JANUARY 2023 – Deven Legg, Akron, OH
Question
Happy 2023! Let’s imagine the ideal baseball year, and identify one event per month for the *dream* baseball fan/player calendar. Specific winter workouts in January to up your game? Catching some Cactus League Spring Training in February? Watching Puerto Rico vs Venezuela at the Miami WBC in March? You get the point…the more details, the better…Good luck!
Winner
Deven Legg from Akron, OH is our January Contest Winner! Deven coaches youth baseball, plays shortstop and pitcher for the Portage Lakes Pirates softball team, and is busy with all things baseball… Congratulations!
Winning Answer
January – Fly to AZ for the month to get some outdoor BP and fielding work, weight room training to strengthen arm in off-season.
February – Agility and stamina training in Brazil, mountain sprints and canyon hikes to build stamina for season. Meditation to get mental peak performance!
March – March 1st Guardians vs White Sox spring training game. Work out with team on field pre-game, and VIP access to the dugout and players during training. Spend the month learning from the best!
April – Weather getting nicer back home. Fly home, and start getting the team ready for the season! Indoor tournaments and outdoor practice…when it isn’t raining!
May – Season opener, and we’re ready to go with our new Show Glove. Broken in from winter work outs, it’s not only beautiful, but functional and ready to field anything hit our way! Name and number embroidered on the thumb, hard to keep my focus on the game with this beauty on my hand!
June – Mid-season form. Confidence soaring at the plate as well as in the field. Getting all-star votes, and on my way to the Big Leagues! No errors on the season so far, and winning every game. Team is looking good and playing well. Take a weeknight trip to a Guardians game, and catch a home-run ball with my Nokona glove, make Sports Center Top 10 for the over-the-fence grab, and close-up on the glove!
July – ALL STAR GAME! Take a trip to the All-Star Game in Seattle, have a coffee at the first-ever Starbucks, visit the Space Needle, and watch the best current players in the world compete in the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game!
August – Playoffs, tournaments, and championship month! All the off-season training, hard work, and determination have been leading up to this month! Roll through the playoffs to the championship, and continue our excellent team play! Push through the game, remain focused, and bring home the championship! …Our first ever!
September – Start of Fall Ball, still on our high from the championship! Staying focused and playing hard, we continue to win games. Hoping to make another championship push! Take a break from fall season to catch a minor league Rubber Ducks game and walk the field. Throw out the first pitch and sit in foul territory, the perfect place to try and snag a foul ball!
October – Start of MLB playoffs and the Guardians are in the AL Wildcard! OF COURSE, I have to make it to the opener. My favorite pitcher is on the mound, and we end up winning the game and sweeping the series to advance to the next round!
November means World Series Game 7! Front row, home side watching my Guardians take on the Dodgers for a winner-take-all Game 7!!! The most exciting game in all of sports. I would have my Nokona on my glove hand, and a ballpark frank in the other! Wearing my favorite player’s jersey, and enjoying every moment of being in that atmosphere! Of course, the Guardians pull it out and win the World Series. …The after party is incredible!
December – SNOW BALL tournament. We clear the base line and pitcher’s mound, but usually have a good foot or more of snow on the rest of the playing surface! Boots and wood bats are best equipment, along with my Nokona. One of the coldest, but most fun times you can have. Usually goes 5-6 games before the championship game which is under the lights in the snow. Winning the tournament is the only way to end the most perfect baseball year!