2008 has been full of first time experiences. One of the more pleasurable experiences was breaking spring training with a full season team, the Frederick Keys. There is little that I miss from my prior stays in extended spring training, but there is one feature of extended that I miss terribly, and that is the Sarasota weather. Over the past 2 years, I don’t think I played in a single game where the temperature wasn’t at least in the 60’s. However, in my first week up north, we played in several games in the 30’s. I’d like to thank Under Armor and their cold gear line for making the games somewhat tolerable. Under all our layers and ski masks, it looked like we were preparing for the Iditarod more so than a baseball game.

I opened the 2008 season on what I thought was a good note. In the bottom of the 7^th, I broke up a no-hitter with a line drive into the left center gap. Thinking double out of the box, I made a hard turn around first base only to see the ball cut off and being thrown back into the infield. Abruptly putting on the brakes, my feet stopped but my body kept going forward as I rolled my ankle. It would be the first time in my professional career that I would be placed on the Disabled List. Within minutes of the injury, our athletic trainer, Trek Shuler, started me on a treatment/rehab program. While it is important to recover fully, it is a race to get back on the field. Not only are you losing at bats, but you are also giving someone else an opportunity to take your job, such as Lou Gehrig replacing Wally Pip. Fortunately, after a week of diligent work, Trek had me back in action ahead of schedule.

In my first week back, I quickly learned that I wasn’t just recovering from an injury, but I was also trying to find my timing at the plate. It is difficult to jump right back into facing live pitching after sitting out for that long. Mechanically, I had to make sure that my stride foot was landing on time and that my hands were loaded in what I call, “the launch position.” If you do not reach that position in ample time, you will have to rush your swing which often causes you to commit too early to off speed pitches as well as pitches outside of the strike zone.

Now a month into the season, I feel that I have fully recovered from my injury. I have my timing back at the plate and have hit .286 over the last 10 games. Our team is currently in Salem, VA about to open a series against the Houston Astros affiliate, the Salem Avalanche. By the time we return home, we will have been on the road for 15 of the last 18 days.