Feb. 12, 2007
(Note: the following is the first installment of weekly in-season diary entries, to be submitted by various members of the 2007 Notre Dame baseball team.)
Notre Dame Baseball 2007 Diamond Diaries – #1 (Feb. 12; Ross Brezovsky; Jr.; 2B/C; Naples, FL/Barron Collier HS)
Hello Irish Baseball Fans!
This is Ross Brezovsky checking in from South Bend, Indiana. We currently are five days from our first game of the 2007 season and our team could not be more excited. We have been practicing indoors for the past six weeks and are itching to get to San Antonio, throw on the game uni’s, and play against someone other than our own teammates!
The team is looking as good as we have all year, through fall and winter practice. This week of practice is meant for cleaning up some loose ends with some plays that our new coaching staff has implemented and to stay sharp before Saturday.
Just tonight, our team was lucky enough to hold our annual Opening Night Dinner, which featured keynote speakers Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers and manager Jim Leyland of the Detroit Tigers. The dinner was incredible and the speakers were nothing short of amazing.
Jim Leyland took about 20 minutes to speak specifically to our team before the dinner, which was definitely a memorable experience (he also spoke to our number-one ranked hockey team, as coach Jeff Jackson is a huge Tigers fan). Coach Leyland spoke to us about being the best teammates we can be, working smart (instead of just working hard), his love for Notre Dame and how to always conduct ourselves like winners at all times. Hearing these things from the reigning American League manager of the year truly was memorable and eye-opening.
About two weeks ago, our team found out that our starting catcher Sean Gaston was going down with season-ending shoulder surgery. This was a big shock to us and also a setback. With Sean going down, other players such as Matt Weglarz, Ryan Smith and myself are going to be called on to occupy the catching duties.
I had never played catcher in my life until this past summer, but I am learning fast and look forward to getting behind the dish in some games. I have played middle infield all my life and some of the actions of catchers are comparable to the actions of middle infielders. Because of this, the coaching staff looked at me as a catching project in the fall. I have been catching every day this semester and enjoy the challenge of learning a new position and helping my team in whatever way I can.
The season begins at the end of the week and we could not be more ecstatic! Although we begin the first month of our season in Texas, South Carolina, and Florida, we also are looking forward to playing back at Frank Eck Stadium and hearing the cheers of all of our familiar fans! I would like to thank all the fans in advance for their support this upcoming season. You are a vital part of our success!
Thanks again. GO IRISH!