Life in the Northwest

The idea for this blog came from both Uncle Dan and Ellen as a way to keep family and friends in touch with everything that is going on in my life in the minor leagues, mainly because the two and three hour time differences make it difficult to do so. I will try to update the blog as often as I can, mainly when something new or interesting happens so everyone can stay up-to-date on my exciting summer in Idaho!

So to start I want to give just a quick summary of the past two or so weeks and the whirlwind that I have been in since the draft. I left Monday the 15th for Mesa, Arizona for a physical and hopefully to leave shortly on a plane to Boise for Class A ball. However, it took almost two full days for me to get cleared medically (although I was one of the first guys to get cleared) so I missed the first trip to Boise so that I could get my feet wet in Rookie ball in Mesa. After a couple days of practice where I played really well, my manager in Mesa (everyone called him PP) pulled me aside during practice that Friday to tell me that I was being called up to Boise in time for the first game.

I flew to Boise and had no knowledge of who would be waiting for me once I arrived, although I eventually met my host-parents, the Fenns. The Fenns are awesome! It's terrible being away from everyone and being behind in time too, but my host-parents have made the transition as easy as it could be and have even given me a car to drive for the summer!

My host-parents took me straight from the airport to the field where I met some of the guys, got a locker and equipment and attempted to play some catch-up with everything that the guys who had been there for a few days had already learned. I was hopeful to play that first night, however there was some mix-up with my contract and I was told that I would not be cleared to play until Monday, the 22nd. So I sat and watched the first two games, which we lost, and showed up to the field Monday ready to play. I was in the lineup hitting fifth and playing first base (first time for everything I guess!), only to get scratched from the lineup shortly thereafter because my contract still had not cleard. The new deadline was Wednesday the 24th, which would be in Salem, Oregon.

After our third home game in a row to start the season, we left for Salem after our game was over at roughly 11:15 at night with an eight hour trip ahead of us. After about 3 hours of sleep and listening to almost every song on my iPod, we finally arrived in Salem at 6:15 A.M. on Tuesday. We lost again that night but I could hardly sleep because I was supposed to be cleared to play my first game as a professional baseball player the following day!

I arrived at the park on Wednesday and was hitting in the first (of three) hitting groups which meant that I would be starting that night (the first two groups are made up of the starters for that nights game). I eventually saw the lineup and I was hitting fifth and playing third base. The game didn't exactly go my way as my first at-bat was a strikeout and so was my last, although I hit two balls hard in between. The next night I hit third in the lineup and was the DH for the game and ended up getting my first hit as a professional baseball player!!! I wish it would have been a more memorable moment, a towering homerun or a double off of the wall, but it ended up being a broken-bat single into left-center field. I ended up with just the one hit and struggled a little tonight as well, going 0-4 again.

Things will turn around soon at the plate and I will continue to keep everyone informed as long as you are interested in reading!


Boise Hawks #37,

JP