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Diary, March 11, 2004
I've found out that I'll be starting the season in Single A again, so it looks like I'm off to Stockton and that wonderfully small apartment again. Actually I'm not surprised since the team wants me to develop more. I'm a little frustrated though that Dwayne Miranda got promoted over me to Frisco. But hey, I guess they can't leave a 25 year old in Single A forever. Besides, it'll make life easier not having to see him in the same locker room.
Jorge Lopez came up to me in the batting cage the other day and said he was impressed with how I was swinging the bat. He asked about my off-season training regimen so I told him some lies about weight-lifting and running. Really all I did was eat a lot, watch football, and have a few beers.
One good thing that came out of the whole Miranda promotion though is my return to third base. I am really excited to be back at home on the left side of the infield. I'm a lot more comfortable over there than trying to turn two at second.
It was hard leaving home again for Spring Training. I felt like a celebrity being back in Batavia, everyone wanted to know how I was doing. I even got to give interviews to both local papers and my high school newspaper. All in all, it was a great winter but I can't wait to get out of the cold weather that the Midwest offers.
The only bad thing that happened was on my 19'th birthday. I got a little drunk with some friends and when I was leaving, I fell down the steps and landed hard on my right shoulder. It swelled up pretty good and stayed sore for about a month but everything seems okay now. Hope it stays that way.
I have to say though, all those amazing feelings from my visit to The Ballpark in Arlington came back to me when I dusted off the spikes and put on my glove at our training facility in Surprise, Arizona. Can't wait to get back to Stockton...
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