Hey everybody, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but I figured I'd save you the pain of reading the same post over and over again. I've been doing the same thing everyday, all day pretty much. For some reason, baseball players like to have their routines for everything and I am no different. A quick rundown of what my day this off season consisted of...I'd wake up at 8 eat some breakfast, then head to the gym and train for a few hours, after I was done, I would then go throw and get my work in (for the last month I have been throwing into a Lacrosse net...). I would usually be done with everything around 4 everyday then come home and watch MLB Network (best channel on TV).
Right now, I'm sitting at the gate in the airport waiting for my flight. My flight does not leave until 11:30, but considering the debacle that went down last year when I was trying to get to my flight (if you haven't read about it, you will get a good laugh out of what happened! It's one of the very first posts I had), I figured I would make sure I was early! I also drove my self, so I got to decide the time I left my house...(my Dad made me late last year). I also made sure the bag I checked was under the limit...last year I think it was DOUBLE the weight limit! Another plus to getting to the airport early....PEOPLE WATCHING! There's nothing better than people watching...if you know me...you know I love people watching. I guess you could list it up there as one of my favorite hobbies, but it should be one of everybody's favorite hobbies...there's no telling what you'll see!
I will arrive in Tampa, Fl at 1:30. My buddy lands at 1:00 and he's supposed to wait for me so we can ride the shuttle over to the hotel together, but I guess we'll see if he remembers when I get down there. By the way, he also has a blog...it's called Les is More Diamond Diaries (his name is Les). To be quite honest with you, I've never looked at the blog, but go ahead and check it out for yourself! Although his name is Les, I call him Chocolate Moose! Les is a good dude though...one of the guys I became really close with last year in Bluefield. He loves his video games and I've seen him throw a few temper tantrums...let me tell you, they remind me of a 4 year old when his mommy wouldn't give him ice cream for breakfast...throwing punches at the couch, kicking the base board, slamming back into the cushion, and there may have been a few expletives thrown around as well...OUTRAGEOUS!
I can't wait to get to Florida and start playing. I have been chomping at the bit for months now and it's finally time to get this show on the road. I have prepared and worked harder than I have ever worked in my life for anything and I am confident that nobody has outworked me. I have put in the work and I know it will all pay off. I can't wait to throw to another person instead of a net, or throw to a catcher, or even face hitters (they're screwed, I won't lie). All I know is that tomorrow morning we have physicals bright and early at 6:30 a.m. followed by the first workout of Extended Spring Training. I'm interested to see what it consists of, but I'm thinking it will be somewhat like it was when I was down there last year for mini camp.
I wanted to thank a couple people as well. I have been living at home since Christmas and have been working out at Moeller High School (home of Ken Griffey Junior and HOF Barry Larkin). I can't even begin to explain how helpful and courteous the coaches over there have been. They have opened their arms and welcomed me. They have let me use all of their facilities to workout and throw and run and everything. WIthout them I truly don't know what I would have done. I also want to thank Scott Humes and Mike Maundrell. They are two of my coaches from my High School days and I still try to work with them anytime possible. I learned so much this offseason because of these two. I am extremely thankful to all the coaches at Moeller, Scott Humes, and Mike Maundrell...Thanks guys!
If any of you are down around the Tampa area, don't be afraid to get ahold of me! If you don't have my number, get ahold of me on Twitter...I'm all over Twitter. My handle (username) is @thebearjew36. Yes, I am The Bearjew...the one and only! If you don't get the pun...you need to watch the movie Inglorious Bastards...
(I got distracted for a good 10 minutes because there was a young man that sat a few seats over from me blasting and I mean BLASTING Akon's song I Just Had Sex....hahahaha I didn't think that was airport appropriate, but whatever floats his boat...)
Alright guys, have to board now so the next time I blog, it'll be from Dunedin, Florida!
Cya, Wouldn't wanna be ya!
Peace Homeslices
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
I Owe it All to Them...
Once again, I was lucky enough to be asked back to write another blog post for MLB Reports! I always love being asked to write for them! This time they asked me to write about the biggest baseball influences in my life...and I'm warning you, this could take awhile! I have been playing baseball for as long as I can remember, so obviously I am going to have many people that have influenced my baseball career. If I don't mention you specifically, I am sorry, but the list is way too long and I have to pick the biggest influential people in my baseball career.
I am going to start by saying my parents are easily the single biggest influence in my life, whether it be on or off the field. They have molded me into the man (sometimes little kid) that I am today and I am a product of them. They have always supported me no matter what I do and they have always been there for me through thick and thin. They have been there for the hardest times and have somehow always gotten me through it. They have taught me to chase a childhood dream and put everything I have into it. They taught me to never give up, they taught me to work harder than anybody else, they taught me to play the game right, the list could go on for days of what they have taught me and I could never thank them enough. For that and everything else they have done for me, I owe it all to them. I love you Mom and Dad!
The second biggest influence in my baseball career is an easy choice. It is a guy named Mike Maundrell. He was my pitching coach when I played at Midland and started the molding process of the pitcher that I am today. He has taught me literally everything I know about pitching and is still teaching me today. I have known him since I was 16 and he completely changed me as a pitcher and as a person. He was the first coach I had who taught me what hard work really was and what I had to do to better myself. I still work with him to this day and I have been training with him this off season here in Cincinnati. I can honestly say, I would not still be playing baseball if I had never met Coach Maundrell. He knows more about pitching than any human probably should know and he could talk about pitching for days on end. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with him for several years and will forever be in debt to him for everything he has taught/ is teaching me about pitching.
Another big influence in my baseball career is Tim Adkins. He and I both will admit we had our tough times together, but he was the one that gave me the great opportunity to play collegiate baseball at Marshall University. He was the pitching coach at Marshall at the time and he pushed me to great lengths. He pushed me to the breaking point, but he made me as strong as I am today because he pushed me to such great lengths and found that breaking point. He was the one that truly found out what made me tick and what got me going. I learned so much from him not just on the baseball field, but off as well. He continued to teach me what hard work is and he taught me to find out what works for me. I owe him a tremendous amount of credit because he developed me into the hard worker that I am and taught me that if I want something to go get it and let nothing get in my way. Along with Coach Adkins, I owe Coach Waggoner a tremendous amount of credit as well. He was my head coach at Marshall University and he has always been there for me. He always told me if I ever need anything at all to call him and he would be there for my family and me. He genuinely cared about my family and me and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate it. He always had confidence in me whether I was really good that day or extremely bad. He deserves a great amount of credit for how much he stood behind me and I thank him for that.
Coach Adkins departed from Marshall University after my Sophomore year and was replaced by Joe Renner. Coach Renner and Coach Maundrell are like brothers and they both teach the same concepts. Coach Renner continued to teach me what Coach Maundrell taught me. Coach Renner and I grew to become extremely close in just 2 years. I feel like I can go to him with anything and talk about it and he will help me through it to the best of his ability. It was extremely sad to walk off the field after my last collegiate game and see tears in his eyes because it was the last game he would coach me in. It brought tears to my eyes and I will never forget the 2 years I worked with him. He worked extremely hard to get me to the next level and I am very thankful for everything he has done for me. I know we will remain in contact for years to come!
The last person that I want to mention who has been tremendously influential in my baseball career is Clarence Mitchell. He was my baseball coach when I was 13-15 years old and I am telling you what, he was the strictest coach I have ever had. He taught me the true meaning of discipline and made sure he engraved it in our heads. I still remember to this day taking a ground ball to the eye during infield practice and the eye swelling up instantly and bleeding profusely, but refusing to come out because of the discipline he preached or the running for hours on end if we messed up or did something the wrong way. He taught me what hustling is and I still to this day have everything he taught engraved into my baseball actions and life in general.
Other people that were influential in my baseball career include Chris Fiehrer (my high school coach), Scott Humes (Midland Coach), Jeff Newman (Midland Coach), and Bernie Barre, Although Bernie Barre wasn't a baseball coach and had nothing to do with baseball, he taught me life lessons I can use on the baseball field. He was my football coach and was one of the best football coaches in the history of Ohio High School Football.
I also want to mention Dennis Holmberg. He was my very first professional baseball manager and he taught me so much more about the game of baseball that I never knew. I made sure I wrote down everything he taught me so it will be with me forever. He made my first professional season one that I will never forget.
I can't begin to express how much I appreciate everybody that has had an influence on my baseball career. I owe them all a HUGE thank you and I would not be where I am today without them. I am so grateful for everybody that has influenced me so Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I am going to start by saying my parents are easily the single biggest influence in my life, whether it be on or off the field. They have molded me into the man (sometimes little kid) that I am today and I am a product of them. They have always supported me no matter what I do and they have always been there for me through thick and thin. They have been there for the hardest times and have somehow always gotten me through it. They have taught me to chase a childhood dream and put everything I have into it. They taught me to never give up, they taught me to work harder than anybody else, they taught me to play the game right, the list could go on for days of what they have taught me and I could never thank them enough. For that and everything else they have done for me, I owe it all to them. I love you Mom and Dad!
The second biggest influence in my baseball career is an easy choice. It is a guy named Mike Maundrell. He was my pitching coach when I played at Midland and started the molding process of the pitcher that I am today. He has taught me literally everything I know about pitching and is still teaching me today. I have known him since I was 16 and he completely changed me as a pitcher and as a person. He was the first coach I had who taught me what hard work really was and what I had to do to better myself. I still work with him to this day and I have been training with him this off season here in Cincinnati. I can honestly say, I would not still be playing baseball if I had never met Coach Maundrell. He knows more about pitching than any human probably should know and he could talk about pitching for days on end. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with him for several years and will forever be in debt to him for everything he has taught/ is teaching me about pitching.
Another big influence in my baseball career is Tim Adkins. He and I both will admit we had our tough times together, but he was the one that gave me the great opportunity to play collegiate baseball at Marshall University. He was the pitching coach at Marshall at the time and he pushed me to great lengths. He pushed me to the breaking point, but he made me as strong as I am today because he pushed me to such great lengths and found that breaking point. He was the one that truly found out what made me tick and what got me going. I learned so much from him not just on the baseball field, but off as well. He continued to teach me what hard work is and he taught me to find out what works for me. I owe him a tremendous amount of credit because he developed me into the hard worker that I am and taught me that if I want something to go get it and let nothing get in my way. Along with Coach Adkins, I owe Coach Waggoner a tremendous amount of credit as well. He was my head coach at Marshall University and he has always been there for me. He always told me if I ever need anything at all to call him and he would be there for my family and me. He genuinely cared about my family and me and I can't stress enough how much I appreciate it. He always had confidence in me whether I was really good that day or extremely bad. He deserves a great amount of credit for how much he stood behind me and I thank him for that.
Coach Adkins departed from Marshall University after my Sophomore year and was replaced by Joe Renner. Coach Renner and Coach Maundrell are like brothers and they both teach the same concepts. Coach Renner continued to teach me what Coach Maundrell taught me. Coach Renner and I grew to become extremely close in just 2 years. I feel like I can go to him with anything and talk about it and he will help me through it to the best of his ability. It was extremely sad to walk off the field after my last collegiate game and see tears in his eyes because it was the last game he would coach me in. It brought tears to my eyes and I will never forget the 2 years I worked with him. He worked extremely hard to get me to the next level and I am very thankful for everything he has done for me. I know we will remain in contact for years to come!
The last person that I want to mention who has been tremendously influential in my baseball career is Clarence Mitchell. He was my baseball coach when I was 13-15 years old and I am telling you what, he was the strictest coach I have ever had. He taught me the true meaning of discipline and made sure he engraved it in our heads. I still remember to this day taking a ground ball to the eye during infield practice and the eye swelling up instantly and bleeding profusely, but refusing to come out because of the discipline he preached or the running for hours on end if we messed up or did something the wrong way. He taught me what hustling is and I still to this day have everything he taught engraved into my baseball actions and life in general.
Other people that were influential in my baseball career include Chris Fiehrer (my high school coach), Scott Humes (Midland Coach), Jeff Newman (Midland Coach), and Bernie Barre, Although Bernie Barre wasn't a baseball coach and had nothing to do with baseball, he taught me life lessons I can use on the baseball field. He was my football coach and was one of the best football coaches in the history of Ohio High School Football.
I also want to mention Dennis Holmberg. He was my very first professional baseball manager and he taught me so much more about the game of baseball that I never knew. I made sure I wrote down everything he taught me so it will be with me forever. He made my first professional season one that I will never forget.
I can't begin to express how much I appreciate everybody that has had an influence on my baseball career. I owe them all a HUGE thank you and I would not be where I am today without them. I am so grateful for everybody that has influenced me so Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Twitter Ten: Top Minor League Players To Follow | Baseball Digest
Twitter Ten: Top Minor League Players To Follow | Baseball Digest
Recently, I was named to the Top Ten Minor League Players to Follow! I am all over Twitter, if your not following me, you should be! I am very interactive with all my followers and try to answer everybody's comments! I am honored to be apart of this list and owe it all to the people who follow me! If you notice there are 3 Blue Jays on the list, Deck McGuire and Justin Jackson and myself. Does that mean the Blue Jays have the best Twitter game in all of minor league baseball? I think so!
Anyways, Check it and follow me @Bearjew36
Happy Holidays
Once again, it's been awhile since I have blogged, but I hope everybody had a Happy Holiday(s). I am at home right now in Cincinnati to spend time with my family. We just got home from a family vacation to New York City. My mom did all the planning and once again she hit it right on the nose. For everybody that doesn't know, my mom is the best vacation planner there is. She planned our family vacation last year around this time to California down the coast from San Francisco to San Diego and she planned this years as well.
It was my first time to the big apple so I had no idea what to expect, with the exception that there would be HUGE crowds at all times. We stayed in the Trump at Soho which was an extremely nice hotel. If you know my family, it is essential that we have access to a gym and not just a regular hotel gym, but a gym where we can get things done and get a good workout in every morning. Soho is an area of New York City. I guess it's known as the area where all the models are, but I wouldn't be able to spot a model if I tried so I didn't see any. My mom and dad planned out our days once we arrived in the city and they made sure we saw all the typical tourist places along with some places that would be considered off the map for tourists.
Day 1 - The first day we spent around the hotel. We walked around the Soho area and shopped a little bit. It was a very cool area and it was probably my favorite area because there weren't as many people and as many crowds in Soho as there were in the main parts of the city. After we shopped in Soho for a little while, we made our way down to ground zero. I'll never forget ground zero with all the construction still to this day. We also saw Wall Street before heading back to the hotel to relax a little bit. That night we ate at a little Italian restaurant right down the road from our hotel. I won't even try to spell the name because I would do it an injustice. The food was amazing and it was a very cool atmosphere.
Day 2 - After everybody got up and worked out, we all got ready to go out for the day again. We spent the day along 5th avenue shopping and walking around. For dinner we went to a very nice restaurant called BLT Fish. The BLT chain has a couple different restaurants in the New York City area, but my Dad had been to BLT Fish before and loved it. He wanted to take us back to show us. We met one of my parents friend's daughters there as well because she goes to college in NYC. She is also pretty good friends with my little brother, Max. The meal was unbelievable. The best part of the meal and the most unreal part of the meal was dessert. We had ordered several different ones because there are 6 people with 6 different tastes in my family (the menu only had 7 different dessert choices). I think the restaurant was shocked at how much dessert we ordered they just threw in the other dessert dishes that we had not ordered as a thank you. They also give everybody green apple flavored cotton candy at the end of the meal. It was an awesome place!
Day 3 - After the workouts, we spent the day around Times Square walking around and shopping once again. Times Square was one of the cooler visuals I have ever seen. I have always seen it in movies and on TV, but this was the first time I had seen it in person and it was unreal. There were so many people walking around that it was honestly hard to maneuver between everybody. My poor little 9 year old brother almost got ran over multiple times. That night my mom had gotten tickets for the family to go see the Rockettes. I am in no way a museum person or musical show person, but this show was pretty good. It was cool to see the famous Rockettes and it was worth going to see. After the show, we ate at a nice Italian place that looked like it could be the headquarters for the Italian mafia. We had reservations, but we could've gone in without any and have been sat in the same amount of time. Once we did sit down, the food was worth the wait. They are known for their veal and I shied away from it, but my mom got it. I ended up trying it and it was really really good. I ended up eating the rest of her dish that she didn't eat.
Day 4 - My Dad is originally from Framingham, Massachusetts so his entire family live in that region. He has some cousins that live in the Brooklyn area and we spent a day to go visit with them. We met his cousin at a little mexican burrito place in Brooklyn called Calexico. We then walked around the Brooklyn area and he showed us a great view of the city skyline. He also showed us where he plays stickball on occasions. He even gave Cooper a stick ball bat (its basically just a small dowel stick). Cooper has been pumped about it and has been wanting to play ever since he has gotten it. I told him we will play after i get a bat grip to put on the stick, but what he doesn't know is that he won't win (yes, I know I'm too competitive to let my 9 year old brother win). The only down part of the day was that it was a little gloomy and rainy out, but it didn't stop us from walking around. Later that night, we went back into the city to eat dinner with my dad's cousins. There were three of them, Seth, Marne, and Suzanne and Suzanne's boyfriend. We went to a place called Sammy's Romanian Steakhouse. Let me tell you, words can't even begin to describe how cool and how much fun this place was. It was one of the funnest times I have ever had. It is this heavy Jewish steakhouse with very traditional styles. They sat us upstairs where the ceiling was so low that I had to bend over so I wouldn't hit my head (I am only 6 feet tall if that gives you any help with how low the ceiling was). Nobody had ever been there, but Seth had friends that recommended it. When we first arrived the waiter came up to us and said what do you want to drink? Vodka? (Does that help to describe the place a little bit?) Of course we said sure to the Vodka. The steakhouse served everything family style in very large proportions. We had chopped liver, chicken, stuffed cabbage, steak, salad, sausage, and salmon. There was way too much food for all of us to finish, but my favorite was the stuffed cabbage and chopped liver. All the food was unbelievable. The funniest part of the night was the DJ. They had a very Jewish DJ (my brothers and I said he is dead on Weird Al Yankovich if Weird Al had never gotten famous) that had a very heavy Jewish New York accent that made Jewish jokes and made fun of everybody there. It was hysterical. He played all the traditional Jewish songs earlier in the night and then once it started getting late, it seemed like the place turned into a club! By the end of the night, we were all dancing and having a great time (maybe due to the Vodka? but I would like to think it was because of the great company!). As we were walking out to leave, we saw a site that I thought I would NEVER see. We saw a guy being carried out by two of the guys that work there (yes I have seen somebody so drunk get carried out before). The funny thing was that he was an orthodox Jew! He had the long long beard with the curly cue side burns. We all thought he was going to blow chunks all over us so we made a dash to get out of the way! It was the absolute best way to celebrate Hanukkah with the ones I love. I still can't get over how much fun it was!
Day 5 - Once again, after we all worked out and got ready, we spent the day walking through the Flat Iron District. After I worked out, I had an interview with the kid reporter! She has interviews Curtis Granderson among other big league players. Her name was Haley and we met in the lobby of my hotel for the interview. She asked some great questions and as soon as the article is published, hopefully I will have a link to it so everybody can see! She really did a great job! It is called that because of a famous building. The building looked crazy! it was fit into this tiny corner, but it had a great view of the Empire State Building. After we walked around the Flat Iron District, we went up to the top of the Empire State Building. It was so windy up there, but the view from the top was unreal. You could see forever it seemed like!
Day 6 - This was our last full day in New York City and we spent the day walking around and shopping by the Rockefeller Center (if you haven't caught on, my family loves to shop). We had a tour of the NBC studios as well. After the tour, we went and ate at the famous Carnegie Deli. The portions there were unreal! The corned beef and roast beef sandwiches were stacked high. I don't know how one person is expected to eat a whole sandwich. That night we had tickets to the Rangers vs. Flyers hockey game. It was the first hockey game I have ever been to and I'll admit it was awesome! It was so much fun! I think hockey is the only sport where you can't get through the entire National Anthem quietly. People were cheering and going crazy throughout the entire song! The game was awesome, even though the only rule I know is that fighting isn't discouraged! I am a new fan of hockey as I think my brothers are too.
Day 7 - We had a flight out of New York City later that night so we still had half a day to do things. We went and saw Grand Central Station. It too looked like it was out of a movie! Apple had a store there that was really really cool because it was right in the middle of the station, but if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't have noticed it. After that, we made our way to the airport a little early, hoping to miss the Holiday traffic. It was our lucky day, a TSA worker let us slip by the lines! I think it was due to the fact that he saw our family was so big and we had a little 9 year old. We had a safe flight home and it was really good to be home. There is nothing like home!
It was a very successful trip and a very fun trip. Everybody enjoyed it and it was great to be with all the family together! My mom did an exceptional job planning the trip and my dad planned out the days. I feel like we saw everything we needed to see and then some! I hope everybody has a great New Year!
It was my first time to the big apple so I had no idea what to expect, with the exception that there would be HUGE crowds at all times. We stayed in the Trump at Soho which was an extremely nice hotel. If you know my family, it is essential that we have access to a gym and not just a regular hotel gym, but a gym where we can get things done and get a good workout in every morning. Soho is an area of New York City. I guess it's known as the area where all the models are, but I wouldn't be able to spot a model if I tried so I didn't see any. My mom and dad planned out our days once we arrived in the city and they made sure we saw all the typical tourist places along with some places that would be considered off the map for tourists.
Day 1 - The first day we spent around the hotel. We walked around the Soho area and shopped a little bit. It was a very cool area and it was probably my favorite area because there weren't as many people and as many crowds in Soho as there were in the main parts of the city. After we shopped in Soho for a little while, we made our way down to ground zero. I'll never forget ground zero with all the construction still to this day. We also saw Wall Street before heading back to the hotel to relax a little bit. That night we ate at a little Italian restaurant right down the road from our hotel. I won't even try to spell the name because I would do it an injustice. The food was amazing and it was a very cool atmosphere.
Day 2 - After everybody got up and worked out, we all got ready to go out for the day again. We spent the day along 5th avenue shopping and walking around. For dinner we went to a very nice restaurant called BLT Fish. The BLT chain has a couple different restaurants in the New York City area, but my Dad had been to BLT Fish before and loved it. He wanted to take us back to show us. We met one of my parents friend's daughters there as well because she goes to college in NYC. She is also pretty good friends with my little brother, Max. The meal was unbelievable. The best part of the meal and the most unreal part of the meal was dessert. We had ordered several different ones because there are 6 people with 6 different tastes in my family (the menu only had 7 different dessert choices). I think the restaurant was shocked at how much dessert we ordered they just threw in the other dessert dishes that we had not ordered as a thank you. They also give everybody green apple flavored cotton candy at the end of the meal. It was an awesome place! 
Day 3 - After the workouts, we spent the day around Times Square walking around and shopping once again. Times Square was one of the cooler visuals I have ever seen. I have always seen it in movies and on TV, but this was the first time I had seen it in person and it was unreal. There were so many people walking around that it was honestly hard to maneuver between everybody. My poor little 9 year old brother almost got ran over multiple times. That night my mom had gotten tickets for the family to go see the Rockettes. I am in no way a museum person or musical show person, but this show was pretty good. It was cool to see the famous Rockettes and it was worth going to see. After the show, we ate at a nice Italian place that looked like it could be the headquarters for the Italian mafia. We had reservations, but we could've gone in without any and have been sat in the same amount of time. Once we did sit down, the food was worth the wait. They are known for their veal and I shied away from it, but my mom got it. I ended up trying it and it was really really good. I ended up eating the rest of her dish that she didn't eat. Day 4 - My Dad is originally from Framingham, Massachusetts so his entire family live in that region. He has some cousins that live in the Brooklyn area and we spent a day to go visit with them. We met his cousin at a little mexican burrito place in Brooklyn called Calexico. We then walked around the Brooklyn area and he showed us a great view of the city skyline. He also showed us where he plays stickball on occasions. He even gave Cooper a stick ball bat (its basically just a small dowel stick). Cooper has been pumped about it and has been wanting to play ever since he has gotten it. I told him we will play after i get a bat grip to put on the stick, but what he doesn't know is that he won't win (yes, I know I'm too competitive to let my 9 year old brother win). The only down part of the day was that it was a little gloomy and rainy out, but it didn't stop us from walking around. Later that night, we went back into the city to eat dinner with my dad's cousins. There were three of them, Seth, Marne, and Suzanne and Suzanne's boyfriend. We went to a place called Sammy's Romanian Steakhouse. Let me tell you, words can't even begin to describe how cool and how much fun this place was. It was one of the funnest times I have ever had. It is this heavy Jewish steakhouse with very traditional styles. They sat us upstairs where the ceiling was so low that I had to bend over so I wouldn't hit my head (I am only 6 feet tall if that gives you any help with how low the ceiling was). Nobody had ever been there, but Seth had friends that recommended it. When we first arrived the waiter came up to us and said what do you want to drink? Vodka? (Does that help to describe the place a little bit?) Of course we said sure to the Vodka. The steakhouse served everything family style in very large proportions. We had chopped liver, chicken, stuffed cabbage, steak, salad, sausage, and salmon. There was way too much food for all of us to finish, but my favorite was the stuffed cabbage and chopped liver. All the food was unbelievable. The funniest part of the night was the DJ. They had a very Jewish DJ (my brothers and I said he is dead on Weird Al Yankovich if Weird Al had never gotten famous) that had a very heavy Jewish New York accent that made Jewish jokes and made fun of everybody there. It was hysterical. He played all the traditional Jewish songs earlier in the night and then once it started getting late, it seemed like the place turned into a club! By the end of the night, we were all dancing and having a great time (maybe due to the Vodka? but I would like to think it was because of the great company!). As we were walking out to leave, we saw a site that I thought I would NEVER see. We saw a guy being carried out by two of the guys that work there (yes I have seen somebody so drunk get carried out before). The funny thing was that he was an orthodox Jew! He had the long long beard with the curly cue side burns. We all thought he was going to blow chunks all over us so we made a dash to get out of the way! It was the absolute best way to celebrate Hanukkah with the ones I love. I still can't get over how much fun it was!
Day 5 - Once again, after we all worked out and got ready, we spent the day walking through the Flat Iron District. After I worked out, I had an interview with the kid reporter! She has interviews Curtis Granderson among other big league players. Her name was Haley and we met in the lobby of my hotel for the interview. She asked some great questions and as soon as the article is published, hopefully I will have a link to it so everybody can see! She really did a great job! It is called that because of a famous building. The building looked crazy! it was fit into this tiny corner, but it had a great view of the Empire State Building. After we walked around the Flat Iron District, we went up to the top of the Empire State Building. It was so windy up there, but the view from the top was unreal. You could see forever it seemed like!
Day 6 - This was our last full day in New York City and we spent the day walking around and shopping by the Rockefeller Center (if you haven't caught on, my family loves to shop). We had a tour of the NBC studios as well. After the tour, we went and ate at the famous Carnegie Deli. The portions there were unreal! The corned beef and roast beef sandwiches were stacked high. I don't know how one person is expected to eat a whole sandwich. That night we had tickets to the Rangers vs. Flyers hockey game. It was the first hockey game I have ever been to and I'll admit it was awesome! It was so much fun! I think hockey is the only sport where you can't get through the entire National Anthem quietly. People were cheering and going crazy throughout the entire song! The game was awesome, even though the only rule I know is that fighting isn't discouraged! I am a new fan of hockey as I think my brothers are too.
Day 7 - We had a flight out of New York City later that night so we still had half a day to do things. We went and saw Grand Central Station. It too looked like it was out of a movie! Apple had a store there that was really really cool because it was right in the middle of the station, but if you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't have noticed it. After that, we made our way to the airport a little early, hoping to miss the Holiday traffic. It was our lucky day, a TSA worker let us slip by the lines! I think it was due to the fact that he saw our family was so big and we had a little 9 year old. We had a safe flight home and it was really good to be home. There is nothing like home!
It was a very successful trip and a very fun trip. Everybody enjoyed it and it was great to be with all the family together! My mom did an exceptional job planning the trip and my dad planned out the days. I feel like we saw everything we needed to see and then some! I hope everybody has a great New Year!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving
I had the opportunity to go home for a week for Thanksgiving to spend the week with my family. It felt really good to be home and I wish I could have spent more time at home, but I had to be back Friday morning for Black Friday (I had to work it).
My family had Thanksgiving at our house this year. My mom's side of the family came over and spent Thanksgiving with us. My mom made so much food (all of it was amazing), we had enough leftovers to have another whole Thanksgiving dinner! It was good to see everybody and it was a very good holiday. I am thankful for so much, the list goes on and on, and I wouldn't want to give it up for the world. I have came to realize the older I get, the more I look forward to going home. I think it's funny because when I was younger, I looked forward to leaving the house. It has come full circle and I loved being home, spending time with my family!
Black Friday, on the other hand, I dreaded working it. Thankfully, I did not have to work at 4 am or those early hours and only had to go in at 2 - 8 pm. I got lucky because I just missed the Black Friday rush. Don't get me wrong, it was really busy when I was there, but it wasn't so busy that it was out of control. I heard that earlier in the day the lines stretched all the way to the far back corner of the store!
I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! December is coming up and you know what that means...Baseball is right around the corner!
My family had Thanksgiving at our house this year. My mom's side of the family came over and spent Thanksgiving with us. My mom made so much food (all of it was amazing), we had enough leftovers to have another whole Thanksgiving dinner! It was good to see everybody and it was a very good holiday. I am thankful for so much, the list goes on and on, and I wouldn't want to give it up for the world. I have came to realize the older I get, the more I look forward to going home. I think it's funny because when I was younger, I looked forward to leaving the house. It has come full circle and I loved being home, spending time with my family!
Black Friday, on the other hand, I dreaded working it. Thankfully, I did not have to work at 4 am or those early hours and only had to go in at 2 - 8 pm. I got lucky because I just missed the Black Friday rush. Don't get me wrong, it was really busy when I was there, but it wasn't so busy that it was out of control. I heard that earlier in the day the lines stretched all the way to the far back corner of the store!
I hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! December is coming up and you know what that means...Baseball is right around the corner!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veteran's Day
Today is Veteran's Day and I want to take a moment to thank all the men and women that have served this country. This country would not be where it is today without them and they are the reason we have the freedom we have. Both men and women have sacrificed their lives for this country and there is no greater thing you can do for your country than serve in the military.
It also puts into perspective how lucky we are as a country. I, myself, am extremely lucky and I couldn't be more thankful. I am able to live out my childhood dream of playing baseball and one day hope to make the dream come true and play in the big leagues. I am also lucky enough to have a college degree that not everybody is able to receive. This will be with me forever and nobody will be able to take it away from me. I am truly thankful for everything and everybody I have in my life. I am thankful for have loving parents and 3 awesome younger brothers. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Everybody knows a person that has served or is serving this country in one way or another. They have touched millions of people's lives and we should all be very thankful for them. If there is a veteran reading this or somebody that is serving us right now, I want to personally thank you for everything you have done for this country. We all really appreciate it and we would not be where we are today without you guys!
It also puts into perspective how lucky we are as a country. I, myself, am extremely lucky and I couldn't be more thankful. I am able to live out my childhood dream of playing baseball and one day hope to make the dream come true and play in the big leagues. I am also lucky enough to have a college degree that not everybody is able to receive. This will be with me forever and nobody will be able to take it away from me. I am truly thankful for everything and everybody I have in my life. I am thankful for have loving parents and 3 awesome younger brothers. I wouldn't change it for the world.
Everybody knows a person that has served or is serving this country in one way or another. They have touched millions of people's lives and we should all be very thankful for them. If there is a veteran reading this or somebody that is serving us right now, I want to personally thank you for everything you have done for this country. We all really appreciate it and we would not be where we are today without you guys!
Proud Big Brother...
I want to dedicate this post to my little brother, Max. Earlier this week he committed to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina to play baseball next year! About a month ago, he and I took a trip to Furman for a visit/showcase. We were both hoping he would be offered the chance to play there because he liked it down there and so did I! Furman is a beautiful school, in a great city, with unbelievable academics. The baseball team plays a good schedule as well.
I didn't need to see anything from my brother as far as his baseball skills go because I already knew that he had the talent to play at the Division I level; I have been saying it all along. Watching him play in the showcase just proved my point even more that he could play and excel at the Division I level. He was hands down the best one there. He may not have been the fastest or the tallest, but he was the smoothest in the infield, had the strongest arm out of anybody in any position, had the best range in the infield and had the best look as far as looking like a baseball player goes. He also looked the strongest out of anybody there (I won't lie, he is BIG). Just by watching, you could tell he was a cut above the others. All this was also the morning after he had just finished playing a football on Friday night!
I couldn't be any happier for him because I know how much he wanted to play and how much he wanted the chance to play at the next level. He has put in a tremendous amount of work and dedication to getting better and you can tell just by looking at him. He has transformed his body from small and wiry, to muscular and cut. I'll give it to him, he looks really good.
I know my entire family is proud of him and I know he is ecstatic to have the chance to play at the next level. I am definitely a proud big brother and I can't wait to be able to watch him play at the collegiate level.
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