We’re cruising. There are a whole bunch of us, too many to name. But I have to mention a couple. The Doctor is here. So is Ali Hussain. And there’s a few young guys, too. Like Sean Mack in Boston. Mack is a little on the brash side, but he’s a good kid. He’ll be a good ballplayer someday, too. But he took the opportunity to drink a little once we were out of US waters. I think all the kids did.

While vacationing in the Bahamas (that’s fun to type), I’ve discovered Texas Hold ‘em. You’re wondering how someone could play professional baseball so long and not be familiar with poker. It’s not that. What I mean is, I’ve discovered it can be fun and not just a way to hand money over to Bear. Maybe that has to do with Bear not being along on the cruise. But it can actually be relaxing to play. And I’m half-decent at it so I’m not losing all my money but overall coming out about even.

The food here is wonderful. You always have your choice between three or four things. And that’s for each course. Salad, main dish and dessert. And they’ll let you get more than one if you ask. Yesterday I had chocolate cake and a cheese tray (chocolate goes great with cheese, especially dark chocolate).

Overall, I’m having fun. I’m past the depression I went through after we lost the Patriot Cup. Ryan said he was proud of us and we exceeded his expectations. I don’t think he meant me. I fell vastly short of what I expected. But Nolan told me that sometimes you have a down year. That it’s not that you’re bad, but that your luck isn’t there. And it’s especially hard when you’re a pitcher because you don’t participate in the offense. He also pointed out that I earned incentives. So I did some things quite well. Got strikeouts, for example. Things will be different this season. I’m sure of it. And I can smile again. It’s a great feeling.