, I tried out 4 years in a row, among 150+ others each time, at Mantei Field. It's hard to stand out in such a large crowd, but it's like I told my best friend..... "I'm going to try out again and again, every y...

A bit long, but some background is needed. You may, or may not have noticed, The Golden Glover Uniform, is all black. The DBacks provide the batting helmet, the polo shirt, and the fanny pack for ball storage, and The Golden Glover provides the glove, black pants and shoes. According to the orientation meeting, all neon shoe colors were prohibited, and the preferred shoe colors were black, blue, or white. Soon afterwards, I noticed that with one exception (looking at you Bill), all of the other Golden Glovers wore either black or blue shoes, so I got the idea that in order to "stand out" I would wear white shoes. In that way, even if I didn't get camera time, or announcer mention, I could still easily pick myself out in the background during the following days television replay. (see, that's me, right there, with the white sneakers)! Vain? Yes absolutely, but after 66 years of life, I think that I'm allowed a bit of vanity. But now..... My plan has been foiled. A ...