What we learned...Day 1

I've been thinking about this blog lately. Maybe because the last thing I did on here was write about opening day, and those I'm sure got to be pretty boring after awhile. But since I went and got a job, I wasn't able to live blog the NCAA Tournament or Opening Day this year. And I missed doing that. Going back to my sophomore year in College (It would have been Freshman year, but I was on Spring Break back in Owatonna, bored out of my mind, and the cable goes out on Thursday morning at 9 AM and didn't come back on until Saturday morning. Longest 2 days ever.) I have watched basketball from 11 Am to 11 PM straight for those Thursday and Friday games. In college, Aaron, Mike, Brent, Guild, Saxton, and others would get a party ball and not move from the couch. (Correction, we did move once to get dinner at Krispy Kreme's. Not a smart decision to eat doughnuts for dinner. Elhard put down a dozen and didn't eat for 48 hours I believe). I would take vacation days from work, re-arrange my off days at another job, anything it took. I went unemployed for nearly a year, and of course started my new job a week before the tournament starts. So I missed out on a full day of basketball, as well as the start of the Major League Baseball season, another holiday I would take off from work. I am so thankful to be employed again, but lets be honest. 2 year old Weston and 4 year old twins Ava and Claire really aren't into breaking down what happened to Kansas or how Target Field will play now that the stadiums concrete is dry.

So what am I writing about? Aaron and I were discussing Brett Myers yesterday. Circa 2003, Baseball Tonight showed a stat about Brett Myers. At that time (sometime in July or August) He was 5-0 when pitching in front of 35,000. We were memorized by this stat. Baseball is filled with all sorts of interesting stats/observations/random thoughts. I watch a lot of baseball, and couldn't wait for the season to start, so I can come home from work, turn on MLB Network/Twins from 6 to midnight and just watch. So my goal for this season to to write about 1, 2, 3, or however many interesting things I hear during the season. Most likely, much of it will be about the Twins. It's not going to be everyday, as I will be gone many weekends, but enough to give me something to do while watching the games... And hopefully be entertaining at the same time. Im catching up for tomorrow, so there will be 2 today. And remember, I'm a former TV guy.. Expect some bad grammer, horrible punctuation, and a lot of ...'s.

March 31, 2010 (Opening Day)

While watching the San Francisco Giants/Los Angeles Dodgers game last night, there was plenty of emphasis on Pablo Sandoval, coming off a horrible season. They talked about the obvious stuff this year about how he lost 40 pounds in the off-season, how he was faster and more nimble this year, etc. Then they brought up something that still makes no sense to me. ESPN mentioned he never lifted weights before this past off-season. This is a guy who hit .330 with 25 homeruns and 44 doubles his first season in the majors as a 22 year old. And last November is the first time he picked up a weight. That is shocking. I know plenty of people with natural given talents. People that had never touched a golf club before and can walk up to a ball and hit it 200 yards right down the middle of the fairway.

I know he is from Venezuela, and I assume there aren't many gyms or weight rooms around, but coming to America to play Minor League ball, I'm surprised he was never forced to get on some program. The jury is still out on how he will do 40 pounds lighter with added muscle, but it can't hurt. Who would have thought lifting weights can help athletes? So here's to you Pablo Sandoval. Proof you don't have to work out to be a pro-athlete (Although, it really helps. Maybe that's where I went wrong..)