Monday, March 21, 2011

Our Spring Training Schedule... and I'm Not Talking About Game Times


Spring Training (ST) 2011, you have truly been so good to me! Without you, I would not be having all of these crazy adventures and making all of these amazing memories! You are giving me so much to talk about, yet I can't seem to find enough time in our daily schedule to actually write. Luckily, today I have found time, but tomorrow you might keep me too busy yet again! There is just so much behind the scenes to this month than I ever thought possible.

I remember years prior, while Tyler and I were long distance, I would be so annoyed during the month of ST because Ty would always go to bed at eight or nine o'clock at night! I would call him an old man because, of course, only old people go to bed that early. Boy did I have an apology to make! Turns out, I have been quite the "old lady" this month, as I've been heading to bed right along side my husband at the same time! I would like to say I totally understand how he feels now, since I'm here and on the same schedule as him, but that would be a lie. I'm not the one out there playing baseball every day and working out in the sun like he does, however, I'm still finding myself wiped out by the end of it.

Our drive to the field now takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and Tyler and I only brought one car. Knowing that, and adding in the wonderful gas prices these days, we are not about to make that trip more times in a day than we actually have to. What does that mean for me? An early wake up call. You see, my cute husband just so happens to love being at the field super early! If he doesn't have to be there until eight o'clock in the morning, he will sure as heck be there at 6:30AM. Yeah, I call him crazy too! In reality though, I am very thankful for this character trait of his; it beats walking in the door late. With that said, I can't complain when every morning, like clock work (literally), the alarm goes off. Oh joy! Now for the behind the scenes look at our day...

It is 5:40AM and these are my first thoughts, "Oh my goodness, please don't let it be time to wake up again already!" Tyler turns off the alarm and we stay put for about ten minutes. I love this part because it's my opportunity to fall back asleep until he decides to roll out of bed. Once that happens however, I am wide-awake. Why you ask, when I am obviously not a morning person? Easy answer: we sleep on an air mattress. The sound of the mattress as he tries to get out of bed is loud enough in itself, but once he's actually up off the mattress, I find myself plunging half way to the floor! It gets me every time. How is it those darn things somehow always manage to deflate in the middle of the night, every night? While Tyler takes five minutes to get ready, I spend my five minutes trying to escape the sunken in air mattress. We get done about the same time and out the door we go. I do nothing to get ready, and let me tell you, I look like a lion. No worries, I have a bag packed in the car with all of my toiletries and an outfit for the day to get ready later. Tyler drives us in the morning while I attempt to sleep in the car. (Remember though, I am a passenger seat driver!) Once we make it to the field, I get my kiss goodbye and then jump into his seat as he exits the car. Where to now?

We figured out our own little system with the help of one of Tyler's teammates. You see, the minor league players, unless they bring their wife, are put up in a hotel by the field for the month of ST. Usually they place two guys to a room, but amazingly, one of Tyler's best friends has a room to himself with two queen size beds! He gave us an extra room key and told us it would be okay if I came to sleep there in the mornings. What a sweetie!

So here I go, driving on over to the hotel. I park the car, grab my bags and head for the lobby. The automatic doors open and, to my horror, I see a handful of Tyler's teammates heading in my direction! Why me!? I put my hand over my forehead as if the sun was in my eyes and scurry past them. Luckily, I make it to the elevator without a single one of them seeing me! Awesome! I push the button and wait for the doors to open, ready to dart in and slap the "door close" button immediately. Of course I'd be too busy thinking ahead to remember that people actually come off the elevator too. The doors open and I'm spotted! Dang it, here we go. The pointing and laughing begins, and man can these boys laugh loudly! I blush a little, okay, maybe a lot, duck my head and continue my walk of shame into the elevator as they all say, "Bye Tonya!" So it was a little embarrassing and I probably won't live it down, but now it's just part of the morning routine. I figure ducking is pointless, so now I just keep my head up and say hi to whomever I pass. No big deal. I make it up to the room and I am so happy knowing I'm about to go back to bed, not on an air mattress. Tyler's teammate is still sleeping, so I use my phone as a flashlight to find my way to the empty bed. By the time he gets up and heads out the door, I am already passed out and I will stay that way until game time; well, at least until housekeeping wakes me up or if I agree to doing laundry for the guys. I then get ready for my day and head to the field.

I pull up to the player's parking lot that says "lot full," and start freaking out when I realize our Phillies Parking Pass, that is supposed to be hanging from our review mirror, has somehow vanished! (Tyler later informed me, he had stashed it in the driver's side door compartment because a police officer told him hanging things from our review mirror was illegal. I obviously had no clue about this important information at the time.) So, I'm sitting there scrambling to find it, when all of a sudden, the parking lot attendant comes over to my window and says, "Hi dear! I saved you a spot up front today, I knew you'd be here." What a dear, sweet old man! He then tells me he knows I'm Tyler's wife and that he has been making an effort to recognize our car. I absolutely love the people who work around the baseball stadium; they are so good to us! I make sure to get very familiar with them because of instances like these. I thank him and pull in to park. From there, it's game time, which is a story of it's own. One of these days I will write about it, as it deserves a separate post. The gist of ST games is that they are all during the day under the hot, Florida sun. Being out there for three or four hours a day has me just about melting!! After a game, there are only two things I want to do: take a shower and head for bed.

Everyone usually gets done at the field around four o'clock and I am there, if needed, to take a few of them back to the hotel. I then have some time to myself to call family and friends while Tyler, along with a handful of other players, pack into one of their rooms to play video games. Silly boys! The guys staying at the hotel then get dinner for free, however Tyler and I are on our own. I pack up my things and we head home for the night. We have dinner, take showers, do laundry, and you guessed it, go to bed!

Okay so maybe our schedule for the month of ST isn't very tough, but it's just that, our schedule. Everyone thinks our life is a vacation, which to some it might be, but to us, there is actually some sort of routine. I've obviously made time for things I want to make time for: the beach, the Baseball Wives Luncheon I attended last week, and even a trip to Disney World here soon, but that's because I am blessed with the amazing opportunities to do so. When our family and friends come to visit us, we will be making exceptions to go out for a good time, but we are no tour guides. This is our life now and I really do love being on the same schedule as my husband. I want to support Tyler with everything I have and I am so happy doing so. The only thing that will make me happier is when season starts! That's when we can all sleep until noon because the games are at night, and we can all go out afterwards. I can't wait! Until then, I am still feeling very blessed and enjoying every minute of our spring training schedule! :)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Girls of Baseball


It's only been ten days since my last blog, and so much has changed! Tyler and I decided to move out of the house we were staying in. It just wasn't working out for us the way we had hoped. All is good though! We are now living with one of the baseball players and his wife in their brand new, beautiful home. It's already a lot easier for us because we are all on the same schedule. Plus, I have an awesome girl to hang out with while the boys are at the field! Hooray girl time!

The girls I've met along the way through professional baseball are like a family to me. It's so nice to relate to other women on such a variety of levels. The fact that we have gone through, or might possibly go through, a lot of the same things, keeps us a very tight-knit group. I always reach out to every new girl I see because it is so important to have someone to really talk to about the experience. I've realized these ladies, along with myself, are capable of way more than we ever thought possible through the ups and downs of this life style.

First, I'll talk about something as simple as the game itself. When our husbands/fiances/boyfriends have an amazing game, everything will be great! There will be fist bumps from all the players on the team, fans will be jumping for joy, we (the girls) will get all excited, and most importantly, we know it will be a great car ride home! The second something goes wrong however, it's quite a different story. Things will be thrown around in the dugout, fans will be rowdy because it's not just a game, yet we (the girls) will say over and over to each other, "It'll be ok, it's just a game," and yes, it will be a silent car ride home. Oh joy. :) Now of course we want the outcome to be a great game for our man, and a win for the team, but I have to tell you, either outcome can be pretty entertaining.

Now think about the girls who can't be at the games. We all have our reasons why we can't travel with our significant other, but no matter the reason, it's never easy. Almost always, the guys' schedules are complete opposite of the women back home. The women's schedule usually looks something like this: wake up around 6am for either work, school, or kids, then back to bed after a tiring day by around 10pm. The men's schedule looks something like this: wake up around noon, head to the field, game ends around 10pm, out to dinner with some of the players, and finally back home around midnight. What makes it even harder is when we are on different time zones. Obviously time for communication is limited but it can always be done. Another challenge about being apart is planning a visit to see him. At any point throughout the season, a player can be called up, sent down, traded, released, sent to rehab because of an injury, etc. The list seems endless when trying to plan a trip. It's hard to buy a ticket too far in advanced because we don't know where he will be a month, week, or even a day from now. The bad part is, the longer we wait to buy a plane ticket, the higher the price goes up! I have seen other girls go through it plenty of times including myself once: buying the ticket and finding out a short time later that our man gets moved. This situation leads to some stressful and pricy decisions. One reason I am so glad to be living with Tyler this year!

Another thing girls in baseball always go through at one point or another is an "identity crisis." :) Okay so maybe it's not an actual identity crisis, but it's a topic that usually comes up between new girls I meet. It's basically when people "forget" our name; that is, when we are no longer known by our first name, but by so-and-so's wife/fiance/girlfriend. It's the only way we will be recognized if nothing is done about it. Some women have a really hard time with it and will do all they can to separate themselves from that title. I, on the other hand, don't really mind. I know that what my husband does, does not define me. I actually think that being known as a baseball player's wife is a wonderful opportunity to set a good example. I feel that I can use this position in a good way and I am very proud of it. I know that the majors and the minors are completely opposite when it comes to being in the media spot light; however, no matter the baseball stadium, there will always be kids that look up to these players. The kids, along with their parents, sometimes think it's so cool just to meet a player's wife. Knowing that, when I have run-ins with these fans, I enjoy the opportunity to talk with them.

Lastly, I'll get right into the stereotype of a baseball player. The girls have heard it from everyone, so we know it's no secret. We get asked frequently, mostly by women, if we trust our husbands/fiances/boyfriends while they are away playing baseball. I, only speaking for only myself of course, simply reply with an honest answer, "Yes, I do trust my husband. In fact, I trust him 100 percent, no doubt about it!" This is because Tyler and I are at the point today where God is the foundation of our relationship; we put all of our faith in Him. Because of this, we have unconditional love for and trust in each other, and our communication couldn't be better! Tyler makes an incredible husband, as I do a wife. :) Enough about us though, I can be honest in saying that I find being asked about trust issues a bit rude. I've learned that a relationship can be absolutely perfect in the morning, but by the end of the night, couples can be fighting about issues that society has made up for them throughout the day. Example: trust. When these girls are constantly being asked if they trust their man, it will get inside at least one girl's head and cause problems in her relationship, even when there are no problems at all. I've seen it happen and it's hard to watch. I don't blame people in our society for reading in on the stereotype; I understand that it's out there. What I don't understand is why it's okay to ask someone questions like that. Imagine if I turned the tables on them and asked back, "So basically because my husband plays baseball and there are *cleat chasers, apparently means he has cheated/will cheat on me, but because your husband has a desk job, means he would never cheat on you? It's probably just because my husband has made a name for himself in baseball; therefore, he has a better chance of getting caught. Fortunately, you will never find out about your husband's cheating adventures on TV." How rude of me right?! (*Cleat chasers can be explained in the following article, you might have to copy and paste the link: http://fitperez.com/2011-01-09-reality-show-features-women-chasing-baseball-players Also, let me know what you think of this new reality show!) Of course I would never, ever be so rude to reply to a question like that. I will always answer honestly as I have stated above. It's just so hard for me to hear that other girls are getting asked if they trust their man, when in reality, some of them really are having these problems in their relationship. Don't make it worse for them, it is their business and no one else's.

As you can see, girls in baseball are tougher than most people assume. These were just four topics out of a never ending list of things we all go through. The girls I've met over the past couple of years are so strong and are such beautiful women inside and out.We don't always know what we are getting ourselves into, but we chose this life all in the name of love. :) As I've said before, the sacrifices we make, along with our man, are all because of the hopes and dreams of making it one day. If that is not the case for our future, it is sure a fun ride! At the end of each season, we all go our separate ways, but we always keep in touch. Now that spring training is fully underway, I am so looking forward to seeing all my girls again and I have already met amazing new women this month! The thing that I absolutely hate though is when we don't see each other again because of a trade, release, or break up. :( That can be super hard! All we can really do is keep in touch and keep our head up.

I have to tell you all that I am so excited to have gotten an invite to the 4th Annual Women's Spring Event for Women in Baseball in Florida. It's coming up on March 18th and I can't wait! It's a luncheon being held for the spouses, significant others and staff of Minor & Major League Baseball affiliated leagues, clubs and umpires. The day will include: seminars, roundtable discussions, speakers including MLB wives, a catered luncheon, and helpful resources. I will be sure to write a post about it!! Until then of course, I will always have more stories. :)

P.S. Because we moved, I had to quit my job at the cafe... oh darn. ha!