The Lost Blogs: Part One

The past week and half has been eventful to say the least.  We picked a team, the team bonded quickly and practiced and played their way into a TEAM, we traveled to another continent only to find out that back home they thought we were being immediately deported, we got the lay of the land, we got a schedule, and then we got another schedule.  We started games and then they wanted to change that schedule again.  And then again.  Tomorrow we start the second part of the tournament with games against Colombia and Cuba.  If we win both of those, we play for the gold on Saturday.  We expect to be there.  Everyone has handled the customary lack of organization exceptionally well and we?ve played well thus far.  In the midst of all of this, the blog has been neglected like the bullpen mounds at our stadium, due to a combination of general busyness and a lack of internet availability.  Fortunately, however, we?ve unearthed some lost blogs from the past week and we?ve posted them below, starting with last Saturday, August 11, the first official day for the 2007 Youth National Team.

Saturday, August 11

The team was selected last night.  Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to some great players and kids.  It?s never easy to send home 18 ballplayers who?ve never been cut in their life and rightfully so, but hopefully it was a good experience for everyone, regardless of the names that were called on Friday night.  Airport runs started at 4:3 0 am, so it was a long day for some of the staff.  The YNT had a big day planned beginning with an autograph session where they signed 660 labels to be used on their baseball cards.  Nick Franklin got the award for ?longest time taken to sign your name 660 times? as he was a good 30 minutes behind his teammates, but that was okay, because he finished and they looked really good. 

Next, the team went next door to fill  their Christmas stockings.  It was equipment distribution time, and they were outfitted head to toe in some awesome gear from USA Baseball?s great sponsors.  Under Armour, Reebok, Majestic, and Wilson provided everything from sunglasses to fielding gloves and everyone was in heaven walking out of that room with an arm-load of gear. 

We put on the whites and headed over to the field for the official team picture, a posed baseball card shoot, and then  practice in the white unis where the photographer continued to take action shots for the card set and our archives.  It was a good first workout as a team and it was capped off by a trip to the Golden Corral for Steak and Shrimp night.  We took off the unis before hitting the Corral because meatloaf stains are tough to get out. 

Dinner concluded with the first session of Kangaroo Court led by Judge Steve Patterson and Bailiff Max Stassi.  Some of the cases were pretty funny and I think everyone couldn?t wait until the next opportunity to partake in the American Legal System.

Sunday, August 12

The YNT had its first game action on Sunday with a doubleheader in the stadium vs. the Davidson Copperheads and the Dirtbags.  We saw some really good pitching in the two games versus older teams and we handled them exceptionally well.  The first game was won rather easily, but the second game against the Dirtbags, the best youth program in the state, was a come-from-behind win that showed the makings of a good team.  All in all, a great first couple of games for the YNT.

Monday, August 13

Monday saw the YNT practice early and then play their final tune-up game against a local squad, the Cary Bulls.  The team jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first and ended up shutting out the Bulls 12-0 in front of a decidedly pro-Bulls crowd.  We?d really like to thank the three teams that he lped us get better as those games really helped us see both good and bad and address the issues either way.  Afterwards, we celebrated the birthday of outfielder Randal Grichuk with not one, but two cakes.  Not only did USA B aseball get him a cake, but the Aplins did as well.  Thanks, Aplins.  It wasn’t quite the keys to a new car for Randal’s 16th, but the sugar was enjoyed by both players and coaches alike, I would say. 

Tuesday, August 14

Today was our last day in the US.  We had a good, crisp, mid-morning workout, came back home to pack, and then headed into Durham to take in a Bulls game.  After some pizza in the USA Baseball offices, the team had a tremendous treat when it got to drop into the visitor?s dugout before the game and get some advice on what it means to play for your country by three guys that have done just that.  Charlotte Knight and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist Ernie Young, teammate and 2006 Olympic Qualifying team ace Heath Phillips, a nd Durham Bull and 2006 Olympic Qualifying team reliever Jeff Ridgway all took a few minutes to reflect upon their experiences in the red, white, and blue and impart some knowledge on the attentive group.  It was extremely kind of those guys to give up their time as they did, especially to Heath, who left the dugout and went right into the bullpen to warm up for his start that evening.  The kids remained around the dugout until they were called to assemble on the field while being honored over the P.A. by the Bulls.  They then got to head up the grandstand and catch a Bulls win before heading home for any last minute packing and a few hours of sleep before an early wakeup call on Wednesday?s travel day.  The team?s day ended there, but th e staff went on through the night packing and cleaning, and before we knew it, it was 4:30 and it was time for wakeup calls.

 

Wednesday, August 15 

4:30 am wakeup call, 5:00 am bus load, 5:30 am bus departure.  That was the schedule and amazingly, our charter left right the Holiday Inn right on time for RDU.   Check in was a breeze and the 7:30 am flight to Miami was great.

 After a looooooonnnnng walk from one terminal to another, up and down escalators, and in and out of hallways, we arrived at our international gate where we met up with umpire John Johnston and security agent Blake Miller.  American Airlines offered chicken or beef as an in-flight meal, and I hear both were good, although I can only personally vouch for the beef.  Upon arrival into Caracas, we took some time to properly fill out our immigration paperwork and get through customs, and when we all got through, we found our bags were already off the belt.  All 60+ bags made it which is a great sign and extremely good fortune.  Alvaro, our Venezuelan security guru was waiting for us, but unfortunately the bus was not.   We sat around for about an hour and a half until a bus came to take us to Barquisimeto.  There was very limited cargo space underneath so we packed the back with all of our bags and that probably took up about the last 4 rows of seats.  We set off at about 6pm and finally rolled into our residence at about 11:30 pm.  It was a long, long day, we missed dinner, and there was no place open where we could buy food, so we survived on granola bars for the evening.  We took our rooms on the 8^th floor ? the same one that last year?s championship squad stayed on ? and went to bed hoping for some more information in the morning.