New Season, New Blog

I would just like to inform you, that the new blog for the 2009 season is www.waveball09.blogspot.com. Updates will be coming soon

Free at Last.

Sum·mer (n)- the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline.

Well, here it is, the long awaited light at the end of the tunnel. The last 3 weeks of school are always the most challenging. Not only are there final exams, but just to trip you up, most professors throw in a final round of tests during the last week or 2. Sleep becomes a commodity, hygiene- optional, social life... well I guess we rarely have much of a social life anyways, but you get the point. It's the storm before the calm- and the only thing I will say about it is... it's over.

I finished up my finals last Wednesday (having to skip the game at Southern to take the last one), and most of the guys finished up within the next few days. Shooter, Z, and myself were among the test takers/injured reserve that were unable to make the trip, so we got together to watch the game on television. I will also note that Dyer forgot his jersey and had to wear Matt Petiton's #29. He then proceeded to hit like Matt as well. (Just kidding JD, and besides- those balls were off the plate!)

Thursday we packed up and traveled all day to North Carolina for 3 games with ECU. We had a great weekend up there, and managed to take all 3 against a very solid ball club. Thursday night, we dispersed for dinner, and a few of us ended up at Outback. Our waitress was a college student, and seemed to be under a bit of stress, so I took it upon myself to try and ease the tension. I have come to find that there are people in this world who respond very well to my sarcastic jeering, realizing it is all in good fun and it can be especially useful in times of frustration... I have also come to realize that when they do not find it as funny as I do, it gets really awkward, really fast. Lucky for all of us, she* ate it up. For every witty remark we gave her she threw something right back. I have to say it was one of the funniest meals I have had in a long time.
*waitress was actually named "Sarah", however was called everything from Lauren, to Shawna, to Brittney, etc.

This week, we have had the good fortune of early practices, which gave us all day to enjoy our lives. I can not speak for everyone, but if this schedule doesn't scream summertime (taking into account our primary responsibility of baseball, of course) I don't know what does. So far I have:

• Grilled out (x2)
• Had a poker night
• Spent an afternoon at the fly (listening to Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Robert Earl Keen, etc. while sitting under a shade tree and hitting golf balls into the Mississippi River)
• Played the guitar
• Thrown the football around
  
• Packed up all my stuff for Summer

So far I have not:

• Gone to class
• Missed going to class

Before I head off I just want to clear up any confusion that might have come about with previous posts. I had said earlier that Mrs. Rebowe's fruit pizza was the highlight of my life (or... maybe it wasn't THAT serious- but something to that effect), but I let it slip my mind that the only reason the fruit pizza was so delicious (not to take anything away, the fruit pizza is still outstanding), is because my body was already so unbelievably satisfied from the wealth of food that Mr. Rebowe had graciously provided weekend after weekend. So to all of the parents who contributed, thanks again... you guys are awesome.

Well- that about wraps it up for now. We have the Rice Owls in town this weekend, and we are pumped about the challenge. I will now leave you with 2 quotes for this week:

During the broadcast of the Southern game:
"Boy that Jared Dyer- he looks like he would be fun to hang out with, doesn't he."
-Announcer

An exchange with the waitress at Outback:
(All 3 glasses, empty, lined up along the edge of the table)TR: "Excuse me, Shawna- these glasses aren't going to refill themselves."
W: "Oh, then follow me, the tea pitchers are over here!"

.

Give the people what they want-

Well folks, it seems I start off ever entry the same way... apologizing for my lack of attention to the blog. Well, after hearing complaints from no fewer than 20 people that I am "the worst blog maintainer of all time"... I have come to the conclusion that my time sacrifice is worthwhile. So here friends is the latest:

Well since my last entry, things have been nuts- we have had 2 5 game weeks, a 4 game week, along with 3 other orphan games for a grand total of 17 games (and 3 travel days i think?) in 3.5 weeks. I wish my professors would read this freaking blog and maybe cut me some slack, but I doubt that is going to happen. Anyhow, we have showed some real signs of life, along with some other growing pains that I feel are pretty close to the rear view. It will be a huge lift whenever classes are over and we can focus on baseball alone. With all of the traveling, schoolwork, games, etc... I can honestly say I have gotten less sleep than I have at any other time in my life, and I know it is the same for most of the other guys as well.

Last weekend we went to Houston for a conference series against U of H. It was great for all of the Texas guys (roughly 1/3 of the team) to see our families and step foot back on the soil of the promised land. Another nice surprise was seeing our 2007 team captain Matt Goebel, who now resides in Houston. Matt was around all weekend, and of course, when we got there Thursday night had already made plans with 2 restaurants to accommodate the "Jr/Sr" group and the "Fr/So" group after hours. As Coach Kingston upon hearing of his arrangements, "Once a captain, always a captain." Way to go Matty.

Now for the hard part- I have previously written about the brotherhood of this team, and how we are always there for one another, and unfortunately this element of our collective unit is being tested yet again. We were informed that Jonny Weiss's father had become ill several days ago, and this morning we were notified that he passed away last night. Please send your thoughts and prayers out for the Weiss family as they go through this difficult time.

Also, I am glad to report that both Drew Zizinia and Karl Mundt had successful arm surgeries this past week. I know both of these guys have been whining about their "aches and pains" for months now, and we are finally glad that they can stop their tirades of self pity. (Juuuust kidding guys, I only say this because I know you can only punch me left handed)

Well folks, that about wraps it up. Even though nearly a month has passed, take comfort in the fact that you have not been missing much! However, now with 8 days of class and then finals, we are on the home stretch. Hopefully when we have some sort of free time on our hands, there will be some more antics to share with you guys.

Fortunately, I do have one little morsel that might be my favorite quote (or sequence of quotes) from the entire year to this point:
3 Days before Drew Z's surgery, Grayden Griener, Coach Sutter, Drew, and Myself were talking in the locker room--
DZ: "Well, they told me if they have to do the full out Tommy John that Dr. Savoie likes to use hamstring ligaments from cadavers."
CS: "Yeah Z, I heard you were asking a lot of stupid questions yesterday in the Dr.'s office, did you really ask him if you could get AIDS?"
DZ:"Yeah, he told me there was a 1 in 1,500,000 chance that I could get a disease like that. I just hope if he does have to give me a new ligament that it was from someone fast."
CS: "I just hope they do SOMETHING that makes you throw harder than you do now."
GG: "Yeah man, why don't they just go dig up Bob Gibson or something?"
CS: "Bob Gibson is still alive asshole!"

And there you have it. Until next time... stay cool.

Easter Bunnies and Spring Break Honeys.

Pep- If that isn't the face of a catfish... I don't know what is.


Well here we are, spring break 2008... and Easter Weekend. I must say... as boring as spring break has been from an entertainment standpoint... I am incredibly sad to see it go. Unfortunately, the reality is that now I have 4 tests and a paper due this week, and even during spring break, school is killing me softly.

Monday afternoon, a bunch of us went out to "The Fly" (or the levee... basically just a big patch of grass by the river) and we had a good time. The sun wasn't really out, but we played some hacky sack, threw the football, and basically just killed time. We had practice Tuesday morning, followed by a trip to Baton Rouge Wednesday evening to play LSU. It turned out to be pretty dang cold, and we didn't have the foresight to bring jackets, our bad.

Today, after a Saturday victory, the parents provided an unbelievable barbecue at Rustin's place. There was pretty much every meat imaginable, ZERO vegetables, and some phenomenal dessert... sounds about right to me. Oh.. and Mrs. Rebowe's fruit pizza-- out of this world. Bottom line, thank you so much to the parents who helped set it up- it was awesome.

I really planned on having some fantastic update to post, with reports of great fun and other neat little chestnuts, but unfortunately... it's been pretty lame. The good news though, is that we are on the downhill for the semester. With about 6 more weeks of class and then finals, we are on the home stretch.

Since this update has been very much lacking in substance, I will leave you with a few more nicknames... some newly acquired, some that were neglected the first time, and some that only grayden uses... that I find funny:

Steve Moritz- "Steve the pirate", "Black Olive"
Nick Pepitone- "Catfish"
Josh Prince- "The principal"
Sam Honeck- "Sammy 2 times"
Rob Segedin- "Seggy T's"
Scott Powell- "Ronny New Year"
Matt Petiton- "Lib" or "Libby"


And finally, our quote of the week--
"Wow Tony, that was pretty Italian."
-G$ (After scelfo stretched a double into a triple up 14 in the 8th)

**Note- the title of this post is highly inaccurate, because to this point there have been no easter bunnies, and we have been surrounded by dudes for 7 days now.

Family.

1&2- Just some of the guys hanging out.


As we have established, the purpose of this blog is to give an inside look into what we are doing as a team... and for the most part, it is fun and games. It seems that if you are on campus it is virtually impossible run into a single Tulane baseball player. The reason for that? Where there is one of us, there are inevitably several more nearby. It seems like we are never alone, which, has its perks and its pitfalls. Some of the pitfalls include (but are not restricted to): No stupid act, comment, or question goes without being relayed to the entire team, secrets are virtually non-existent, and self-esteem must be checked at the door. We are always quick to make fun of one another, and an onlooker unfamiliar with our collective sarcasm might think we absolutely hate one another. This couldn't be further from the truth, and it brings me to the point of this post. We are a family.

Never has this been more evident than it was this weekend. In the midst of celebrating a big win on Friday night... we received news that Preston Claiborne's father had passed away earlier that evening. At that very moment, everything else became irrelevant. See, we are brothers. When something happens to one of your brothers... it feels like it has happened to you. Preston is without a doubt one of the most fun guys on the team. As roommates during our freshman year of college, I think we experienced just about everything. The one thing that I always noticed was that Preston, the same Preston that earned the nickname "Leeroy" for his antics and personality, had a unique respect and admiration for his father, that I could not begin to explain. Preston got the ball today and did one hell of a job on the mound, looking better than ever after his surgery. I have no doubt that Mr. C was pretty proud.

Although we dropped two tough games to UC-Irvine this weekend, I have no doubt that we will bounce back. Every family has its growing pains... and as long as we are there to pick each other back up nothing will keep us down.

This week's quote might not have been said by one of the guys, but I make the rules here:
"Two are better than one because they have good return for their work; If one falls down his friend can help him up."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Culture Shock

1- Theme park in the middle of the Mall of America. Sorry, lighting was awful
2- Mason, Dave Chappelle, and Jared Dyer
3- Fellas heading out to the bus from Airport. Welcome to Minnesota.
4- First thing we saw after getting off of the plane.

Before I get started, let me first apologize, I know it has been nearly a month since I posted, but like I said... life is busy. Anyhow, we just got back home from Minneapolis, MN sometime around 1 am this morning. I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a long weekend. Not to mention the fact that many of us had a lot of studying to do on the flight home.

Anyhow, before getting into the Minnesota trip, I will touch on opening weekend. This definitely deserved its own post, but things were SO hectic that I could not find time to update. Opening weekend was great. Our crowds were huge, student section active, and the life in the park was pretty electric. In fact, I would like to give a shout out to our student section who picked up a crucial assist in the Saturday game by getting inside the head of UIC's right fielder, causing him to drop a routine fly ball. This actually proved to be the difference in the game, so students... keep up the good work. We were all very proud and very excited to be the team to open up the new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, and we did it in style with a 3-0 sweep of Illinois-Chicago.

On to Minnesota-- road trips always bring about mixed reviews. It is fun to go, play somewhere different, see a new city, and be with your teammates... however, it makes classwork pile up, you don't have your home crowd, and you live out of a suitcase. Nevertheless, we find ways to entertain ourselves with the free time we have. Thursday night, after flying all day, we arrived at the hotel at 6:50, and had to be on the bus ready for practice at 7 o clock. Let me first note, that upon arrival... it was snowing.... hard. We come from a land of 75 degree winters... gross. After practice, the Juniors and Seniors kept tradition alive with their "Jr./Sr. Dinner" and as a response to being left out we had a "Underclassmen Dinner" of our own. Only problem was that there were 2 restaurants in walking distance, the coaches were one, and the Jr's and Sr's at the other. So we had to play the role of the pesky younger sibling and go to the same place as the upperclassmen. They got over it.

Friday, we played at noon, and Shooter Hunt matched up with Pepperdine's Brett Hunter. Both are projected to go in the first round, and both guys threw well. Basically it came down to this... lots of 94-96 mph fastballs, and lots of "are these guys serious" looks in the dugout. After friday's game, the team loaded up on the bus, and we went to the Mall of America. I apologize to the state of Minnesota, but that place is ENTIRELY unnecessary. Never in my life will I need to pick something up at the mall and say "oh hey, while I am here, why not catch a few roller coasters!" Also, the all terrain putt putt course (which ran $10 a round... yeah right), multiple full service restaurants, bowling alley, 4 different "Lids", giant movie palace, 3 starbucks, etc... those were unnecessary features as well. I was also told by a local, that not only is it successful, but they are expanding it. Congratulations Minnesota, you have a mall that does more business than many small nations... cool.

Saturday and Sunday were really pretty uneventful. Saturday, Myself, Jonathan Garrett, Shooter, and Matt Petiton helped run a clinic at the Metrodome for young kids. We were in charge of teaching them proper pitching mechanics, and hey... we did our best. Sunday was pretty much just playing TCU at 11, followed by a shower at the dome, and a flight back home.

Oh yes... and one last thing... we had 2 celebrity sightings this weekend. In the DFW airport on the way to MN, we saw Dave Chappelle. Above is a photo of Mason Griffin and Jared Dyer talking to him, however, I had to pull a "paparazzi" and take it from a distance. Sunday night, on our flight to New Orleans was Criss Angel... yes... the MindFreak. He attempted to disguise himself, but Kirk Cunningham apparently saw right through his scraggly beard and highlighted hair (wig?) to make this sighting. I have photos of both, and both are very hard to decipher, but trust me... they are Dave and Criss Angel.

That's all for now, I will try to update more frequently now that the season is rolling. In the meantime, here's this week's quote:
"There's only one role you can have [in baseball] with a physique like that... you can either DH, or come out of the Bullpen."
-Aaron Loup... proposed math major

Mardi Gras/Superbowl/Start of practice

Pic#1- Myself, Matt Petiton, Shooter, and Z (L-R) hanging out after a parade
Pic#2- Drew Allain and Warren after enjoying some crawfish


Mardi Gras, beginning of spring practice, and Super Bowl XLII... activity overload. Some of you might read the time stamp on this post and think I am crazy (8 o' clock pm... on the ACTUAL fat Tuesday) but alas, I am not so fortunate to continue life at such a leisurely pace, and have a test Thursday morning in Managerial Accounting. Brutal.

Anyways, enough about how "tough" we have it... practice started off great. Everyone has been in good spirits, and there's definitely been some life in the team about getting to the fun part of the year. Intrasquads have gone well so far, a lot of guys are playing well and everyone is being pressured to perform by the guy behind him. The hitters had a great weekend, and put on display all the hard work they have done in the off season. Finally, the folks at Rawlings came out with some unbelievably high tech gadgetry, in order for the guys test out some new bats and find out which ones give them the best results. The pitchers had already bailed, but according to a few sources, Sam Honeck and Tony Scelfo put on a show, hitting just about every ball that left the cage out of the yard. I heard the number 440 feet come up a few times when describing some of their bombs. Yikes.

So that's baseball, how about the Super Bowl. What a game, eh? I (who, as a hardcore Brady-hater, pulled for the giants) found myself watching the game with the 3 Giants fans on the team, (Matt Petiton, Rob Segedin, Josh Zeid), along with a confused Shooter Hunt (who actually is a JETS fan... what? they have a fan base?!), Steve Moritz (who opposes whomever you happen to root for as a means for argument) and a bunch of various indifferent "others". I think the house we were at could have probably been heard anywhere within a 1/2 mile radius, so if we disturbed you, our apologies.

Finally to Mardi Gras, and to be perfectly honest... I am glad it's almost over. It has been a blast, don't get me wrong, but there are just so many people in town, and it has gotten really exhausting. Marc Robert and Scott Powell hosted a celebratory crawfish boil last week, and that was a blast. On another note, I feel like a joke saying this, but I didn't actually make it out to a single parade. The one I attempted to go to finished rolling like 5 minutes after my arrival. Bummer. Anyhow, not having school and whatnot has been a great blessing... and I feel like we have taken full advantage of the freedom.

Now, this is the last thing I am going to address in this installment, but as I insert names into this blog, I almost feel uncomfortable at times calling our guys by their given names. So, as an added bonus for YOU, the loyal readers of this blog... I will make a list of a few of the nicknames on the team.

Rustin Rebowe- Rus
Jonathan Garrett- Johnny, "JG", or "Gametime"
Drew Zizinia- Z
Josh Prince- "Fresh" or just "Prince"
Nick Pepitone- Pep
Grayden Greiner- G-Money, or "Mundo"
Warren McFadden- Mac
Rob Segedin- "Seggy" , "Guido"
Matt Petiton- Peti
Preston Claiborne- Leeroy.
Scott Powell- Ron
Marc Robert- Robes
Josh Zeid- Jeff

That's pretty much it for now. And I will leave you with today's Quote:
"Ketchup makes me sweat."
-None other than "Leeroy" Claiborne