Opening Day Evening

So the home club opened up with a victory yesterday against the Florida Keys. Good pitching by Kai Goto, going 6 innings and only giving up those 2 runs. The bullpen got nicked up a bit, but a 5 to 4 victory is still a victory.

I didn't see the game live, obviously, since I'm in Nashville. I didn't see it on TV as it happened either. You see, I was busy entertaining. Word got out pretty quickly that I'm living in a trailer in the Pepsi Field parking lot. Before you know it, about 35 Nashville Hounds fans were in the parking lot with me, hoping we could have one giant (for an off day) tailgate. So that's what we did.

The people here in Nashville, from the small sample I met yesterday, are great. Not one person made fun of my crying due to homesickness. One woman said she'd knit a quilt for me. Another guy said he'd get some pals to serve as my personal security detail. He had a shotgun hanging on the inside of his pickup, so I nodded and tried to move away politely. My trailer is waterproof. It's not bulletproof. My mistake.

By the time the game in Florida was over, the tailgate was just starting to wind down. It grew over the hours to become sort of a rally for the Hounds' upcoming season. A news truck was there (I did not do an interview but they did get me on camera eating a very messy White Castle cheeseburger). Somehow, I found myself near the end on the roof of my Rockwood Signature Ultralite, screaming about how the Hounds are going "all the way" and "won't take prisoners" and how the season would be a "dogfight" (since we're Hounds) and other phrases that would require quotations if I listed them as well. Bottom line: The Hounds are going to sell some tickets this April. They'll hopefully have a winning year and give this town something to write home about! (Yes, this is their home. I know that.)

Around 8:15 I "retired" into my Ultralite. A handful of fans remained in the parking lot for another hour or two, but I was replaying the game on NBL.com. I have a 17" computer screen so I got a good view of how we won. Billy Weston looked good closing it out. I don't think we'll need to worry about his fingers. I think he's been soaking them in pickle brine to solve the blistering. Very old school, but whatever works...

Tuesday is workout day here with my Nashville Hounds squad. I haven't thrown since last Thursday, but that's on purpose. Near the end of spring training I was getting a dead arm. No real pain. Just a lifelessness. Hard to explain. It's like when you wake up from a dream and you can't get your eyes to open. My arm just couldn't overcome a certain sluggishness. So I took four days (got a doctor's note) off from baseball activity. I have been able to run and I found a local YMCA where I can swim. I'll probably do so this afternoon. The last thing I want is to lose all of the muscle and flexibility I've built up over the last four months of intense workouts.

My team-paid personal trainer, Andy, called yesterday to give me a verbal pump-up. He's not here with me because the team doesn't want to pay him during the season. I guess that's why. My contract is kind of vague as to whether or not they'd pay for him all year to work out with me. For that, I blame my super agent, Jack Perry, who I've invited to a slumber party in my trailer home. So far, he's respectfully declined. I'll let you know if he makes it down here. We can have another party. I'm sure he'll pay for the beer.