Monday, March 8, 2010

Spring Training Update

Just got back to the Days Inn from day 3 of spring training 2010. Temperature is 72 degrees and there isn't a cloud in the sky. I could use some clouds, I have a terrible sun burn. The older I get the worse I burn, it's weird. It really is a beautiful day though. I took a look at the weather back home in North Mississippi and the weather is beautiful there too. My dad had some dirt come in today to help level out the back yard, he has been concerned about the weather, he didn't want it to be to wet so hopefully everything is going smoothly there. Watched some of the Oscars last night, was it just me or did George Clooney look like he did not like the jokes directed his way from the co-host, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin? I believe the 82nd Oscars were the first I have ever watched. I should add, I did not watch the entire show however, it was one of two shows I flipped back and fourth between. On HBO there is a new series, I caught an episode of 'How to Make It in America' and really enjoyed what little bit I saw. The cast was somewhat recognizable to me so I gave it a chance. Seems like it could have the potential to be pretty good to me or at least something I believe I would enjoy while I have HBO here at the Days Inn. I probably ended up only watching about 35% of the Oscars. I could talk more about this, but I will choose otherwise.

As far as how things have been going at the ball field, I would say they are going about as well as I could have hoped for. Day one was really long, a lot longer than most days due to the physicals. My physical time was at 7a.m. At about 10 that first morning I was really tired and found myself yawning, a lot! Yawning is one of those things you don't really want anyone to see you do on the first day. So, keeping that in my seemed to be my main focus throughout the rest of the workout. With everyone finished with physicals, it was about noon, we then finally got to go do baseball activities.

To explain a little how spring training works. The entire minor league camp is broken up into 4 different groups: AAA(triple-A), AA(double-A), High-A, and Low-A. The placement of the players depends mostly on where that player finished up the previous year. So, a player who ended 2009 in Low-A, will start spring training, in this case spring training 2010, in the AA group. Seemingly skipping High-A. Although it does seem that way, it is not however the truth. I'll explain. Spring training basically has two different camps going on at the same time: big league camp and minor league camp. Before spring training ever begins for the minor leaguers, a few lucky minor league players, usually the top prospects in the organization, are invited to big league spring camp. Their time in big league camp will come to an end at some point during the month of March, but just being invited to big league camp is a HUGE honor. As the season approaches the players will then be sent down from big league camp to minor league camp. Since each roster can only have 25 players, people have to move. As stated earlier, the players who are invited to big league camp are usually top prospects, so their move from big league camp isn't that far. Most of the players sent down will stop in AAA, therefore, causing players that are already in AAA to be sent down to AA, and those in AA to be sent to High-A, and so on. So, the player who ended 2009 in Low-A, will start spring training 2010 in AA, and due to the "trickle-down" effect that player will, at some point, be end spring training 2010 in the High-A group.

If you have any questions, tips or advise about my blogging, please let me know. I will be more than willing to listen or answer and questions anyone asks. Thank you for reading, and God bless!

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