First of all, I want your opinions and comments. But here are a few of mine:
So as a starting pitcher, I have grown (or been forced) to know and love all things “ballpark.” Hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, peanuts, sunflower seeds, Dippin’ Dots, and crazy minor league antics. I’m here to give you the player’s perspective on these classics from the same seats you sit in every home game. You see, you may not realize it but when you go to those single-A games there are between 2 and 4 actual players sitting right behind home plate. Well I’m one of them. We are the starting pitchers. The rotation. The best job in the world. The ball and the game are in our hands every time we take the mound. But the 4 days in between starts it’s not the ball or the game that is in our hands, but rather, the pencil or the radar gun. It is our job to take the notes and the statistics necessary for the coaches to do their jobs to better understand the opponent and sometimes, themselves.

Anyway, spending most of my time in the stands rather than the dugout, I believe it is my duty to test out all the stadium has to offer. Last year, I played for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a short-season A club in Niles, OH. Eastwood Field was our home field. Great park, great atmosphere, great people. But most importantly, great food!!! Now I know you’ve all got your favorites. You already know what you want before you even get to the ballpark. But I?m here to help you understand the rest.

You know how good a hot dog tastes. You know how good a cold beverage tastes in your seat. The nachos are great too. Don’t forget the sound of crunching peanut shells beneath your feet. But modern day baseball has so much more to offer…

Cracker Jacks: This is the lost snack of baseball. One of the most synonymous foods with any sport on this planet, Cracker Jacks has been shoved aside by the almighty hot dog. It’s peanuts and CRACKER JACKS! Not hot dogs! The smooth taste of caramel popcorn brings to mind the Will Ferrell quote from Old School, “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good!” Let’s not forget to mention the prize, an American classic, which unfortunately has been reduced to the usual temporary tattoo. That doesn’t hamper the greatness of the taste of the delicious treat.

Sunflower Seeds: Another staple in America’s pasttime. Now I?m not sure if sunflower seeds were always associated with baseball like they are today, but something along the lines sure made it stick. More importantly, though, let’s examine why it’s so delicious. The flavors, all of which are delicious, most of all BBQ seeds in my opinion. I think it’s the fact that you can spit the shells anywhere and it’s okay. It’s not littering. It’s not rude. Just don’t let one of them land on a nearby fan. A hidden secret, though, is eating it whole. Very tasty. Try it sometime. Just make sure you don’t choke. This is possible. So, readers and seedsters beware.

Now for the finale…Dippin’ Dots:
Wow. That’s the only word to describe it. Finally somebody made the absurd prices of ballpark food worthy of the dip into one’s wallet. Usually Dippin’ Dots run about 3.50-5 dollars depending on the size. But they have a multitude of flavors. Here’s the kicker, though. You get your ice cream in a miniature helmet of your home team. Great job whoever decided on that. As you get to your seat, watch your Dippin’ Dots melt. So hurry, get back to your seat. You there now? Starts eating. By melting, it only made it easier to eat. Allowing you to indulge in the great, smooth taste of, in my opinion, the greatest creation of a new generation of ballpark foods.

But if you just want to save your money and enjoy the game. There is plenty to watch. In between innings you are guaranteed to be involved in some sort of t-shirt toss or free giveaway. If not, enjoy watching a lucky kid run the bases, or a mascot race an old lady. Either way, going to the ballpark is undoubtedly a complete experience that is losing its greatness in this society thanks to plenty of other distractions. I hope to see you behind home plate.

-Mike

Hey readers! Well, it’s hump week here in Winter Haven. Throwing live to hitters behind an L-screen (although we tell them what pitch we are throwing) every other day until Thursday. Come Friday we will be on our respective teams and begin what you all know as the real spring training; games. Every day we’ve got our games and the 5-day rotation begins for us starting pitchers. So March Madness isn’t all upsets and Final Fours, it’s crunch time for us baseball players as well. The 40-man roster guys are trying to earn their spots on the Major League club and the minor leaguers like myself are trying to prove we belong. All the while trying not to overdo it since we do have 5 more months of it.

Anyway, for all you reading this blog because you saw the March Madness title, yea, I didn’t forget what’s going on. I’m calling for a Florida repeat and hoping to see a Florida-Ohio State matchup. That would make for some interesting action. But back to baseball…sort of…

Last night the first-year guys had a meeting on nutrition. Our team nutritionist spoke to us in what seemed like 5 hours. But it was good info. I’ve heard it all before: “Spread out your meals” “Drink lots of water” “No fast food and less caffeine” etc. etc. etc. But she had some good numbers to show why, because we know it’s true, but don’t want to go the extra mile to follow the guidlines. So I’m going to try to eat better. My biggest concern is gaining weight as I’m not the biggest guy in camp! Any suggestions?

A message to the video game crowd: BUY MLB2K7! Wow is all I can say to describe the game. I’ve heard plenty about how little there is to do in Winter Haven, FL but it isn’t even a concern of mine now that I’ve got this game to play. Not only is it addicting but the graphics are out of this world. So incredible the jerseys even blow in the wind and specific to the direction the wind is blowing.If you’ve got a thing for video games, especially sports games, go to a store and rent it or buy it.

Sorry there isn’t much to report right now, but hang in there and once these games start rollin’ I’ll be a daily dose for anybody out there. Thank you for all of your support, especially to my family. See you Thursday Mom and Billy!

Enjoy life,
Mike Eisenberg

P.S.- 300 = great movie

Hey everybody, I’m finally set up and ready to go with this blog. I’m sure you can get a good bit of info on me through the profile, but I prefer a more personal touch. I’m currently a minor league pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization. Drafted last year in the 8th round of the draft, I signed and left Marietta College (OH) after my junior year. Although I plan to finish my education as soon as possible, why not leave on top I figured. The Indians produced a great offer and we just got done winning the Division III National Championship. Great opportunities and dreams come few and far between in this world so I took it and ran. Which leaves me here, sitting in my Holiday Inn room at Winter Haven, FL working my way through Spring Training with the Tribe preparing for my 2007 season.
Spring Training has been a dream come true. Hours on end of PFP’s and bullpens followed by more time in the weight room and training room than out on the field. I love it. Who doesn’t like coming to work at 8:30, leaving by 1 and playing the great game of baseball in between. Today was the first day of throwing live batting practice to hitters and, although they only allowed us to throw fastballs and changeups, it was a great chance to get used to facing batters again.

Anyway, I’ll be back plenty of times to update you on the everyday happennings here in good ole’ Winter Haven. If you’ve got any questions, just bring them on and I’ve got answers for you.

Have a great day,
Mike Eisenberg