When I was younger, my brothers and I loved to play video games. We took a liking to games of all kinds, but especially enjoyed playing baseball games together. Typically we wouldn’t “play” many of the games, we would simulate them. This allowed us to get in a number of seasons in a short amount of time. We would sit for hours in front of the television, hanging on every game in the careers of imaginary players on a screen. It sounds ridiculous, but video games gave us a hope that these players could be us one day.

Each of us would usually take a liking to a specific guy. This guy would play a similar style to our game and we would take them from draft day to the Hall of Fame…in a few weeks time. We would imagine ourselves in his shoes, getting called on draft day, debuting in the big leagues, becoming an All Star and a hero for his team. It was wash, dry, fold, repeat. Every year a new game would come out and we would get our hands on it, spending hours trying to perfect our players and our squad into World Series champions.

This has been a way for us to bond as siblings. We still try to play against each other remotely. Over the past few years we have played an online game called Strat-O-Matic Baseball. It was perfect for us because we could play in the same league and the entire game was based on simulation. Recently I stumbled upon a game called Out of the Park Baseball. It too is a game based entirely on simulation, but unlike Strat-O-Matic, it is a comprehensive package.

OOTP 14 recently came out and I was given the chance to preview it. If you enjoy Twins Daily’s Prospect and GM Handbooks, you will enjoy this game. While you can sit and imagine what you would do if given the chance to run an organization, this game gives you that opportunity. You control every team to every detail with personalized options available for each player. You control contracts, call-ups and team strategy.

The new game added the new rosters for 2013. Free agents can now come from a number of different places-the draft, international signings, independent ball, etc. A new interface makes navigating the game much easier and a new player development tracking system allows you to get a better grip on your farm teams.




I thought everyone here at Twins Daily would enjoy it. If you do decide to get the game, be prepared for a possible addiction. I spent a number of hours playing the game right when I got it.

I shared this game with my older brother and he immediately began playing. It is a fun way to feel connected to your hometown team and it can also be great way to get to know more guys in the system.

If you are interested you can check the game out here: https://store2.esellerate.net/store/...ageCatalog.htm

Follow AJ on Twitter @APettersen1 or email him at AJPettersen1@gmail.com

With the end of Spring Training and the beginning of a new season, things have gotten back into a routine. Here in Fort Myers the weather is steaming, so if you are looking to escape the extended winter and can find a cheap flight, we welcome all fans. I am always up for a free dinner as well.

I wanted to give some highlights up to this point in the year. A lot has happened in the first few months of 2013. Here are some of the things I remember well:

*Winter Turns to Spring

I know this somehow hasn’t quite happened for everyone in Minnesota, but my wife and I got to experience a quick transition when we moved to Florida in January. Baseball has always brought light into my life, with the joy it brings and the sunshine that comes along with it. The sun may not be shining in Minneapolis, but I hope that the return of baseball has brought some metaphorical light to the Twins Daily community.

*Meeting New Guys, Seeing Old Friends

It is always fun to see familiar faces the first day of Spring Training. When everyone starts to arrive it feels a lot like returning to school from summer break. There are a bunch of friends you need to catch up with and a lot of new people to meet. I got the chance to meet a couple of older guys (Doug Bernier and Virgil Vasquez) and also met some of the guys taken in last year’s draft.

*Playing with the Big Leaguers

In Spring Training the big leaguers sometimes need to play on the minor league side to pitch a few innings or get a couple of at bats. This can be a great learning moment for the guys who are striving to make it to the show.

One day I walked into the locker room and saw I was playing 2B in the game that afternoon and the SS was Jamey Carroll. I really look up to him as a player-he plays the game hard, does things the right way and does as much as he can do to help his team win. I was able to pick his brain throughout the game and learned a lot just from watching him. I also got the chance to hit in front of Justin Morneau and face the Orioles closer Jim Johnson.

*The Start of the Regular Season

Starting with the Miracle has been great so far. We have a great team and coaching staff and have experienced some success early. It is always fun seeing the parks around a new league. The nice thing about the Florida State League is that a number of the parks are big league Spring Training fields. This means pristine fields and fully equipped stadiums.

I hope this gives everyone a good look at what has happened around here in the past few months. If you want to interact with me you can tweet me at @APettersen1 or you can email me at AJPettersen1@gmail.com.

With minor leaguers officially reporting for camp tomorrow, we are doing our final preparations for the year. I wrote an article on Baseball America a few weeks ago that outlined a typical minor league offseason. This includes lifting activities slowing down and baseball specific activities ramping up. We are trying to best prepare our bodies for the rigors of the season.

A couple of weeks ago we began taking live batting practice off of pitchers. Last year I was unable to do this until the first day of camp, so it has been nice to get some live hacks in. The first pitch I saw looked about 110 mph, but since then my eyes and body have begun to adjust. It is quite a change going from batting practice to hitting live for the first time in months.

Last week I got hit on the thigh by an errant 2 seam fastball. I joked with Nate Roberts that I was now leading the HBP contest for the year. I am sure he will have the last laugh.

A recent highlight has been talking with veteran players. Virgil Vasquez and Doug Bernier are two new free agent signings that have been playing the game for a long time. Learning how they go about their business on a daily basis has been really helpful. Their knowledge of the game is amazing.

In a couple of days there will be close to 200 minor leaguers in the clubhouse and camp will begin. Games start fairly quickly thereafter. Like I said before, if you are here, I would love to meet and/or chat with you at the complex. I also hope the sunshine cooperates for everyone looking to get out of the slushy March weather in MN.

Baseball season is just around the corner. I hope everyone is as excited as I am.

On a side note, my wife and I went to a Florida Everblades game last night. It was my first professional hockey game and they put on a good show. If you are planning on coming down for Spring Training, I would recommend checking them out.

You can connect with AJ through email (ajpettersen1@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@APettersen1)

While the frost persists in the north, the sun is shining here in Fort Myers and I wanted to give everyone an update on what’s going on. Baseball season always seems far away when the snow is falling, but it is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers reported for big league camp today and minor league camp is coming up.

I have been rehabbing my wrist here for the past month to get fully prepared for Spring Training and the season. A few of my friends and teammates from last season have shown up to start their training. Maybe you have heard of Miguel Sano? Along with Sano are Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario (who is preparing for the WBC). They have added some more fun to the clubhouse. There is a mix of pitchers and position players on the minor league side.

A number of big leaguers have shown up in the past week and it has been cool to meet and chat with a few of them. Learning from those playing at the top is a great way to get better. It has been cool to spend some time working out alongside them.

We have a consistent schedule Monday through Friday starting in the morning with rehab, followed by throwing, hitting, defensive work and lifting. We are usually at the field from around 7:30 until 12:30 or 1.

There have been a few early visitors at the complex seeking autographs and conversation. If you are looking to escape the cold weather, I can assure you the weather is great in Fort Myers. We have seen hardly anything but sunshine for a month.

If you do plan on visiting Spring Training, try checking out the minor league side as well. We are right across the parking lot from Hammond Stadium. If you see me, come say hello. I love interacting with everyone and would love to chat with you. I can even introduce you to some of the bigger names at minor league camp.

This is just a quick look into what’s going on here in Fort Myers. I hope it gives people a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel that is a Minnesota winter. Get ready for baseball season because it’s coming soon!

Follow me on Twitter @APettersen1

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get to this post. We just got internet at our new place, so I had been unable to get online.

Day 3 started early in the morning. We got up and hit the road at 4am Eastern Time, which felt like 3 to us Midwesterners. To avoid Atlanta traffic we had to be through the city before 6:30 came. We made it to Atlanta around 6 and drove through an amazing cityscape for 10 minutes until we got to a southern suburb. Our first stop was to eat, get gas and more caffeine. Coffee was one of our best friends on the trip. A quick cat nap in a hotel parking lot about an hour later and we were on our way.

Our second stop was more exciting. It was a foggy and rainy day in southern Georgia, but we had to stop in Ashburn to see the World’s Largest Peanut. It sat just off the freeway, but had a long driveway so that visitors could check it out.

After Ashburn we pressed on towards Gainesville, but it was still raining when we got there, so we got gas and food and decided to head for our final destination. Four hours later, I rolled down my windows, put on some sunglasses and took the last exit towards our new home.

We arrived around 5 at night, exhausted and ready for some sleep. We found a few things we had to take care of immediately (notably a beeping smoke detector) and called it an early night.

We have spent the last few days unpacking and getting the necessary items to make the home feel more like ours.

I will be heading to the complex for rehab and a workout on Monday morning. It will be nice to get back at it outside and see some familiar faces.

I hope everyone is staying warm and wearing purple and gold tonight!

Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1

6:15 alarm clock. Pack up. Starbucks stop for caffeine. Hop on I-39 towards Normal, IL. No one above average allowed. Pass through Paw Paw, IL. Home to as many animals as humans. New pup, Willa, hops in the car in LaSalle. Time to take my singing talents to an audience. Go with a Taylor Swift crowd-pleaser. Willa whimpers. Then falls asleep. Alarming number of passengers playing IPads. Apple commercials everywhere.

Farm.

Oversized semi.

Passed by an Illinois driver.

Repeat.

Take a bite out of a big cheesy noodle in Champaign, IL. Drive over Kickapoo Creek. Stop for Subs in Salem. Southern accents starting to come out. Miniature Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. Willa unsuccessfully tries to bite a hole in her crate. Stop in Metropolis to see Superman. Superman themed gas station. Large statue. Catch the bottom of the state.

Enter Kentucky. Drive by a few houses on wheels. Exit Kentucky.

Welcome to Tennessee. Stop to Volunteer. Get to Nashville. Turn up the country music. Hit traffic. Titans’ stadium looks amazing. Squiggly road. Drive down a mountain. Enter Georgia. Exit Georgia-huh? Been through each CD 4 times. Arrive at hotel in Chattanooga. Southern accents in full force. Time for food and sleep.

Final day of travel tomorrow. Follow it @apettersen1.

Cars are packed. Directions printed. Snacks ready. CD on blast. 1719 miles to Estero, FL.

After a lot of time spent preparing for our trip, my wife and I began this afternoon and will arrive at our final destination by Thursday night. My wife begins her new job in Naples on the 7^th and I will start to workout at the Twins complex on the same day.

Today we drove from the Twin Cities to Beloit where we are staying with my host family from the season, the Hatchs. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and we were excited to stop at their home.

Within 30 minutes we had exited Minnesota. The drive was fairly uneventful as we only stopped once to get gas.

The ironic image of the day was the water tower in DeForest, WI. It appears to be protesting the large trees behind it.



As they did throughout the entire season, the Hatchs cooked a big dinner for my wife and I. We had prime rib and cheesy potatoes, quite the meal after a day of driving.

Tomorrow we will drive through the entire state of Illinois, part of Kentucky and through Tennessee until we get to Chattanooga, where we will stay the night. We plan to check out a miniature Washington Monument and Superman’s hometown, among other things.

I will be tweeting pictures of some of our stops (@apettersen1) and will blog the happenings when we get to our hotel.

Hope everyone had a good New Year's Day!

The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went…

At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride to the hospital.

On the way home I stop in at Best Buy to grab a cord we were missing for our surround sound.

When I get back it’s time for coffee, breakfast and catching up on some TV shows on Netflix. Today I checked out a show called “Undeclared.” I liked it, so I will probably finish watching the 17 episodes…in about a week.

After I am sufficiently awake (about 8:15), I head over to the computer to see what writing jobs I have to complete for the day. Today I had some freelance blog work for two different sites and editing to do on other articles. I take frequent breaks to do tasks around the apartment-cleaning, making the bed, doing dishes, etc. I am a utility guy year-round.

Then it is time to head out for my rehab appointment. I have been dealing with a wrist injury for some time and I recently started rehab to resolve the issue. I meet with the therapist, Marge, at 11:20.

After rehab, I am off to workout. Today’s exercises include plyometrics, a full body lift, prehab and stretching.

On the way home, I stop at Target to get some chicken for dinner and special pens for wedding ‘Thank Yous.’ I always wonder what they think when I buy two completely unrelated items. I return home around 3:30 and get back on the keyboard. Feeling rather productive, I get through a few more blogs and articles, and then start dinner.

I am getting better at timing the food, but still stink at it. I try to finish cooking dinner around 7:15, but usually end up somewhere within 20 minutes on either side of that target.

After putting the chicken in the oven, it’s time for mental training. This consists of something different every day. Today I am doing some meditation and visualization.

I leave to pick up Emily around 7:20 and we eat dinner when we get back. Honey mustard curry BBQ chicken and brown rice is on the docket. I try to switch it up most nights.

After dinner, Emily and I usually sit on the couch to watch one of our Netflix shows. The show we love to hate right now is 90210. The acting is awful and the story line is average, but it gives us an excuse to not pay attention. We end up chatting and tuning into the episode here and there.

About 9:15 we get ready to go to sleep. I turn on the humidifier, secretly open the window so Emily doesn’t know and jump into bed.

This concludes what the most typical day looks like for me. Each one of my teammates and friends who play ball has a different schedule in the offseason. We all spend time preparing ourselves for next year, but how we spend the rest of our day varies.

Right now I am writing for this site, Moneyning.com and Baseballamerica.com.

Moneyning is great if you are interested in learning more about personal finance, my posts go up every Wednesday.

I just wrote my first article for Baseball America and it should be on the site sometime soon.

Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1!

The season ended last week. It wasn’t the way we all wanted it to finish, but overall it was successful. We won consistently throughout the year and gave ourselves an opportunity to advance in the playoffs. I hope everyone enjoyed following the Snappers in 2012. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on through this site, at games and through other avenues. It is really cool how much support we get in the minor leagues. I had a great time playing the game I love for nearly six months straight and meeting a number of amazing people.

When the season ends we all say our goodbyes in clubhouse and head out the next day. For some of us it is a short drive home, for others it may take days on a plane to arrive at a final destination. I went to spring training with two duffel bags and returned home with at least three times that much stuff. Weird how that happens. I picked up a few bats from guys who couldn’t fly them home-can never have enough lumber.

And so the offseason began...

I drove directly to Arden Hills to say hi at my fiancée (Emily)’s bridal shower, the wedding is coming up! I got to catch the Vikings first game, glad they squeaked it out. On Sunday night, Emily and I headed back to Rochester, MN and the daily routine began.

I typically drive Emily to work in the mornings around 6:30, quite a change from waking up around 10 everyday for a 7 o’clock game. Most of the day in the offseason is spent working out, writing/looking for more writing jobs, cleaning, getting groceries and cooking. I am also a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the baseball team at Rochester Community and Technical College. I try to make the days as productive as possible.

I will start working out in the gym next week. I am trying to gain some muscle and weight this offseason. Continuing my routine of running, stretching and prehab from last offseason will hopefully prepare my body for another full season next year. Everything in the offseason follows a progression. Swinging gets a rest for a while and returns with dry swings, tee work, short toss and then full bp. Throwing takes a long break and a set program begins in January. The same is true for defensive work and workouts in the gym. Most activity ramps up and hits full stride just in time for Spring Training.

Thanks again to everyone who followed along this season. I will continue to tweet about my adventures this fall and winter. Follow me-@apettersen1.

Being a minor league baseball player has taught me to be an expert packer. I travel with a baseball bag and a backpack, what goes into my backpack has to serve a purpose because everything takes up space and there isn’t very much of it.

Game Glove
My glove gets treated well. I often use the phrase, "treat your glove well and it will treat you well." On airplanes it is carried on, if it is a passenger in my car it usually rides shotgun. Ask many infielders and they will tell you something similar.

Electronics
What did minor leaguers do before technology? I don't think I want to know. My Ipad gives me the internet, games and more while on the road. A wireless keyboard allows me to type articles on the run. My Ipod has 4000 songs at the touch of a button.

Reading Materials
I always travel with a book and my Bible. Right now my book is Wild at Heart. Reading is a great way to spend quality time on the bus and during locker room/hotel free time.

Clothing
Clothing is less important to minor league trips than it is to typical travel. I pack one or two outifts for a road trip. This includes the one on my back on travel day. Before you tell me that's dirty, keep in mind I am at the field for around 8 hours a day. This means I only wear my outfit for 6-8 hours each day. Clothing is the item that takes up the most room in my backpack, it needs to be packed with intent. If it isn’t going to be worn, it isn't making the trip.

Miscellaneous Items
An empty water bottle is a must. Staying hydrated on the road is vital. Sleeping on the bus is difficult at times, so I include a pillow and an eye cover. This ensures that I am always well rested.

A bag of toiletries rounds out my travel bag for roadtrips. I travel light and keep things simple. Others travel with a couple of bags, while I prefer not to.

How would you pack for a road trip if you were a minor leaguer? Is there anything else you would include?

Follow me for the back end of the 2012 season! @apettersen1

I wasn’t in the lineup yesterday and I thought I would give you an idea of what the off day looked like for me. The minor league season is long, so having routines is important to staying fresh and ready when opportunities present themselves. My off day routine is a bit different than when I am playing.

Pregame

Knowing I wasn’t in the lineup for the game, I would need to get some extra work in to be prepared for the next time I was. I went out to hit in the cage a little early to work on some swing mechanics. Before stretch I informed the pitching coach that I could catch bullpens. It’s a good workout and helps to see balls out of the pitcher’s hand. Jairo Rodriguez was the catcher for the game and Matt Koch (the other catcher) was the DH, so I figured I would give Koch a bit of a rest so he could be ready for the game. I caught a couple of pens, with Koch catching the rest. Lefty curveballs are still tough to catch, they aren't quite the same as they were in Little League.

After stretching and playing catch, we took the field for batting practice. I took groundballs and made throws from shortstop. I usually will make a few more throws on an off day to give my arm a good workout. Again, the little things are what help to withstand the 140 game schedule. I hit in the last group off of the tall lefty pitching coach Gary Lucas.

Post…Pregame (?)

Once we get done with all of our pregame work around 4:45, we usually have about an hour and a half to eat, relax and get our minds right before the game. I took a few more rounds of BP in the cage with Tommy Watkins and JD Williams and headed in to get some food.

JD and I volunteered to sign autographs before the game at 6. So after we ate and got dressed for the game we headed outside to mingle with the fans. This was a big night. Because it was a Saturday night and fireworks were to follow, there were around 2500 fans at Pohlman Field to see us take on the Clinton Lumberkings. It was fun to chat with some fans, sign autographs for kids and see all the people. Around 6:30, JD and I went inside to get our gear and headed out to the field.

Gametime

The big crowd was a fun dynamic for us. During the National Anthem, there were fireworks...the loud bang always makes someone jump. I would be the bullpen catcher/pitch charter/backup utility guy/late inning pinch runner for tonight’s game. Have to be ready for anything from the bench. When our starter got into trouble in the third, I headed down to the pen in case anyone needed to get loose.

By the fourth, Cole Johnson was getting ready to enter the game. This would be my first in-game bullpen catching experience, pretty neat. In the sixth Bart Carter got loose and in the eighth Clint Dempster got ready. While the game didn’t turn out the way we would have liked, I got to experience something I hadn’t before. Baseball is always showing me something new and last night was no exception.

Today we take on the Cedar Rapids Kernels and it’s National Guard Jersey day!

Follow me on Twitter! @apettersen1

(photo courtesy Jim Crikket)

As the first half comes to a close, I thought I would write about the best moments of the season to this point. 67 games into my first professional season and I already have a number of memories I won’t forget. After 3 more games, we will be exactly at the midpoint. We have a number of stellar players on the way to the All Star game. I will be going home to see my friends and family.

Stadiums Throughout the Midwest
Coming into the season, I had yet to see a Midwest League stadium. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Where Beloit has a quaint, personal feel to it, some stadiums are loud and large. From the all turf surface in South Bend to over 8000 fans during Memorial Day weekend in Kane County to the picturesque backdrop in Quad Cities, the Midwest League has a lot to offer. Each city and stadium presents a unique set of characteristics.

Playing With and Against Friends
When Dayton came to town, I was excited to see my roommate from college and good friend, Nick O’Shea. The visit was even better when both of our fiancés surprised us by coming to Beloit for a couple of games.

Kyle Knudson came off the disabled list in the beginning of May and was sent to Beloit. It was great to play with him as I had in college.
It’s always nice seeing familiar faces in the sometimes lonely world of minor league baseball.

Having Visitors
Being 5 hours from my hometown of Minnetonka, MN, I have had a number of visitors throughout the first half. My fiancé has visited a number of times, as have my brother, his wife and my parents. I have visitors from home, such as my friends from high school, my neighbor and a number of others. Being close to home makes it a lot easier for people to visit while I am in Beloit.

Getting On the Mound
I have missed being on the mound ever since I threw my last pitch in high school. I have been known to tell pitching coaches I am available if necessary, sneaking my way onto the bump on a few occasions since high school. I threw 2 outs in the Northwoods League in 2008 and 2 innings in the Cape Cod League in 2010.

Coming into the year I made sure our pitching coach, Gary Lucas, knew that I had a scoreless streak spanning nearly four years. So when we got down big in a game in Quad Cities following a few extra inning games in Kane County, I knew my chance may be approaching. When ‘Luke’ and our manager, Nelson Prada, told to go to the pen to get loose, I got giddy. While warming up, Luke asked what pitches I threw. My response was, “Fast, curve and change…but mostly fast.” I threw a scoreless inning, thanks in large part to a fastball that came in well below the hitting speed (although I did break a bat).

Territory Train
Some of the biggest Twins fans came to town for a couple of games in the beginning of June. I was able to visit with them over lunch before a game in Beloit. It was great to chat baseball and life with some dedicated supporters of Twins baseball.

Clinching the Wild Card
Last night, we beat the Peoria Chiefs to clinch the wild card spot in the Western division. This was the culmination of consistent play and hard work. We had a great time celebrating our victory and we are looking forward to representing the Twins in the Midwest League playoffs in September.

The first half has been full of highlights and I am sure there are more to come in the second half!

Follow me on Twitter: @apettersen1

It seems like yesterday I was playing for a 12 year old in house championship. Baseball has taken me from the grass backyards of Minnetonka to either coast and a number of places in between. There are moments I will never forget, there are others I would rather forget. Each day baseball teaches me more and more about myself.

The game recently took me to Kane County for a 4 game series against the Kansas City affiliate. Here is my recap:

Memorial day weekend is an important event for minor league affiliates. On Saturday night, there were 7,000 in the crowd. The Zooperstars put on quite a show. They are big blowup mascots with a number of characters from Barack Ollama to Mia Hamster. They did dance shows and skits. The fans went crazy. While the Zooperstars were entertaining, my favorite in between innings promotion was the water balloon launch. A three man crew shot balloons into the stands and the fans were cheering for them. I couldn't hold my laughter. It seemed the fans would go nuts for anything coming from the field. We ended up losing the game, but felt ready for the next one.

On Sunday night we knew we would be playing for a large crowd. The attendance came in a bit higher than the previous night at 8,300. I remember the days when my parents would be some of the only ones in the stands. They were still cheering me on in KC, but now it was hard to find them in the crowd.

Birdzerk was the promotion tonight, doing skits and getting the crowd excited. The best bit was when he started dancing with Miguel Sano at 3B. This led to Birdzerk 'confusing' Sano and taking and throwing his glove over the fence (not his real glove). The fans loved it. We got the best of them tonight winning and evening the series at one game apiece.

Memorial day meant an early game after the night game. We had a quick turn around after arriving home around midnight the previous night. The most important factor in this game was the wind. It was howling from the first pitch to the last. This made for a number of hits in the 12 inning affair.

We ended up scoring 6 runs on one of Kane County's first basemen (who came in to pitch) in the top of the 12th. Another victory gave us the 2-1 edge in the series. We put ourselves in position to take the 4 game series with a win tomorrow morning.

The final game of the series was another successful one. We won to take 3 of 4 from the Cougars and we had the pleasure to see one of the most unique in between innings promotions yet. Before the top of the 5th inning there was a bobblehead contest. Two young boys put on headband devices and shook, nodded and bobbled for a minute. I thought it was hilarious.

A few late homeruns sent the game to extra innings. John Goncalves blooped a ball down the right field line and ended up scoring on a throwing error in the 11th.

Tomorrow we head to Quad Cities to take on the River Bandits. The third game of that series will be attended by the Territory Train. I am looking forward to seeing all the diehard fans!

Follow me on Twitter! @apettersen1

Baseball dominates a lot of our time in Beloit, so when we have a day off, we are left without an idea of what to do. An early game yesterday followed by an off day left me with loads of free time, but no clue how to fill it. What could I do to fill a day without baseball?

I woke up early to help Jhonathan Goncalves make a trip to the dentist. He is one of the happiest and nicest guys I have ever met. I was friend/teammate/translator for the morning. The best way to learn a language is to speak it, even if I am constantly botching sentences.

After the dentist I returned back to my host family’s home to find coffee still in the pot. Adam is still in bed? A few minutes later he rolled out of bed, no need to wake up and get moving without a game I suppose.

I called my grandma. When I asked how she was, she responded, “I’m still above the grass,” she’s always making me laugh.

I decided laundry couldn’t be a bad idea. Three weeks of dirty clothes are starting to pile up in my closet. Can’t ignore the fact that I have worn the same outfit for three straight days. College taught me that all the clothes can go in the washer together. Why separate them?

After having some leftovers, a few skittles and more coffee for lunch, it was time to find something to do. Knitter, linguist and Picasso-like pitcher Tim Shibuya was bored and gave Adam a call. He lives in Janesville, but doesn’t have a car. After a few lefts, rights and u-turns, we picked up Shibuya and Steve Gruver.

Back at our house we found that four 20-somethings with a lot of time and no idea what to do could only lead to one thing…Call of Duty. I did a lot more losing than winning. Adam was clearly the front runner in the video gaming.

I chatted with my dad, he will be making the trip to Cedar Rapids this week. It’s nice being close enough to home for my family and friends to come to a few games.

Steve, Tim, Adam and my host dad went out for some fishing in the creek in our backyard while I talked to my fiancé about her day.

A little home cooking marked the end of a successful off day. My host mom cooked lasagna with garlic bread. They treat us like we have lived here forever. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of the family.

We are off tomorrow morning for a three game road series.

What do you want to know about my minor league experience? Tweet at me: @apettersen1

We just finished up a three game set in South Bend, IN. Although the series didn't end the way we wanted (we lost two of three), I wanted to share some of the trip.

Thursday-Hecklers

We arrived in South Bend around noon for a 7 ET game. I wasn't sure what to expect of the stadium and was pleasantly surprised to see turf covering everything except the mound and the bases. Playing a number of games at the Metrodome in my career I felt right at home. A large jumbotron covered the scoreboard in right-center field and the stands stretched around the complex.

I was in the lineup as the left fielder, which led to my first heckling experience as an outfielder. I watched a week ago as JD Williams was yelled at an entire game by a group of guys celebrating a bachelor party in Clinton, Iowa. I was lucky enough to have four guys calling me names throughout the night. I enjoyed the heckling, but was slightly disappointed the crew didn't come better prepared. During a break in the game one guy blurted out, "Hey number one, you'll never make it to the big leagues..." I waited for his reasoning, "...Cuz you suck!" Man, was I bummed, I suck? I was hoping he had more to throw at me.

We got down big early in the game, made a big comeback to take the lead, but ended up losing 12-10.

Friday-Food Management

My roommate (Adam Bryant) and I woke up around 10 and the search for breakfast began. Just as time management was important in college, food management is vital in professional baseball. Getting healthy food at the right time helps one perform at their peak on the field. Our search took us to a small cafe, where we found Tim Shibuya. He recommended a sausage breakfast sandwich, so I went for it.

Later in the day we had to figure out what we would be eating for lunch and dinner. We had a difficult time eating the night before (almost all the restaurants in town were closed), so we decided on Subway. Adam and I both ordered two subs, one for now and one for later. Food management success.

It was a big win for us on this night. Behind four hits and three doubles by Miguel Sano, we took game two. He is off to quite a start.

Saturday-Stories

Saturday morning Tommy Watkins offered to take Adam and I to breakfast. We checked out LePeep, a small cafe in downtown South Bend. The food was fantastic, but Tommy's stories were better. His recollection of playing third base while Johan Santana struck out 17 batters was awesome. Being a Twins fan my whole life made it hit home for me. It must have been amazing to be a part of that experience.

The amazing pitching performance topic continued as we were preparing to take the field for our game. We were able to watch the finishing moments of Phil Humber's perfect game. I always wonder how it must feel for someone to go through such an experience. What a moment it must have been for him and his family. Moments like this are why I love baseball. A man can go from being on the fringe to being in the history books in a few short hours. Wow.

The game didn't go our way again tonight and we lost the series, but the experiences I had remain. All we can do is look forward and do our best to win our next one.

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