Going back to Cali...for a little while, anyways...

Hello, all.

Fresh off my first fantasy football draft of the season and a weekend full of movies, movies and more movies, I'm sitting here on a Sunday night listening to Tony Bruno and Gary Radnich episodes over the last week or two and enjoying a full stomach thanks to Ben & Jerry's "Everything but the...", which is my second favorite ice cream from them (Chubby Hubby is #1, and I couldn't find it at all tonight...grrrr). The last week or so has been a whirlwind, but with that whirlwind subsiding, it was led to, well, the title of this e-mail, coincidentally.

Yes, I will be returning to Sonoma some time near the end of September. I talked to my GM on Friday about my future in Dunedin, and he painted me a great picture of things to come. Even though my term ends next month, he told me that there is a job waiting for me starting in January, where I would basically do what I did this season, but with a better title (Communications Coordinator, no intern for me) and a pay raise, which is always nice. He told me that he knew my aspirations to broadcast were #1 for me, and he'd love to accommodate my dream to be a full-time broadcaster, but it's just not in the cards with the Blue Jays because of where we are. Tampa Bay is the Rays market, without a doubt, and while broadcasting is always nice, it's not a money generator right now. But, he told me that since he knows I want to follow my dreams, he and the Blue Jays are going to help me out. So while I'm here, I'm going to talk to some people with the TORONTO Blue Jays about what my next step could be and see what to do from there. There's even talk about me doing an inning with Toronto when they come down to play the Rays in a couple of weeks, which would be incredible.

So the next few months is pretty simple: To get my resume and a tape together so that I can attack the job market that will open up at the end of the baseball season. I'm going to go after every broadcasting job I can find with the guidance of the people in Toronto. When I get out to California after my latest cross-country trip, I'll be looking to see what is out on the West Coast for me, and go from there. If nothing comes up before the Winter Meetings in December, I'll head there and try my luck. If nothing comes out of those, I'll head back to Dunedin for another season. To have my "worst case scenario" being coming back to a place I'm familiar with and a place that is close to my family down in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, that's pretty good, right there.

But now, to reflect on the season I've had...wow, what an experience. I was homeless for nine weeks. I stayed in almost a dozen places in the eight months I've been out here. I've laughed, I've cried. I've seen almost every part of Florida. I've broadcasted. I've met professional players. I've seen Alex Rodriguez hit a home run. I saw Roy Halladay shut down teams like it was the middle of the season and not Spring Training. I've seen players rise and fall. I've done All-Star games. I've done TV spots! I've done statistical analysis and research for our coaches. I've been on boats, been to concerts, seen tons of movies...and I've realized a lot of things about myself that a move like this wouldn't have allowed me to realize. For that alone, I am more than grateful for the experience, and to come home a better man than when I left is the best gift I could have given myself.

So now, I take these last few weeks here in Dunedin, make the best of them, and then take my time coming home. I hope to be making a couple of stops along the way to see some people I might not be able to see otherwise, and then stay with my brother in LA before heading on home. When I get back, I'll still be on the job hunt, and I'll be looking for a little something in the Sonoma area to hold me over in the mean time, so if any of you have a lead for me to get a job over Oct-Dec, let me know! I'm open to anything at this point. I'll be happy to come home for a little bit before I head back to wherever my next job is, and for me, just to know I'll be doing something in baseball next year is a fantastic blessing.