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.