Beverage of the Week: Blue Monster

Introducing our first "Beverage of the Week," here is the new and improved Blue Monster which recently made its way onto the shelves and into our hearts.
Who cares if 20 years down the road we'll develop some sort of kidney failure---Absolutely Zero Monster not only quenches thirst, it provides us with essential B vitamins and enough energy to run a marathon.
No sugar...no carbs...no problem.
Much love Blue Monster. Unleash the beast.

Buzzkill: Cold Weather Games

Coming back from Florida and stepping off the plane into 30 degree weather reminded me of early spring games and playing in cold weather.  There's nothing worse than playing in cold weather.  The walk to the locker room in your jacket and jeans is deceiving and you think it's not that bad but then after you change into your uniform and get outside and step outside and you already know it's going to be a miserable day.  I can't stand wearing Under Armour cold gear because it's so tight it makes it tough to breathe and it's not even that warm.  Sleeves don't make a difference in 40 degree weather.  You can't feel your fingers while playing so throwing is harder and hitting a ball on the barrel even stings hitter's hands.  Sitting on the bench is even worse.  You don't move much and the bench never seemed so cold.  No one wants to play or watch baseball in cold weather.  My suggestion is to move the season back a month and it would help avoid playing in miserable weather.

Eating on the Road

As Mr. Porter touched upon in previous posts, a majority of a collegiate baseball player's time is spent traveling. Whether it's a 4 hour flight or an hour bus ride, accommodations have to be made in order to make sure that the players are taking in the proper amount of calories. However, it's an absolute understatement to say that it's difficult to maintain a healthy diet on the road.

90% of the time, you either (a)fly or (b)take a bus when you travel. Here's a breakdown of each mode of transportation and how they directly affect the 'diet' of a college baseball player.

Airports: You don't have to be a normie in CSOM to realize that when things are extremely convenient, you're gonna pay out the ass for it. You'll get off the plane after a miserable 4 hour flight and, after being teased with pretzel sticks and 'blue' chips the entire time, realize that you need some real food.
It just so happens that aside from the unhealthy fast food restaurants scattered throughout the terminal, there are one or two spots that offer a more healthy choice---for a price. For over $8, you can usually grab a turkey & swiss sandwich on stale wheat that wouldn't satiate the appetite of an anorexic teenager.
What do you do 75% of the time? Put your diet on hold for the time being, bite the bullet, and satisfy your hunger with a greasy Bic Mac and french fries.

Bus Trips: It's a little easier to maintain a 'diet' when you travel on the road because the bus driver somehow finds a shopping center that contains several of the following restaurants:
- Burger King
- Checkers
- Chick-fil-A
- McDonalds
- Wendy's
- Steak & Shake
- Subway***
- Quiznos
- Arby's
- Dairy Queen
- KFC
- Panda Express
- Taco Bell

***Subway is a solid choice, but when 35 guys scatter off the bus and rush to the counter, you're looking at a 30minute wait to get your food. If this happens, you get the same result as you would in the airport.

Buzzkill: Bad Movies

Is there anything worse than a bad movie?  In the first 20 minutes of the movie you can pretty much tell whether it's going to be good or not.  Is it just me or do you always end up watching the full movie because "it can't be that bad, right"?  And then it has always has that ending where you're questioning why you just wasted 2 hours of your life.  The worst time to watch a bad movie is on the team bus because there's always the guy who brought the movie and loves it and laughs at the "hilarious" parts and even when everyone wants to turn it off he always suggests "it gets better".  To make matters worse the volume is turned up so loud that you can't sleep, you can't talk to the guy next to you, and even noise cancelers can't do the trick.  All I'm asking for is a classic movie that the majority of the team can enjoy and maybe even quote it after.

Ham's Take on Tebow

I have to admit I was on the bandwagon for disliking Tim Tebow.  I loved his post game speech after the loss to Ole Miss.  However, that was the extent of my like for him.  I mean everywhere you looked there he was doing something great.  But I think a lot of my dislike for him came from the media.  I don't think there's anything more I hate than the media.  I won't say I hate all media but for the most part they deserved to be punched for the questions they ask.  They want reactions from players because that's their job--get people to watch.  Who wouldn't want to watch a player or coach lose it (Lou Piniella is a favorite).  I could go on and on about the media but that's not what this post is about.  After watching ESPN's documentary on Tebow I don't dislike him anymore and I have respect for the guy.  

Pre-Workout Supplements

Supplements, or as we like to call them "suppies", have been around for a while and slowly have become an essential pre-game ritual in our locker room before lifts.  Guys have the pre-workout, post-workout, and the rare, but not frowned upon, drink while you lift supplements.  Before I came to college I would drink a protein shake after a lift and I tried creatine but that was the extent of my "usage".  When I got to college I was introduced to the pre-workout supplement and I was hooked.  I wanted to try every last pre-workout supplement I could get my hands on; N.O. Explode, Superpump, Jack3d, NANO Vapor, NO Shotgun, Redline, NO2, Black Powder, Xtend (not to be confused with Xtenze), Endorush. You get the point.  I was a fiend for that energy 'buzz' to get an extra couple reps and a better pump.

What I have learned is everyone, including your teammates or GNC "specialist" will tell you (put supplement here) works better than (put supplement here).  Personally, I still go back to my roots and buy NO Explode and Mr. I Only Lift My Chest and Bi's behind the counter at GNC tells me he has something newer and much better every time I put it on the counter.  Most likely I've tried the product he's talking about and most likely it's a product to which he reaps the most commission off but that's a different story.  Every product is different and what might work well for someone else doesn't work as well for you.  Guys have told me they had the best workout using Superpump or Jack3d but I don't feel a single thing.  I would suggest trying different products by trading a couple scoops with a friend to see what works best for you.  

Pre-game Skits

The past few years our hitters had to line up in two lines (Lefties and Righties)  in the outfield and "visualize" a sac bunt, hit and run, driving the ball the other way, etc as our coach would wind up and would pretend to throw a fastball, curveball, slider, or change up.    It was comical for the pitchers to watch.  Our hitters hated it and would wait in the outfield to "visualize".  What started out as a joke for the hitters became a pre-game ritual for our whole team.  Fans would watch and scouts would even come up to our other coaches and tell them they thought the skit was great.  Our coach's walk to the outfield was annoyingly slow so we had plenty of time.  The first skit started out of sure hate for this coach.  As he was walking to the outfield the hitters took their bats and "visualized" using them as guns.  It looked like an 18th century war re-enactment.  Guys were crawling on the ground pretending to fill their gun like a musket.  Someone actually got it on tape and it was featured on the video at the conference tournament banquet.  Needless to say it was an instant hit on our team and a lot of thought went into these skits.  Some of them had to do with the team we were playing, some had to do with current events, and some were just because.

Playing a Ranked Team

It's cool to be ranked but it really doesn't matter when it comes down to it.  It's more of a status than anything and that's why you play the game.  Hell, if rankings really mattered they would just take the top 8 teams and go to Omaha.  It's easy to look and say "we're playing the #3 team in the country we might not as well play".  You have to accept it as a challenge because it's just another team.  If you play into the rankings you're most likely going to lose because you're expecting to lose.  The bases are still 90 feet away, the mound is 60 feet 6 inches, and they put on their uniform the same way as you do.  The series is going to be a dogfight but it's a great feeling to be the underdog when no one expects you to win the series or even a game.  Then you go into their house and quiet their sellout crowd.  I don't think there's anything better than seeing the stunned look on the faces of the players and the fans.

Carmelo Traded to Knicks

Finally this trade is over with and after today we won't have to hear about any more trade rumors with Carmelo.  The Knicks are now a serious contender with Billups, Anthony, and Stoudemire.  This is a big three that isn't going to get the recognition of the Celtics and Heat Big 3 but could be as good.  I wouldn't be surprised if Carmelo got into serious trouble in New York though.  He was suspended for 15 games for getting in a brawl with the Knicks and he doesn't seem to be the greatest locker room guy.

I almost forgot I could really care less about the NBA in the regular season.  Tell me when the Finals start and I might watch if the teams are fun to watch.  Does anyone really watch/care about the NBA in the regular season? 

Baseball Tonight

I can't wait for Baseball Tonight to start back up because it's hands down the best sports show on television.  You don't have to waste your time watching women's basketball highlights or listening to analysts try and predict where Carmelo Anthony is going to be traded to.  No two guys know more about baseball than Tim Kurkjian and Peter Gammons.

Ham's Movie of the Week -- The Fighter

The Fighter is based on the true story of Mickey Ward and the effects of his family on his boxing career.  Mark Wahlberg plays Mickey and Christian Bale (Dickie) plays Mickey's crack addicted brother who trains him.  Before seeing this movie I thought it was just going to be a typical boxing movie where there's training, fights, and the main character finally wins the belt, and half of the movie is the fights.  If you're looking for a movie that's all about boxing this isn't the movie for you.

Sunday Road Games

Winning Sunday road games makes the trip home and getting back to campus later that night a little easier.  After any loss the bus is miserable and the bus/plane ride home seems that much longer.  Throw in getting swept and you might as well be at the morgue.  You can lose the first two but if you win on Sunday everyone only seems to remember that.  Even though you lost the series you still came out to play and avoided getting swept. You can take the first two games but if you lose on Sunday it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, especially if you lose because you didn't come ready to play.  You're not happy, your teammates aren't happy, and the coaches aren't happy which makes pregame or god forbid practice on Tuesday all that much more exciting.  I've heard it referred to as "Championship Sunday" (anyone who knows what I'm talking about is sick to their stomach) but the truth is most of the time the series is won on Sunday leading to a better trip home.

Life On the Road

As a northern program we usually spend the first month of the season on the road.  When I hear away games I automatically think airports, buses, hotels, study hall, hotel breakfast, warm weather, and tan (sunburn for myself).  The upside to the road is we don't have to worry about waking up at 6:30 in the morning for tarp duty which tends to happen at least once a weekend at home.  Suitcases turn into dressers and hotels become our homes.  I actually get more sleep on the road because the dorms aren't quite the quietest on weekends.  I'm almost positive the walls are just our imagination at 3 A.M. when the neighbors are getting back from their night out and can't go to bed so instead choose to have the bar come back and have a sing-along to "The Show Goes On".  (It's alright though because we get them back at 6:30 in the morning to Eminem's "Stay Wide Awake"). Flying is definitely better than taking a bus but it never ceases to amaze me the questions asked by strangers and airport security. "Oh you play baseball? Are you guys going to Spring Training?" Yea we're actually skipping a month and a half of school to go down and play major league teams.

Buying In to the Team

Throughout the course of a baseball game there is always a play or few which decide the winner and loser. It might be a home run, sac fly, double, error, missed opportunity, etc.  Obviously the score at the end of the game is what matters the most but there is much more that goes into that.  College baseball is about playing at a high level and buying in to the team concept.  There aren't many programs that draw the attendance to feed off the crowd like football and basketball.  Generally, the teams that play at a higher energy level win close games.  

Opening Day

Today is the national start day for college baseball. There are many story lines surrounding this season such as Garret Wittels breaking Robin Ventura's hit streak, runs coming at a premium due to new bats, and Rosenblatt Stadium is only a memory.  For the past seven months we've waited and prepared ourselves for this day.  Opening day is sure to generate some adrenaline and also turn some stomachs.  For northern programs it's the first time being outside and fly balls and pop-ups seem to dance in the air.  The sun never looked so bright and the grass never looked so green.  It's a day to break in the freshman but outside of the first inning it's just another game to the older guys.  Opening weekend doesn't tell how the season will end up but it gives a sense of where you're at.

Competing

Who could forget this freak out?

Competitiveness separates the men from the boys.  I don't care if it's baseball, xbox, or playing Candyland with my 5 year old niece I hate losing. Hell when I was younger shooting hoops in the backyard and counting down from 10 to beat the buzzer I hated losing--even to myself.  Although I hate losing I love competing.  When I was injured I challenged everyone in basically anything I could.  The first couple months after surgery my whole right arm would be sore after a game of Fifa or 9 holes of Tiger Woods but I had to play to keep my sanity. 

Stadium of the Week: Arkansas Razorbacks

I don't think anyone could argue that Baum Stadium at George Cole Field is one of the top places to play in the country.  The stadium holds around 10,500 and features 34 luxury boxes.  The Razorbacks averaged more than 8,000 per game in 2007.  Needless to say this stadium would be a very nice minor league park. Fast-Forward to 50 seconds.

Will the Cardinals sign Pujols?

Yes, I know in my previous post I talked about beating a dead horse with the whole Pujols contract situation but I grew up a Cardinals fan and I need to blow off some steam. With the "deadline" to sign Pujols passing it makes any Cardinal fan, like myself, cringe.  Pujols has been underpaid since the day he stepped into Busch Stadium and it makes everyone scratch their head as to why the Cardinals can't come to an agreement with the best player in baseball, possibly one of the greatest of all-time. The Phillies gave Howard $25 million/year and the Yankees gave Teixeira $22.5 million/year which has to make Pujols at least a $30 million guy.

Countdown to First Pitch: 44 hours

I've got to say, I'm more excited for this weekend than a fat kid at thanksgiving.
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Finally...morning runs and lifts are behind us. One goal in mind now----beat every team we face.
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We're the underdogs. Teams think they can roll right past us. Fuck that... We've worked harder than any team out there and I guarantee you that after this weekend, every scout and every sports writer that thinks he knows everything there is to know about baseball will be asking the same question..."Where the hell did these guys come from?"
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Sportscenter: Sometimes Too Much

I'm watching Sportscenter and the first 10 minutes is about Albert Pujols and the deadline for his contract.  I mean I'm a huge Cardinals fan but I'm actually glad that Pujols put a deadline because I think SC would have covered it like they covered Brett Favre three summers ago.  I didn't watch SC the whole summer because I swear half the show was devoted to him.  Don't get me wrong I love the show and it is the by far the best sports show on TV.  All I'm saying is I remember the old days with the crew of Kenny Mayne, Dan Patrick, Steve Levy, Rich Eisen, and Stuart Scott. BOOYAH!  I've spent many study hours over my college career watching the commercials (Y2K, Big Buddy, Perfect Show, Initiation). I'm not a big fan of the bar on the side that tells me what's "coming up". I'm going to watch the show anyway and the headline always spoils the story anyway.  It's almost like they are trying to do too much instead of staying within themselves and playing their game.  They know they are the "leader in sports" and there isn't even a close second so all I'm asking is to act like it.  I'll leave you with this...

Buzzkill of the Day: Bucket Duty

To hitters, batting practice is one of the best and most important parts of their day. For one unlucky pitcher, it's hell.

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Fetch the balls and stay the fuck out of the way of the outfielders---this is the job description of the entire pitching staff.

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The term is 'shagging,' and trust me, it's like watching paint dry. Hitters are using all parts of the field, crushing balls down the line, and even hitting them out of the park (unless you're a 2B). Shaggers become the fetch-dogs of BP. There's only one thing that gets you through the hour-long turmoil---"Hey, we could be doing the bucket."

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'The bucket' is primarily assigned to starting pitchers that threw the previous day. As a starting pitcher, I have done my fair share of bucket duties and let me tell you...whether you got shelled and didn't make it past the 3rd (happened way too many times) or threw 8 shut-out innings, the bucket would diminish any ounce of pride you had prior to BP.

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The process of running the bucket is quite simple:

1. Pick up the balls that are rolled to you from your fellow pitchers

2. Angrily throw them into the bucket...making sure to mix in your different grips

3. When the bucket fills up, make the 90ft trot from short-CF to the mound

4. Drop off the balls

5. Jog back

6. Repeat

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You've picked up what felt like 4oo baseballs and made more deliveries than the guy from Boston House of Pizza---and all you wanted to do was play Password in the outfield. Talk about a Buzzkill.

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Being Bucket Bitch of the Day = bigger buzzkill than Buzz Killington

Tough Look: Snooki

I still think they made her look better than she does...

Go Away

Yeah I don't hurl fire and if I tried to juggle three girls like Spuds I'd be guaranteed nothing to go home with, my response? Karen Deever. Now that that is out of the way I figured I would lead it off with a little something I like to call Go Away. This one is pretty obvious but Lindsay Lohan, go away. We get it, you're edgy and hip and you're keeping us guessing with this whole life on the edge thing. But I'm also pretty sure I speak for everybody here when I say either find religion or OD on that bag of whatever that I'm sure you have sitting right in between your Frosted Flakes and Fruity Pebbles. Are you a lesbian or not make up your mind because that thing you just have to get your picture taken with is making me a little nervous.



Why do you feel like you don't have to pay for things? Let me let you in on a little secret, Disney isn't banging down your door anymore and I'm pretty sure you're drier than the Sahara Desert (talent wise and, well, you know). You had so much potential coming out of the minors, Spuds, Ham, and I were just the other day watching the Parent Trap and saying "What If". What if you never got addicted to nose candy? What if you just decided to wear even a thong when you know you will be getting out of a car? What if you took one of your multiple get out of jail free cards, and stayed the fuck out. I pray we never see a post '04 Lohan Sex Tape because I just don't think I can take anymore. Go Away Lindsay, far far away; clean it up, mix in a Big Mac or 30, get a little downtown remodeling, then we can talk.

Introducing the newest writer -- Artie Devanzo

I would like to introduce another contributor to the site.  He would like to go by the name of Artie Devanzo. I'm letting this name slide a little because there are some similarities between the writer and Artie-- mainly similar body types, athletic ability, and talk a huge game.  Artie loves to relive those good old high school days and remind everyone that he has a job by walking around with a briefcase.  Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to his posts and we'll see if Artie can walk the walk.

Badass of the Week: Tom Walter

LoCA proudly introduces the first Badass of the Week award: Wake Forest's head baseball coach Tom Walter.

As a high school senior in Columbus, Ga., WFU-bound Kevin Jordan had a difficult time bouncing back from the flu and lost 20 pounds before doctors discovered that his kidney was functioning at only 15%.

By the time he was enrolled at Wake Forest, kidney failure became a strong possibility. After various blood tests within his immediate family determined that there was no match, Walter stepped in.

After taking a blood test on Jan. 28th, it was determined that Walter was indeed a match. The transplant took place that Monday and as of now, both Walter and Jordan are beginning their 6 month recovery.
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Respect.

Buzzkill of the Day: Speed Traps

We can thank today's Buzzkill of the Day to the police officers of America.

Coasting along the Jersey Parkway at a respectable 75 mph, you have a simple goal in mind...get from point A to point B. Aside from the occasional 'unnecessary' merge, you're keeping up with the traffic and not stirring up too much trouble.

Next thing you know, DJ Tiesto comes through the speakers and you're fired up. You realize you're not just keeping up with your fellow commuters now, you're blowing past them faster than a Puerto Rican kid's fastball.

You come upon a nice sports car on the right and realize the driver's a hot, tan, big-titted brunette. Is that J-Woww?! You try to impress whoever it is by revving your shitty Honda Civic up to 105, but when you look back at the road...your stomach drops.

It feels like you just took a cross-kick to the gut. The damn 5-0 on the side of the highway had his radar gun honed in on you for the past 1/2 mile. Shit...shit...shit...what do I do?

After you shit your pants and drop it down to 65, there's a 10 second window where you PRAY he was aiming the gun at some other jackass, but nope...Captain America here felt like a real Fredrick Zoller and had his scope on you the entire time.

The next 20 seconds (give or take) are some of the most stressful moments you'll ever experience when driving. Is he going to nab me or what?? How come he hasn't pulled me over yet? Oh wait....fuck.

$100 Speeding Ticket= Bigger Buzzkill than Buzz Killington

Movie of the Week -- Rounders

Rounders is one of my all-time favorite movies.  I had never heard of the movie until the poker-craze hit a few years ago and a couple of my buddies insisted watching it.  After the first 15 minutes I was hooked and I still recite lines from time to time (Teddy KGB is a favorite).  It features actors such as Matt Damon, Ed Norton, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, and John Turturro.  Mike (Matt Damon) loses his Law School tuition money in a high-stakes game and vows to never play again. Worm (Ed Norton), an old friend of Mike, gets out of prison and, in order to pay off his debt, gets Mike back into poker.  This is a classic movie for bus rides or just hanging out with the boys.

Introducing the newest writer -- Spuds Mckenzie

I am happy to present the newest writer "Spuds Mackenzie".  Spuds is also a pitcher who is known to throw at people from time to time to announce his authority. He's a guy that gives your team a chance to win every time he's on the mound. He's also that guy who knows how to juggle multiple girls at the same party and still be able to use his "red rocket" at the end of the night. His contribution will serve more for comic relief as he rants about his "chafes" regarding baseball and anything else.

Practice in the Offseason

This time of year has to be my least favorite because yes it's great to get back on the field but that feeling goes away soon.  For us, the fall means waking up at 5:30 every morning for lift and run Monday-Friday with practice in the afternoon, meanwhile taking classes in between.  After getting a pump in and breaking a sweat four hours before the rest of the campus rolls out of bed is a good feeling until waking up in class to find out you falling in your dream was actually a 30 minute nap in which your feeling of falling was actually your head descending straight for your desktop but luckily stopping an inch from breaking your nose and alerting everyone in class that you have no clue where or how you got there.

Sacrifice

For me, I found it a tough transition from high school to college and making the sacrifices needed to compete at a high level every day. As an athlete you have to make sacrifices that the average student does not.  In college you experience freedoms that you did not have in high school.  Yes, you'll have lift and practice that is unacceptable to miss but class is another story.  Many classes don't take attendance and no one is going to call your parents if you play "hooky" and skip.  During the week the average college student is worried about "Thirsty Thursday's" and how much alcohol they are going to consume on Friday and Saturday night and what tail they are going to chase.

Academics

Anyone who has played collegiate athletics will tell you there is no comparison between high school and college from a competition standpoint but also academics.  Balancing athletics and academics can become a rather tough task especially during the season.  Going to class is half the battle but going to class, paying attention, and taking notes are what separates the average student-athlete and the above average student-athlete.  A coach once told me, "the player who works hard in the classroom is the same kid that works hard on the field."

Beginning of a New Season

Our 2011 season is under way with our first official practice this past Friday.  We have a good mix of youth and experience which I think will really help our club.  Our defense finished in the top 5 in the country last year and we return most of the infield and outfield.  We lost a couple bats in our lineup but we regrouped and have some guys to fill those voids.  Offense and defending the field will be our strengths and pitching is our big question mark.

Rehab for Tommy John

Anytime someone utters the words "rehab" or "physical therapy" it makes me cringe.  I think anyone who has had an injury would say the same because, quite frankly, it is not fun.  When I think of rehab I immediately think of hot packs, stim, weights, bands, trampolines, and, of course, ice.  Rehab is obviously essential to recover but it is by far the worst part of transitioning back to competition.  It seems as though it is never going to end.  For the first three months physical therapy is very repetitive and it is tough because you do not see as much progression as you would think.  After three months the throwing program begins at 45 feet.  It is discouraging if you think about how you used to be able to throw and now 45 feet seems like 300 feet and hitting your partner in the chest is almost impossible.