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.