One thing I forgot about Monday night. After the trivia contest (which maybe was Tuesday night now that ya mention it) they announced the results of the draft. I wound up on the team coached by Don Money (my first ever favorite Brewer) and Charlie Moore, my all-time favorite catcher turned outfielder. Tuesday morning the season begins.

So anyway. Back to the clubhouse at the end of my first day in the big leagues. Beers, other drinks (pop, gatorade, water), the training room was open for anyone who needed it, then back to the hotel.

Once we get back to the hotel we're on our own for the rest of the night (no curfew, woo-hoo!), there is a happy hour in the (still small) meeting room. I don't drink and as it turns out neither does my roommate (Mike). Also, since I work nights and usually go to bed about 5 a.m. I'm, starting to feel a bit sleep deprived so I think I might just stay in the room and go to bed early. Then I hear something about trivia questions and prizes. Hmmm...

So I wind up down there for a while. Some of the coaches are there so it's a chance to mingle and, if we want, collect autographs. Some people have brought some pretty cool stuff, all kinds of baseball cards, old programs, pennants, old newspapers, balls, bats, hats, you name it. I have brought nothing. Just as well, I figure, I don't see myself as an autograph hound.

During the trivia contest I answer several questions and win a couple bobble heads, Jim Gantner and Gorman Thomas. Now I have something that can be autographed so I decide that since Jim Gantner is right there, wtf? He signs in an almost too perfect cursive as we chat about something, possibly the inning he pitched in 1979, the subject of the trivia question that won me the bobble head.

That's about it for Monday night for me. I go back up to the room and read for a while as Rooms flips around on the TV from SportsCenter to ESPNews to CNN, some weather stuff (rain coming). I have trouble falling asleep despite having none Saturday night and only about five hours Sunday night but eventually I sleep.

Britney Spears 'back into rehab'
Pop star Britney Spears is back in rehab, days after shaving her head, People magazine and TMZ.com report.
Spears checked into an unnamed facility at the request of her mother and other family members, the reports said.

"We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those of her family and friends... ," People quoted her manager Larry Rudolph as saying."

Respect her privacy. Is that a good one or what? Everything she does screams "Hey! Look at me! Pay attention to me! Look, look! I'm shaving my head!"

(Puke)

Now where was I? Oh yeah, lunch! Into the clubhouse for lunch. Excellent spread. Salad stuff, sandwich stuff, two kinds of soup and an entree and a side or two. Today's entree? Bratwurst! Of course! And Yay! With sauteed onions and green beans on the side (the best green beans ever!) Anyway it was a good lunch, we took like an hour. Then back out for some more stretching and warming up and then, batting practice. Everybody's favorite part of baseball, isn't it? Hitting I mean, not necessarily bp. (I'm not actually sure what my favorite part is, I like em all). Interestingly there was no instruction that I remember, just grab a bat and jump in (take turns), coaches just throwing'm in there. Sometimes those are hard to hit, usually only because of trying to hit it far. Just hit it and you'll do fine and I did just fine.

Everybody hit twice (six swings then three swings I think), then we went to various fields to play "evaluation games".

About fourteen of us on a team, Jerry Augustine is pitching to both sides to three outs, clear the bases, three more outs and go out in the field, or come in and hit if you just were out. We start out hitting and I don't remember if I batted in the first inning (we were going alphabetically and I was about 8th) but I do remember that I made an out my first time up. That would be my last for a while. Meanwhile I talked my way into centerfield, my best and favorite position, and made a running in and sliding catch in the first inning, despite having been warned to only go about 60% (they meant everyone else maybe).

This was an "evaluation game" in that the coaches were moving around among the four fields making notes on what they were seeing, preparing to have a draft later that night. Augie was pitching a helluva a game for a while, a double shut-out, but that didn't last as the second time around the order we (both teams actually) started to hit. It see-sawed back and forth a bit with us going in front after starting behind but they batted last and the game was stopped after they tied it at eleven (with runners on base and only one or two out even).

I haven't written anything about fantasy camp yet so I guess it's time.

From January 28th to February 4th of this year I was at Milwaukee Brewers Fantasy Camp. Sound exciting? The idea is to get older men who remember the 1982 Brewers very fondly to pony up $4,000 each for the privilege of coming to the Brewers' Arizona spring training facility for a week in the middle of winter to pretend that they're major league baseball players, and also get to meet and mingle with the stars from that team (and Dale Sveum too, who was a rookie in '87 and a hero of the Easter Sunday game of that year along with Rob Deer who couldn't come because of recent back surgery).

Sunday, the 28th was mostly consumed with getting out there and getting established at the Peoria (AZ) LaQuinta, our base for the next week. We did have a bit of a welcoming meeting Sunday night in the (rather small) meeting room at which the coaches were introduced, none other than our heroes from '82 and '87.

Monday morning we took two buses (leaving at 7:30, with or without you) to Maryvale, spring training home of the Crew. There we were let out at the door to the Clubhouse (well, close to the door) and walked into the big leagues.

Walk around and find your locker. Mine, MACK 24 above it, was in a corner, under the TV. A full game uniform with two different colored jerseys (home and away) were inside along with various incidentals. Stretching on the field is the first thing scheduled. The Brewers own training staff (I guess) lead us through 25 minutes of various warm-ups and stretches starting with a run to center (field) and back. I pass people all the way to the wall and get back to the foul line among the vanguard. Marine boot camp this is not.

After we're warm and loose we break into four groups and go to different stations for instruction in: outfielding, infielding, base-running and pitching. I go to outfielding first where Ben Oglivie gives us various bits of wisdom and finally sends us out there to catch some flyballs., I'm second in line when we get out there. The first guy goes out a little and waits, Bob Skube (I think) hits him one. He trolls over, gets under it, puts his hands up to catch it but misses it and it hits him right on the cheekbone. Ouch! Well, my turn. I run out and receive a line drive right at me and throw it back and run to the back of the line. The first guy is playing it cool, doesn't hurt. Good for him.

We move on to infielding where Don Money gives me a tip which I will try to use in the future, if I play third base again, then to base-running where Dale Sveum coaches us up and relates some stories about poor base running in the American League post-season, both of which I remember (one of which I was in attendance for).

Then it's on to pitching where Jerry Augustine begins imparting some of his wisdom (he has plenty, as we would learn during the week), starting with we should forget about drop and drive, that's for guys like Roger Clemens, we're tall and fall guys. Stand tall, stride forward, fall off the mound as we deliver the pitch, landing in a good athletic position ready to make a play. We try it. I like it. I've tried various approaches to pitching over the years (I'm mostly an outfielder) and this feels as good as anything.

More to come