It's been a while but the playoffs are here

The last month here in Mexico has been fast. We have been fighting injuries and the long season, but we made it into the playoffs. We played Xalapa the first round and beat them 3 games to 1. Today we started the second round with Mendoza. Last time we faced Mendoza the benches cleared and not to mention we live in the same hotel as them, so as you can imagine the series will be intense. We played a back and forth game today and won 8-7, stranding the tying run on third and striking out the clean up hitter. YeaH! big win, and a fun game. This series is the best of seven, playing one more in Mendoza and the next three at our house. We are starting to see more fans and support during the playoffs which is nice. If we win this series we move onto the championship series with the other division. I miss the family, friends, and the good food back at home. I am excited about coming home and getting some of the good homemade food from Momma, playing golf with Avi, shooting hoops with Pop, going to whole foods with Cici, and spending time with the my the kids who I get to teach. I have learned a lot this season and am excited to share the knowledge with everyone. I have been invited to go to Cuba after the season with my manager and will probably make the most of the opportunity and go for a week or so. I should be home no later than the end of January. Hope everyone is having a great holiday break and season. Much Love.

Last week was full of hard work and good times. We haven't been winning too many series, most of the team is beat up. I rolled my ankle and busted up my knee a little last week. Hopefully today it will feel better. I had off on Sunday and I rested on the off-day yesterday. We got a few of the guys together and had Thanksgiving dinner and ate some good food. Last week was special because I got a chance to go with my coaches to the local little league and talk to the kids a little about baseball. While I was there I got a few phone numbers and went back on Saturday and started giving hitting lessons to a couple of the kids. It started with two kids, but ended up being about twenty. We will be on the road all week, hopefully we can start winning some series again. I know it's quick and short, check out the pictures.

Last Week vs. Mendoza and All-Star game

It's been pretty cold and wet this whole week, maybe a few days of sun. We played a six game series with Mendoza, and ended up splitting the series, 3-3, each. All of the games were hard and long, they are in second place behind us, and we live in the same hotel as them. As one may suspect things got a little heated in the fifth game of the series, the benches cleared and some words were exchanged. Nothing happened, but that will set an interesting tone during playoffs. The next month should be real friendly around the hotel with them, but around playoff time it should start picking up. During the week I had two huge ideas about hitting, and they have been proving to be very helpful. The first is to ignore the pitchers windup until his arm starts forward, that's when the hitter gets ready to hit, but before that the hitter should be nice and relaxed. I was getting sped up in some of my AB's because of the jerky moves of a few pitchers. The other idea is where the hands start. They should start in a relaxed position, with no tension, and should stay there until you react to hit the ball, no extra move up or extra tension. Both of these ideas are huge because they allow the hitter to see the ball longer and react quicker and with more accuracy. Hopefully I will be able have complete understanding of these ideas by the time I come home, so I can share them with all of my students.
Last week was not all good, I rolled my ankle on Saturday and sometimes Spanish is kicking my butt. I sat out the game on Sunday, but still had an awesome performance. I was able to lead another Baseball Chapel. My main focus is to try to get everyone focused on their purpose, and I gave the team this scripture, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mathew 22:37-39) I then explained to the guys what love is. The message was much better this time. If anyone would like to see my notes from the Chapel service, I would be more than happy to send them to you. Now the Spanish is getting better, but it is still hard to get everything out like I want to, especially with girls. Hopefully I'll keep getting better, haha...
After the series with Mendoza me and seven other players from my team took off for Xalapa for the All-Star game. We had dinner and recieved a plaque on Wednesday night and last night we played the game. I started in centerfield and lead off. I didn't do much in the game, but the our team won in the ninth to give the team on our side in the finals homefield advantage. It was a fun couple of days, check out the pictures I added to photobucket. After the All-Star festivities and the benches clearing I can really see how close my team is. We are good people, who play hard, respecting the game and each other. This is awesome to be a part of and the other teams better watch out. We got rained out today, but hopefully tomorrow we will be able to continue our strong season. I hope everything is going good for everyone back in the states, I really don't know much about what's going on with everyone. Shoot me an e-mail and let me know. Talk to yall later.
Dom

Last week on the road in Acayucan and Mixtequilla

We just got finished with six games on the road, our record is now 18-8, still leading the league. Last week was tough because of the bus rides again, I don't get to work out much, and I'm on the bus for four to six hours everyday. I played third all week and had an awesome time over there, I don't think I'll be moving to another position any time soon. Third is different than any other position, it's a game not to let anything past you, how quick can you react, but at the same time you have to be able to cover the bunt. I had quite a few balls hit to me, I was relaxed and ready to make every play. I could have sworn the second game of the series against Mixtequilla the hitters started changing their swings, trying not to hit the ball to third, or maybe I was making it up. hahaha. Off the field I still spend most of my time writing and reading. I read a book on Orel Hershisher and one of the the biggest points of his book is to focus on the process not the result. Work hard and prepare to the best of your ability, that should be your grade of success and failure, not the wins and losses. If you prepare as good as you can, you have put yourself in the best position to be successful. This was a good reminder for me and I am happy with my preparation for each game, hitting it from every angle, with good rest, diet, excersize, and a good mental approach. Something special happened yesterday, I was able to lead the team in a baseball chapel, it was my first time to do something like this and I feel like it went pretty good. Usually on Sunday's there is a pastor from a local church that comes and speeks to the players and sends a small message and prays for anyone who needs it. We don't get this in Mexico, so I felt I should deliver a message before the game. I asked my teammate Zeke to help me translate, we talked to the coaches, and we had about ten minutes before the team stretch to have Chapel. We got everyone in the dugout, all the players and coaches and I delivered the simple message, reminding the guys that God is in all of us, and to focus on a direct relationship with him. I felt like the message was direct and strong, hopefully the guys benefited. Today we have an off day and I have been relaxing and catching up on a few things. This month I hope to make big strides in my spanish, maybe I can find a mexican girl to teach me. Hahaha. Peace. Dom... One more thing, check out my trainer's blog, if we can understand these thoughts, we would all be better off. unitedbyadversity.blogspot.com

Playing Third

Today the sun finally came out. It was warm and so beautiful. It has been cold and wet for a little over a week now, and for all of you that know me, know I don't like the cold. But, I do like it when it rains because all of the colors really come to life. Everything looks so clean and fresh when it rains. We just finished up playing a three game series with Minatitlan at home. We played a double header yesterday, won one and lost one, and today we lost. The series before that we played the Brujos at home and lost two of three. We won two games out of our six game home stand. Ouch! But the good news is, we are still in first place in our division. The whole week I was starting in left and got to throw a few people out, that's probably my favorite part of the outfield. Today the manager switched it up a little; me and the third baseman switched positions. The high school days again, playing third, some of it was coming back to me, like; backing up the throw from the first baseman to the pitcher after a pick off, reactin towards the mound when a ball is hit back to the pitcher, things that Coach V taught me. Thanks again V. I enjoyed myself over there, I got a lot of action, turned a couple of double plays and threw a guy out trying to drag bunt on me. I am still leading off and the hitting is relaxed, loose, and the barrel is finding the ball. I have been drag bunting a lot lately, I think I have a handful of bunt for base hits. Everything is going really good on the baseball field for me. The team and the manager are fighting a little, but that will hopefully clear up. Outside the field, the studies and writings are still going well. I am able to journal all of my days experiences and all of my at bats. Because of all my reading and writing, my english is getting better, but my spanish is what I'm supposed to be working on out here. haha. That's getting better also, I carry a dictionary pretty much everywhere I go, and when I can I look up the words I don't know. I miss all of you and Texas. I hear Texas lost today, sorry about that for those Longhorn fans out there. I hope everything is going good for everybody, let me know! And if you need my help with anything let me know. We have off on mondays, I'm gonna enjoy my day tomorrow. I am going to Veracruz city to experience the beach and the city. I'll talk to yall soon. Much Love.

Starting new series at home

We finished up in Xalapa with a win and moved on to Soledad, a small town, mostly agricultural. The field was really bad, bumpy, big holes filled with sand and rain. I started in centerfield the first game and played in left the next two, with a little time at short. The last three games have been rough on the body, because of the travel, the long hours on the bus, and the fields condition. We were all really tired by the end of this series. We took 2 of 3 games and every game was a hard fought battle. Yesterday, we had a day off and we were able to relax and rest. Today we start a series at home; I am looking forward to staying home for the week, i can get a lot of things done like; go to the grocery store, workout, read, write, study, check out the city, or just relax in my room. I am still playing well and I am unsure what position I'll play everyday, but I like that mystery. Last night as I was falling asleep I started to think about a utility player that played infield, oufield, and also pitched. My manager really likes to work hard and win, maybe I can convince him to let me start having a few innings in relief. I really think I can still get hitters out. Who knows, the journey continues and the hopefully I'll be able to put the pictures up soon.

Last game in Xalapa

Today we are finishing up our last game in Xalapa; the series is tied 1-1. It is a three hour ride each way. The six hours on the bus each day I won’t miss much, even though I do enjoy bus rides because they allow me to study and write. Right now I am reading some Bruce Lee, a little Gandhi, and the Bible. While I’ve been in Mexico, reading my Bible has really put me in a good place, especially strengthening my faith. I believe this is the reason I have been doing so well, while I have been down here, on and off the field. I feel everything on the baseball field is really coming together. Take for example my swing, I am able to be relaxed which allows my body to react and hit the ball. I see a simple picture of the swing right now and loosely get my barrel out to drive the ball. It is tough to get your barrel out quickly if you are tense and tight. I have been leading off a have started in centerfield the last two games, the coach told me last night that it was my position until they take it away. It is fun running around in center and getting to throw people out. It will help my value as a player to be able to play infield and outfield. Off the field the days have been flowing beautifully, I usually wake up and read a little of my Bible, eat breakfast, answer e-mails, and make phone calls. After that I might do a little work out, go to the grocery store, or hang out with my teammates. Then it’s usually about time to go to the field. BP has been going good; I’m relaxed and am very efficient with everything I do, which sets me up nicely for the game. I have been doing a good job of eating well throughout the day. I make sure I have food when I need it; yesterday I cooked up some chicken on the George Foreman Grill and cut up some vegetables for after the game, since we don’t get fed after the game. The guys are saying they need to start eating what I eat because I’ve been playing well. It’s not the food that’s been going into my body; it’s the guidance from God that has allowed me to do so well. If they think I’m doing well on the field they should see what my day is like off the field. I've taken some pictures, when I get a chance I'll put them up so everyone can see them.

1st week of the Season

So we just finished up the first eight games of the season with a record of 6-2. I've been leading off every game, starting at shortstop the first six games and the last two I've played in the outfield. I started in center today, not a lot of action, but I think that is where I'll end up. My manager, Victor Mesa, a former member of the Cuban national team in the 92' Olympics games in Barcelona, told me he wants to make me the centerfielder. He likes to work hard and he appreciates my work ethic, not all managers are like this, it's good to finally play for someone who is like me. Hard work, playing every out, and getting dirty!!! I use to have this one coach in high school who would tell me he would wash my uniform for me if I got it dirty during practice, I'm still diving all over the place Coach V! The first series we played the Mendoza Gallos, we took three out of five games, and by the end of the series they were calling me Ted, short for Ted Williams. haha... I guess this hitting that I teach really does work. It's reall pretty simple, while I've been down her I've been able to relax and the barrel is just finding the ball. I got a chance to go to the market in Cordoba, that was definately an experience, chilies, flowers, meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, and anything else you could imagine. It looked like a picture out of a text book in spanish class. I've been pretty busy with baseball everyday, doing my best to eat right and keep my body fresh. The fruits and vegatables grow everywhere out here, one day I went on a walk with my friend and it felt every step I took there was a different type of fruit tree; mango, banana, papaya, avacado, coffee, and even almond trees. I hope everyone's life is as fruitful as mine right now... If you want to follow the season online the website is www.liv.com.mx... good luck navigating for those of you who don't know spanish, or even if you do, it's pretty iffy at times, I think there is a way to listen to the games, but again I don't think that always works. Let me know how things are going, God bless.