Final Thoughts

Just inside the Braves' clubhouse at Champion Stadium is a quote from Vince Lombardi: "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

I assume that's meant to motivate players as they step into a new season each February, a fresh start that could potentially lead to their greatest achievements on the field.

It's probably impossible to know whether the words have ever truly inspired a player to work harder and go from mediocre to good, or from good to great. But it's not impossible for us to put the advice to use in our own lives, and that's my takeaway from the 2013 Braves fantasy camp.

Excellence, of course, isn't limited to sports.

I first thought a lot about this after I attended an event last September with members of the 1982 Braves team. A group of fans got to have a mini-fantasy camp of sorts hanging out with Dale Murphy, Bob Horner, Phil Niekro, Bruce Benedict and Gene Garber for a day as they reminisced about their roller coaster ride of a playoff run in 1982.

As the day went along, one thought kept going through my mind: These guys reached the highest level of their profession -- and succeeded for a long time.

Just making it to the big leagues means you're among the best to ever play baseball. Think about that. Even the "worst" player on any major league team is still an incredibly skilled athlete who has risen above the tens of thousands of others who pursued the dream but fell short. That's pretty special.

I was struck by how some of the '82 Braves didn't look like obvious baseball players, either now or when they played. I think of Garber, the Braves' sidearm reliever who saved 30 games in 1982 and spent 19 seasons in the majors. If you saw him on the street, you wouldn't peg him as an athlete. But he had a skill that he performed on a level above what most are capable, and he had the drive to be among the best.

My points: 1) Excellence comes in all sizes; and, related, 2) Excellence is probably attainable if we want it.

Here's a photo of me with Garber on the spot where he starred in many a Braves win, the mound at the old Fulton County Stadium site.

As cheesy as it may sound, being around the '82 Braves inspired me to try to be among the best at what I do. Not that I wasn't trying to do my best before, but it gave me new drive and determination. I got the same feeling during Braves fantasy camp. I hope you did, too.

I wasn't called to be a major league player. I wasn't blessed with those skills. I was called into journalism, something for which I actually do have the skills. But we don't keep stats. There isn't a central hall of fame for journalists, just as there isn't one for teachers, firefighters, parents, bankers or most other "regular" professions (at least not that I know of).

But (and not to sound like a bad motivational speaker here) that doesn't mean we all can't do top-level work in our jobs.

As a Christian, this brings 1 Corinthians 10:31 to mind: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

Loose translation: Always do your best and remember where your abilities came from.

What is your calling?

You'd think everyone would want to be the best at what they do. But excellence takes work, and it may be hard to measure sometimes, so a lot of people are content to be average. I don't want to be average.

My job isn't perfect, and I'm sure yours isn't either. I still make mistakes, just as you do, just as major leaguers do. But I want to get better. I want to compete at the highest level. I want to be a go-to guy.

Maybe you hate your job, or maybe your job just isn't rewarding. If that's the case, what is it that you do well? What are your skills? What do you enjoy doing? If you're not already getting paid for it, try to find a way to make that happen. It may be more possible than you realize.

Fantasy camp was a great experience. I hope to go back next year. Fans, writers and broadcasters often say that baseball is a good analogy for life. It's true in various ways, including this one: Work hard, play hard and stay aggressive -- good things can happen.

Day 4 - The End

This will be a short entry because it's late and I'm very eager to sleep past 6 a.m. My shuttle to the airport doesn't leave until 9 a.m., so I'm looking forward to the extra sleep.

But first things first: I went a combined 0-for-3 with an RBI in our two games today. The final two games. So I finished 0-for-fantasy camp with two walks and two RBIs. Not too great. But I made a few plays in the field this week, so I'm pleased with that. That, combined with my effective pitching performance the other day, means I can declare the week a wash for me, performance wise.

In our game against the former big leaguers (really just one inning per team where everyone bats), I struck out looking against Pete Smith. I worked the count to 2-2 and fouled a pitch into the stands. So that's something. I thought strike three was outside. The big leaguers won the combined "all-star" game 6-4. And by the way, they all are still pretty good at baseball. They're no longer able to compete at the major league level, but they can compete handily against any other regular Joes. They still make it look so smooth and so natural. Several of them played out of position (Javy Lopez played third for a while, Steve Avery played centerfield, for example) but they still had no problem making plays. They would even show off and make extra throws around the horn on routine plays and still get the out at first. Also, their throws are always right on target. The campers can't make the same claim.

For this game, we got the major league treatment. They announced our lineups over the PA system as we each ran out onto the field (ala Opening Day), and also announced each camper's at-bat. They even played the national anthem. The stadium was open to the public and concessions were sold. People came out to watch. It was pretty cool.

And with that, fantasy camp was over. One last event was held Saturday night at Maggiano's. Players and campers gave speeches, prizes were awarded and people were already looking forward to next year. And yes, many of the campers do this every year. I hope to make it back next year, but it's way too early to know whether it'll happen.

I'll do another post soon with some deeper thoughts about the camp and the lessons I will take from it. For now, though, I say thanks for reading about this adventure. I had a blast. Here are a few photos from today to close things out.

Above, David Justice bats during the camper-player game.

Steve Avery pitching during the same game. One of the campers hit a bullet into the gap off Avery. Everyone was impressed.

For the last day, Justice took over the kangaroo court duties.

Me in the team photo. Sorry for the mediocre quality. I had to take a picture of a picture, as I don't have a digital copy yet.

A Craig Kimbrel autographed ball I won during trivia at the farewell banquet. My question: Who was the last Brave to pitch a no-hitter? Answer: Kent Mercker in 1994.

Day 3 - Bringing the pain

I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I'm quite sore. Not just in my recovering hand, but all over.

I came into camp in very good shape. But it doesn't seem to matter. Each day I'm more sore than the last. This morning I woke up and actually thought, "Do I have to play today?"

The good news is that the sore muscles are manageable. Stretching, walking around and a few ibuprofen help a lot. Plus, you have the adrenaline that comes with playing the games.

But it's all given me new respect for what the major leaguers deal with. I've been doing this for three days. They do it for 162 games, plus spring training and postseason. I can't imagine all the behind-the-scenes work they do in the training room to keep their bodies in top shape and deal with constant muscle soreness, bruises, blisters, etc.

Players will tell you that once you start workouts in spring training, no one is at 100 percent for the rest of the season. There's always some sort of annoying discomfort. But as long as it's nothing serious, you play through it and try to let it heal as best you can.

One of the trainers working on my hand said it was a good example of why it's so hard for baseball wounds to heal quickly. Unless you sit for a few days, you're going to keep using the affected areas because baseball is a sport with a lot of repetition. So when you play every day, just keeping yourself in one piece can be a challenge.

My biggest regret in my camp preparation is that I didn't do any sprints. They recommended doing sprints in the weeks leading up to camp, but I figured my legs were in good enough shape. I'd been working the muscles and doing elliptical workouts for four months, so I assumed I would be fine.

But despite having a reputation as a slow-moving game, baseball has an awful lot of sprinting: Busting it down the line to try to beat out an infield hit, trying to beat out a force play on the bases, running to catch a fly ball. Going from being stationary to running as fast as you can puts a lot of stress on your legs. So, if I go to fantasy camp again, sprints will be part of my routine.

I will say this, though: I'm glad I worked out as much as I did ahead of camp. If I hadn't, I imagine things would be a lot worse.

MISC.

• I had my day in court today for the uniform incident. But, thankfully, because of my previously clean record, Judge Bream only fined me $2. In case you're wondering, the money collected in kangaroo court goes to the clubhouse attendants at the end of the week. They work very hard, so nobody minds paying the money. Below, court is in session.

• I went 0-for-0 with two walks and an RBI in today's game. I'll take it. We only played one today because of a golfing event that was part of camp. I don't golf, so I took advantage of the time off and went back to the hotel for a nap. It was glorious.

• One of coolest parts of camp happened this morning in early batting practice. David Justice held an impromptu hitting lesson with a small group of campers. He went through his approach to hitting, how he stayed balanced and how he tried not to swing at any breaking pitches until there were two strikes. The best line of the lesson: "You know the best way to hit the curveball? Don't miss the fastball." Then he gave us a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of his at-bat in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, when he hit the homer that gave the Braves the championship. The short version: The previous inning, Indians left-handed pitcher Jim Poole came in and struck out lefty Fred McGriff on three breaking balls outside the strike zone. So, when Justice came to bat to lead off the sixth, he already knew that Poole's breaking balls likely weren't going to be called strikes if he took them. So, having never faced Poole before, he just waited for a fastball in his happy zone. It came on the 1-1 pitch. "As soon as I hit it, I knew it was a home run," Justice said. Surprising thing about Justice: He's much taller than I expected. Then again, all these guys are big. For the most part, professional baseball is not a short person's game. Below is a photo of Justice defending himself against a charge in kangaroo court, followed by a photo of his pre-game speech. He talked about how much he enjoyed coming to fantasy camp, meeting all of us and seeing his old buddies. He said now that he's retired, these moments don't happen much anymore. So he told us to make and cherish memories the rest of the week. After that serious speech, Mike Bielecki raised his hand and asked a -- let's call it comically inappropriate -- question about Halle Berry (Justice's former wife), which was met with howling laughter, including from Justice.

• Speaking of Bielecki, I learned today that he had the best career numbers against Barry Bonds. Bielecki faced Bonds 35 times and he hit .086 (3 hits) with eight strikeouts. When Bonds was chasing Hank Aaron's home run record, Bielecki said he started getting a lot of calls from reporters who wanted to know why it was so easy for him to get Bonds out. Bielecki said he knew he had success against Bonds, but didn't know his numbers were the best. The secret, according to Bielecki: sinkers away. Bonds did hit one homer off Bielecki, though Bielecki said it was a foul ball wrongly called fair. We'll have to take his word for it. On the other side of things, Bielecki said the hitter he most hated to face was Tony Gwynn. Bielecki's best year in the majors came in 1989, when he went 18-7 with a 3.14 ERA for the N.L. Eastern Division champion Cubs.

Before I forget, I want to give a shout-out to the other former big leaguers at the camp. I'll start with one of my coaches ...

Pete Smith: Smith was an original Young Gun who showed flashes of brilliance over his seven seasons with the Braves. The most significant came during a call-up down the stretch in 1992, when he went 7-0 with a 2.05 ERA for the Braves to help them clinch the N.L. West. This stretch included two complete games and a shutout. Smith started 11 games for the Braves in 1992, and the Braves won all 11. Here's an interesting stat about Smith: In 1988, he went 7-15 with a 3.69 ERA for a horrible Braves team that lost 106 games. But among Smith's seven wins were five complete games and three shutouts. That same year, Tom Glavine led the league with 17 losses.

Charlie Leibrandt: He only pitched three seasons with the Braves, but he twice won 15 games. He had a solid career overall, playing in three World Series (two with the Braves). His best season was in 1985, when he went 17-9 for the world champion Royals.

Zane Smith: He spent 13 seasons in the majors with the Braves, Expos, Pirates and Red Sox. His best year with the Braves came in 1987, when he went 15-10 and led the league in starts with 36. His best year overall was with the Pirates in 1991, when he went 16-10.

Greg McMichael: He's the organizer of fantasy camp. In 1993, he saved 19 games for the Braves and was runner-up for N.L. rookie of the year. He followed that up with a 21-save season in 1994 and was part of the 1995 championship team, picking up a key save in the NLCS against the Reds.

Brad Clontz: A side-arm reliever, Clontz led the league in appearances in 1996 with 81. His job was to come into close games with the Braves in a jam and use his sinker to induce a double play. He was also a member of the 1995 championship team.

Well, tomorrow is the last full day of camp. We play two games, including one against the ex-players. Assuming I'm not too sore, it should be a great time.

Day 2 - A rookie mistake

Today was a good day, if for no other reason than my hand felt much better thanks to attention from the training staff.

But I also made a very big rookie mistake. I'll get to that later, mostly because it was a bonehead move.

In the meantime, the biggest lesson from today -- and this can't be overstated -- is that not playing competitive baseball for 20 years really hampers your ability to impress anyone with your skills at fantasy camp. And when your skills were only average to begin with, it can make for a humbling experience. Even though the point of fantasy camp is to have fun, you also want to play well, in large part because -- and I think this is true of every camper to some extent -- you want the former major leaguers to think you're a good player. Not major-league good, obviously, but perhaps rec-league good. Good enough so they consider you reliable in this fantasy camp league.

My bad hand really affected my hitting these past two days. This is especially disappointing because I was hitting well in the cages in the week leading up to camp, and I had those good swings in the first batting practice session. But I have two more days to redeem myself. The biggest thing is not being timid at the plate, fearing I'll hurt the hand again. But if I don't start raking, my excuse will be ... well, what do you expect? I'm a pitcher.

I was the starting pitcher in our second game today and I did fairly well, comparatively speaking. I pitched two effectively-wild innings, struck out one batter and gave up two runs. That is significant because it's the fewest runs given up by any starter on our team so far. I got a no-decision, but I was pleased with my performance, though I ran out of gas much sooner than I thought I would. I haven't pitched in a real game since 1991, so I was pretty rusty. I'd like to try it again before camp ends, but maybe just one inning this time. By the way, the opposing pitcher in that game was a 20-something who obviously pitched competitively at some point. He threw pretty hard and it was all we could do to make contact. I drew a walk that broke a string or four straight strikeouts. Rally? No, he kept mowing everyone down. We almost came back against him in the last inning, but lost 5-3.

We lost both games today. We're 0-3. I'm a combined 0-for-8 with a walk and a run scored. Before I got to camp, I harbored illusions that I might be able to hit a homer. The fences don't seem that far away, plus I've been working out since September and have gotten stronger. Also, good contact on a reasonably fast pitch can allow the ball to carry 300-plus feet fairly easily. Well, I've totally abandoned that semi-goal. My new goal is just to get a hit. Any hit. But preferably a line drive. Knowing your role is a key part of finding success in sports. The cliché is to "stay within yourself" and "don't try to do too much." Well, I'm ready to admit to myself after 20-plus years that I was never meant to be a home run hitter or a power pitcher. It's best if I focus on singles and doubles and letting the batters put the ball in play so the defenders can do their jobs.

OK, time to tell you about my rookie mistake: I wore the wrong uniform to the afternoon game.

We have two uniforms: home white and batting practice blue. We wore the blues for our first game and I assumed we'd wear the whites for the second game. And on the schedule they post on the bulletin board, my team was listed in the right-hand column, which yesterday signified the home team. But today they switched it, so, assuming the same rules applied, I put my blue jersey in the wash bin after the first game and donned the white one. Yes, I should've studied the schedule more carefully. Rookie mistake. I realized my mistake after a few minutes, but the blue jersey was already in the wash. So I was stuck -- and embarrassed. But I made the most of it. I walked into the dugout and confessed to my teammates. Then I confessed to my coaches, thinking a confession would play in my favor tomorrow in kangaroo court. We'll see how that goes. I'm thinking it'll be a $5 fine at a minimum. Apparently, this actually happens to major league players from time to time. But it's obviously a big goof, so I'm sure there will be laughs at my expense when court resumes in the morning.

As I left the field, Javy Lopez was walking behind me and summed it up: "Faaahster, you're going to be in traaahbul."

MISC...

• We found out today that Tom Glavine won't be coming to camp. We were told he has a family issue to take care of. So that's disappointing. But the camp organizers said they'd try to get him to visit us during the camp reunion at a Braves game this season.

• In our early game today, the news broke that the Braves had acquired Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks for Martin Prado and several prospects. Reaction was mixed about 60-40 in favor of the trade among campers and ex-players. Many were just surprised Prado was included in the deal. For what it's worth, a couple ex-players said it was a mistake to trade Prado. I can see that argument, but I think having Justin Upton in the same outfield with his brother, B.J., and Jason Heyward will be exciting to watch. I found this reaction meme amusing.

• Tonight's activity was a "fan cave night," where everyone gathered in the hotel game room to play cards, ping pong and just hang out. In the photo below, Sid Bread (left) and Javy Lopez play in one of several poker games.

• About an hour into the night, David Justice showed up. It was fun watching him greet his former teammates. You can tell these guys really like each other. Justice still has that swagger, and he attracts a crowd. But he seems genuinely happy to interact with fans, which is cool. He'll be a guest instructor the rest of the week. While talking with Otis Nixon, Justice reminisced about Nixon's famous catch. Even nearly 21 years later, Justice still gets excited describing it. Here's a picture of Justice playing ping pong.

• Here's a picture of roughly where I caught the foul ball during a spring training game in 2004. It's the only time I've caught one.

• And here's a panorama shot I took from the stadium warning track today.

• Finally, here's the answer to yesterday's trivia question about the original "Young Guns": Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Pete Smith, Derek Lilliquist and Tommy Greene. Those were the original "Young Guns" circa 1988. Steve Avery was added to the mix in 1990. Eventually, just Glavine, Smoltz and Avery retained the title.

Day 1 - The Good, the Bad and the Embarrassing

They call it fantasy camp because you're living out the fantasy of being a major league player and hanging out with guys you watched on TV for so many years. I think it's also called fantasy camp because of the fantasy you create in your head in which you're still good at baseball.

My first full day of camp started out strong: 1) Arriving at Champion Stadium (above), spring training home of the Braves and where I once caught a foul ball live on ESPN. 2) Eating a carb-heavy breakfast spread, then seeing all the unlimited snacks that are available throughout the day. 3) Seeing my locker with my jersey on display. 4) Putting on said jersey and suiting up in full uniform. 5) Learning that my locker used to be Chipper Jones' locker.

All of those were great.

The greatness continued in early batting practice. I stepped into the cage against Sid Bream, he of The Slide. I took three or four good hacks and ripped some line drives, even earning some praise from Bream. This was exciting because the other early hitters had not made good contact. But then I caught a ball in the perfect spot on the bat to make it feel like my right hand had been struck by lightning. I didn't think much about it at first, as I've gotten the "bumblebees" in the hands before. Side note: Wooden bats hurt worse than metal ones when you don't square the ball up right. I've not used a wooden bat since ... well, ever. Lesson learned. This bat even has my name on it. You'd think that would indicate that I could rely on it to not hurt me. 

I decided against any more early BP to let my hand rest and heal. But as the minutes went by, it wasn't feeling any better. After a brief morning meeting, we headed to our evaluation "stations" -- hitting, fielding, pitching, base-running and catching. At these stations, the former players evaluated everyone to see which players they wanted to draft later in the day. I started out at the hitting station, shagging fly balls in the outfield. I made a few plays, drawing a compliment from Johnny Estrada. The confidence grew. I'm pretty sure at this point I was penciled in for an official invite to spring training. It came my turn to hit off Estrada. First pitch, I barely tipped it. I was swinging somewhat timidly because my hand was still smarting. Second pitch, weak pop-up. Third pitch, missed completely. What?! My earlier hitting display against Bream was now losing its luster. Fourth pitch, I hit a solid liner into the outfield. Fifth pitch was another liner. Sixth pitch was a comebacker to the mound, but it was another instance of the pitch getting "in my kitchen," as colorful and folksy TV commentators like to say. I knew at this point my hand was probably not going to get any better today. Thus, I would be in trouble once the game started.

During the break for lunch, I visited the training room to see whether they could offer any help with my hand. They gave me a sock filled with ice and wrapped it around my hand. See picture below.

That had a limited effect. Cut to the game and -- spoiler alert -- 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Our team lost 17-3, or something similarly lopsided. Oh, I also lost a ball in the sun. So there was that, too. It's possible they're rethinking my invite to spring training.

After the game, the trainers had me soak my hand in the ice tub for 12 minutes. That also had a limited effect. Then they wrapped my hand in special gauze. See below. It actually helped as the night went on. That and the Advil. As I type this, it actually feels well enough to hit tomorrow. Prayers accepted.

Whatever healing my hand has done has been offset by the ribbing from my coaches, Marquis Grissom and Pete Smith. Smith called it "embarrassing."

"You look like a burn victim," he said.

Then: "You've got baby hands."

I sense there will be a kangaroo court fine in the morning.

Despite the rough introduction to "The Show," the day was still pretty cool. Besides spending time with my coaches, I also got to have lessons with Javy Lopez, Eddie Perez, Otis Nixon, Steve Avery, Mike Bielecki and Zane Smith. But the highlight for me by far was my pitching "tryout." I hadn't expected to pitch with a hurt hand, but they wanted everyone to give it a shot. Much to my surprise, I was able to throw relatively pain free -- and fairly fast ... for a fantasy camper. I don't know how fast (I'm sure it was at least 95 ... or 55), but it was fast enough for Marvin Freeman to stop talking (he's always talking) and take notice. Brad Clontz, another former Braves pitcher, also told me I'd done well. I hope it wasn't a fluke, because I'll be pitching at some point in tomorrow's morning game.

We wrapped up the evening with a team dinner at Benihana. One of the campers got hats for Grissom and Smith. I also learned on this excursion that one of my teammates was a zombie on "The Walking Dead."

I'll close with a trivia question that Pete Smith tried out on us: Who were the original five Braves "Young Guns?" Hint: Steve Avery is not an answer. The key word is original. Think it over and I'll post the answer tomorrow night. I was able to get three of the five easily, then -- after much thought and a couple wrong guesses -- one of the last two.

Fantasy camp: The Arrival

So, Javy Lopez, Eddie Perez and Johnny Estrada walk into a bar ...

That's the short version of how the 2013 Atlanta Braves fantasy camp started for me. More on that later.

Tuesday was the arrival day for me and the 60-plus other campers who have come to Orlando, Fla., for a small taste of what it's like to be a major league baseball player. By small taste I mean we stay at a five-star resort, we'll have our own official uniform, our laundry is washed every day by clubhouse attendants, we have transportation to and from the stadium and we get to play against former major leaguers -- Braves "legends" as they're officially referred to at camp. Some are more legendary than others, but I'm certain they're all better at baseball than anyone who paid to come to camp. Even those who've been retired 20 years can probably still dominate a bunch of 25- to 74-year-olds (that's the age range of the campers). One ex-pitcher still throws 85 mph with movement, so it should be interesting to face him. Or, more accurately, frightening.

It's often said a player who gets a brief call-up to the big leagues has "a cup of coffee," which is hyperbole for the short duration of their stay. Under that concept, I suppose fantasy camp is more like a sip of coffee (hence the blog title), or perhaps even just a sniff of the aroma of coffee. I don't drink coffee, by the way.

Anyway, the opening night event was an informal gathering at Miller's Ale House in Orlando. We had one of the big rooms to ourselves. There was lots of mingling with the other campers and the former Braves players. Here's a quick rundown of some of the players, all of whom seem very down to earth and approachable.

--Javy Lopez: Longtime power-hitting Braves catcher and fan favorite; three-time all-star; 1996 NLCS MVP; holds record for most home runs in a season by a catcher. He still looks the same, and looks like he could still play.

--Marquis Grissom: Braves speedy centerfielder from 1995-1996. Vital part of their 1995 World Series championship team. He caught the final out of Game 6 that gave the Braves the title. Also caught the final out of Dennis Martinez's perfect game in 1991 as a member of the Montreal Expos. He twice led the league in stolen bases and was the 1997 ALCS MVP for the Cleveland Indians.

--Otis Nixon: Former speedster who once stole six bases in one game (a major-league record). But he's probably most remembered for robbing the Pirates' Andy Van Slyke of a ninth-inning homer to preserve a 13-game winning streak for the Braves in 1992.

--Steve Avery: One of the Braves' "Young Guns" in the early '90s. He was a two-time 18-game winner and was the 1991 NLCS MVP. He still looks only slightly older than a 20-something. Very nice guy.

--Marvin Freeman: He was part of the 1991 and 1992 pennant-winning Braves teams and is quite a colorful character. He's the one who still throws 85 mph with movement. He's a favorite among the returning campers. In 1991, there was a Marvin Freeman Fan Club in the bleachers at Fulton-County Stadium. It was mainly just 10 or so fans who found Marvin amusing. He gave them each his home phone number so they could call and ask questions. These days, he mixes it up with fans on Facebook. He recently posted: "I'm practicing drilling my son so I won't have any emotional attachments to drilling you guys." Yay! Freeman's best year in the majors came in 1994, when he led the league in winning percentage with a 10-2 record for the Colorado Rockies. He also had a 2.80 ERA that year and finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

--Eddie Perez: For years he was the personal catcher for Greg Maddux. He's now the Braves' bullpen coach. He was also the 1999 NLCS MVP. Has a reputation as a jokester.

--Johnny Estrada: Former Braves all-star catcher. Was a good hitter and overall player during his two full years with the Braves (2004-05). He also played for the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Brewers and Nationals. He wore an Oakland A's hat and an Oakland Raiders sweatshirt to the get-together.

There are others, but it's getting late and I have to catch the shuttle to the stadium at 6:30 a.m.

Two ex-players I'm looking forward to meeting are Tom Glavine and David Justice. They will be here later in the week as guest instructors. For those who aren't aware, Glavine is a 300-game winner, two-time Cy Young winner and the MVP of the 1995 World Series. He'll almost certainly be elected to the Hall of Fame next year. Justice was a longtime Brave, a three-time all-star and was the 1990 N.L. rookie of the year. He also hit the home run that gave the Braves their World Series title in 1995. He was probably my favorite Braves player after Dale Murphy was traded in 1990.

That's it for tonight. Tomorrow's post should have pictures. Expect it sometime around 10 p.m. But if I hit a homer during a game tomorrow, I will make sure the world is alerted promptly through Facebook and Twitter. By the way, I've never really used Blogger before, so forgive me if this blog is a little basic. I'll try to pretty it up some tomorrow.

I'll leave you with the SURREAL MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: During the get-together, ESPN showed Kirby Puckett's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. The guy who gave up that homer, Charlie Leibrandt, was standing 10 feet from me. He wasn't watching.