Down one BIG pawn...

Unfortunately we will be without one of our aces for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Jair Jurrjens of the Atlanta Braves just opted not to participate in the WBC. I had been hearing rumors about him not pitching with us during this big tournament, but was hoping they would be untrue. My fears were confirmed when I read this a little bit ago. We still have major league starters Sidney Ponson and Rick Van den hurk in line to pitch for the Netherlands during the WBC. Jurrjens is the second big leaguer to back out of the WBC from our provisional roster, joining Roger Bernadina of the Washington Nationals in their persuit of a solid big league spring training camps to ensure they can start the 2009 season with their respective teams.

I wish them both the best of luck in their camps and hope they represent The Kingdom of the Netherlands well on their clubs instead of with us in the WBC.

Wow... suprise

I had no idea my club was going to renovate our disgusting old weight room / garbage hole over the winter. They threw down 40 thousand euro into this new gym. I had the priveledge to work out in this gym a couple of times around my normal gym's schedule since I've been here. I was able to get in all the excersises I would in a normal gym which was very positive and encouraging. The Universal portion (the tall midle structure in the first picture) can be used for about 1000 different exersises, and is a great addition to any small gym. The rubber floor added to this gym is 6000 Euro itself (about 10 K Canadian), and is very very nice. I'm looking forward to weekend workouts in this gym during games I'm not pitching and or practices.

A couple of the rubber floor tiles have this printed on them.

Only one cardio machine, that being a bike, but that's fine, if I want to run, I run poles anyways.

A cousin about to blow up

Just this morning I've begun to realize that Canadian hip hop icon, and my cousin, 'Classified' is about to be very very famous. I guess it's sort of a personal thing for me when I hear someone on the radio that they are at a certain level, a higher plateau than all the other bands and artists who don't get played on the radio. This morning 2 minutes after logging onto the top Vancouver pop/rap/hip hop/R&B station The Beat, I heard for the first time (on mainstream radio) my cousin with his new single 'Anybody Listening?'. I've felt that many tracks from his previous 11 albums could have gone big, but this one sounds like it's sending him up to the elite international hip hop status. He ramained true to what he preached and hasn't gone commercial with his music, stayed with the same recipe that has made him so many good albums and songs in the past. The only difference now is the label promoting him.

Classified (real name Luke Boyd) is the son of my father's younger brother and hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia. After producing and creating his own music and even making his own studio for over a decade, he was signed by his first major label, Sony Music. After always proclaiming he hated the rap industry, and true to his word would only sign with a major label if "the deal was right", he waited until the deal, I guess, was right. Luke has been nominated and even won several Juno awards (Canadian music industry awards) for his videos and songs, and I have the feeling his new album 'Self Explanatory' is going to garner him several more.

My sister and I have been to two of his Vancouver shows, meeting up and hanging out with both Luke his brother Mike who has followed in his older brother's footsteps into the hip hop game. Classified is a very easy going, polite and straight up nice guy, very unlike his hip hop persona. I wish the best to him with the highly anticipated release of his new album april 7, 2009. You can listen to 'Anybody Listening?' here on his Classifieds' myspace page. Also, click here to check out his newest video to the new single 'Trouble' off the upcoming album.

Shorty, myself and several team mates who I've turned onto his music are planning to see his concert here in Amsterdam at the end of his European tour in march. If you're around, check it out, Melkweg, Amsterdam, March 29.

I wish him all the best with this new album.

Being a loner in a room for two...

Unfortunately things weren't able to work out in a manner that would enable Shorty to be here in Holland with me while I'm in my training stage before heading to Florida next week. She's currently spending some family time at her home in a small town in the middle of the US. It seems oddly calm in this house without the both of us here together. Actually it's probably the same for her and either one of us, where ever we are. We have become accustomed to being with eachother a lot over the past couple years. I miss her here, and can't wait for the silence to be gone.



She is my better half, she does stick by my side through thick and thin (or else we wouldn't be married and to the point we are now at in our lives), she keeps me in line when need be, she has the ability to hear what I'm thinking, she is the beautiful woman I envisioned myself (growing up) some day marrying and spending the rest of my life with.



Happy Valentine's day baby...

2 things that made my day ...

1. I recieved an early (albeit 1 day) valentine's day card from my wife, which was a sweet thing since I haven't seen her in almost 2 weeks. It was a very very funny card, very personalised and included a solid inside joke which I laughed about quite hard when I first opened it. Thanks again Honey.

2. I had a very enlightening conversation with a guy I've only actually played with in 2 games. Roger Bernadina is taking off tomorrow to persue his goal of playing ball in the majors, and has been working out 6 days a week for the past 4 months at the same gym where I workout. He is on the Dutch National Team, but has already chosen not to participate in the World Baseball Classic because he is on the 40 man roster with the Washington Nationals. He has to fight for a spot on the team this spring with 8 other outfielders. Roger couldn't be a nicer guy. He was so positive about this year, very realistic, and sounded so hungry for not just a shot at the bigs, but a career at that level. I wish him all the best in his major league endeavors.

Honorable mentions=

>Getting a message from my wonderful sister.

>Biking my farthest on the stationary bike at the gym on a harder level than ever.

>Having an overall really good workout.

>Hearing from my mom (despite her being sick).

>Shorty recieving my flowers that I ordered online which I was totally unsure if it would be there on time, or even ever get sent.

>My first Heineken since I've been in Holland.

>A priceless early morning call from my wife.

>Being alive.

Finished product

Took us 3 hours to wrap up one of the greatest bullpen mounds ever created, and here she is. Check the preceeding post for yesterdays progress and a better desciption of what we were doing here.

EJ

Our magnificent slope

Finishing touches... clean the rubber

Today's equipment

Pitcher's eye view

Building a triple headed hill

Over the past couple of ears EJ (team mate) and I have completely gutted and rebuilt 3 mounds. So far, they have all turned out fantastic. In fact, last year a few of us redid the second fields' mound at Neptunus, and have heard that it holds up much better than the first fields' mound. So I guess it's a good thing we rebuilt the main fields' mound this past fall after the season, I'm looking forward to seeing how our work holds up when the season starts in 2 months here.

Yesterday we started on a new project mound. A triple headed bullpen mound (3 rubbers). Rotterdam has a baseball school for 11-16 year olds, EJ is the head trainer for them and they work out at Neptunus. The board put out 40,000 Euro this winter to build a betting cage with a mound and 'Iron Mike' pitching machine. It's very nice; Top quality everything from lights to carpetting to the qulity pitching machine and so on. The mound outline in metal was hand made with the proper specifications (height, length, slope and line for distance rubber) already added. That made it a bit easier to crop and dig.

The mound had previously been partially filled with just sand, and EJ had already put a line of clay in the landing spot weeks back. It is our base, but sand does not make a good mound. Our job yesterday was to put the 3 rubbers in surrounded by about 300 clay bricks to create a solid top . We had strings going everywhere and make sure the rubbers were high enough, in the right spots, and that we had bricks far enough behind, in front and to the sides.

We finshed that off finally after about 5 hours of work yesterday. Today I'm heading back out there to add some more clay to the landing spot, and cover the whole mound under about an inch of dirt. It will be sharp.

Some pictures from yesterday, the first 7 are after a couple hours of work, and the last 4 were taken at the end of the day.

Clay Bricks, that's the first of 3 loads...

Unicorn painted onto the turf. The baseball school is Rotterdam Unicorns.

From behind

Our clubhouse door in the background. They put this cage underneath our bleachers out of the weather

Blue box is where Iron Mike lives,

Yes, they do have John Deer in Holland.

Yes, the rubbers are very close, the middle one is only for live batting practice, the other 2 are for bullpens




Back at it today!

A-Rod and Steroids...

Last night on ESPN famed baseball analyst Peter Gammons had the first interview with A-Rod since the news came out this week about him being on steroids during 2003. I woke up this morning and watched the entire 36 minute interview on line, but you can see the condensed version of the interview by clicking right here.

He is the only baseball player found guilty who actually admits to it, which I commend him for. I was a huge A-Rod fan growing up a Seattle Mariners fan, but since, have become more of a critic to the guy because of his , rumored locker room attitude towards team mates and holyer than thou personality (from inside info). Then again I've always had a spot in my baseball heart for a guy who came up a Mariner. I understand why he tried roids by watching this this video clip, but it also strengthens my beliefs that steroids aren't much of a boost since he's had a steady career, and his numbers didn't baloon while on roids. This leads to the question, was Bonds really that good. I think, yes. This is my belief given roids probably helped put an extra 5-8 feet on each homerun, meaning he probably had 2-4 extra homeruns that season, because I'm sure not all of his jacks were not monsters, some had to have barely made it over.

That's my view... I really hope I get the chance to face him in the World Baseball Classic. 24 day's until we have the Dominicans... Hello A-Rod.

Freezin my arse off

For the past couple days straight we've had what I'm starting a new word for... snain. Snow - rain mixed. I'm not sure why I feel this way about weather, but I would rather it just rained, or snowed, not both. I'm the same about drizzle, rain or just be cloudy for frig sakes.

It's been sitting around 2 celcius here for 2 straight days, and on top of the cool temperatures, I can't figure out the central heating system in this house. When I first got here over a week ago it was 7 celcius in this house, I somehow figured it out enough to turn on the heat, and got it warmer within a day or two. Last night, the heat shutoff again, can't get it back, so it's effing cold in here. I'll get some help with it if it lasts another day or two, cuz it's getting quite cold.

Yes, this is the most boring post ever, but I'm scrounging right now, there's no new news, and I'm cold...

Rotterdam, Hollands' Vancouver

From an outsiders view, I've learned to appreciate this city in the following way.

-> As racially and ethnically diverse and Vancouver (meaning about 80% non-dutchies).

-> Everyone speaks english fluently which is great for us.

-> A widespready city, with a very small skyline.

-> Bikelanes EVERYWHERE! Meaning you need to triple check L + R before you go and/or turn.

-> Some of the best drivers in the world, on the highways, parking lots are a different crazy world.

-> One of the greatest (and most expensive) outdoor shopping strips in the world.

-> Some of the best baseball in Europe, actually that's more all of Holland.

-> The crappiest cable television lineup in the world. Only the english comedy central comes out past 8 pm, which is semi-worth watching.

-> They have an Ikea, making them, for the most part, a smart, elegant city.

-> Without clouds, Rotterdam can sport some of the most amazing sunsets.

-> 62 coffeeshops for all the stoners, rappers and hippies out there.

-> Meer Coots in every pond and park.

-> No buskers downtown, suprisingly.

-> 2 Dutch headclass football teams (Soccer).

-> Sketchy middle eastern neighborhood's, where I fit in now that I have a mini-dark beard.

-> Raising bridges everywhere, listen and watch for the alarms, or you have a huge jump ahead of you.

-> Every first monday of the month an air bomb attack siren test at noon.

-> Some of the longest staring people ever, Shorty and I have learned to just stare back until they look away.

-> Some of the nicest and most helpful strangers in the world.

Here's some pics from tonights sunset out of my single pain, 4th floor apartment window here in Rotterdam...