FRICKIN' LASER BEAMS

Hey guys, how are you all doing?  The last week has been pretty busy for me. I've mostly been on the road, as I had a chance to travel down to Baltimore for my physical and also to meet members of the front office and coaching staff. I've received a lot of emails lately asking what types of things go on in the physical and how I spent my time in Baltimore, so let me take a few minutes to explain.  


Basically, the physical part is not as complicated as many may think. The first thing they do is check and make sure you're alive with a heartbeat and a pulse. After a few grueling hours of analyzing my charts, they gave me the thumbs up and told me I had passed. The next part of the physical, and probably the most extensive of all the tests, was the eye exam. They put you through about fifteen different test, not only to check your vision, but also to check the health of your eyes in general and make sure you won't have any problems a few years down the road. You might assume that the blood work and "cough test" would be the shitty parts of my day, but spending thirty minutes with laser beams and bright lights shining directly in your eyes definitely takes the cake.


As the day continued I took visits to a few different doctors where we talked about any past medical problems throughout my life and any surgeries I may have had over the years. They then yank on your arms and legs, check your knees and shoulders to make sure they're fully healthy, and do some basic strength and mobility tests. After passing those I gave some blood and was asked to pee in a cup for probably the 400th time in the past five years.  The process started around 9 AM and finally finished right around 3 PM. 


Once I was told I had completed everything, I made sure to spend the afternoon eating lunch at Ra Sushi, one of my favorite sushi places in the country.  The closest franchise to my home in Boston is in Baltimore, so I couldn't pass up a chance to get some Tootsie Maki.  If you haven't tried it I suggest you check it out. 


After lunch I took a ride over to the ballpark to check it out for the first time. I've heard from literally thousands of people over the years about how beautiful of a place Camden Yards is, and they weren't lying. It seems like a great place to call home during the season. I was able to spend some time speaking with our GM and Manager and also with other members of the front office and staff and then took a little time to do some interviews with the media. I can already get a sense for how excited everyone is for Spring Training and the start of the 2012 season. Now that the physical is in the rear view mirror and my contract is signed there isn't much standing between now and the beginning of baseball, except for maybe a few feet of snow. Either way, I'm sure it will be here before we know it and I'm really excited to get going! I hope everyone had a great holiday and I will talk with you later.