Happy 21st to me...

As scary as it seems, I'm about to turn 21. Yeah, yeah, yeah, watch out. I'm really not that much of a drinker (I'm not supposed to be either as I'm not yet 21.) Let's not fool ourselves though. I have indulged a time or two. However, this is what scares me. We're right in the middle of Spring Training. Braden Long insists that as a right of passage, we need to go shoot some rum at a titty bar in Sarasota. He said it would be better if it was Treasures back in Bridgeport, but the Score Board in Sarasota will have to do. Now, I don't care how dedicated Braden says he is (everyone says he's a complete 180 from the Braden Long of the past few springs), Braden Long is still crazy. Nobody will ever be able to tell me different. So when Braden Long tells me he's taking me to a titty bar to shoot rum for my 21st birthday, well, don't judge me for being a bit nervous. It's cool though. JJ is going to join the festivities too. Plus, both have been set on their curfews and assured me, they weren't going to stay out later just because of the occasion.

See, this is what's refreshing about this team. While everyone still has their own lives, everyone so far has been greeting me with open arms and offering to show me around town. Don't get me wrong, your never going to see the whole team getting together on a nightly basis to go bowling. But from what I've seen so far, if your looking for something to do, there is always someone on the team that is willing to hang out. That's the difference between this year and the last four years. Back west, everyone did their own thing and hated even being around each other in the clubhouse. It was just a toxic environment. It was so high strung. If you joked about someone in that clubhouse, fists would fly. Here, Tex Cobb is made fun of every day because the guy really eats ALL THE TIME. He can get away with it because he's a work horse. But he just jokes back. We constantly rip on Mike Hawk, telling him he has a bad "Fat-itude". He doesn't take it personally, and even jokes back.

On the field things are going pretty good. The move to the East Coast, as well as all the off the field business (cutting ties with California local endorsements and signing new ones in New York) hampered my workouts a little bit more than I would have liked. The good thing though is that I'm feeling completely refreshed. As busy as the offseason was, not being as physical I think has helped my body rebound a little bit. Next offseason I'm going to kick it with JJ. He stayed in Bridgeport this offseason for the first time to get ready for the upcoming season. He's got a pretty good off season program and I'm familiar with his off season conditioning coach. So going forward, I'm looking forward to an exciting career here in Bridgeport.

On a side note, and don't take too much offense to this. I am very worried about the girls of Bridgeport. I hadn't really gone out and about too much when we were in town with the Crush, but in the small sample I did see, the eye candy wasn't nearly as nice as in OC. That's fine though, as OC girls are crazy. Very, very crazy. Maybe I'll find a nice girl to settle down with in Bridgeport. Oh hell, I'm 21. I'll end up picking up some crazy city girl in New York, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from B-Town. Wish me luck kids.

I'm back...

After over a year away from the whole blogging scene (jadsbl.com thought I was to controversial), I am back online. It's not so much that I wasn't able to set up a blogging site on my own. It's just that I was far too busy to sit down and sign up for a ghetto blogger.com account that nobody would read anyway until I tipped off a beat writer that I'm posting on it. Que cheesy smile here.

It's kind of been a rocky go of it since the last time I wrote anything for the public viewing. I got hurt in the second season and my numbers were down because of it. That led people to ask what happened to me. Umm, I was hurt. The next year I struggled, leading to more questions about what happened to me. I'm sensing a trend here. Early this year, while we were struggling, I faced numerous questions about what was wrong with me.

I've been labeled as a bust. I've been rediculed by my own team's management (oh yes, it's true). And worst of all, I've heard the boos of the home crowd. I've been called overrated. I can deal with that. But you know what? I haven't demanded a high price tag to this point. Seriously. Look around the league. I'm a bargain.

However, here is where my gripe comes in. When we lost the inaugural Championship Series to Bridgeport in 2007, who had to stand up and do the post-game, losing locker room interview? Me. When the team struggled in 2008, who had to answer all the hard questions? Me, even though I missed two months of the season. Last year, as the team flourished, guess who suddenly didn't get all the attention. Me.

This is what bothers me. With all the team's stuggles, look at the line-up changes over the past couple years. I'm the team's starting center fielder right? Well, I've been forced to start many a games in right field the past couple years. I played the field flawlessly. Yet it always came down to the fact that my batting average wasn't as high as Peter Gibbon's. I've batted in more spots in the lineup than anybody else on the team (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9) yet, I was never as consistent as Carl Feely, nor am I as good as Kevin Nunez (who has only scored 5 more runs than me and has driven in 14 less runs than me).

The thing that is the worst is that when we are winning, everyone from John Bush to Doug Gilmour is right up there in the spotlight. When we lose? Where do they go? You don't here about any of them. Who gets dumped on? Sean Mack and Alex Crane get dumped on. Everyone is talking about how dominate we are and how much we will run away with the championship this year. I hope we do. I really would like a ring. But, as far as mid-season enjoyability, this team is as dysfunctional as it has ever been. I haven't said more than "What's up?" to Steve Theile yet. Hollywood Hogan is still a bitch and is lucky that his offensive production covers up the fact that his defensive skills are terrible. (Yeah, we still don't get along.)

It comes down to this. I love the OC. I have a beautiful beach front house that I am in heaven in. I have some really great friends and connections here. On that note though, my contract lasts through 2013. I'm signed for a pretty reasonable price at this point. With that, I've brought a lot of attention to this club. I've been there through good times and bad. I've been the face of the team when down and pushed to the side when up. Bottom line: I hear there are plenty of oppertunities in the north east. And even though the winters are shitty, I know from experience that the OC is rather pleasent from November through February. Figure it out.

The High Heat

JA League Leaders-
Runs Created- Sean Mack 8th
Hits- Sean Mack 4th
Doubles- Sean Mack 8th
Triples- Sean Mack 8th
Home Runs- Sean Mack 7th
RBIs- Sean Mack 10th
Runs- Sean Mack 1st
Stolen Bases- Sean Mack 2nd
Extra Base Hits- Sean Mack 5th
Total Bases- Sean Mack 5th

Games Started- Landon Dailey 6th
Losses- Landon Dailey 1st
Quality Starts- Landon Dailey 6th
Runs Allowed- Landon Dailey 4th
Hits Allowed- Landon Dailey 10th
Strike Outs- Landon Dailey 2nd
Walks- Landon Dailey 5th
Runners /9IP- Landon Dailey 10th
Ks /9IP- Landon Dailey 3rd
Opponents Average- Landon Dailey 9th

All Star Appearance?
Sean Mack- yes
Landon Dailey- no

Landon, just quit while your not too far behind. Your turning yourself into a bigger joke than you became when you threw your big hissy fit on the mound a few months back. Seriously, shut up. Obviously the radiation from whatever they do in that little hell hole of Area 51 has caused some brain damage in you.

I don't drive a hummer. I don't like hummers... Wait, I like hummers, but not the driving kind... wait... ok, you get what I mean. Ooh, I take advantage of my local celebrity to date starlettes and go to big events. You know what? When you play a big part on one of the best teams in the league, that tends to happen. I have never worn an Armani suit. I'm 17-years-old. I'm about five years from that. Give it time. I still show up to the clubhouse in shorts and a t-shirt. Pretty simple really. I know your a bit jealous of guys that are successful, but let it go man.

You were right on one thing though. Miley Cyrus is annoying. As many know she was at the last couple games against Omaha. Both went poorly. She was excited about me scoring a run and stealing a base in the first game... well, I don't kiss and tell. But then after my O-fer in our blowout loss she was trying to be all comforting and supportive. That crap drives me nuts. It's one game, let it go. We have another game today, by the way, your not invited. Maybe I'll call you in a couple days. Maybe I won't. We'll see.

We're not playing very well right now, but we only need to win 12 more games to clinch the division, and 9 more to clinch a playoff berth. We also have John Bush back, so as everyone gets used to having him back in the lineup, we should be a very scary team again heading into the playoffs.

What to watch for: Landon Dailey is scheduled to pitch 9/21 against us. Should be a fun game. Expect some high heat.

Clearing the air

First off, I want to send my deepest condolences to Cap Naismith. I know I've said some mean things about you, but you were always a great competitor and I have the utmost respect for you in that regard. I hope that doctor is able to work some magic and sometime down the road we'll be able to meet again on the field... and I'll be able to throw out fun/harsh remarks, and everything will be merry again. Here's to a solid recovery, and if that's not what was in the cards for you, I hope you have a prosperous life. You deserve it.

Not that it's good to wish an injury upon anyone, but the whole torn rotator cuff thing was going to happen to someone, wouldn't a better candidate have been that clown Landon Dailey? Does this guy even think about what he's saying ever? I've never heard that much swearing since I saw Resevoir Dogs. The funny thing is that he throws his little fits on the mound too. He doesn't get a call and he starts moping. The second time he starts swearing and crying. I've thought about bringing kleenex's to the game for him. Seriously Landon? You'd blow your brains out if you had to play on the same team as me? I hope at some point in time you get traded to the Crush, just so we could all see you do it. I'd put big money on the fact that no brains would come out. It would just be one hollow hole. Your 8-15 kid, shut your mouth.

On to happier subjects, Brenda Song and I are no more. Well, haven't really been for a few weeks now. Never really were I guess. Just two kids having fun is what we were. That said, with school starting up for most people my age, I have a personal tutor. What does this have to do with Brenda and I being no longer? Well, this tutor happens to be the same one that tutors Miley Cyrus. I've never met the girl and Hannah Montana annoys the hell out of me, but I can't hold that against her. She does what they pay her to do. She's still gorgeous. I must meet her.

Pitchers Piss Me Off

I've said it. I can not stand pitchers anymore. Actually, I'm not sure whether it's the pitchers I can't stand or all the shitty batters in this league. There isn't a team with an ERA above 4 right now. And up until about a week ago, Bridgeport's team ERA was below 3. You know what is really funny about that last stat? Their batters suck so bad, they still can't win. This is a problem. A major problem that needs to be fixed. And fast. Why? Because Area 51 just paid out $22 million per year for 2 pitchers... for the next ten years. More on that in a bit.

"But Sean," you may be saying, "it's not like your a .300 hitter right now." Your right. I'm batting .272. The highest team average is .271. That's our team. I'm well above the league average (10th in the conference to be precise). Plus I have 6 HR, 8th in the conference; 48 RBI, 7th in the conference; I've scored 84 runs, by far first in the league; oh, and I've stolen 64 bases, second behind the one and only overhyped Cody DeSpain. See, I'm doing my part in attacking pitchers. Why can't anybody else figure it out?

You know another reason why this pisses me off? Because all I hear about around the league is the great pitching. Hardly ever is a great hitter mentioned. I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the Mike Lewis's, the Matt Eisenberg's, the Mikein Ostop's, or even the Cordelia Naismith's. Oh, don't even get me started down that road.

I'm doing it, I'm going to get off haha lane and turn straight down topical road. There is nobody that annoys me more than Cap Naismith right now. NOBODY!! I would rather hear a human interest story on Detroit's backup catcher than another report on Cordelia Naismith. It's all because she's a chick too. She's not really that good. Do the research. Go to JADSBL.com and look at through everybody's player bios. At the bottom it tells everyone's first career hit and home run. Cordelia was my first. And I've seen at least four or five other guys who have gotten their first off her as well. She's the league bike. Everyone is hitting that. It's no wonder she was injured for four weeks earlier this season. She was tired. And it's not that she's a woman, I'm not sexist like that Rios guy from Omaha. We all know that I love women. Sometimes a little too much. But let's get this one thing straight. I don't trust anyone in the locker room, and I mean anyone, that bleeds for 7 days straight and doesn't die.

Yeah, so about them pitchers. Let's start hitting the ball guys. Umm, yeah.

Sean Be Fast

We opened the season against Area 51 the other night. Let me start of by saying, "What a fucking joke." Your team is named the Extraterestrials. I get the connection, but seiriously? How much would it suck to have to play for that team? What do those guys do in their down time? Retarded. You could tell those bastards were destracted being off the base and all. They didn't stand a chance in hell as we swept them. And don't get me started about their green jerseys that they wore for the third game. They looked like a bunch of boogers.

The game I want to talk about in this series though is the third one. We had already won the first of the two games and now we had upstart Landen Dailey on the mound against us. Supposedly this kid is supposed to be one of the future stars of the league. I didn't see it one bit. At this point he doesn't really have an out pitch. He stays down in the zone so it's hard to get a ball in the air on him, but he does throw some meat that you can drive down the lines. That's how I got my double off of him.

Here's the biggest thing with Landon though. I led of the game with a single. No big deal there. I take my lead on the first pitch and just kind of observe his delivery. First pitch ball off the plate. I step back to the base and guarantee my coach I'm going to have multiple stolen bases. His delivery is soooo slow when he has runners aboard. He tried a pickoff before the next pitch. I actually had to slide back in, but when I got up I forced a loogie and spit it in front of the base. I nudged Thielle (Area 51s 1B) and told him that I just created a new pitcher for them. Then I told him they'd need him because I'm going to be running all over Dailey. Next pitch, I'm safely sliding into second. By the end of the night I'd have three of those babies. Final line, 3-5, 2 runs scored, and 3 SB. Oh, and a completed sweep after a 5-1 win.

The next night we were in Austin and I led off the game with a home run. First pitch too. Call me a bad leadoff hitter for swinging at the first pitch, but David Davidson (future stud SP) had only thrown one pitch in his carreer and already he had given up a home run. That's what you call shaking someone up for the long haul. Oh, and I stole a base that night too.

Welcome to the OC

Welcome to the OC!! Where everyone is rich and white, just like God intended. I'm only kidding. I have started to learn quickly that a lot of what is said about the OC is actually true. You see the shows on TV and say, "It really can't be like that. That's an exaggeration." Only, it is actually like that. Oh, the drama isn't as constant as MTV makes it seem, but shallow rich white girls? Oh yeah. Ready to drop their pants if you have money? Not always, but it definately does happen. Very blonde? Yes, even the ones that aren't blonde, are in some way blonde.

I love it though. When I got the call that I had been drafted to the Crush, I was actually at the mall with my buddy Chase. I kind of made a scene about it. I jumped up on the counter of one of the kiosks and shouted at the top of my lungs, "I'M GOING TO THE OC!!" Some people looked at me like I was crazy, some girls that knew me just shook their heads because they've seen me do stuff like that before, and some people just started cheering because they knew me from seeing me play. I'd have to say a couple of them were probably cheering because they knew that I was leaving town. Anyway, my buddy Chase ran off to get me a "congratulations for getting drafted to the sluttiest area of the world" gift. It was a family pack of condoms.

Since getting to town it's been crazy with all the practices and such. Most days I get to the clubhouse around 11 AM. I'm usually there till around 6 or so. I've become the story teller on the team. I'm sure there are a bunch of players in the clubhouse that don't believe half of what I say, but whatever. We have fun.

I usually head down by the ocean and hit up a juice bar for an early morning treat. This is also a prime spot to meet girls when your new to town. I met a girl the other day and we went out after I was done with practice for the day. This wasn't one of those typical drop your pants girls. She doesn't do stuff like that on the first date. Respectable. In fact, we didn't really get too close at all. I'm not a complete dog so no big deal. Well, a couple hours later I get a message on my Blackberry (yes, everyone in the OC has one) with an appology for her prudence. In the message she included a link which led me to a site where she had a picture of her and three of her girlfriends in tiny bikinis. I guess she was trying to lure me in. The funny part about it was that I recognized her friend as a girl that I had hooked up with the first week I was here. That reminded me to give her a call, which led to us "having coffee". Yes I love the OC.

One last thing. That site she linked me to was www.ocgirls.org. It's relatively tame site about that has pictures of girls in their bikinis and says how wonderful it is to date OC girls. Whatever. Just don't get it confused with www.ocgirls.com, which is a site that I am still to young to check out without getting in trouble. I don't suggest clicking on the link to the latter, but if you happen to take a peek, I have met the girl named Jeska. We had coffee. I love the OC.

By the way mom, stop worrying. I'm taking care of myself and staying out of trouble.