Six Months Back

Six months have gone by and the time I spent in Europe seems like it was just yesterday. Danny and I made it home safely to our new homes and loved ones in the USA a few days after we lost to Regensburg in Bavaria. It is amazing to think that I have been home now as long as I was in Europe. In hind sight the experience went by in the blink of an eye. I have these little flashbacks of Paderborn and I often think that I am one of the luckiest guys on earth for the experience of playing baseball and living in Germany, but more important than baseball and travel were the friendships that I made for a lifetime. My roomates Micheal, Mitch, and Franke. My crazy teammate in Eugene "Augla," and Alex, and of course Shummy, Buders, Juels, Bjorn, Hinz, Speer, and Tavo just to name a few! And then of course there was "Red!" What else can I say about him other than putting his name in exclamations!  In the end I am thankful that I  having the people around me to make that experience happen. I can honestly say that I miss them all.... maybe not all of them.

Looking back on where I was a year ago at this time, and where I thought I was going before I met "Red," and Danny needed a catcher in Germany is pretty fun. Life changed so quickly and now I think about the flashback of uncertainty, and the thought of whether or not I could play after a four year hiatus. Those feelings mixed with leaving my loved ones behind was frightening at the time. I can think back to my first few workouts, practices and games after not playing in four years thinking to myself, "What the heck am I doing, you are too old for this!?" However, as the weeks, months, and now a year have passed, Danny and I had the experience of a lifetime, and we made a difference to our team. 

I discovered that my passion and ability for the game remained intact as a player, and that I was even a little smarter and I appreciated the little things a little more which made me better in the end. I lifted a rather large gorilla off my back by getting an opportunity to play again. It is rare to have such an opportunity, not only to play baseball in Europe, but to travel the world and experience a different culture like we did. 

Certainly the most most important thing I discovered in this journey is something that every person I know can appreciate. While most of the previous six months was filled with uncertainty, I was coming home to someone who loved me for who I am, as a person, ballplayer, and partner! Aside from my parents, brother, sister, and other family members who watched me grow up with baseball, Erin was just learning the importance of the game to me, but she understood why I needed this experience more than anyone! The day I left for Germany last March, Erin set her roots in Portland, Oregon. She got a chance to visit me for about four weeks out of the entire season, and the day I got back from Germany, after not seeing Erin for a little over 8 weeks I returned to Portland to move in with her and our dog Wanda! I couldn't ask for more, except I did. After about a month of living with Erin I finally made a decent man out of myself and asked her to marry me. She said yes and we are planning a wedding for 2012! :) 

As a result of all the things that happened, I can only look back with pure fulfillment. To have had this  opportunity at what I feel was certainly a cross-roads in my life was amazing! I will never forget it, and more importantly, I can move beyond the thought of "what if." As in, "What would have happened if I never received the opportunity to play competitively again?" Like many, this happens when we do not fulfill life long dreams (like making it to professional baseball or the Big Leagues) but the mesaage was simple for me. Love, Travel, Play or Play to Travel for Love. Nothing else has meant more to me in my life then those things until now. So, as I finish my thoughts on how things turned out, I would have to say that I wouldn't change it for the world. Winning the championships would have been awesome, but I doubt I will remember the final score 10 years from now. I will however, remember the experience!

As for the future, I can rest my cleats high on the shelf and tell myself that I got a great experience as a player! Baseball is a funny game. For years I thought that I needed to be in the game for life. I just wanted to play again. I enjoy coaching, and plan to coach youth baseball as long as I live, but I can walk away from it as a full time deal because I had an opportunity to play beyond my college days.

As for now, I am working for a college in Portland as an Admissions Representative and a High School Presenter. I travel to nearby schools around the Portland area and give classroom workshops on goal setting and professionalism, and I must say it is nice to have found a great job so quickly! Erin and I are happy in our new apartment in the Pearl District near downtown. We are right across the street from one of my favorite breweries and the neighborhood is awesome complete with a big dog park for Wandaroo!

The past six months have been great! Erin and I got engaged, the Giants finally won the World Series, and we are both healthy and working full time. Not to mention is the fact that we are extremely happy together with our little one (Wanda)!

As for baseball, I teach catching at a nearby baseball facility and I have started to help over a dozen catchers learn the tools of ignorance as well as a little hitting. I am excited to watch the Pilots this year, and Erin and I might even make it up to Seattle for a Mariners game sometime this summer. We can take the train from Portland to Seattle in about 4 hours.

In closing, writing this blog has been a blast, and I want to thank anyone who took the time to read it. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience as much as I enjoyed writing about it and living it!

Prost!!

Back to Bavaria!

The week went by a little slower than usual this time around. Anticipation was not a big enough word to describe the weekend ahead of us. It was either stay and play, or bye-bye Germany. We practiced as usual on Tuesday and Thursday, with our team soccer game "warm-ups" on Tuesday. (Yes, we play soccer at Baseball practice; Please refrain from Judgement) I have to tell you how much I HATE playing "fusbol" on a baseball field, but when in Germany, you do what Germans do best, and it isn't baseball. I must say, as much as I hated running up and down the field it was a good warm-up, although I am surprised nobody ever got hurt. I also found my calling as a goalie. Fitting that a catcher becomes the goalie with the same goal being "keep the ball in front of you at all costs!" I made some of my teammates so mad a few times when I would block a good shot and it was great.

Upon Friday it was time to head back to Regensburg, Bavaria. The Leigonaire played in by-far the nicest facility in all of Germany. We had played there in May, and had an incredible experience winning the all important Buchbinder Cup. Needless to say, we were 3-0 on that field and we knew we could win!

Two weeks previous we had not fared so well on the road. We lost the first two games to Mannheim, and Red was furious with a couple of guys, stating that some of out veteran players had to much fun the night before. Personally, I didn't get a chance to have fun with them the night before, but I thought it was hilarious that we blamed losing on "going out on the town." This is a team with a rich history of guys going out the night before CHAMPIONSHIP games and staying out until dawn. Personally, I could never do it, but some of the "veterans" that had played for the Untouchables for many years were well adjusted to it. Also was the fact that we did not get to play in other towns very often, and many of the guys who have families and kids back at home look at it as a chance to hang with the boys.

I was well aware that if we lost two games down here that we were leaving, and I intended to enjoy my time in Bavaria, as well as in our games against Regensburg. I did not want to look back and say, "That was an ok weekend." I wanted to have the time of my life, and that included getting to spend some time with many of the teammates that Danny and I had gained such a good relationship with over the past 6 months. Also, was the fact that this might well be the last time I suit up for real competition.

The Friday night we arrived, we checked into the hotel and a small batch of us went into the town center and enjoyed an incredible dinner. Bavarian food is much different that most of the country and I tried duck for the first time in my life. It was amazing! Upon our return back to the hotel I found myself hanging out with one of the team's owner, and I got a chance to have a few Weizen Beers and talk about baseball, and the experience as a foreigner in Germany in the lobby bar. As we talked, I couldn't help but focus on what an amazing time it really was. I was in a celebratory mood, as was our team owner, and we shared a few good laughs.

The next morning our hotel had a buffet that rivaled any of those I had ever had. I stuffed my face and got to the yard feeling very refreshed and ready for the upcoming games.

Pre-game went quick and the day was beautiful. Clear skies with a temperature right around 75 degrees. It was a perfect day for baseball. As game one started, I couldn't help but think about how awesome it would be to win two games and celebrate that night in Regensburg. Also was the thought that if we did win, we would be able to go to Octoberfest the following weeks to come which would be amazing.

Regensburg had different plans! Much like his previous two starts, Augie had a really hard time getting outs. We made some really bone-head plays on defense and did not take care of the baseball. By the third inning, we were behind 7-1 and although we responded after a terrible inning defensively, we lost the first game 9-2 putting our backs against the wall in game two as we were now facing elimination. I give a lot of credit to the Regensburg starter because he kept us off balance the entire game, forcing us to hit his pitch as we fell behind in most counts.

With Danny on the mound in game two we still had a lot of confidence, and we now had to focus on getting to Sunday for a decisive game 5. This one was for all the marbles!!

Danny had fantastic stuff for the entire day. He gave up a run in the second, but we responded with 2 in the third and one in the fifth, extending a lead to 3-1. We felt extremely confident and we knew it was ours. Right up until the eighth inning Danny was cruising, and I was certain that we would be playing on Sunday.

Regensburg started off the bottom half of the inning with two straight hits and all of a sudden the wheels fell off! An error on the next hitter and all of a sudden the bases were loaded and Danny was done. Just like that, the game had shifted and you could feel the anticipation and momentum shift from Regensburg.  If you have ever been at a game like this, you see it happening, and as a player; more important as a catcher, you really feel helpless.

As we still had a one run lead, our relief pitcher came in and surrendered a run by walking the first batter with the bases loaded. I could not call a pitch that he would throw for a strike. All of a sudden the game was tied, and we still had no outs. We would eventually give up two more runs, and what was worse was that I quickly realized how fast it all came tumbling down. We had a secure lead going into the eighth, and then all of a sudden it vanished!

We never recovered in the ninth and as I watched the Regensburg Legionare storm the field after the final out I felt responsible for the loss. Not only had I called the pitches that led to our loss, but I also did not get any hits for the first time since June, and I left a lot of runners in scoring position. That feeling was quickly replaced by the sadness that our season, and my baseball journey were over. "Helluva time!" The emotions ran away quick as we shook hands and congratulated Regensburg. We gathered as a team and shook hands and said farewell to a few guys who were hanging it up and had been a part of the team since the early 90's. I couldn't imagine being a part of something in baseball that long. Most times, you are lucky to get 4 years somewhere, and then all of a sudden that was it for these guys. It sure put things in perspective.

The final moments on the field were good, and as upset as I felt moments before, I replaced it with pride. I was proud that after four years, I still had it in me to play competitively, I was proud that Danny and I were such a big part of this teams success, and also proud that I had left it all on the field. I felt lucky. I shook every teammates hand that I could, because in all reality this was the last time I would see them all together in the same place.

The baseball adventure was over, and as upset as I was about the loss I didn't look back and wonder about what could have been. I had no more Monday Morning Quarter Back left in me, and neither did Danny. I don't think we ever talked about it, and why should we. We both knew that Baseball is a funny game and, well, shit happens! We gave it our best effort and focus and that is all anyone can ever do.

Semi Finals!

After an incredible comeback against Mannheim, one that had never been done by a Paderborn team in the history of the organization, we were set to play at home again against Regensburg. Because we were the second place team from the north, and they were the first place team from the south, they had home field advantage just as we did against Mannheim. So in the case that we played 5 games in the best of five series, they would host the final three of the 5 games at their places. Playing in Regensburg is as close to "American" professional baseball as you can get in Germany. We had played their earlier in the season when we won the Buchbinder Cup, beating Regensburg in the championship game on their field.

There was no doubt in our minds that our team was getting hot and we were peaking at the right time. Everything started to come together to create a championship team. Solid pitching, defense, and timely hitting.

Hosting the first two games on the series at our place it was critical that we win at least one game, if not both games. If we could head south to Bavaria with two wins under our belts we had a great shot at making it to the championships. If we split, it would be tough to win 2 of 3 at their place, yet doable. If we lost two at home, we had the advantage of coming off a 3 game comeback, but it would be really hard winning three in a row on the road.

In game one we jumped out to an early 1-0 lead off after I had an RBI groundout in the first. Regensburg responded with a run in the top of the 3rd but the game was stagnate until the 9th. Augie (Eugen) pitched amazing for us! In a 1-1 tie, Augie gave up a 2 run double to Regensburg's American shortstop who drove in 2 runs. I can't say that it cost us the game because we didn't score anything before that. We had a lot of opportunities to make adjustments at the plate and produce some offense. However, Regensburg's starter did an unbelievable job of keeping us off balance and not allowing any offense to produce. When the last part of the 9th came up we scored a run, but it was too little too late as we ended up losing 3-2.

That was not an easy lose to swallow! I felt that we definitely should have won that game, and it hurt a little bit because we knew the next game was vital to win. We should have made an adjustment to their starter, who did a good job of mixing speeds and throwing off-speed pitches in odd counts. This is something we did not adjust to as a team all year, and it caught up to us in the first game of the semi's.

The second game was a bit different, we came out strong and ended up finishing the game with a 10-3 win. It was a good win, and much needed for a chance to move to the finals. It would be really hard to go down to Bavaria and win 3 in a row. Although we had done it before, we didn't want put ourselves in that position again.

With the series tied 1-1, it was going to be another crap shoot the next weekend in Regensburg. We were scheduled to play a double header on Saturday and one on Sunday if necessary.

The one thing that stuck in my mind was the thought that whoever won the first game on Saturday was likely to win the second, just as we had done to Mannheim earlier in the playoffs. Game one on Saturday was vital to win. Especially if we were playing at their place. We had all week to work on the little things that would be big and one thing was for sure, we were going down to Regensburg with the confidence that we could beat them again at their place.

Danny and I had noticed that they did not carry the same swagger and definitive confidence that they had when we handed them their first loss of the season back in May. They came into our ballpark with a little bit of respect and we let them off the hook a little bit because we lost the first game. However, winning game two was big and with the series tied 1-1, anything could happen next weekend.

Crap Shoot Sunday!

We made it to Sunday! We all felt great getting to the ballpark knowing we had one game to play and we were in a sense playing for a championship. We live to play another day! It has been five long years since the Untouchables have made it out of the first round of the playoffs, with the last two years losing to Mannheim. We wanted to get over that hump. Danny and I wanted to be the American players to help them get over that hump! Mannheim had a tough day on Saturday, and like a bad Friday the 13th sequel we planned on making Sunday a nightmare for the men in black and red.

Call it ego, but we did not expect was for them to come out battling. After two really tough losses we did not expect them to come out so alive. We thought that after they had no place to stay, and no confidence after losing two of their most important games of the season, that they would come out with their tails between their legs. I knew if we got on them early and often we might be done by the 7th.

Mannheim proved early that they were going to play hard by scoring in the top of the first. Like the day before, Aulga (Eugene) was not backing up strike after strike. He was throwing a lot of pitches early in the game and was getting a lot of hitters into 3-2 counts which was hurting his already delicate pitch count. We did not have much pitching in the fifth and vital game 5 so it was important for him to go as long as he could although he had thrown over 100 pitches the day before. Like the old days of major league baseball, the reason Aulga is so effective is because he can literally throw 2 and even 3 days in a row. The mad Russian never came around though, and I could tell he was tired. We responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI double by myself followed by an RBI single by the unreal "Hot" Bjorn Schonlau. Bjorn was no doubt our best hitter of the series as he kept taking the responsibility of picking up the team when needed. Every time a pitcher got past Danny they relaxed, and Bjorn hitting right after him in the lineup attacked like you wouldn't believe.

Once we were up 2-1 Mannheim kept battling, and kept scoring runs. Baseball is such a funny game and the only thing you can count on is that you might not expect the outcome when you are in the middle of it all. Everything changes, and the game is so unpredictable. In essence, baseball is just like weather. Mannheim preceded to score 5 unanswered runs and by the bottom of the fifth we were down 6-2. Honestly, they were raking! At one point I heard our American friend and once upon a time teammate from the Regensburg tournament, Dennis Kelly, say to his team in the dugout with conviction, "Let's go boys, 6 more easy runs and 6 more easy outs and this game is over!" I felt really aware of what was going on, however, so out of control. I had no idea how to maintain the score where it was from a catching standpoint because everything I put down as a sign was a crap shoot. I had no idea what to expect.

As the game went on we bounced back and eventually tied it up only to give the lead back in the top of the 7th. As the top of the 7th came around we were literally out of pitching and in a last ditch effort to keep the game within reach our manager, "Red," had entered himself in the game to pitch. To be completely honest I thought he was going to get blasted. He hadn't pitched in one of our games for the past 5 months and although he throws really tough batting practice I had no idea what to expect. He gave up an RBI single on the first pitch he threw and I thought the wheels were about to fall off. In the next few moments I saw a light switch flip and he was so dialed in that he was no longer our coach, instead a guy who came in to shut down the opposing offense. He really stepped up and did a great job flustering hitters with a lot of movement and off speed pitches

Down by a run in the bottom of the 8th inning, the bottom of our order came up big and started a big rally. Once the top of our order came up the table was set for a big inning. After our 2 hitter Jendrick walked to load the bases I came up in a big spot and took two big swings in the first two pitches. "Too big," I thought to myself. I shortened up and fouled off a few pitches in order to stay alive and with a 1-2 count I found the barrel and hit a deep fly to right field for an RBI sacrifice fly. Tie ball game!

Danny came up with 1 out and walked to load the bases again. Our big hitter, Bjorn Schonlau, came up with the bases loaded and hit a bases clearing double which put us up by 3 in the bottom of the 8th. Talk about a big time hit, and a big time series, Bjorn had 12 hits in the five game series, with 10 RBI's and a .571 average. Unreal and Untouchable! This kid can swing it and he got hot at the right time!

With a three run lead in the 9th Red came back out to face the top of Mannheim's order and I wasn't worried about him, except for the fact that it was pouring rain. Our field was in delicate shape to begin with and it started to rain pretty steadily in the 8th and continued to the point where any other day or circumstance, the umpires would call the game, or take a rain delay. Not this time. Mannheim's hitters were literally standing in a puddle of water where the batters boxes had been dug out, and I myself was in a sloop of dirty puddle water were I had created holes from catching. It was hilarious! After Red drilled the first hitter  because of a wet, slippery ball, I began to wonder what would happen on a ground ball. Would anyone be able to grip the ball and make a decent throw? It turned out that it didn't mater. Red got two fly balls to left and struck the last guy out to seal the deal! Game over, series over, and we get to come back next weekend to play Regensburg in the Semi-Finals.

The three game comeback was the first time in  Untouchables history that a team came back from a 0-2 deficit and won three games in a row. It was also the first time that they had been out of the quarter finals since 2005, the last time the team won the German Championship.

It was a really fun weekend, and I was really proud and excited to get two more weeks to play ball!

Win "Two" Play Another Day

It has been a very long seven days. Sitting at home being down 0-2 in the playoff series to Mannheim has not been easy to think about. As a matter of fact, I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about it.  So much of me wants to be ok with it because if we lose, then I go home. As much as I don't want to lose, I miss everything about home. It is a strange feeling. After  over five months of being away from everything and everyone I know, Paderborn has become a second home and the Untouchables are my family. Just like any family we have our moments, and last week was a perfect example. We did not play to our capabilities and we suffered all week because of it. As the days went by, Danny and I went over every detail of how we could win and stay. "We need to win to get paid," I reminded Danny. As if the extrinsic benefit of money would entice us to play harder or help us focus more. "It would be nice to sleep in my own bed however, wherever that is in Portland," I also said. The mixed feelings never went away.

We knew that we could win as a team. We could beat "Shorty" in game three and since Danny had such an off-week last Saturday we all knew game four could definitely be ours. Game five would be a total crap-shoot, but at least it would be at our park. We all believed we had a good chance still. Also was the fact that Saturday's games would be a double header again. If we won the first one we could win the second, just as Mannheim did to us a week earlier. Anyone in baseball knows that a momentum shift can come from winning the first game of a double header. In many cases, whoever wins game one, will win game two of a double header. It is vital to get the first one. Yet for us, it was the only option or the season was over.

We woke up on Saturday with a dismal sky which has followed us around for the past few weeks. The last few weeks have been really wet, and we were expecting more of the same today. It was going to be sloppy!

The funniest part of our day was getting to the park. Mitch had to leave for the park early in the morning and as Danny and I slept in we woke up and realized we did not have a ride to the field. Normally we would have a to ride our bikes to practice, but on game days we get a ride. So on this particular day Danny and I weren't sure how we were going to get to the field. Since Shorty is our "roommate," he stayed at the house last night which I thought was weird.  The starting pitcher for the opposing team was staying at our place because he lives here from time to time. Where am I!?!
So when Danny and I needed to head to the park, Shorty was our ride. we all kind of laughed about how lucky Shorty was that he had a bed and an easy commute to the ballpark because the rest of his team had to get up at 6a.m. and drive from Mannheim to Paderborn. What is worse was the fact that none of them had a place to stay that night if they lost two games. The club didn't have money for a hotel and they would have to drive back and come back in the morning. It is a 4 1/2-5 hour drive from Mannheim to Paderborn. Same on the way back.

As the first game began Eugene looked good. He gave up a few hits and a few runs in the first couple of innings, but he kept us in the game. We scored first, but we were down 3-1 in the 7th until a two run single from our 7 hitter tied it up once again. It was 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning and it was a big deal and as I sat on deck with runners on all bases. I couldn't help but think about being the hero. But as I waited for my chance, out stud shortstop, Jendrick Speer, laced a line drive to left center to win the game. It was awesome. We finally jumped out of the cellar and into the win column and the momentum had all of a sudden shifted our direction. We knew we could win game two! Danny was not going to let the same thing happen two weeks in a row, and that is something that we counted on.

As pumped as we were to get to another game, our patience was tested. With an already wet field, the rain started to fall hard and it made us a little nervous about not getting to play the second game. I did think about the fact that it would be nice to play two on Sunday, and allow Danny to rest for an entire day before we played again, but it didn't work that way. What was supposed to be a half hour between games turned into an hour and a half. Danny did a really good job of staying ready and staying warm. I rested for a while as well. Closing my eyes on the bench, staying relaxed and patient, I could not help but calm my nerves and think of winning and playing another day. Anything could happen in the final game of the series if we made it to Sunday.

Game two started on a wet surface and a somewhat wounded Mannheim team, and Danny did not help them feel better. He was on! His fastball was on, his slider was on, and his changeup was on! Not to mention was the fact that he was throwing a LOT harder than last week, and they could not make the adjustment against him. We scored early and often and a couple of big innings put us up by a score of 8-0 going into the 7th inning. In the 7th I hit a double to lead off the inning and Danny followed with the same, scoring me from second. Out big first basemen Bjorn then came up and laced a ball deep to right and the right fielder didn't even have a chance to catch it. Once he knew it was over his head he stopped and started running back in because he knew that we had just ten-runned them. We won the fourth game of the series by a score of 10-0 and we lived to see another day.

After beating Mannheim twice in our park, we knew they were going to have a hard time coming out and beating us in the final. Especially since they didn't have a place to stay and they were not sure whether they were going back or staying in Paderborn. "Not our problem," I though to myself. Game five was going to be a crap-shoot. We had "Aulga," (Eugene) even though he had thrown six innings the day before. We also had Daniel Hinz who threw three strong inning of relief in the first game of the weekend, as well as a few other wild cards. Danny was not allowed to throw because he was a forigner and those are the rules. Mannheim was most likely going to go back to "Shorty" in the last game and he was staying with us that night. I still thought it was weird, but hey, this is Germany!

Playoff Time, It's Do or Don't!

With the regular season behind us we begin a new chapter to our season. Win or go home early is the theme in my mind, as as much as I miss home, I realize that I don't want to go home early because losing sucks. Especially when you realize how lucky you are to be playing this great game because you were given a second chance.

I finished the regular season nicely, although a 2 for ten weekend was not my way of going out. I didn't even realize it, but I should have had a bet going with Danny the final weekend on who would have more hits. I think I may have been tied with him and Jendrick Speer going into the final weekend of the season for the team lead, but I didn't look at my stats until after the season was over. I will say that I was much more productive the second half of the season at the plate and I can only attribute that to getting stronger and getting back into "baseball shape." Here is the rugular season numbers for Danny and I.

	G	/PA/	AB/	H/	2B/	3B/	HR/	R/	RBI/	K/	BB/	IBB/	HP/	SF/	SH/	SB/	CS/	AVG/	SLG/	OBP/	OPS

Daniel Meier

28

130

112

38

8

2

6

23

24

19

11

0

3

3

1

1

0

.339

.607

.403

1.010

Nikolas Kosach

28

135

108

36

8

2

0

27

11

16

19

0

5

0

3

2

1

.333

.444

.455

.899

I was really confident going into the playoffs with the rest of the guys. We have the best German starter in the North, followed by Danny who had only had one small hicup the entire season against Pulheim. Danny had a misniscule 1.58 era going into the playoffs and Eugen Heilmann had 2.76 era and was 10-1. We felt great about our pitching for sure. Our offense was nothing to look over either. We were close to hitting .300 as a team and our defense had been pretty solid for the Bundislega. 

With as much confidence as we could have we headed to Mannheim on early Friday afternoon and after a four hour drive we arrived at our hotel with time to relax and hang out until the second group of guys arrived just in time to go to a great Italian restaurant down the street from our hotel. It was an awesome meal and when we got to the hotel I tried my best to fall asleep as early as I could. I am not sure why, but I had a tough time sleeping. Danny was my rommie on the trip and he had a congested noise so he was snoring quit a bit, but not enough to keep me awake all night as I am used to being around a family of snorers. Regardless, I felt as though I could have slept better, but I felt ok by the time the games rolled. around.

Game one saw Mannheim attack early in the first as our former teammate from the Regensburg tournament, Dennis Kelly, lead the game off with a 2 strike homer to left center. It was hit well, but the 280 foot fence to left-center didn't help our cause. After that, Eugene had a tough time settling into a rhythm and surrendered another three consecutive runs on four more hits. He eventually settled in and got out of some big innings.
We did our part to get back into the game as we depended on a few defensive mistakes made by their starting pitcher and everybody's buddy, Shorty Franke. He was very effective against us as he threw a lot of strikes, got a lot of fly balls, and slowed the game down to his own pace. I did well against him. I popped up my first at-bat, but I felt I got myself out with a bad swing, then I hit a 2 strike double off the left filed wall, followed by a triple to the right center field wall (Remember this field is shaped like a cracker-jack box) and in my final at-bat I hit a hard ground ball to second. 2-4. The rest of our offense struggled a bit. When we tied the game up we had already ran into a couple of outs on the base-paths, and then the bats shut down.
The key mistakes in the game were a misplayed fly ball in that cost us a run, as well as miscommunication between our pitcher and the middle infielder. With runners on first and second we had a deceiving pick off play between the middle infielders and our pitcher, however we did not run the play and Eugen came to the plate instead with a fastball right down the middle. The worst part was that it was their nine hitter and he roped a single up the middle to take a one run lead in the 8th inning. We did not get the run back in the 9th and we lost game one by a score of 6-5. Upsetting as it was, we maintained a positive attitude in the dugout and knew to shift our focus to game two as we had Danny on the mound against another German pitcher who was young.

In game two we jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first off of some key hits. I thought that we would turn this game into a blowout early, however, this field played like no other. An easy fly ball to center which would be an out in a little league field bounded off the center of the wall and the wheels quickly fell off for us in the first inning of game two as Danny surrendered 5 runs off of a few "ballpark" hits. It was really frustrating to see him make good pitches and not get outs. The next inning proved more of the same as he struggled again. This time allowing 4 runs in the second. Danny was tired, really tired. I can't imagine what it is like to play nine innings in the sweltering heat at third base, hit in the 3 whole, and then be asked to shut down a very good offense in game two for nine innings. He has done such an amazing job all season that we forget how hard it is. Not to mention this is by far the best offensive team we have seen all season, and we are playing in their park. Mannheim was hitting a ridiculous .329 as a team this season and they had four guys in the lineup that had 6 or more home runs in only 28 games. We knew it was not going to be easy, but this game got out of hand really fast.
We managed to fight back for a few runs and I even came about two inches from hitting one out to right field, but it bounced hard off the top of the steal fence and directly to the right fielder who threw it in just as I was rounding first, like I hit the ball right at him. I had no chance at second, and as Danny was rounding third, he had no chance to score either. What a bummer. A single off the top of the ball. Danny later told me that he ripped his toe-nail off while he was stopping around third base.
Things fell apart foe us in the 8th inning as our defense took a dive and we couldn't even play catch anymore. We surrendered another five runs and got mercy-ruled. 16-6 the game was over before I even got a 4th at-bat in the 8th inning. What a terrible day! 0-2 in a best of 5 series. The drive home was tough and we could not manage to think about our back being against the wall the following weekend.

We need to win three straight, or I am coming in August; Not October as planned.

The Final Pul-heim

It had been a month since our last games against Bonn in the sweltering heat of early July. Since I had been home from vacation it had rained nearly everyday and was nowhere near the 100 degree temperatures of early July. The weather in Northern Germany reminded me of late October in Portland as you could clearly feel a crisp bite in the moist air. Not to mention is the fact that when it rains here, it rains hard.

Before my trip to Belgium I was pretty much stuck at home because I couldn't go outside and not get wet. I got a little stir crazy and when I took off for Belgium I realized I had been stuck in the same 5 square mile radius for almost a week. If you know me, you know why that is a problem. I need to be on the move. Once we started practice on the following Tuesday before our Sunday double header at Pulheim I was ready to get back to work. Having not thrown in a month seemed like it would be a good thing, but I really had to work the kinks out, even after a month. Danny felt the same way and although I had kept up with my arm exercises, I just didn't have the same zip on the ball that I had before the break.
I had done a good job of holding base runners from stealing (thanks to good pitching and quick moves) and I even had a two month period where nobody stole a base off of us. However, after I had mentioned before our Bonn games that it had been two months since anyone had stolen, Danny and I both laughed because we instantly knew that I had jinxed myself. Sure enough, the next game a runner went and I threw a ball just right off the bag and the runner was safe. I must have opened the flood gate because since then I have only thrown out 3 of the last 10 which is not good for me over here. At one point I had thrown out 64% which is pretty good.

Our games at Pulheim were interesting to say the least. Like the late October weather in Portland that can be so unpredictable we woke up and it was pouring rain. The sky was a deep grey even when it wasn't raining and we spent half of our 2 hour drive in a downpour. I thought to myself that it would not be a bad thing if we got washed out because we still had the "rainout makeup weekend" the following Saturday. We would almost rather play then so we did not have to wait another two weeks to play, because the playoffs didn't start for another two weeks. That has been the hardest part of this entire trip for Danny and myself. Sitting around and practicing all week to play one day of the week has been tough. It reminds me of playing in a city league although the competition is much better here and we don't have to work during the week. If you have a bad weekend, you have the entire week to think about it and it can be really tough. Not to mention it can get really boring as well. Regardless, as we showed up to the field the weather had cleared up and things dried up rather quickly. Even with some threatening skies in the distance we still managed to start on time.

We won the first game at Pulheim by a score of 13-2 and I got a hit in my very first at-bat of the day which felt great considering I had not seen live pitching in over a month. The rest of the day did not go so great for me at the plate. I only got one more hit on the day and we struggled as a team in game two. With a half hour rain delay in the third inning of game two Danny came back out with runners on the corners and gave up a few hits and a few runs. It went downhill from there and we struggled to regain any type of lead. We actually scored a few runs to threaten the lead, but it was too little, too late. We lost game two 9-5 to end the final game of the regular season.

The ride home was quick. Danny and I discussed how terrible it was that we had two weeks of practice before our playoffs games started and we tried to stay positive in our thoughts. It can be tough after any loss because, like the Monday morning quarterback, you replay all the things that you should have done differently in your head. That is the best part about playing at home in the states. You usually have to have a short memory due to the fact that you might be playing the next day.

Up next is Mannheim in the first round of the playoffs. Mannheim is the third place team from the south and they play in a cracker-jack ballpark that everyone claims is a hitters delight. We will have two weeks in between games which will be hard, but necessary if we want to work on the things we need to improve on and plain old fundamentals.

The past five years the Untouchables have not made it out of the first round, and the past two years have been against Mannheim. All three rounds are a best of five series. Since we are the second place team from the north, and Mannheim the third place team from the south, we must play two games in Mannheim before finishing the series at our place the following weekend. It is a best of 5 series, with a double header in Mannheim, followed by the possibility of three games including a double header on Saturday and one game on Sunday if necessary. (Whoever wins 3 games first wins the series) If we pitch and play defense we should win. We are facing an few old faces from the Untouchables organization including the left-handed starter in game one who is the younger brother of Danny and my roommate Mitch Franke. Renee ("Shorty") Franke is friends with everyone on the team including Danny and I. He has lived with us for half of the year as he is working for a fencing company in Paderborn and commuting to Mannheim on the weekends to play. He is a complete mess at the house and never cleans up after himself. I figure he will be the same on the mound, however, I really like the guy a lot. If I get a nice hit off of him I plan on saying "that's for not cleaning up the dishes!"

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

 And off we were........

Two weeks, 6 different countries and a whole lot of great memories. Erin and I made it safely to Dubrovnik, Croatia and headed to Budva, Crna Gora (Montenegro in the western world) not far from the Croatian border. Our plan was to be there for an entire week, but what was shortened by a change of plane scheduling and the desire to go see beautiful Lake Como, Italy shortened our time there. We spent three fantastic days in Montenegro and we ate and drank like royalty. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was unmatched. The Bay of Kotor is beautiful with crystal clear water and jagged mountains sprouting from the beaches. We even met up with one of my distant Kosach relatives who lives in Herceg Novi, not far from where we were staying.

After Montenegro we flew to Milan via Dubrovnik once again and struggled to get to Lago De Como (Lake Como) which sits in the Alps, near the Swiss border. Erin and I got through a very long and exhausting day to reach our destination after 18 hours, but we were really happy when we asked if any restaurants were open near by, and the host at our hotel said, "No, no, no, it is far to late (12:30a.m.) I am sorry....(long pause).... But if you like I can make you some homemade LASAGNA!" Needless to say after not having anything to eat all day it was the best meal we had ever had. Como was great until Erin got sick. And by the time she was feeling better it was time to get back on the train and head for Innsbruck.

The trip to Innsbruck, Austria was not an easy one as Erin was getting over food poisonings from two nights previous, but she was such a trooper and did really well. By the time we got out of the Italy and into the fresh mountain "Alpine" air of the Alps, Erin was feeling much better. Austria was awesome. We hiked, ate, explored, ate, hiked, and enjoyed the night life of Innsbruck which has hosted the winter olympics twice in the last 50 years. The mountains and views were unbelievable and we enjoyed every second of Austria.

We headed back to Germany to visit Munich and its famous beer halls after five days in Austria. This was my third trip to one of my favorite (if not favorite) European cities and the only thing that hindered our entire trip was the rain. It poured the entire time we were there. Not to mention the hotel we were staying at was being renovated and had a noisy ally which made it really hard to sleep. Regardless, we had a great time visiting as many famous Beer Halls as possible. Erin loved the Haufbrau Haus and its terrible service and unique atmosphere, and I got to enjoy some places I had not yet been.

Through all the days we spent together, we were not looking forward to our last one which was in Frankfurt. We had to leave Munich mid-afternoon to catch a train back to our final destination where Erin was flying home from on the following morning. Upon our arrival we made our way to the hotel and chilled. No adventure in Frankfurt for us as we prepared to say goodbye once again.
It was sad to say goodbye, but we have done such a great job of getting through this distance and it is only a few more weeks of Skype and distance before I will be home for good. The two and a half weeks we were together went by so fast that we reminded each other of how fast this time would go by as well.

After we said goodbye I jumped on the train back to Paderborn and once I got home the house was really quiet. I was home by myself for a few days and the weather was bad. We still had a week before we needed to report back to practice and after about five days of sitting around and not doing anything but working out I decided to get out of the house. I jumped on the train and went to Cologne, Achen, and my final destination of Liege, Belgium. I have wanted to go to Belgium since I have been in Germany and I realized this was probably my last chance. I hadn't traveled alone the entire time I have been here either so it was a lot of fun. Good chocolate, beer, waffles, and interesting people was what I found in Belgium. However, as much fun as I had, it wasn't even close to the trip I took with Erin.

I was really looking forward to playing baseball again, and I couldn't believe the schedule allowed us to have nearly a month off in between games. We were guaranteed second place in league as we knew we could not catch Solingen, nor could we lose out to Bonn. We had one more double header in Pulheim before we headed to Mannheim for the first round of the playoffs. Mannheim was the third place team from the south and we played them for two games at there place before we headed to Paderborn to finish the series. The past three seasons the untouchables have lost to Mannheim in the first round of the playoffs and the guys always talk about the ballpark they play in and what a disadvantage it is to have to play the first two games at their place. Regardless, I was looking forward to playing in Pulheim as we had previously lost 2 games to them and they were the only team we had played that we had not beaten.

Hot and Go!

With Erin back with me, I felt great. I was looking forward to our games on Sunday against Bonn, as well as the break. Erin and I had a great itinerary to travel around Europe for 14 days. The Saturday before our Bonn games Erin and I enjoyed time together in downtown Paderborn and we sat outside one of my favorite places and eateries, The Cafe and Bar Celona. A fun little play on words. We were pleasantly surprised when a giant Parade began, which seems to be a theme here in Germany, as this was the third time I had been ambushed by a street parade while sitting outside a cafe.

The next day Bonn came into town and it was HOT! I grew up in the Nevada desert, so heat has no meaning in my head, but it was downright unbearable on this particular Sunday. The worst part was trying to sleep the night before. Having no fan and no screen to keep the bugs outside only allowed me to keep my window open a little. Also, our house is surrounded by concrete and asphalt which doesn't exactly keep things cool around the house. I did not get a great nights sleep, and the only thing I could do to cool down was get a wet towel and put it on my forehead.

As the day started I immediately started chugging water. I think by the end of game one I drank about 3 liters of water, plus I added electrolytes to the water in order to battle the heat. We beat Bonn in game one by a score of 15-5 and I went 2-3 at the plate with an RBI and 4 runs scored. During the break in between games I was soaked with sweat and all the water from running my head under the sink in our dugout. By the time game two came around I had not cooled down much and started the game uncomfortable hot and sweaty. Danny threw really well as he only gave up one run the entire game and we got him a lead and a win. I can't say I remember much of the game because I couldn't stay focused. At the end of the game I headed home with Erin and cleaned up. I still wasn't feeling too great because of the heat. As I began to cook the two of us dinner I got dizzy and very light headed. Erin could tell something was wrong as I felt like I had a high fever. Needless to say I was experiencing heat exhaustion. Erin took over from this point and as the minutes passed and I sat at the table in the dinning room I felt as though it was getting worse. She helped me up and moved me into the bathroom where I turned the shower on cold water and got in fully clothed and sat on the shower floor for about 15 minutes under the running water. I felt better after a while although I didn't want to move. Once I felt like moving again I got up and drank as much ice water  as I could and finally ate dinner. Not a fun feeling and poor Erin was so worried.

I felt better as the hours passed and the next day I needed to pack and get ready as we were leaving for  our two week trip around Europe from Dusseldorf the next day. Danny was coming with us because he was headed home from Dusseldorf the following day so we all decided to share a room and enjoy a night together in Dusseldorf.  I was so happy to be traveling with Erin and we were all really excited to be leaving the next day. Upon our arrival to Dusseldorf we made our way to "the worlds longest bar," once again to enjoy the great nightlife that Dusseldorf offers. It was fun sharing the night with Danny and Erin and we all had a really good time and enjoyed great food and the fantanstic "Alt Style Beer" that is so famous in Dusseldorf.

The next day Danny left early in the morning to fly to Seattle. Erin and I jumped on the plane for Dubrovnik, Croatia and as I watched the exciting smile Erin carried all day (especially with her first glimpse at the Alps as we flew over them) I knew it was going to be a very exciting and eventful trip.

Stan the Man!

Since I have been in Paderborn I have constantly wondered about one thing. How did I really end up here?  I had not played ball for four years, and although I have remained in good shape and learned a lot more about baseball from being a coach, I still wondered, how it was remotely possible that Red would find me, and ASK me to come to Europe to play. He is from Paderborn, Germany. Where is the connection to Portland?? I never connected the dots as to how and why I was in the same place as Red when he was looking for a pitcher and catcher duo this past February.

It had only been seven days before this event occured that Erin and I were planning a new life together in the Northwest. Honestly, I had been looking forward to coaching my returning players in Moraga, California and I was enjoying some epic powder snow with some of my best friends in Lake Tahoe the weekend before. I had planned to finish my teaching duties at the elementary school I was a part of as well as coach my youth team to another championship. I was going to move to Portland to be with Erin in early June. Seven days later, I was trying out for a baseball team in German Budesliga.

When I was asked to be the everyday catcher in Paderborn I realized I was fulfilling a childhood dream and getting the Gorilla off my back that had been with me since the last line drive I hit in my last college at-bat. I felt I could still play and I wanted to play, however, I never took the leap of faith to ensure it. When this opportunity came up I had a deep gut check. I realized I would be leaving behind an amazing life with a wonderful person whom I admired and respected so much. She encouraged me to take this opportunity and she was with me 100%! I would also be leaving behind my close family and friends with so many new things to come in the near future. Still, I took the opportunity with amazement and wondered how it happened.

On a Tuesday afternoon way back in mid-June a man with workout clothes doused with the MLB (Major League Baseball) logo walked onto our field. He had a fungo-bat and a duffel bag and I could immediately tell he was American. He walked near our dugout and I thought to myself he must be an umpire doing a clinic or he must be a scout who is here for some reason. It was just minutes before that our Serbian grounds keeper, Mischa, was trying to explain something to me in both German and Serbian. (Mischa will speak both languages to me at the same time because I am a Serb in Germany. It is funny, but I never understand) It was something about a new trainer being Croatian so I should look out. Historically the Serbs and the Croatians never get along, and for an old Serb like Mischa who has seen civil war between the two cultures I guess it never leaves you.
I said hello to the man and I asked for his name. "Stan Luketich, pleased to meet you." I introduced myself, as did Danny and I asked him where he was from. Stan is a high school baseball coach from Phoenix Arizona and he was working for MLB Envoy, which is a program that major League Baseball has for baseball organizations around the world that want help organizing and teaching baseball within their program. Wow! I thought that he had a pretty cool gig. He is a teacher who coaches baseball for his high school at Desert Vista in the Spring, and every summer he goes to new places around Europe to teach the game of baseball for 8 weeks or so. He has also been the national team coach for Spain and the Czech Republic. I asked him what nationality "Luketich" was and he told me it was Croatian. It finally occurred to me that Mischa was trying to "warn" me about the new Coratian coach. I laughed as I told Stan I had some Serbian/Montenegro blood in me and he laughed at the warning I was given.
As the conversation went on, I learned that Stan was good friends with the coach who helped out Paderborn the season before I arrived. Only the previous coach was from Vancouver Washington, just 5 miles from Portland, Oregon.

Like a light switch, I said, "I get it now!" Red was staying in the northwest with the envoy coach from last year when I met him in Portland. Red was in the US learning about American baseball and he was getting as many coaching tools as possible. While he was in the Northwest he found two players, Danny and myself.

As I explained to Danny and Stan that I finally realized how we ended up in Germany, Stan told me that the coaches usually are assigned to a different place each year. "How cool!" I told Stan.
Stan was with us for about a month and it was a breath of fresh air. He hustled everywhere, taught with knowledge and helped everyone who asked for it. He was more interested in making a difference for the game of baseball than most people I have encountered. He is truly a selfless dude! As our weeks with Stan came to an end, he helped me realize once again that baseball can literally take you anywhere on this earth if you want it to. His motivation and his knowledge for the game was second to none and I know we all appreciated having him as a coach for the short period of time.

I thought to myself, I may not have ever signed with a Major League Baseball team like I wanted, but MLB got me to Germany. If it weren't for the Envoy program, the two roads may have never been connected, and I may have never received this experience of a lifetime.

As we watched the World Cup Finale we thanked him for all he had done. I gave him one of my old SMC Baesball shirts from when I coached and promised him we would get him a Portland Pilots baseball shirt in the near future.

Never Skipped A Beat!

Once my parents left I had one thing I had to do before Erin came back to Germany on the 8th of July. I needed to go to Dusseldorf and get my passport, which was lost, then found, and mailed to the Dusseldorf USA embassy. It was quit a trip because I needed to be there by 12 noon on Friday in order to make my "appointment" on time, and I had to have my passport in order to get my visa renewed for another 3 months, which I had to do first thing on Monday morning. Basically this was the last chance I had to get things done in time. This was no picnic but I got it done, and made my appointment within the last ten minutes due to a delay in the train schedule. Once I had it I felt so relieved! I had my passport back and I did not have to worry about getting to and from places without it, nor did I have to worry about our big trip anymore. Fehw!

After a very upsetting 2 game sweep to Solingen at home on the 4th of July, we were pretty much stuck in 2nd place to finish out the rest of the season. We played well enough to win, but everything we hit hard was right at someone. That is the breaks some times! Bonn was playing us at home the next weekend and they needed to win four straight, and we needed to lose another four straight in order to not guarantee 2nd place. (Plus, if Solingen did lose two, we could catch them for first!)

Our focus quickly shifted on beating Bonn and guaranteeing second place going into our month long break for the European Championships. Each year, the professional leagues in Europe take a three/four week break from their season so players from each squad can represent their country and not miss regular season games. I had never taken this big of a break in the middle of the season, but I have to be honest, I was really looking forward to traveling with Erin who would arrive on Friday morning! So, although our focus was on Bonn, I also had time to focus on getting Erin back to Germany, as well as putting the finishing touches on our little European adventure which would begin the day after our Bonn games.

On Friday I woke up around 5 a.m. to drive to Frankfurt and pick Erin up. I was eager and equally nervous to see her again, as it had been exactly 10 weeks since she was in Europe.
Although we have Skype (which is amazing for any long distance relationship!!!) we would much rather be together. When I first came to Germany the distance was extremely hard on both of us, and for a while we both thought about having her move out here while I played, as she could take college classes online to occupy her time. However, once Erin moved to Portland she received a great job offer from AT&T before her first trip here. She was then offered an even better job with the FANTASTIC outdoor clothing and environmental movement company, Patagonia. Neither one of us was sure of wether she would be able to come out here again, but once Erin accepted the job with Patagonia she asked for and received the twenty days off that she needed to visit again. We were both really excited about this opportunity, and we agreed that she could not turn down this job opportunity with such a great company. Plus, I live with 5 other guys and things can get a little messy and noisy around the house. Not our idea of quality!

So, once I arrived at the airport in time to pick Erin up, the butterflies and knots returned with the anticipation of seeing her again. Ten weeks seemed like a long time. I waited at the customs gate for about a half hour before her flight came out and then all of a sudden things felt right again, she was with me again! We never skipped a beat. Plus, she looked absolutely amazing!!! I felt whole again, and I realized that having her with me for the next 18 days was such a blessing! We were both really happy to be together again.