Surprising to me, Del Rosario is still the only Dragon in my three years to appear in a big league game.  A handful of players have been added to the 40 man roster by Cincinnati and should appear in Great American Ballpark at some point this year.  Not sure if that shows how hard it is to make it to the Major Leagues from A-Ball or how long the process can sometimes take.

Last week, the Houston Astros visited Turner Field to take on the Atlanta Braves in a short two game series.  Now working in the home clubhouse for the Braves, I was on hand for both of those contests. I was able to venture into the visiting clubhouse before batting practice to spend some time catching up with “Rosie” (what we called Del Rosario) who I had not seen since Spring Training 2010.

Del Rosario’s English has improved as he told me he still takes class several days a week. We shared pictures of our families and he showed me his beautiful wife and daughter.  So happy to see a great kid like Rosie having success at the Major League level.  Can’t wait to visit with more of my former Dragon friends in the near future.

Enerio Del Rosario and me

As I have written before, only one player that I have had as Dragon (Enerio Del Rosario) has made it to the Show, but several others have been placed on the Cincinnati 40-man roster could see a call-up any day.  But as far as other teams, a large number of players we played against have made it and are still performing at the Big League level.

I was very fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time in the dugout during games with Dayton.  I had great help in the clubhouse (thanks Mike) and organized myself where I was able to do that.  I was also lucky enough to travel with the team meaning I did not miss a game or an opponent.  This allowed me to watch many prospects and players along the way.

Last week the Los Angeles Dodgers called up left field prospect Jerry Sands. Tons of articles were written about Sands and his quick movement through the minor league system.  Exactly a year ago, he was still playing in Low-A Ball for the Great Lakes Loons, a team in the Midwest League with the Dragons. They were also in our division so I got to watch him tear us up a bunch.

At times I feel like friends roll their eyes at me when I tell him about certain players I saw or meet working in the clubhouse. Luckily, with Sands I have an autographed ball he signed for me and some pictures I took of him to prove it.

The picture in this post is from Dow Diamond Stadium, home of the Loons. It was a Sunday game, because Great Lakes is wearing there Sunday red uniforms.  I look forward to the future to see more Midwest League players make to the Majors and remember the times I watched them.

I took this picture of Jerry Sands from our dugout when we played Great Lakes

Every professional baseball player dreams of appearing in the Major Leagues for at least one at-bat, one half inning on defense or take the mound to throw one pitch.  To these athletes, getting any sort of chance in the big leagues is a “cup of coffee.”  For some that lasts one day, and for others it lasts numerous seasons. But once you have taken a sip, it is yours forever.

Although I will never step between the lines during a real Major League game, I have dreamed of getting my “cup of coffee.”  I am proud to say that after three years of working with the Dayton Dragons, a Class-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, I am getting my first taste of coffee this season.  I have accepted a job as a Clubhouse Assistant with the Atlanta Braves. I will be working all 81 home games at Turner Field with the team assisting in numerous duties.

This truly is a dream come true to be able to work for a Major League Franchise, especially one as storied and successful as the Atlanta Braves.  I feel very fortunate to fill a few of my dreams so young in life, working for eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bearcats Men’s Basketball Team and now getting my shot in the majors.

I hope you will continue to check this website, and follow me on Twitter (@coreybrinn) as I try to bring you adventures from the season and life as a “Clubbie.“

For a product to pass Major League Baseball standards, it must have been properly tested and stamped with the “NSF” sticker, meaning National Certified For Sport.  But the biggest pain is that these products must be purchased from the team, directly from the company.  For example, a product that is certified to take cannot be bought at a GNC store or Vitamin Shop.  Those products are said to be produced differently and COULD contain ingredients that would force an athlete to test positive.

The product I want to talk about is Muscle Milk, made by Cytosport.  To me, Muscle Milk has the best tasting product on the market.  This is the newest protein powder addition to the approved list for professional baseball players to take.  But only four flavors have been approved, cookies and cream, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.  Again, only Muscle Milk that is bought through the dealer of a team is approved.  What really gets me are the RTD products, which stands for “ready to drink.”  These are the premixed bottles that you would find at a gas station in the cooler.

As of last season, these were not allowed to be consumed by professional baseball players and if consumed, they could lead to a positive drug test.  But what makes me laugh is that Muscle Milk has become a huge sponsor in Collegiate Athletics, and the RTD’s are what they push.  They even go far enough to place college logos on the bottles and sell to their athletes and students.  So you are telling me that these things are safe and legal for college athletes (who do get drug tested), but a pro athlete cannot take them because they may get popped with a positive test?

It appears the entire supplement industry has become about money. If a company has enough, they can “buy” a license to have their products legal, but if they don’t pay, they will not get certified.  This became evident to me when Black Powder, by MRI, was being utilized in professional baseball.  Black Powder came in three flavors, orange, fruit punch and blue raspberry, but only the orange and fruit punch were certified. When I asked a strength coach about this, his answer to me was, “MRI only paid to have two tested and didn’t want to put enough money up to have all three tested.”

Love the idea and concept about drug testing, having products certified and checked out to make sure they are legit, but it is getting out of hand.  You are not going to have me belief that the ones sold at your local drug store are made separate from the ones sold to athletes that are certified. But, athletes can never take that chance, because if they test positive, they have no case.

I fear this problem will only get worse until some organizations stands up and gets it fixed.

Signage at College Events

Lots of schools are jumping on board with the RTD's

Georgia Tech Muscle Milk RTD

Please take the time to click below to see my older stories where I covered these items.

Bizarre Foods at Whitecap games

Fifth Third Burger Challenge

Also, you MUST click HERE to vote and see the new items up for the 2011 season.

The Cincinnati Reds appeared in the playoffs for the first time since 1995 allowing October Baseball to extend to the Queen City. Although it was a quick exit thanks to a great Philadelphia Phillies team, I will never forget the Sunday evening I spent with my father at the Great American Ballpark.  We were probably the only two in the sold out park that weren’t waving their Rally Towels, but I couldn’t imagine a place I would rather be.

As I have talked about before, this season meant so much more to me as I had just completely working my third year in the Cincinnati Reds organization, working with most of the players and staff members at Spring Training during that span. I like the direction the club is going, and look forward to more playoff runs in the near future.

My second top sports love is College Basketball. Having spent eight years at the University of Cincinnati, I have seen my Bearcat Family members expand and grow, leading other teams across the nation towards the Big Dance in March.  The 2010 NCAA Tournament could not of gone much better as Bob Huggins lead the West Virginia Mountaineers to the Final Four in Indianapolis, and Frank Martin took the Kansas State Wildcats to the brink of Indy, falling to an extremely hot Butler Bulldog team.

I watched both those Elite 8 games with tears in my eyes knowing what those coaches, and their staffs go through on a day to day basis to advance just one more game.  I have been in the trenches with Kansas State staff members Andy Assaley and Dylan Lockwood at Cincinnati and know how much it means to survive and advance.

On a personal note, 2010 didn’t seem that different than the last few years for me. I worked Spring Training with the Reds, and had an underachieving season with the Dayton Dragons at Fifth Third Field.  But watching the Reds, Wildcats and Mountaineers succeed made 2010 a great year.

As usual, I am nervous, but yet excited to see what 2011 holds.  As your clock strikes midnight this evening, I wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year.  I hope you all will continue to follow my blog and thank you for reading my entries. I love the comments and emails that I do receive and please keep them coming.

Cincinnati Reds National League Central Champions 2010

Kevin Jones celebrates as the 'Eers are going to the Final Four

Denis Clemente leads the Wildcats as they fall short in the Elite 8 against Butler

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and thought the acting was great.  I see it winning a few awards this year.  Bale was superb in his role, but I had one problem with him throughout the movie.  I kept thinking he was Homer Bailey, starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. Bale had to lose weight for this role, making him look more like Bailey.  Take a look at some of the pictures below and tell me what you think and if you can figure out who is who.

You can't tell me these two don't look alike

Any idea?

Batman?

A major craze this summer appeared to be the new game from Rovio that appeared on Apple’s Iphone and Itouch devices.  It was called Angry Birds, and actually quite simple to understand.  You place birds or different shapes and sizes into a virtual slingshot and hurl them into the air, trying to explode a bunch of pigs on the other side.  Sound pretty lame and stupid?  No chance, it is pretty sweet and awesome!

Working and traveling with the Dayton Dragons this season, the game took off and exploded throughout our team.  Walking up and down the bus on road trips, more than half of the roster was playing the game, arguing who was the best player and comparing points on each level.  Walk through the clubhouse minutes before they had to report to the field for the game, and you would still see guys clutching to their devices to squeeze another level in.  Several members of the team even went out to buy an Itouch so that they could play along and join the fad.

It did not take long before I too became officially addicted to Angry Birds and would play until my battery went dead.  Unfortunately I was not as good as all the others and lagged behind in game progress.  While some played each level until they got the most points allowed, I was happy sliding by and advancing to the next board any way I could.  Every time I would get close to the end of the game, an update would come out with more challenging and exciting levels.  Who knew for a mere 99 cents one could have so much fun!

Life got even better when Rovio expanded their release of Angry Birds and it became available for the Android operating system, allowing me to have it on my cell phone.  Rarely does a day go by where I don’t attempt to beat the next level by crushing some green pigs.

This simple game has turned into a national phenomenon and a huge money maker for the company.  They are now selling plush dolls and supposed to be releasing a video game for Xbox.  Even Haloween costumes were available to wear.  Just the other day a Holiday Edition of Angry Birds was released featuring levels with a Halloween theme or Holiday Winter theme.

The hunger to own an Ipad has also increased as Angry Birds is available there in HD and has a much bigger screen to play on.  I highly recommend you give this game a shot and guarantee you will be addicted in no time!  If not, contact me and I will send you the 99 cents back.

A sample level of Angry Birds

A sample of a Halloween board of Angry Birds

Plush Birds available for sale

Angry Birds Costume

Angry Birds, just get it!

Our discussion spread to other post season awards that are announced each season following the World Series, and one drew a pretty interesting and somewhat heated discussion. When the topic of Gold Gloves came up, I quickly and very admittedly objected to the award, coming out and calling it fake and means nothing to be given one.

My friends were taken back that I, “Mr. I Love Baseball More than Life,” would say such a thing about an honor given to numerous players each season.  I defending my statements saying that I lost all respect for the award following the 1999 season.

What most people do not know is that in 1999, Rafael Palmeiro won the most controversial Gold Glove selection in the history of the trophy being handed out.  That season he only played 28 games at first base, and another 135 as the designated hitter for the Baltimore Orioles.   True, he was best offensive player that season who played any games at first base, hitting 47 homers and driving in 148 runs, but the award is for the best fielder.

I just feel that the Gold Glove award is another popularity contest, and given based on reputation of the past with the combination of the offensive numbers that you put up.  Palmeiro had won Gold Gloves the two seasons prior, and with such a great offensive year in ’99, voters just gave him the award again.

The Gold Glove voting is done by the managers and coaches in each league.  It is quite obvious that they don’t take it seriously enough to look up any numbers or stats, and go based on reputation and name recognition.

To me, this totally turned me off from the Gold Glove award and devalued it in my eyes.  How a guy can play less than 20% at position and win an award for the best there is beyond me.  So, there is my reasoning for disliking the Gold Glove award, and I am pretty sure my argument also turned a few of my friends opinions the other way.

Rafael Palmerio's 1999 Gold Glove was a joke

Palmerio gets a Gold Glove for that?

Palmerio has one of these he should give back

For the past couple of years we have tried to pick a weekend in the fall and get together for a few fun packed days.  Our journey this year took us to the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Northern Georgia for some hiking and bonding time.

I do not want to bore you with personal details of our weekend, but feel it necessary to share one story that happened.  The first day that we were there, we decided to take a short hike at the base of the Appalachian Trail, to get loose and excited for our day long walk the following morning.  The drive from our cabin in Blairsville to the trail head consisted of many windy state roads.  The deeper we got into the mountains, the less populated things appeared to be.

As the GPS said we were minutes away from the start of our hike, I stared out the window into the woods and pastures looking for animals or other creatures walking around.  It was then a small red barn appeared out the car window the right, seeming like it was dropped in from the sky in the middle of nowhere.

As we got closer to the barn, the sign at street level said “Owltown Baseball Cards.”  A feeling came over all of us in the car that we had to stop and check this place out.  Lenny slammed on the brakes and very carefully turned around so we could visit the card shop.

Not sure what to expect, we walked into the small barn and was greeted by the store owner, Bob.  Bob appeared to be an older age gentleman, guessing in his late 70’s.  He was sitting on the couch sorting baseball cards into stacks by player.  As we glanced around the shop, it appeared this was how he liked to display his merchandise, in stacks by certain players.  It became immediately apparent that he had very few cards from this decade, but Bob had quite a collection.

My friends and I started small talk with Bob and found out he played minor league baseball many years ago in Peoria, Illinois for the Chicago Cubs and also in the Angels system.  Having the feeling that this card shop dropped out of the sky for us to find, we knew that we had to buy something to support Bob and his business or hobby.

As I looked around the shop for something interesting I noticed the large number of Cincinnati Reds cards, with stacks ranging from Johnny Bench and Pete Rose to Eric Davis and Barry Larkin.  As my eyes continued to wonder around the glass case, one stack of cards lit up like a light bulb.  An entire stack of Freddie Benavides Cincinnati Reds cards appeared before my eyes. I knew right then I had found what I would be purchasing.

I asked Bob to hand me the stack of Benavides cards and I began to shuffle through them, picking out a few as I went along.  Bob began to tell me how much he enjoyed watching Benavides play as he sat back down on the couch. I was amazed at the knowledge of the game he had remembering so many players from the past few decades.

For the past three seasons I have had a chance to work with Benavides as he has been the Field Coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds.  I respected him as a coach and also remembering him playing for the Reds and Expos.  And the fact that Bob had an entire stack of card dedicated to him made it that much cooler.

My others friends picked out a few cards of some players they enjoyed and we paid Bob for our products.  We posed for a few pictures, and continued down the state route to begin our hike.  None of us could get over how random it was to find the Owltown Baseball Card Shop on the side of the highway.  We all joked that when we returned down the road later that night, the shop would probably be gone, which of course it wasn’t.

Besides the pictures as memories, I now have a few Freddie Benavides cards to display on my desk.  It always taught me to always have my eyes open, you never know what random things you will find on the country roads.

Owltown Baseball Card Shop

Little Red Shack

Found some cards of my FORMER manager Todd Benzinger

Shopping around the store as Bob watches on

Stacks and Stacks of cards

Bob had a few non baseball cards

So Happy with my new cards

Dan shows off his new purchase

Lenny and Dan pose in front of the shop

Also got a Jeff Bagwell Rookie Card

Some of my Freddie Benavides Cards