Where the Grass Doth Grow

Happy 21st to me...

2008-07-20T22:58:00.002-06:00

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...

2008-06-01T01:27:00.002-06:00

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

2007-12-21T13:43:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-19T18:34:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-10T17:12:00.000-06:00

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

2007-11-10T16:52:00.000-06:00

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.

Hi fans

2007-07-19T12:02:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. It's been awhile since I wrote a blog. I'm sorry. Things come up. I've discovered how to perfect the art of using my celebrity to pick up girls. Outside of the Boston College campus, I'm not really that famous though. Damn you Boston media and your taking to the Red Sox over us. Damn you!!

I know, I know, there should be time to write during my down time in the clubhouse. Besides, that's where I'm writing this right now. But there are so many fun things to do this year that we weren't able to do last year. Like kick Guevara's ass in Playstation, or make fun of McPatrick's facial pubic hairs that he grows on his chin, or ask LaVillanuve if even he's shocked when he gets a win, or even marvel at how the hell Eric Srnka is batting .280 and why he tries to hang out with us all the time.

You all know that last year Riley and I were probably the only ones that hung out consistantly. LaVillanuve hung out at the end of the year as well, but really there wasn't too much comerodery in the clubhouse. This year though, we all seem to hang out for the most part. Guevara is a little bit distanced, but McPatrick seems to fit right in with the group and everyone is really loose around each other. The results have shown on the field as well.

It's no secret that I'll be after this year. It's a little wierd beings it's my first time going after a good contract. I've talked to Riley a couple times about it since he's been through it all before. I think my play the past couple years has given me plenty of leverage in the open market. I've gotten some crap from Riley with him saying I haven't had to face Alex Williams at all this year. I told him I also don't get to face Boston pitching ever so it all evens out. Oooooooh, burn baby!!

Well, I'm being summoned to play some Tiger Woods. Just to let everyone know, I've done a few interviews for some magazines and local TV shows, so keep your eyes peeled for those to be coming out soon. Peace.

Not quite Margraritaville, but good enough

2007-06-19T10:44:00.000-06:00

Let me start this by saying I've never really seen Shannon Young off of a baseball field. During a game, I don't find her attractive at all. She's more just one of the guys. But let me tell you guys and girls, she cleans up really really well. I somewhat remember trying to sweet talk her, but I believe it ended in her saying I'm just a baby.

It's day three on the cruise and we have all sorts of stuff going on this afternoon, including an autorgraph and memorabilia session where I get to roll out some of the new Boston Dirt Dogs jerseys. Ah, the perks of being the only member of your team on the cruise.

Yesterday was pretty fun, considering I hit it a little too hard the first night on board. Yesterday was pretty lax. I spent about an hour hanging out with the Loony Tunes characters. Taz is my boy. Spent a little too much time at the casino. Craps and Blackjack are not my strong points. I also attended my first ever show where the dancers wear the big feathers on their heads. Don't ask me what it's really called, I didn't pay too much attention. My attention was focussed elsewhere.

Ended up in the lounge for the rest of the night. It's kind of funny because the players on this cruise are pretty diverse. But the groups kind of break up with the older veterans splitting off and doing their own thing, and us younger guys whooping it up and doing our own thing. We had the rowdy corner of the lounge with myself, Ryan Shelton, Devon Walker, Kegan Collins, Douglas Weedman and Carlos Hernendez all taking advantage of the younger drinking age. This alone is an interesting group. Walker and Collins are both a little more reserved, or at least were on this night. Weedman, well, he is either highly intelligent or just straight up high and talking out of his ass. I don't make assumptions. And nobody can understand a damn word Hernendez says. Now, seeing as this was a rather expensive cruise for younger people, the women situation did not play in our favor. But one such young lady did appear, and my boy Ryan Shelton pointed her out instantly. She is a freshman in college and her parents brought her along on this trip as a christmas gift. They are a pretty wealthy family from Rhode Island. Yes, I do know more about her than Ryan Shelton... think about it. And no, I am not going to make her and her family happy by playing for Providence any time soon. But I do have a date for the dance tonight.

Frustrating

2007-05-26T14:26:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd see the day where I'd say this. I want out of my current situation. It's been said many times that baseball is baseball, you signed the deal now go out and play. I've said that many times myself. But once your in the position, it's extremely frustrating. We were starting to look really good too. The locker room was getting really tight, even to the point that Srnka was accepted as one of the guys for awhile. That feel good locker room is long gone now however.

Our GM is gone. I'm up in the air about how I feel about that. While there were things he did that I really liked, there were so many things that I wanted to strangle him for. He ultimately made the call for me to play SS, which, to be honest isn't sitting very well for me anymore. I thought it was a temporary thing for me, but I'm splitting time between CF and SS and it's really hard to get into a rythym. I guess it hasn't effected me too much however as I'm still one of the top batters in the league. It's just aggravating. I know it's not a good thing to do, and probably not something I should post in my blog, but the other night on the plane I made a list of which teams I'd most like to play on. Which is a little awkward, especially since I'm under contract for another full season. But anyway, here it is:

10) Elmira- They've improved, but those 7 straight titles still loom over them. I want to go somewhere that I'm going to help build something. I'm glad I never bothered with them when I came into the league.

9) Providence- A sinking ship that was never really afloat in my books.

8) Halifax- They've done some restructuring, but that team is still a financial mess waiting to happen. I do think I'd be able to step in and really help them out however.

7) Buffalo- No, just, no.

6) Allentown- That color purple? Could you really see me in purple? Didn't think so. Never going to happen.

5) New York- I love the city of New York, but I'm not sold on their GM, their current team, or their uniforms. The city however, would be a good fit for me.

4) Toronto- They kind of have their own thing going there. I like the team and GM, but just can't see myself playing there.

3) Hartford- They're not a dynasty yet so I'd be happy helping their cause. Unfortunately Chalmers is there and I don't think they are in any hurry to replace him.

2) Bridgeport- They like defense, I'm as good as they come. They need hitting, I'm batting over .300. Rumor has it that Gofenberg is leaving after the season. To me it seems like a perfect fit. I like their attitude, I like their unis, I like that they are building their history, I like the farm system they have set up. I like 'em a lot.

1) Boston- Ironic huh? Yeah, I love Boston and the fans. I like the following I have here. It's just that things need to change in order for me to be able to stay. Hopefully the new GM breathes new life into this organization. But right now things just need to change.

No Shame

2007-05-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, I'm going to say it. I'm going to throw a teamate under the bus. It's against the "code", but it needs to be done. With that said, here goes:

James Srnka may be the biggest cock sucker in the league. I just can't help but to imply it. How else can a guy that's hitting .215 be an all-star? Sure he's got 18 HRs, but still, .215? That's rediculous. ADDITIONALLY, he's got four errors in right field!!

Your telling me this hack deserves to be an all-star more than a guy with these stats? .309 BA, 31 SB, team leader in almost every category, and only one error in 552 innings? Throw the host team a bone man. James Srnka does not deserve to be an all-star. Ask him yourself, and if he says he does, kick him hard in the shin. Anyone can hit 18 HRs if they step up to the plate swinging for the fences every time up. Srnka does that and it pisses me and the rest of the guys right the hell off. I'm pleading with the people in the league office. Do the right thing, pull the plug on sending Srnka to Bridgeport for the All-Star game and give the home fans some love. Put the only bright spot that sorry excuse for a team has in centerfield so those poor fans have something to cheer about. Shaun Gofenberg should be an all-star just for playing on that shitty ass team.

Another option would be to send yours truely. .311 BA, no errors in 400+ innings in center, only 1 error out of position in 175 innings at short, not to mention 39 runs scored. It's only just and fair. Anybody but Srnka. I plead with you all. And no, I'm not scared of Srnka, because I said it to his face. He kind of agrees. Except he keeps saying "18 home runs man. Chicks dig the long ball." Whatever dude, that's why you haven't gotten laid in the year that I've been here. What a douchebag.

The Talking Heads

2007-05-14T09:18:00.000-06:00

Everyone sit down before you read this next line, we don't want anyone to collapse. The Boston Bandits have won 7 of their last 9 games. I know, I know. It's utterly stunning. Last week I wrote about the Alex Williams and we tore it up there after. But this week, I'm going to tempt superstition and write about our beloved Bandits. If we end up losing a bunch of games, you can bet that the rest of the season I'll be writing about the Shannon Young/Pierre LaVillenuve affair that may or may not be happening, Neil O'Rourke's vengeful pitching this season, silly little Japanese pitchers taking steroids and how reheated pizza and milk may be the greatest breakfast ever. My faithful readers are now hoping for an 0-15 run before the Allstar break so they can read about those riveting topics.

Do you remember that old Talking Heads song? The one where it says you may find yourself in a beautiful house with a beautiful wife? And you may ask yourself how did you get here? Well, that's kind of the collective questioning in Boston right now. Sure it's been against Elmira, New York and Buffalo, but we are still Boston. Plus all three teams have had guys get caught on 'roids, so whose to say that everybody on all those teams aren't juicing up? Pretty damn impressive if you ask me. You know what is a nice sweetener for this curren trend? I'm on a 7-game hitting streak and my BA is over .300. You remember last year at this time when I was stuck down at AAA and wasn't getting any PT, then I get called up to the Bigs and am inserted directly into the starting line-up? I remember that and all the skeptisizm that surrounded that move. Looks like it's worked out pretty well for the team.

Winning is kind of a sweet nector. I could already feel myself getting blood thirsty to be a winner, but now, after getting a taste of success, I don't know if I can go back. Hopefully this isn't just a short trend. This is the direction that we all saw this team headed last year when we had the top farm system. We're finally headed down that road, and if we fall back again, I just may snap. But fear not Boston fans. Your big mouthed vocal leader isn't looking to bail out. Halifax's blue is too light to be cool, Hartford teal is just wrong. And Allentown purple? Don't even get me started on Allentown purple. That's just wrong.

As long as this winning run isn' just a mirage, you may be seeing me in a Boston jersey for a long time. Just throwing that out there.

Not THAT good

2007-05-11T12:57:00.000-06:00

Another "meh" week and some wondered if I'd have anything to write this week. Well, as part of my obligations to NEBL.com to be the Boston Blogger, I will tough it out and get some good quality reading material to you the fans. However, I regret to inform you all that this weeks edition has very little to do with Boston, and a lot to do with one certain player who you may have heard of.

This blog was inspired by Elmira's patheticness. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Iriquois only 1 1/2 seasons removed from winning 7 consecutive Patriot Cups? Now the mighty have fallen so far as to throw a city wide celebration for beating Alex Williams in a mid-May game? Really? The guy isn't that unbeatable. He lost two games last year during the regular season and then had a meltdown in the playoffs last year and got totally outclassed by Shannon Young (that's a blog for a whole different time). This is the same Alex Williams that should have by all means lost on opening day to laughing stock expansion team Bridgeport. So what gives? Why all the hesteria?

In Boston we're guilty of the Williamsphobia too. Basically, Alex Williams is like Jesus. If only instead of being great at life, Jesus were great at baseball and a very shitty person. And yes, I stand firmly behind the fact that AW is a shitty person. (I know this might cause a big whelt from a 175+ mph fastball next time we face them, but it needs to be said.) He's signed for a rediculously overpriced contract. For a guy who only factors into 20% of the total games for the team, you'd think that $57 million after all is said and done is a little steep. And Halifax will feel it too in a couple years when they are so far in dept that they take a turn much worse than Elmira's. And even after taking all of Halifax's money, what does AW do to show his respect to the team? He starts rumors that he may be opting out of his contract at the end of the year. Not restructuring, but opting out. He's already burnt his bridge with Elmira fans, and now he's ready to turn his back on Halifax as well. Well, that's admirable.

Now there is the steroids issue. Well, not so much steroids, but HGH. (Bridgeport fans get huge props from me for being the first crowd to chant "HGH" for entire innings when Williams was on the mound agaisnt them. "Classy" is the best way to describe that bunch.) I'm not going to get myself into trouble and say that beyond a shadow of a doubt he was on them, but look at his numbers man. How can he throw that hard for that long each game? I know that has nothing to do with the break in his pitches, and I've already addressed that to an umpire one time. (I turned to the home plate ump one time and told him that AW needs to cut his fingernails so he can't tamper with the ball anymore.) AW is a cheater, a liar, probably a virgin and completely unworthy of a city wide parade.

Yes he won a few championships with Elmira, but if you think he's going to be able to put Halifax over the top against Hartford, well, expect a recurrance of last year. That team had no money to add players where they needed help, mostly because of AW. Savior? No. I'm a firm believer that satan crapped him out and placed him on earth because even he couldn't stand him. And on that note, I'm going to end this now. I'm guessing a stint on the DL could be upcoming the next time we face his roid loaded arm.

A new degree of suckiness

2007-05-09T15:46:00.000-06:00

So, with the season quickly spiraling out of hand, the running joke in the clubhouse is, "hey, at least we're not as bad as Bridgeport." Guess what, we just got swept by Bridgeport. I don't even think that their team is batting over .200. I can't name a single thing that club does well. But they still swept us. Unfreaking believeable. You don't completely hate life until your swept by an expansion team, or Elmira last year, but that's a whole different story. And since I mentioned Elmira, I think it's worth mentioning that we are killing them by taking the first three of a four game set, with yours truely setting the pace for the series with a 3-5, 4 RBI performance.

So moving on, I noticed something when looking at the standings. Bridgeport is no longer completely crappy. They are just really crappy. No, the completely crappy team right now is New York. I really think we need a good dose of New York right now. I don't mean to be negative about this team, because I love playing with every one of the guys on the roster. It's just that we have made absolutely no progress as a team since last year. In fact, I think we're a little worse off. And it's not like we aren't giving it our all. But at the end of the day, or the beginning really, I just tend to open up the paper and wait for the little transactions section to tell me the calvary is being brought in to save us.

Oh well, I guess the warm days of summer are almost here, and with that comes the many many skank tanks worn by the beautiful Boston girls. So we have that to look forward to at least.

Well, Riley, LaVillenuve and I ordered a pizza and it just arrived. What a perfect pregame meal, don't you think?

Airing it out...

2007-05-07T10:38:00.000-06:00

So, remember last year when I was placed at SS in the middle of a game and everyone had a collective heart attack until I made a diving play on a sure hit up the middle? Well, seems like that got management's brains turning and now guess who is a platoon player. Me, twice. I get to platoon at Short and Centerfield. While this means I still get to play everyday it does hinder my shot at the coveted Ken Griffey award. The funny thing is that there was no warning either. I got to the clubhouse last week and looked at the posted lineup, seeing we were facing a lefty I am batting second that day. No big thing. I don't look twice at the lineup and go about my normal routine of making fun of LaVillenuve about his deer in headlights look (he had just gotten called up) and listening to Riley to beg me to hook him up with my other sister, who doesn't exist.

Funny story with Riley. His brother Neil, yes, the one and only Neil O'Rourke, is dating my older sister. Yeah, sweet. So Riley, with some sort of complex feels he needs to date a Mack girl. Apparently being the best pitcher on a shitty team isn't enough. And we have this discussion at least twice week. This is what happens when your team is so bad. You run out of fun things to talk about and instead agree with a 22-year-old guy that you'll be sure to tell your parents to make another little girl so he can date her. I'm telling you, this isn't good for any of our sanity.

Back to the story at hand though, so it's game time and I'm leaving the dugout and headed off into the beautiful green grass of centerfield. Juan Pierre taps me on the shoulder and shakes his head no. Which pisses me off because I know I saw my name on the lineup card. So just as I'm about to throw down, he tells me I'm not in Center, but rather at Short. A little unprepared yes, but not rattled enough to not be able to make plays at the position.

I will petition this however. To the higher ups of the league, please note my request. Can we please have a utility Griffey Award? I'm doing everything. I'm playing my ass off, sacrificing my position and still playing top notch ball, all for a very bad team. Please, please note this and throw me a bone.

P.S.- I still love Boston fans. Well, the few that still come out and see us I guess.

She Gone

2007-04-06T15:38:00.000-06:00

394

That's the distance of my first NEBL home run. Not going to lie, it felt pretty damn good watching that ball carry. Don't get me wrong, that's not my game and that's not what I'm going to try to do on a regular basis. I am and always will be a player that gets on base by hitting to all fields.

This was the perfect opertunity to go for the big one though. Ulrichson has a tendency to toss some creampuffs. With a two run lead and two outs in the second (that's a lot of twos) and nobody on base, I figured what the hell. He tried to bring the heat and left it over the plate, I was able to get a good read on it, got around on it and boom, it was gonzo. One thing about the home run is that you can feel it off the bat when it's going to travel. On a typical line drive or bloop shot it there is a bit of vibration. But when you get the ball in the sweet spot and get a good swing on it you don't feel a darn thing. Hear the crack and skip.

Got an email with a link to a radio talk show from one of my buddies yesterday. The host was talking about my "wreckless" play. A bunch of calls supportive of my hustle on that program. My favorite was from the guy out of Buffalo that said I was a big mouthed kid and he hoped I would run into a wall and break my jaw so I couldn't talk anymore. A classy bunch of people up in that area.

Well, 20 minutes until BP. I appreciate all the supportive fan mail. Jenna from Providence, make sure your watching the game tonight. I'll make a play out there for you.

Loving the Life

2007-04-03T10:47:00.000-06:00

Not gonna lie. Life in the Big Leagues is sweet. I love the post game interviews, I like the autograph signings, I love hearing my music when I step up to bat and I especially love how the crowd gets behind you when you make a big play. Lights, cameras, action. This is what it's all about. I've found myself more motivated to come to the park these past few weeks, knowing that I'm going to be roaming the field and getting live game action.

The best part is that I'm starting to get my bat going now. I'm really getting comfortable at seeing some of the different pitches. There are still times that I go up there and just get completely overmatched, but those appearances are getting fewer and farther in between.

The biggest turning point was facing Casey Lane and Shannon Young when we played Hartford. Those two have been around for awhile and have proven they know what they are doing. I stepped up against them with the idea that I'd just take what they gave me instead of forcing the issue. It worked well too. I got a single and a walk against Young as we roughed her up in what may have been her worst outing of the season.

One thing has led to another and now I really feel like a major contributor to this team. Even though we are sucking pretty badly right now things will turn around soon. We have a nice young nucleus. In the meantime, I'll gladly except my new-found stardom. I was suprised the other day when an old friend sent me a column from the Life section of the Boston Herald, where one of their young female columnist mentioned me as an up and coming local hottie and wrote a paragraph about how I'm going to be the next heart throb in town. I've also since started recieving more and more fan mail from our female fan base. Since I'm only 18 the main age range of these fans has been 16-25. I've recieved some interesting pictures from some of them. But just for further notice, any of my young lady fans under the age of 18, please, keep the pictures legal. Over the age 18? Keep 'em coming.

Play Ball?

2007-03-20T18:32:00.000-06:00

.148
.263
.194
I just wanted to throw those numbers out there. From left to right those are the batting averages of our big league team's starters. Just wanted to throw that out there.

15
That's the total number of AAA games played by me, Gaskil, Jackson and Rodriguez, the four top outfield prospects for the club.

.353
.444
.333
.316
Those are our respective averages when we do get to play.

I know I'm not doing myself any favors by complaining, but seriously, something needs to be said/done. Anyone who knows me knows that I am extremely competitive. And believe me, our AAA team's success has been good this year. But when you look at the standings and see your parent team is 18-42 it kind of puts a damper on the spirits. Especially when you see the attrocious numbers that are being put up by the guys up there.

The big thing is, I just want to play. The only hitting I get to do is in the batting cage anymore. I could see if I stunk, but I don't. I'm batting .353 and have converted on the few big hit oppertunities I have had. Not to mention my fielding is second to none. Fans will often say to shut up and just play the game. Believe you me, if I was given the chance to play the game I would gladly shut up. But when you don't get a chance and all you see is failure all around you, you start to question the guys in charge.

I didn't come to this team to sit on the bench of the AAA team. I came to this team get a chance to develop and eventually help get them over the hump. I was signed with the promise of getting that chance to develop. Guess that's not going to happen this year. I don't want to, but if I have to I guess I'll just ride out the next three years and find someone who will play me somewhere. I'd even go for playing catcher right now. Just get me on the damn field. Is anybody there?

Big League Deaming

2007-03-11T10:50:00.000-06:00

So I just took my picture for our AAA team's media guide. A good face shot if I do say so myself. I got a lot of crap from the boys on the AA squad when I got bumped up a level since I only played in one game. But in that one game I was 2-4 with a triple and an RBI, not to mention a routine diving catch and one that saw me plow into the wall with a full head of steem. Hey, when you play hard, good things happen.

Granted I don't get much more playing time at this level (seeings I only played in one of my ten games with this club) but I am just one more step closer to making our big league squad and I can really start to make a name for myself. Oh, and the one game I played at this level, yeah, two hits, a double, two rbi, and a run scored. Not too shabby. Nothing spectacular in the field, but when the plays aren't there to make, it's kind of hard to make them I guess.

My coaches have been telling me that they are very suprised by my fielding, but I thought that was the whole reason I was signed. The main thing is that I'm feeling really comfortable at the plate. That's where the biggest adjustments need to be made and I think I'm adapting nicely. It's only a matter of time before I'm stealing home funs from the Michael Leclairs and driving in runs against the Alex Williams'. Hey, nobody else can hit the guy, but someone has to be able to get to the guy. Why not me?

Opening day...

2007-03-07T16:24:00.000-06:00

...and Jay Feely is obviously bored since he doesn't get to play until day 3 of the season. Why is it so obvious he's bored you ask? Oh, I'll feed you baby birds, don't you worry. So I got a call this morning from one of my peeps, a member of my enterouge if you will, telling me that he found and interesting blog post linked off of the Allentown Angels site. He says it might interest me to check it out. So I do, while eating some delicious honey bunches of oats and I find a link to Feely's Feelings. It seems as though someone struck a nerve with this poor fella. Feely is feeling icky on this day. And why you ask? Well, because Feely an blog entry by one Sean Mack and felt the need to then attack said Mack. This my fine furry friends is why it is pretty damn obvious that Jay Feely is bored. He took the time out of his opening day schedule to write a blog attacking an 18-year-old prospect. Nice Jay, really nice. I'm sure your lady friend is real proud of you after that post.

Dude, obviously I must be more than a one and done rookie. I mean, you did read my blog right? That has to say something? Second, why are you calling out someone who isn't even in the big leagues yet? Aren't there guys up there who you could call out? Someone you can start a rivalry with immediately instead of starting beef with a guy in the minor league system? Oh yea, you're thirty-one, have a losing career record, and your an impressive 1-4 with an sweet 10.80 postseason stat line. I can't wait till I'm called up, and believe me, it will be soon. I hope your the first big league pitcher I face, it will be amazing. I hope you come up and in on me too. Hell, make it more interesting for me. Get a life man. Better yet, get a pension plan. Your going to need it when all these young guns come up and your put out to the pasture.

Anyway, on to better things. I had a good Spring Training. I was putting good wood on the ball. I worked a little bit on my base running and I've gotten a little quicker down the line, which also means more fly balls I can get to. It's looking to be a good season and hopefully you'll see me in a Bandits uni by the end of the year.

Until next time, let's all enjoy some "Juicy Juice". Or maybe a Capri Sun if you want something a little better. Peace

Media = Morons

2007-03-05T13:16:00.000-06:00

Welcome one and all to the official blog of Sean Mack. Over the course of the season I'll be filling you in on current events and happenings with my career, such as whose home run I stole, how many times some bitter washed up pitcher threw at my head and which current celebrity I'm bed hopping with. But that's all in the future, today we're going to talk about the media.

Why do media members insist on asking the same dried up lame questions over and over again, yet complain that answers from us athletes are cliche? Why doesn't Outside the Lines to an in depth report on this?

For example, the other day I was asked by five different reporters how it felt to be in the NEBL. Seriously guys? You got a college degree and that's the best question you can come up with? Yep, that was $75,000 well spent. But to answer your question, it feels fucking great. I signed a $6 million contract before I turned 17. I have the newest Blackberry that blows your crappy LG phone out of the water. I live in a sweet apartment near the Fenway district and I'm buying myself a Beamer for my 18h birthday. Yeah, it feels pretty good.

When we do batting practice I like to get mine out of the way right away and then roam centerfield the rest of the time and chase everything down. I love it. I love going over the fence and pulling back a homerun ball even though it's completely meaningless at this point. One reporter asked me why I do this, and this kind of leads to a whole new rant. The truth of the matter is this. Chicks don't dig the long ball anymore. People don't want to see big steroid infested meatheads that have to hit the ball 500 feet just so they can run the bases. This is a new era. It's the grinderball era. People want to see someone who is going to go 110 miles an hour and crash into the fence to make that big out to get out of a jam. They want to see the guy who is going to dive into the stands to catch that foul ball. Let's not forget the guy who is willing to put his shoulder down and bulldoze some panzy overpadded catcher. That's what people want to see and that's what Sean Mack is about.

The best was when I had some guy ask me what it was like to be a part of a bottom dwelling team. I looked at him for a moment and then told him we're currently tied for first. Then I asked him how it felt to be in his mid 30's and working for a small market television station. I have no time for ignorance.