Sloop John B

I just heard the song on Pandora that the Beach Boys sing called Sloop John B....the lyrics are: "I want to go home....let me go home....I want to go home....I feel so broke up that I want to go home..."

I am not feeling "broke up" but I do want to go home and so does Buddy. We are like 'fish out of water' here as we adjust to the new environment. Am I complaining? Nope! I made the decision to join him because we felt that he needed some support at this junction of his life. Since the day that I arrived, I know that I made the right decision. Yet as we continue our adventure, I do long to be home and feel the comfort of being in a place where I am mentally comfortable.

With that said, the big kid misses college (the atmosphere, not work), his school and home friends, home, sister (yep), family, and Diva dog. He does not articulate it, but I know that he does. He was promised a job that has not yet materialized and has to sit around all day or work out, wait for the game, sit in the bullpen, pitch or not pitch, come home...go to bed and it begins again. He is addicted to his Facebook and cell phone as he honestly has nothing else to do. Last night I caught him reading... Yes, he had Sports Illustrated open and was reading an article. The kid is definitely bored if he is reading too.

Oy! Now I am listening to Simon and Garfunkel's song "Homeward Bound" and have changed the words to reflect our baseball life:

I'm sittin' in the open bleachers, got a ticket for my destination
On a tour of one-night-stands, my suitcase and baseball glove at hand
And every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band

[Chorus:]
Homeward bound, I wish I was homeward bound
Home, where my thoughts escape, at home, where my music's playin'
Home, where my comfie bed lies waitin' silently for me

Every day's an endless dream of hamburgers and magazines
And each town looks the same to me, the movies and the factories
And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

[Chorus]

Tonight I'll throw my ball again, I'll play the game and pretend
But all my words come back to me, in shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness and harmony, I need my home to comfort me

[Chorus repeats 2x]

Silently for me

OK, enough introspection and back to work. I will change the radio station to Lady Gaga or Katie Perry. Their lyrics are not as meaningful as Katie sings about an Extraterrestrial Alien and Gaga's songs all sound alike.....Paparazzi.....papa-papa-razzi!

Does it look like I am complaining? Probably...but I am not. The goal of this blog is to chronicle the adventures of a kid trying to achieve his goals. Goal 1 was Division I baseball....check....Goal II was pitch 20+ innings as a freshman with a low ERA...check....Goal III...play in a competitive summer league....sort of...check....his debut was marked by the loss of electricity and therefore, he did not get to play. He sat on the bench during the home opener and got up for "Bullpen Boogie" when he had to bring a flower in the stands and dance with a woman (he is NOT a fan of that one) between innings.

So, I am trying to depict the journey from my perspective. It is not glamorous or fun. When he sits in the bullpen, he is mindlessly chatting and running sunflower seed spitting contests and throwing rocks into a can. He won the rock throwing contest on Tuesday night. As he sits, I sit and answer emails on my Droid and pray that someone will call me. Pulling out a book or magazine during a game is a major faus pax...it just is not done. So I let my thoughts and mind drift off to my happy place...

I am going to finally close this posting with a final thought (or two). This summer is an opportunity for Buddy and me to reconnect as a team. When he left for college, I felt the loss, but knew that he was moving through life as planned. He called home basically to speak to his dad about life and baseball. I admire their close relationship. Now, he and I have had some amazing conversations and he even asks my advice on certain things that do not pertain to baseball. So, as I get to know him again, he gets to know me. If anything, we will remember this summer as one last opportunity to spend some significant time together. As I have always said, "I am your biggest fan, whether you play or not...to me it does not matter....I love you, kiddo..."