Moving into a tie for First Place + PEDs

Another beautiful day at Terry Park in Fort Myers and Team 3-C-Garner took two games -- the first (against Rick Knapp's team that we beat yesterday) by a score of 8-5 and the second game by a score of 12-6 against the winless team managed by Stu Cliburn. I was 1-2 with a walk in the first game and 2-2 with a walk in the second game. I am experimenting this week by batting without my glasses on -- and so far the lesson seems to be I hit better if I can't see the ball. (Next I'll try swinging with my eyes closed and they won't be able to get me out!)

After today's games (44% of the way through our 9 game season) we are one of three teams tied for first place with records of 3W-1L; two teams have records of 2-2; and the final team is winless in 4 games. The two teams with the best record after Thursday's games play in a championship game on Friday morning.

As any baseball fan knows, PEDs, Performance Enhancing Drugs, are the bane of the sport and put many playing records in dispute. In Ponce, we have different PEDs -- Performance Enabling Drugs. A constant topic of conversation during the week revolves around medications people take to keep them going through the week and through their baseball seasons back home. The PEDs range from aspirin and ibuprofen, to stronger Advil and Aleeve (my favorite.) Camp includes a player who is taking prednisone as a preventative against the inevitable inflammation that arises during the week; a player who is taking flexeril for muscle spasms; and another taking percocet for the pain of a muscle tear. Perhaps the most common non-baseball conversations during the week involve orthopedic injuries, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists. It is not easy to play geezer baseball. For me, Jackie, the key is doing my sun salutations multiple times a day (and the Aleeve.) So far so good.

Saying that, the team we beat this afternoon featured a 72 year-old pitcher and a 70 year-old catcher. So it can be done (and the pitcher has told me he doesn't use pain relievers and doesn't use ice on his arm!)

We play at Terry Park, a facility owned by Lee County, which formerly was the spring training site for the Pirates, Philadelphia Athletics and Kansas City Royals. The fields are named for Roberto Clemente, George Brett and Connie Mack. The facility has undergone a major rehabilitation over the last two years and the clubhouse and other buildings are now first class -- and up to par with what have always been pristine playing fields. (Last year the clubhouse rehab was "in process" -- this year, much to our relief there is water and working toilets in the clubhouse.) Baseball camps and tournaments are big business for a county facility like this -- Steve Liddle told us this morning that the park superintendent told him the facility is in use for baseball for 51 weeks in the year, and in the 52nd week Ponce is here.

Several readers have asked me if I was embarrassed to have a fly ball hit me in the forehead yesterday, and of course I was. But I realized it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as when a fly ball bounced off Jose Canseco's head and into the right field seats for a home-run a few years ago. My run-in with the ball was only in practice.

For Reds fans (Jim), Tom Brown said that Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban phenom pitcher signed by the Reds has unbelievable stuff (he compared it almost to Nolan Ryan!) He said that if he can learn to get the ball over the plate consistently he will be hard to beat -- and that his curveball, if over the plate, is unhittable. (Chapman throws his fastball from the mid-90s to over 100 mph.) He also said that Chapman made amazing progress last year from when he started in spring training to the end of the year. He is an exciting prospect.

Regarding the Nationals now injured phenom, Stephen Strasburg, Arnie Beyeler said that while he did not see Strasburg pitch in the minor leagues, he was told by a number of old scouts who have been around for a long time that Strasburg was "the best pitcher they had ever seen."

Tomorrow is hump day -- the walking wounded (and those just incredibly stiff and sore) learn how much they love baseball and whether they (with or without PEDs) will make it for the duration.