Diamondbacks Baseball Camp Day 3 & 4

 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 grounder is an automatic out. There is no tag play at the plate, only a force play.

* So, to make a long story short, in our first game, we had a bad inning, and we got slaughtered 12-5. I did OK, and I went 2 for 4, although one of my "hits" was a fly ball "L Screen Shot". Also, I'm usually my own worst critic, so there is 1 thing I want to improve, I would like to be able to hit the ball harder. I've been concentrating on making contact, so maybe what I need is more concentration on a harder swing.

* The second game in the afternoon, we lost again. We improved on the score which was 9-5, and I went 1 for 3, but this loss was disappointing since we lost mainly due to several defensive mis-steps. Also, not to make excuses, but the afternoon was hot, temps were 88F, and we had the sunny dugout side of the field. It was uncomfortable for sure, but still, no excuses.

* Later that night, the whole Camp went to "Pop Stroke" which is miniature golf, without the windmills, and with an undulating course, and sand traps. I've played this type of course before, and it's much more challenging to "read the break". The food was "Bar Food", chicken fingers, sliders, salad, free soft drinks, plus 2 cocktail drink tickets. Honestly, I called it an early night, since I was exhausted.

* Wednesday we had a morning game, and SIGH..... we lost again, 11-9. This one we almost came back, scoring twice in the final inning, but we fell just short. I'm proud to say that I think we had our best game so far. We played well, despite the fact that I went 0 for 3 (sigh), we played defense well, which I'm figuring out is the key to winning. 

* The afternoon, we had a surprise guest speaker. Randy Johnson came during lunch, and spent some time telling us stories about how he came up through the minors, and different stories about his time in the Major Leagues. He spent about 30 minutes, and IT WAS AMAZING! Afterwards, the afternoon was an autograph session with all 17 Coaches, and there were MLB officials present to authenticate the signatures. I chose to have them autograph the 2 professional pictures they took yesterday 1 of myself and all 17 coaches, and the one of my team. That's me in the purple uniform among the 17, and the other picture is my team. 

* I have to say, that at the half way point, I'm having the time of my life! Also, while I would like to be batting better, I also have to say, that my experience being a Golden Glover, I think, has made my defense near extraordinary, especially on ground balls, and I'm not the only one who's noticed. One of my teammates told me that she overheard our teams 2 coaches talking about me, and the comment was to the effect:  "Good glove work, throws strongly, and to the right place". What a nice compliment! Thanks Golden Glovers!

Tomorrow, we play at 10:30 am, in The Main Stadium! 

Randy Johnson

My Team


The Coaches. Me In Purple

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