The world is a small place

PLU is a school with around 3,500 undergraduate students, but somehow every other person ever in history has a connection to the school I call home. Last weekend we went down to Linfield to play for the conference championship and, well we didn't play well. Linfield took all 3 from us which basically eliminated us from getting an at large bid to the regional tournament. It was tough to lose like that of course but my heart went out to all the seniors on the team. The winningest class in PLU baseball history saw their season and careers end in the hands of our rival despite pre-season aspirations of winning the regional tournament and advancing the The College World Series. Sitting there as Linfield dog piled on the mound on Sunday, knowing for the seniors that it was their last baseball game ever, was a very humbling experience. Next year, we are going to dog pile on our mound as they get to look on, that's the plan.

Since that weekend we had our end of the season meeting and I have my individual meeting with coach on Monday. Right after my meeting we have our team bbq and annual golf tournament, the group of freshman I am playing with has talked so much trash and we are not that good. It should be interesting. I think we have honestly scared some the upperclassmen, who are actually decent golfers, that we are going to challenge them. It's gonna be a scramble tournament with 5 people per team, out of us 5 one of us have to hit a good a shot right?

The team actually left for Linfield Friday afternoon before practice and we practiced at West Linn High School. When I heard that I texted my mom right away. I thought it was pretty funny that we were going to be practicing at her old high school. We practiced there because their field was turf, like Linfield's, so coach wanted everyone to be able to take ground balls and try and get accustomed to the turf hops. Even more humorous though was the one of the baseball coaches played baseball at PLU back in his day. He gave us a funny little pep talk before practice. He was getting pretty old and possibly senile, that's what made it funny. Who lives on 7th floor in Tinglestad? A lot of the guys on the team stayed there. I had no idea I was continuing a tradition by getting all of the other sophomore guys to be on 7 next year. The world is a small place.

All this week I have been working on a sports psychology video. I have been finding clips of games that show pitchers showing focus and re-focusing. I put this project off for so long but now that I've got going I really enjoy it. When I'm done I will see if I can put it up on here. I have all the footage and clips that I need, now I get to do the fun stuff, the editing. It's gonna be a legit video once I'm done. Dad or grandpa, I'm sorry, but I can tell you right now you're probably not gonna like the music behind it. There is always the volume control on your computer.

Last night was college night at Safeco so all of lower campus went to the game. They gave us free tickets so I was all over that. For my Marines losing 8-0, it was actually a really fun night. For starters, I had Jeff Neiman on my fantasy team and he, like every other pitcher who has thrown against Seattle this year, threw a gem. But that had nothing to do really with why last night was awesome. There was not a lot of people there last night, at all, so the section ushers didn't care if you walked down into their section. So for the first part of the game I sat like 3 rows up from the left field line, I could almost hear Carl Crawford breathing. Then I moved into right field and sat with some other friends. There was so many PLU people there last night I would just walk around and run into someone else and would hangout with them for awhile. I eventually worked my way back the left field line by the 7th inning. It was mostly the baseball guys so I hung out with them. If you watched the game and can remember, in the bottom of the 7th Chone Figgins flew out to left to end the inning. Carl Crawford looked at our group of people and tossed the ball, guess who caught it? Everyone was so jealous! That was the first game ball I've gotten at a Mariner game, usually it's just a batting practice ball. I didn't let that ball leave my sight, I carried it the rest of the night. It was a sexy catch too. Hands in my face, and it was a lefty one-handed stick, so sick.

That was after I bought nachos because I was starving and Jaron, a sophomore on the team, punched me in the arm and of course the nachos went everywhere after I got 2 chips. Luckily a Safeco employee saw and walked me back to the stand and got me free nachos. So in about 30 minutes I got my nachos replaced and a Carl Crawford ball, it was a good 30 minutes. Still though, that wasn't the best part of the night. Sitting down by the bullpen watching one of Tampa's relievers warm up, I saw a kid walking down the stairs in a Mark Morris sweatshirt. So of course I asked him if he goes to Morris, he says yeah. So I asked him if he knew Colton Carpenter, a Morris senior who I got pretty tight with a couple summers ago, we played summer ball together on Pacific Tech. Right behind the kid in the Morris sweatshirt, there was Carp. The first thing I said was "dude are you serious?" So funny running into him randomly like that. The first thing I did was give him crap because my boys swept Morris in a double header a couple weeks ago, he's the one still playing though so I guess he got the final laugh. He goes dude I heard your playing college ball so I told him about it a little bit. Then he says oh and I heard your throwing ched (hard) now. I have no idea where he heard that but I just said not really but I am throwing harder. So as we got caught up, another kid from our team that summer walked down the stairs. None of us knew that we were at the game, so at the same time, we all are at the same part of Safeco without planning it at all. The kid was Eli Pesio, our catcher. So we caught up a little too then we all went our ways. That was one of the most I don't even know what to call it, surprising maybe, situations ever. The world is a small place.

After the game we were walking on Occidental St. We all were excited about the post game special one of the stands had. Two hot dogs for $5. Max and Spenc got one and I got one too and let Luis get the other one. Of course they guy would just randomly put two hot dogs in Luis's while I was stuck with the solo. Anyways, Luis and I were wearing our PLU sweatshirts and the guy asked us if we went to PLU. The guy said he started out at Linfield and ended up at PLU and graduated from the business program here. And now he is working a hot dog stand outside Safeco? I'm not sure what that really says for the PLU business program. Just proving my point though that every other person ever went to PLU or has some connection to PLU. The world is a small place.

Oh yeah at the baseball meeting I asked coach if there were any spots open to work the football games. The baseball team works at all the home games. He said yeah do you want it? So I said yes of course, alright it's yours. Ok best job interview ever. In case I don't make as much money as I want to this summer, I have a back up plan now.

Max is going home this weekend and was pushing me pretty bad to come down with him. I wanted to go home too so bad. It's Mother's Day weekend and I haven't been home in forever it seems, again. But this was honestly the worst possible weekend for me, I have a monster history paper and a communications paper both due Monday morning and I am going to try to finish the sports psych project this weekend. Once I'm done with that and give the presentation I am done with that class. I am getting so stoked for summer! I'm not sure if I'm more excited for summer or just to be done with school. The weather is getting really nice, sitting in class is getting tougher and tougher. So I have class at 11:15 and 12:30 but after that it's straight the library, again, until tonight. It's probably over the baseball apartments for me tonight.

Being a valet this summer I'm going to need to know how to drive a stick. I learned how to the summer before my senior year but I drove around for a couple hours one day that was all the training I got. So I talked to Ashley and she is way too excited about re-teaching me how to drive a stick. She says just because it is going to be fun, but knowing her, the only reason she is excited for it is so she can laugh at me, ah well, whats new? My last final is in 19 days, May 26th, I seriously just want to take that final now and be done, unfortunately for me that's not possible. Which reminds me, hey dad, are you guys going to be able to come up and help pack up and bring me home? Or what is the plan there?

Alright well there are my amazing thoughts of the week. Back the futon and ESPN, which has been happening way too much since I have free time now that baseball is over. I can't say how nice it has been being able to watch PTI again. I have missed that show so much. Usually I am walking out the door for practice right when it comes on. So mom, dad, adam, and aaron you better get ready to start watching that show again when I get home.

Nathan...out