better late than never..

colorado is truly hard to beat. the state cannot be described with words. living here at 7500 feet has changed my entire body composition. it's crazy how far i've come since the first day i was here. on monday, i worked with the volunteer group called the "road hogs." these "hogs" are men and women from 45-?. older people to say the least. my first encounter with them was early on in my stay at RMNP. we all gathered and were getting our instructions. when the hogs heard that they weren't going to be using their chainsaws, they all whined like little children who cant get ice cream. it was hilarious. there is this 6'6 retired rocket scientist, ray. he's like a bull in a china shop. i can't believe they let him drive the dump trucks. he always wears a shit eating grin and he was more bummed about not chainsawing. i really thought he was going to cry. working with the hogs is truly a riot. so on monday i was carting around a hog named janice. she's from new jersey, but not the city; as she would say. she's from a small town of only 1200. now she lives in a small town here in colorado. she asked me what my life would be like when i got back to auburn. i told her i wanted to play baseball. this jived with her b/c she loves baseball. she told me, "that's just great. if you have a dream, you have to follow it." she later went on to tell me, "you are just capable of anything bear." that is one of the most wonderful compliments i've ever heard. janice is such a joy to be around. a true blessing for me. so that brings me to my dream. i don't know if i'm completely screwy or just true to myself. but i want to be the best baseball player who's ever lived. it's been my dream since i started dreaming. i believe that it's what i was put here to do. in fact, i know that. i'm not someone who's wired to not do my passion. it's like baseball chases me as much as i chase it. i'm an incredibly blessed person. my journey from my last baseball game in high school, to right here training my ass off in colorado, has been incredible. i've done everything from air-conditioning work, washing 55 gallon barrels in a sweat shop, sitting in a parking booth at a ski resort, to riding a lawn mower, and now working on the road at a national park. all of that has brought me back to my passion. one day it hit me that i gotta stop screwing around and do this. i was blessed to have surgery at andrews sports medicine in birmingham. my shoulder is better than ever. i feel better than ever. i have an arsenal around me from the people i train with to my chiropractor. i'm becoming better and learning every single day. so to all the haters out there, i have abs. i feel like a dirtbag again. and there's going to be nothing better than tripling in the right field gap off you. can you hear me? i'm coming.