Torero Diaries

Being a baseball player encompasses all aspects of college life, from the way we eat, dress and work, to our living situations. All the baseball guys live with teammates either on or off campus.  However, the daily routines of an athlete do very much so differ from that of a non-athlete, or as the team has come to refer to them, a "layman."
While the typical student at USD woke up last Sunday at around noon, had breakfast for lunch and happily tuned in to watch the Super Bowl, we were on the field at 9 a.m., pulling the rain tarp off and getting ready for practice, followed by a 10 inning intersquad. 
There is no resentment or bitter tone meant by any of this information, but rather just a glimpse inside the life of a USD baseball player.
Since most of our days are so long with class in the mornings followed by four to five hours of practice, our houses often get the short end of the stick on the hygienic side of things. I am not saying that we all live in pigsties, and by all means if you meet a nice ball player and get invited over, do accept, for they are great guys.
Yet, if you were to walk into one of our houses midweek, don't be surprised to see a pile of baseball pants, jock straps and jerseys caked with grass and dirt stains. There might also be a certain pile of dishes in the sink that only seem to grow until we muster up the courage to clear them out. 
We have only one day a week for ourselves. Mondays are our days in the life of a USD laymen where we too can wake up and actually wear normal underwear to class instead of our sliders and baseball socks under sweatpants. It is our day to sit through class, awake, and follow it with the hard decision where we should go to lunch.  Once Tuesday hits, its back to work and we keep our goals set on having a successful season, and ultimately that trip to Omaha, Neb. for the College World Series.
My personal living situation is very solid this year. While I could not have gone wrong with who I ended up living with, I'm happy to say the two teammates I landed with are great guys. 
Anthony Strazzara, a junior infielder from Scottsdale, Ariz., can most likely be seen around campus late at night in the hallways posing as a janitor and solving impossible mathematical equations proposed by advanced engineering professors. 
All Good Will Hunting references aside, Strazz is a very intelligent guy and an even better baseball player. Watch out though, ladies, he's taken by the beautiful and elegant Kristie Bergman. 
My other roommate, Sammy Solis, is a junior pitcher from Phoenix, Ariz..  You might see all six foot six inches of him walking around campus with a huge smile on his face at all times.  While he may look like and be the most genuine person off the field, his rubber arm turns him into the nastiest dude on the mound.  Others might see him as just another guy, but watching him pitch is a sight to see.
Every scouting director from every MLB team has Sammy high on their radar and, come the June draft, that lovable, six and a half foot teddy bear most definitely will turn superstar over night.  Me and Strazz? We're just along for the ride.  Talk about living vicariously. 
All kidding aside, the two guys I live with, the 35 guys I call teammates, and the five coaches are a one of a kind group and I couldn't ask for better people to surround myself with and take the field every day.  I hope we end up in Omaha together.