Long overdue, so sorry. Hello Summer!


Hi guys,

Don’t think I have forgotten about writing. Its been a weird couple of months since my last entry. I am still retired from playing baseball. What also led me to this decision was my arm was “barking” again. I ended up having another shoulder surgery in April and I’m currently still rehabbing it. Although I don’t plan on playing again, you never know down the line and if I end up in the coaching world I would need to be able to throw BP. The doctor was very surprised I was even throwing with the results from my MRI. Not to make any excuses, but maybe that is why my control was so erratic in Venezuela this past Winter.

As I contemplated about my next step in my career I was approached by my agent who offered me a job within his sports agency. This was an amazing opportunity I could not pass up. It keeps me involved in the game and I think I can be beneficial to the company in helping recruit players and help the players with the experiences I have gone through in my career.

I hope everyone is doing well from all over the world. Enjoy the summer and I’ll do my best to get pictures up and more updates. Remember I always enjoy hearing from everyone. Feel free to leave any comments or questions.

A trip down memory lane


This past weekend I made a trip up to central Florida to visit some friends and old teammates. I knew the Tigers had a camp day which usually entails an early morning workout (ie: PFP, BP, infield/outfield) and then an afternoon game. I found out at the last moment that they were just going to go straight into an inter-squad at 10am, so I shot up there real early. How early? I woke up at 4am and was out the door by 4:30.

Once arriving in Lakeland, I was a little skeptical to walk into the locker room. It wasn’t because I didn’t feel welcomed. I just didn’t want to bother the guys while they were at work. Luckily I got their early enough before their day started and ran into all my old teammates and coaches. Of course the first thing half of them say to me is “Hey Druck, what are you selling? Can you get me an Ipad?”. Most of my teammates remember me for being the wheeling and dealing guy. It was a treat to catch up with them, see how their off season went, and how camp is going for them now.

While at Tigers camp I got to see an Independent traveling all star team play against the Connecticut Tigers. The indy ball team included ex-Tigers Cesar Nicolas and David Espinosa. They also had Jon Hunton who lead the Venezuelan league in saves this past winter.

As I walked around the quad-plex of fields, I saw the young Venezuelan fireballer Bruce Rondon throw. Every reading on my radar gun kept going higher and higher with each pitch. 98, 99, 100, 101. This kid had some plus stuff which was very effortless.

I really want to thanks the entire Detroit Tigers staff for being so welcoming and allowing me to come back to and catch up with everyone. I had a great time and watched some good baseball. This is a very tough part of camp with coaches and coordinators having to make roster cuts. Best of luck to all my old teammates. One more week of Spring Training left. Stay healthy and make a team.

Feel free to email me any questions, leave comments etc and rate and share the log. Thanks

Stepping off the mound and leaving my cleats


As many of you know by now I have hung up my cleats. This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I am very proud of what I have accomplished and I have no regrets.

I first let my immediate family and agent know about my decision, and then of course I announced it to the social media world. I really want to thank my family, teammates, friends, coaches, and of course fans for all of your support throughout my career. You all have had a special meaning in my heart and have helped me play this wonderful game with respect and admiration.

This game has allowed me to travel to all over the world and meet wonderful people and witness different languages, cultures, and food. The pictures and memories I have will last a lifetime. I have had so many fond memories on and off the field.

I went farther in this game than I could have ever imagined. When I played in high school I would have never envisioned playing in college or even further than that. All my teammates throughout the years have a special meaning to me. I have learned so much from them. We had some of the best moments all over the world. We have laughed, cried, and celebrated championships in beer and cheap champagne soaked locker rooms. I wish nothing but the best to you all and please continue playing this great game as long as you can.

My travels has also allowed me to interact with fans, local communities, and give back to wonderful charities. I am very appreciative of the connections and friends I have made through those outlets. I always knew there was a bigger picture than the actual game being played. I always tried to give back and make people smile at community events or at the ballpark before a game.

I am working out the details of my next business venture which will be within the sporting world and I plan to continue to blog and tweet. Please feel free to leave any comments and questions.

 

 

Venezuela wrap up


As the regular season comes to an end in Venezuela, so does my season here. I was not added to the playoff roster by the Tigres de Aragua. I will be headed home shortly this week. I would like to thank everyone involved with the Tigres especially the front office staff, Manuel and Rafael. They have been very grateful and have gone past expectations in making my stay in Venezuela extremely pleasurable.

Of course I want to thank my teammates and coaching staff for helping me and playing their hearts out behind me. This is a very special bunch of guys and I only wish them the best going forward in the playoffs. I loved playing with them, listening to them play tambour music, and just spending time with them sharing stories in the locker room.

Finally, I want to thank the fans. Every country I go to I see how much the fans adore and support their teams. Never have I seen so much support for their team as I have here in Venezuela. The fans love their team and their sport here. These three months of baseball here during the winter are like the Olympics to the fanaticos. They love the game and respect it. They want you to perform well each and every time. Their passion for the game is unexplainable. You need to see it in person to appreciate it. No video or picture can explain the excitement. Every game from the very first feels like the 7th game of the world series. It really was a treat to come here and play baseball and witness it in person.

I hope to come back next season and perform better. I know my statistics weren’t good this season, but I know I can perform here at a competitive level and get better.

This team has been through much adversity with the kidnapping of Wilson Ramos, to the death of a great player Rosman Garcia. I know they are strong willed and have the passion to win and push each other to win. Arriba Tigres!

Thanks also to all the teammates and security staff for calling me Willie Chirino’s all season. I loved it and laughed non stop trying to sing “Mediaa Negras” for you all.

Please leave comments, share the blog, and ask questions. Happy New Year!

It has come down to the wire


With 58 of 63 games played we have put ourselves in a situation to determine our own fate for the playoffs. We need to win these next two games in Lara and Caracas to lock in a playoff birth. We have had a nine game winning streak, as well as a six game losing streak this season. There have been many ups and downs, good times and bad, and some injuries have plagued us this season. But now is the time to make something of this 2011-2012 season. No more excuses, no more pep talks, no regrets. We have a great team and I believe we will push through this and make it to the playoffs. Our next two games are on the road so I hope the Tigres fanaticos follow us on our road trip and help support our championship run.

Long overdue blog


Hi guys its been awhile since my last entry and I apologize to all of you. Currently the Tigres are two games out of first place. This league is very tough and everyone beats up on each other. At one point this season we won nine games in a row and didn’t seem to gain any ground in the standings. Then we follow that streak up with a six game losing streak and somehow stay within the top four teams. The key for us in December is to stay positive and get as many wins we can so that we can lock up a spot for the playoffs. The playoffs are a round robin style format with five of the eight teams in the league qualifying. They also have a four round draft for the qualifying teams to choose players from the non qualifying teams. If last nights close game against Magallanes is anything like a playoff atmosphere I’m really excited for the playoffs. I can not explain how passionate the fans and players are for this game. We ended up losing 3-2. It was a great game and came down to the bottom of the 9th, but we just ran out of outs.

I have been wanting to post new videos and pictures, but my phones camera has stopped working. Also the internet at the hotel has been sketchy. I’ll try to get the videos and photos up when I head back to the US this weekend for a friends wedding. I’ll be back in Venezuela on Tuesday.

A bunch of our teammates recently got signed. Wifredo Ledezma signed with the Dodgers, Luis Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte both signed with the Rangers, Darin Downs with the Tigers, Vinnie Rottino the Mets, and Victor Moreno with a team in Mexico. And finally Lastings Milledge has signed with the Japanese Professional baseball league with the Tokyo Swallows.

This past week in Aragua was a huge music festival. Everyday during the week there was a concert that went on all day and night. Some of the artists that were in attendance were Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, and Enrique Iglesias. The concert took place at the soccer stadium directly next to our field. The traffic to and from the field was no bueno.

Game tonight in Caracas against the Leones. Ariba Los Tigres!

Pray for Wilson Ramos


Arriving back in Maracay at 3am after a sweep of Margarita usually has a nice feeling to it with players singing on the plane, telling jokes, and playing cards. This trip was a little different after hearing the startling news of the kidnapping of our teammate and friend Wilson Ramos. News traveled throughout the dugout in our second game in Margarita about the suspected kidnapping. It was a very tough situation for many players to hear this and focus on the game. Players stayed attached to their phones following the game to hear if there was any positive news. There has been similar situations in the past with other MLB stars, but never was the actual player taken. It was usually a family member.

We are all praying and hoping for a speedy and safe return of our teammate. He was in our dugout last week at home hanging out and sharing stories with us about the big leagues. We know that our team along with the Venezuelan police are doing everything they can to alleviate the situation. Many friends and family members asked me about the team and my safety. The team and front office staff goes over and beyond with team security. We have about 8-12 armed guards who travel with us on the planes and buses. We also have police escorts to and from the fields. I know the import players feel safe.

This has been a tough week for all of Venezuela, the fans, and of course the players and his family. Please pray for Wilson and his family. You can leave any thoughts or comments below.

Travel, food, Lots of Photos


Thanks for all the new followers and supporters of the blog. I hope my articles are entertaining and please feel free to comment or ask questions below. I really enjoy doing this and sharing my experiences around the globe with friends, family, and of course the fans.

The Tigres are currently 9-9 and 3.5 games out of first place. On Monday which was our off day, we traveled to Maracaibo in two nice buses which took about 10 hours. I think we went over 100+ speed bumps. Venezuela definitely has the Guinness Book of World Records for speed bumps. The trip wasn’t as bad as it sounds because we stopped along the way every 2-3 hours for food. These guys can eat down here. Our first stop was to this farm type of restaurant. There were horses and cows roaming the field outside of the restaurant. It was a really beautiful site. I sat along with the locals and Alex Nunez ordered for the table. I’m not a picky eater so whatever they brought out I would at least try. We had onion rings, Cachapa’s (HUGE pancake like corn meal/bread), steak, and ribs. The meat was ordered by the kilo. We all demolished the food it was so good. I wish I had some pictures of the food, but I was too hungry to take them. Below are the pics of the restaurant.

Field at Caracas. Both the Leones and Tiburones share this field

Our security team with the team does a spectacular job. These guys travel with us on the road, on the plane, our in our dugout, and help us exit the fields safely. They come onto the field to overlook the crowd for any trouble whenever our manager makes a pitching change. This can be frustrating for the pitcher because when I’m walking back to the mound to get the next hitter out, I see out the corner of my eye that the security guards are coming out I know my time in the game is probably over. We also get a police escort through the city to and from the games to make traffic easier. Motorcycle police lead the way completely strapped with military firepower. I have made some good friends with the security guards who also say I look like Willie Chirino, the Cuban singer. Everytime I walk by one of them they start singing a Chirino tune. It is all in good humor.

Security after the game in Caracas

The Tigres are first class when it comes to everything in Winterball. Like I have said in earlier blogs this is my favorite team and country to play in for Winterball. We get two buses for travel so that everyone can be comfy and spread out and relax on the road trips. This past trip to Zulia we had a chartered flight back from Maracaibo. Although we got back to Maracay around 4am with a game to play the next day, it beats driving 10 hours back.

During our 10 hour voyage to Maracaibo we made plenty of pit stops along the way. One of my favorites was an indoor/outdoor plaza where they sold Arepas, candy, and random gifts. Guitars were a big seller on this road trip. I noticed a couple of guys strumming them on the bus ride. They had a cheese store where players and staff lined up in bulk to buy this freshly baked bread with different variations of cheese. The aroma of the two together was delicious. I wish my pictures were scratch and sniff. Some of the players helped me try out a bunch of the cheeses. Another big seller in Venezuela is chocolate. It is sold everywhere. Its pretty expensive too in some places.


Thanks for all the comments and new subscribers.

Ronny Cedeno has been working out with the team lately and hopefully will be playing with us soon. Ronny and his child were taking ground balls turning double plays at home the other day.

Now onto some questions from the last blog.

This is my first time in Venezuela. So far this is my favorite place to play since I have now been to all the Caribbean leagues.

Free agency for the MLB started yesterday. Myself, along with some of my teammates are trying to get picked up by an affiliated team. Hopefully I can get back with MLB or try to go to Taiwan, Korea, or Japan. I just love playing this game and hope to continue my career.

Most players organizations ask the players if they are interested in winterball around August. Some try to push it on players to get extra at-bats or innings. If you are in affiliated ball, your organization must also approve that you play winterball. Guys like myself who are free agents or played overseas usually have their agents contact these teams looking for any interest in extra players.

Lets go Tigres! Keep winning so I can enjoy watching the fans throw their beer in the air to celebrate.

The U didn’t invent swagger, Latins did


The winterball season has begun and is under way. With Mexico and Venezuela opening earlier last week, and the Dominican this past weekend, the Latin swag is out in full effect. Batters taking their time to get to the batters box to hear their latest walk-out song which is a usually catchy reggaeton beat and pitchers taking the ever so long walk from the bullpens.  Batters are itching at the bit to have the token home-run so that they can stare at it as if they are shocked and in awe that they hit it. Act like you been there before. I have to say that because I’m a pitcher. Of course the pitchers add their flare too by pumping up the crowd on a strikeout in any situation. It may be a blow out game where we are boat racing a team, but for the pitcher his moment to shine is to end an inning on a strikeout. And of course the crowd gets into it and screams out “Ponche” (strikeout). Bullpen pitchers also add to the festivities. They may walk all the way from the bullpen or do some ridiculous John Rocker esqe sprint. With all of that there is also a lot of praising the big man above and flaunting the biggest chains and earrings. One would think we are filming a Puff Daddy video that day at the ballpark. All in all it is a part of the culture and the players feed off the fans excitement and play the game the right way.

I’m sure you have heard the saying its not how you look its how you play. Well that saying can go different ways in winterball. Of course winning is the key priority down here because it is such a short season and no one wants to lose. But once the uniforms are handed out in the locker room you would think we were running a seamstress and altering school. Players find anyway to alter their pants to fit big or over the shoes. Jerseys are traded for guys who want their lucky number. Money can be involved or chores for a jersey number. A player may have to bring in another guys bats for a month or get him food.

We opened up the season at home this week against the Cardinales. Showing up to the field on opening day down here is something special. Fans cars have flags and chalk written all over them rooting us on. Tigres Campeon, is the overall chant throughout the city. The fresh smell of arepas, pepitos, and ball park food surrounds the atmosphere. Everyone is decked out in team apparel. Local street vendors sell Tigres jerseys, hats, and anything else you can think of. Tickets for opening day sold out in 2 minutes. Our stadium holds 19,000 people.

The worst part of winterball is batting practice. Instead of having 3 groups for 45 minutes like we do in the United States, we have 5 groups which seem to last an eternity. It seems like everyone takes their cuts, and then someones entourage shows up and takes some hacks. We are out their forever, but its a part of the game and our position players need it to get loose and ready. I’m just complaining because I haven’t been used to doing the bucket for shagging and like most winterball countries balls are like black gold and we don’t have many, so refilling the throwers bucket can get very exhausting.

We ended the opening day game off in a sensational fashion. Hector Gimenez hit a walk off homer with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the 9th. Our stadium erupted. Fans threw their cups up in the air, and mists of soda and beer rained on everyone. Currently we are 3-2 and the team is over in Maragarita. I did not make the trip because I’m not throwing in that series. The team left today out of Valencia in a chartered flight. They will be back late Wednesday night. I’m back on the hill Friday against the Tiburones in Caracas.

Here is some video footage of the pre-game music class that goes on in the locker room. Click Here!

The foreign players on our team are

Lastings Milledge OF

Deunte Heath  P

Darin Downs  P

Zach Segovia  P

Joe Benson  OF

Vinnie Rotino  3b/C

Sergio Perez  P

Rich Rundles  P

This is the field at Magallanes in Valencia prior to my start this past Sunday.

Please be sure to follow me on Twitter for more updates pics and videos. Click here Thanks for the support. Please ask questions and comments so I can add them in my next blog.

World Tour is not over yet


Being in 3 different countries this year hasn’t stopped me from going to one more. I arrived to Venezuela on Thursday evening around 8pm to play for the Tigres de Aragua. Deunte Heath was on my plane so we were able to catch up during the plane ride and find our drivers once we arrived. Deunte plays for the Chicago Whitesox in AAA and attended the University of Tennessee.  The ride to Maracay took about 3 hours from the airport. Its only about an hour and a half away but the traffic and construction prolonged it. While we stood in traffic, locals were in the street selling coffee, snacks, and phone car chargers.

We arrived at the Hotel Pipo which will be housing us for our duration here in Venezuela. The hotel is extremely nice and the pool is like a mini waterpark. Many locals come during the weekends with their kids to play at the pool which has 3 separate pools and water slides.

Once we arrived to the field we were greeted by the players and coaching staff. Buddy Bailey is the manager, and my friend from the Detroit Tigers, Greg Sabat, is the pitching coach. Everything in the clubhouse is run very professional. The clubhouse staff makes sure we get all brand new gear and they take care of cleaning our clothes and shoes. This winterball experience so far tops any of the other countries I have played in. Just the professionalism and way they go an extra step to make the import players feel comfortable means a lot.

       

The team has been having their spring training practices and tryouts for a week now. The coaching staff still needs to decide on final roster spots. My second day here I threw 3 innings to get my work in for the regular season. Everything felt good and went well. Following that practice we had a team caravan throughout the city for a parade in honor of the opening of the city and our team. This was a special experience to witness. Thirty plus teammates and their entourages jumped on the back of this huge truck and drove down the streets of Maracay. Fans swarmed the streets in Tigres apparel and cheered us on. This event went from 4pm-9pm.

        

Lastings Milledge and I got tired of being on the truck so we took to the streets to walk and interact with the fans. Our team security does an amazing job for us as well. Lastings was here last year and had a great season and the fans love him . Fans hounded him for pictures and autographs as if he was in a boy band. At one point security was getting overwhelmed by the mass of people and made us get back onto the trucks.

I’m really excited to get the season going here. The fans seem to be very interested in the game and the team. We open up at home on Wednesday October 12 against the Cardinales. I will try to find if you can watch the games online somewhere.

Thanks for all the support and checking out my blog. As always please leave comments and ask questions.

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