From the "I Did Not See This Coming" department...

I could tell you the last 96 hours have been unbelievable (in many different ways) but I guess it might be better for me to just list them:

-Wednesday was Spring Training Opening Day and it went off VERY well. I heard from everyone with the team that it was one of the better Opening Days ever for the team. That's good for me, because it means I did my job well. Now, there were other things about it that were great, but the one thing that will stand out for me was Alex Rodriguez.

With the Yankees being the Opening Day opponent, we all thought that A-Rod wouldn't be coming for the game, what with all the steroid controversy and him preparing for the World Baseball Classic, but the day before, ESPN had a report up about how he's preparing for his first Spring Training experience. It definitely brought people to the park, as we were just over 5,000 sold for a 5,509 capacity. Of course, we all know what happened in the game itself. A-Rod would walk in his first at-bat (after coming out to huge boos from the non-Yankees fans in attendance; Tampa is the Spring Training home for the Yankees, so they draw well in the area) and then in his second at-bat, he gets a hold of a 3-1 pitch and parks it over the left field wall. For those who say A-Rod couldn't hit under pressure, there you go right there. It was surreal. Everyone on the Blue Jays side just couldn't believe what they saw and booed him to death while the Yankees fans stood and applauded him.

To me, it made the entire Spring Training experience worthwhile. I can't think of another moment that was that impactful for me as a sports fan, and to be there and witness it live...there isn't a better feeling in the world.

-My day itself is actually most busy early in the morning. I got an 8 a.m. arrival time on game day so that I can help get paperwork to the Toronto front office staff, including general manager J.P. Riccardi. Suffice to say, I'm rubbing elbows with powerful people in the Toronto front office staff, and if you add that to getting to know some of the players, it's been a great experience. I basically just get different things together for them: pitching rotations, lineups, stats, scouting reports, rosters, etc. My main deal is to get a visiting roster as quickly as I can so that I can be prepared for the hundreds of copies I need to make for our programs.

That's the other part of my day. Before the game, I take the papers around to the ballpark so that the media and our fans can have the information as well. So I take giant stacks to our Game Day Operations to put in programs and to the media rooms so that they can have them. I then deliver the script to our PA announcer and our MC. After this is all done, I basically hang out until the game starts. When the game starts, I hang with our MC and make sure it all goes according to the script. I help out with the prizes, picking contestants...if something needs to be done, I make sure I do it. The great part is that I get to watch the game while I do all this! It's too good.

-My non-game days are all about making sure things get done for the next game. I basically go over script, get rosters and schedules, etc. I also make sure the Toronto front office people get their information and that our GM gets his ticket information from all the other Spring Training games. Then, I can look at other stuff that I might be able to add to the game. Thankfully, it's been a smooth transition into Spring Training, and now, I'm in a good routine for my day-to-day activities, whether I have a game or not.

-We also held our season ticket holder barbecue after the game on Friday, and it was a lot of work, but still fun. Got a chance to man the autograph table and hang around the players a bit more. Michael Barrett is a great guy, as are Vernon Wells and Travis Snider. They all stayed basically the entire time signing autographs and were really gracious about it. I also got to make the closing announcement over the PA system, where everybody got to hear how good I can sound with a mike in my hand. I say that because everybody said I sounded good, not because I'm narcissistic. Although I have to admit it's pretty sweet that I got a chance to be on the mike for once. I miss it!

-Saturday, I got to see Roy Halladay pitch, and that was an absolute blast. He's just a machine out there. Doesn't waste time, very economical with his pitches, knows exactly what he wants and where to put his pitches...he's an absolute pro. I hope I get to see him again before the Spring Trainign season ends. He's a treat to watch and I really hope he can anchor the rotation again this year. In fact, I hope he gets himself another Cy Young award, as last year, the only thing stopping him was Cliff Lee's ridiculous year. The day once again went very smoothly, and I have this stuff down pat.

Outside of work, it's been interesting. There has been some stuff with Mike at work that I'm going to keep private, but it has led to a couple of things happening. First, I'm writing this from his friend's house, where we are staying this week after our six-week stay at the Amberlee Motel had to end due to the rates going up. Secondly, the thing that happened with Mike at work has caused him to stop in his quest to purchase a house, so now, I have to look for something on my own. It's all a very weird situation for the both of us, but we're both moving forward and both perservering through rough times. I'll be taking this week to find a place where I can move in, and from there, it'll be my FINAL move. Thankfully. I've lived out of a suitcase for two months, and at the least, I would have liked to had a place to call home, but we'll see what happens in the next couple of days as I ease into yet another transition.

At the very least, I have a place to call home for the week, for free, and from there, I can carve my own path. This week, we host five games: The Phillies tomorrow, Team Canada on Tuesday, Team USA on Wednesday, the Phillies again on Friday night, and then another game on Saturday against I believe the Reds. After that, things calm down a bit, but this is a hell of a rush as I get used to Spring Training. I'm hoping everything continues to go smoothly, and I'll keep a good eye on things and keep you all updated.

Spring Training truly is something incredible, and I hope that all baseball fans can experience it at some point, because you will truly not have an experience like it at all in your baseball fandom. It's something that will stay with you forever.