To Be Is To Do

I'm back home. Mildly refreshed with a side of disillusionment. Im exhausted but I'm actually quite tired of that feeling. I'm looking forward to better feelings. I think I can see them already.....


Stephen Chapman hit his 7th home run of the season. I told chappy Id give him 500.00 dollars if he hit 10 in Brevard. Don't underestimate this man. He will play in the big leagues. Taylor Green hit his 4th home run of the season. Not only is Taylor an exception hitter (obvious) He is a very very special defender (not obvious). I have seen him make play after play at 3b so I can only imagine if he is ever moved back to second base how much he'll flourish.

On an overflowing with awesome note, I got to watch Luis Pena pitch on TV tonight. For some reason the Memphis Nashville game was one and I got to watch Luis..... Allow a run, walk a guy, then get out of the Jam in the most awesome of fashion. He K'd the last hitter to end the inning, proceeded to do this amazing fist pump which was part ray lewis part Joba Chamberlin and then get into a shouting match with the player he had just K'd. It was baseball at its absolute finest. I called Luis after the game to talk about it and he had no idea how hilarious it was. Let me assure you, it was hilarious.

I go to go to the FACA all star game in Sebring (time consuming but important) and then headed to St Lucie for the mets pre draft workout. I usually shy away from workouts as a whole but there were some monetary considerations that enticed me to advise our client to go there. We'll see if I was right but I am never going to a workout again. The worst thing I saw there was a 2009 draft prospect. As a whole, and this is the free advice of the day. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER send an underclassman to a predraft workout. No good can come of it and any advisor who suggests going to one needs to be fired, dragged to the streets by an angry torch carrying mob, and beaten worse than reginald denny. It upsets me that these kids get taken advantage of at such a young age but what can you do? I can only continue to do my job the way it makes sense to me. If people hire me, great, if not, theres always tomorrow.

Mahalo

J

No Price Is Too High To Pay For The Privilege Of Owning Yourself.

May is taking forever this year. I have been on the road, I have been on my bed, I have been everyone it seems instead. I'm exhausted beyond belief. I am satisfied I survived my road trip. By the time I hit Nevada for round two I came down with a very bad sickness. I am still not sure what it is but it's nagging for sure. The day I got back I slept in bed all day then hit the road in the morning to watch my HS in the state championship up in Sarasota. The first game a player our firm is advising dominated and the second day another player we're advising exploded for two home runs and two pickoffs (he's a catcher). Tomorrow I am on the road again to Seabring Florida for the FACA all star game where both players will be playing in front of scouts for the last time before the draft. We're almost at the finish line and I think everything is going to plan.

We've had some injuries to our pro guys this month which has been disappointing. A few guys have been shuffled around but thankfully nobody was dropped. It's been a good year so far.

I havent commented on this yet publicly so I may as well do it here. We had a player get a 50 game suspension for failing an mlb drug test. It's been difficult to deal with it because you're not really sure how you're supposed to feel. Should I have known? Is it my fault for not knowing? I certainly was not ignoring anything and I didnt have a hand in it but I will do everything I can to get this kid better. He has apologized to his team and to me but its going to be a very big career obstacle to overcome now. I hope he figures it out because I do know he's sorry. And not just sorry for getting caught, sorry for doing it in the first place.

Thats all for now, will try to update more this week on the road

Mahalo

J

PS Go see the new Indiana Jones movie and... here is a clip from the radiohead show I was at.

Somewhere I Have Heard This Before.... In A Dream My Memories Are Stored.... As Defense I'm Neutered And Spayed.... What The Hell Am I Trying To Say

Well it's been a minute since the last time I wrote. I am sitting on a plane right now waiting for the red eye to take me back to Ft lauderdale. I was in Las Vegas, San Bernadino, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Maryvale, back to Las Vegas then home. I am beyond exhausted and if anyone has ever read or watched the rules of attraction I feel like the guy who got the european montage. Anyway I am beyond exhausted and now my red eyes can close on this red eye and wake up anew. I hope.

I got to see Luis Pena for a day in Vegas. He was throwing Gasolina, potentially signing a couple of more brewers players this week. Weird. Business is good and the draft at long last is upon us. I have to go to sarasota to watch the state baseball tourney then head to seabring for the state AS game. I cant wait until its over.

Topps released baseball cards of 8 of my clients this week so thats always pretty cool. The lifelong fufilment of a childhood dream cannot be overstated enough. Getting the first baseball card is validation to some degree that all the hard work is finally paying off that even to some degree the player at hand has somewhat made it. Now all they have to do is get to the big leagues, have sustained success, and cash in.

Keep fighting the good fight. At worst you will prevail

Mahalo

J

If You Live Through This............

I have been doing a substantial amount of work regarding the draft lately. I have been setting up workouts, talking to scouts, traveling, watching games, talking to more scouts, occasionally sleeping, suspending my social calendar, traveling some more, investigating leads, sleeping some more, scouting more games, eating bread, skating on tar roads, and finally crashing back at home at some point in time. The draft is an arduous process and I honestly cannot wait until June 6th when it's done with and I have 364 days until tomorrow.

The pro guys are all doing well so as it seems everything is going to plan. I have to go to California, Las Vegas, and Arizona starting on Saturday then I will return to watch the HS state tourney in florida when I return. After that the Florida HS all star game then two weeks until the draft.

Finished John Buccigross's baseball card deal. The most rewarding part of that was when Donruss paid him his money (read this line in your best Dr. Nick voice)

Bought some more Dvd's for my birthday this week (I'm not there, Comedians of Comedy, Dead Man) Cant wait to watch them on my flights. Ive also been reading a lot of Jean Baudrillard, specifically Simulacra and Simulation. It's a great read and focuses in on the differences as wikipedia wisely notes, reality, symbols and society. God I love Philosophy.

"The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true."

Mahalo

J

Deaf And Lost Are The Children

It's the first post of May and I'm a bit late. It was my birthday Saturday. Im 26 now. I guess my prospect status is beginning to lose its luster. No mas prospecto. I'm going to see Radiohead tonight which should be fun and I did spend most of Saturday night at the Hardrock Casino in Ft. Lauderdale. Much to my chagrin, I was unable to book the Anna Nicole suite....

Sean Danielson is finally up in AAA. I am so unbelievably proud of him especially given his background as an undrafted free agent. He's going to play in the big leagues and is just one small step away.

It's always a weird feeling watching two clients play against each other. Well this week Bear Hill and Andrew Cruse of the Phillies faced off against all my Brevard County clients. Stephen Chapman played with Bear and Andrew out in Hawaii this past off season so of course when Chappy came up to bat he homered off Bear. It's an obviously conflicted reaction but I know Bear will right himself soon plus Stephen needed that homer. Stephen is going to hit a ton of home runs in the FSL which is no small feat.

I am about to go on a massive road trip to Las Vegas Arizona and California so that will be draining. Then I am home for the stretch run of the draft. I honestly cannot wait until that process is over so I start it again for 09. Hold your breath and count to 10 to fall apart and start again kinda thing.

Thats all for now.

Mahalo

J

Radiohead.