AJPettersen

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1280-Road-Trip-to-SW-Florida-Day-2

6:15 alarm clock. Pack up. Starbucks stop for caffeine. Hop on I-39 towards Normal, IL. No one above average allowed. Pass through Paw Paw, IL. Home to as many animals as humans. New pup, Willa, hops in the car in LaSalle. Time to take my singing talents to an audience. Go with a Taylor Swift crowd-pleaser. Willa whimpers. Then falls asleep. Alarming number of passengers playing IPads. Apple commercials everywhere. Farm. Oversized semi. Passed by an Illinois driver. Repeat. Take a bite out of a big cheesy noodle in Champaign, IL. Drive over Kickapoo Creek. Stop for Subs in Salem. Southern accents starting to come out. Miniature Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. Willa unsuccessfully tries to bite a hole in her crate. Stop in Metropolis to see Superman. Superman themed gas station. Large statue. Catch the bottom of the state. Enter Kentucky. Drive by a few houses on wheels. Exit Kentucky. Welcome to Tennessee. Stop to Volunteer. Get to Nashville. Turn up the country music. Hit traffic. Titans’ stadium looks amazing. Squiggly road. Drive down a mountain. Enter Georgia. Exit Georgia-huh? Been through each CD 4 times. Arrive at hotel in Chattanooga. Southern accents in full force. Time for food and sleep. Final day of travel tomorrow. Follow it @apettersen1.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1277-Road-Trip-to-SW-Florida-Day-1

Cars are packed. Directions printed. Snacks ready. CD on blast. 1719 miles to Estero, FL. After a lot of time spent preparing for our trip, my wife and I began this afternoon and will arrive at our final destination by Thursday night. My wife begins her new job in Naples on the 7th and I will start to workout at the Twins complex on the same day. Today we drove from the Twin Cities to Beloit where we are staying with my host family from the season, the Hatchs. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met and we were excited to stop at their home. Within 30 minutes we had exited Minnesota. The drive was fairly uneventful as we only stopped once to get gas. The ironic image of the day was the water tower in DeForest, WI. It appears to be protesting the large trees behind it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2986[/ATTACH] As they did throughout the entire season, the Hatchs cooked a big dinner for my wife and I. We had prime rib and cheesy potatoes, quite the meal after a day of driving. Tomorrow we will drive through the entire state of Illinois, part of Kentucky and through Tennessee until we get to Chattanooga, where we will stay the night. We plan to check out a miniature Washington Monument and Superman’s hometown, among other things. I will be tweeting pictures of some of our stops (@apettersen1) and will blog the happenings when we get to our hotel. Hope everyone had a good New Year's Day!

Thanks Roger! Good to hear from you, hope all is well! Haha, I am learning that!

It is a great show, I have been enjoying it. Will Ferrell even makes a cameo appearance!

Haha, she definitely knows everytime I do it!

Rochester is a great city, thanks for checking out the blog!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1192-A-“Typical”-Offseason-Day

The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went… At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride to the hospital. On the way home I stop in at Best Buy to grab a cord we were missing for our surround sound. When I get back it’s time for coffee, breakfast and catching up on some TV shows on Netflix. Today I checked out a show called “Undeclared.” I liked it, so I will probably finish watching the 17 episodes…in about a week. After I am sufficiently awake (about 8:15), I head over to the computer to see what writing jobs I have to complete for the day. Today I had some freelance blog work for two different sites and editing to do on other articles. I take frequent breaks to do tasks around the apartment-cleaning, making the bed, doing dishes, etc. I am a utility guy year-round. Then it is time to head out for my rehab appointment. I have been dealing with a wrist injury for some time and I recently started rehab to resolve the issue. I meet with the therapist, Marge, at 11:20. After rehab, I am off to workout. Today’s exercises include plyometrics, a full body lift, prehab and stretching. On the way home, I stop at Target to get some chicken for dinner and special pens for wedding ‘Thank Yous.’ I always wonder what they think when I buy two completely unrelated items. I return home around 3:30 and get back on the keyboard. Feeling rather productive, I get through a few more blogs and articles, and then start dinner. I am getting better at timing the food, but still stink at it. I try to finish cooking dinner around 7:15, but usually end up somewhere within 20 minutes on either side of that target. After putting the chicken in the oven, it’s time for mental training. This consists of something different every day. Today I am doing some meditation and visualization. I leave to pick up Emily around 7:20 and we eat dinner when we get back. Honey mustard curry BBQ chicken and brown rice is on the docket. I try to switch it up most nights. After dinner, Emily and I usually sit on the couch to watch one of our Netflix shows. The show we love to hate right now is 90210. The acting is awful and the story line is average, but it gives us an excuse to not pay attention. We end up chatting and tuning into the episode here and there. About 9:15 we get ready to go to sleep. I turn on the humidifier, secretly open the window so Emily doesn’t know and jump into bed. This concludes what the most typical day looks like for me. Each one of my teammates and friends who play ball has a different schedule in the offseason. We all spend time preparing ourselves for next year, but how we spend the rest of our day varies. Right now I am writing for this site, Moneyning.com and Baseballamerica.com. Moneyning is great if you are interested in learning more about personal finance, my posts go up every Wednesday. I just wrote my first article for Baseball America and it should be on the site sometime soon. Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1!

The “typical” day in the offseason is quite a bit different from those during the season. I put typical in quotations because not many days are the same for me. My wife and I spend most of our time in Rochester, MN, where she is a nurse at St. Marys Hospital. Today she worked from 7:00-7:30pm, here’s how my day went… At 5:40, Emily (my wife) wakes up to get ready for work, I grunt, roll over and fall back to sleep until a little after 6:00. Twenty minutes later, I give Emily a ride to the hospital. On the way home I stop in at Best Buy to grab a cord we were missing for our surround sound. When I get back it’s time for coffee, breakfast and catching up on some TV shows on Netflix. Today I checked out a show called “Undeclared.” I liked it, so I will probably finish watching the 17 episodes…in about a week. After I am sufficiently awake (about 8:15), I head over to the computer to see what writing jobs I have to complete for the day. Today I had some freelance blog work for two different sites and editing to do on other articles. I take frequent breaks to do tasks around the apartment-cleaning, making the bed, doing dishes, etc. I am a utility guy year-round. Then it is time to head out for my rehab appointment. I have been dealing with a wrist injury for some time and I recently started rehab to resolve the issue. I meet with the therapist, Marge, at 11:20. After rehab, I am off to workout. Today’s exercises include plyometrics, a full body lift, prehab and stretching. On the way home, I stop at Target to get some chicken for dinner and special pens for wedding ‘Thank Yous.’ I always wonder what they think when I buy two completely unrelated items. I return home around 3:30 and get back on the keyboard. Feeling rather productive, I get through a few more blogs and articles, and then start dinner. I am getting better at timing the food, but still stink at it. I try to finish cooking dinner around 7:15, but usually end up somewhere within 20 minutes on either side of that target. After putting the chicken in the oven, it’s time for mental training. This consists of something different every day. Today I am doing some meditation and visualization. I leave to pick up Emily around 7:20 and we eat dinner when we get back. Honey mustard curry BBQ chicken and brown rice is on the docket. I try to switch it up most nights. After dinner, Emily and I usually sit on the couch to watch one of our Netflix shows. The show we love to hate right now is 90210. The acting is awful and the story line is average, but it gives us an excuse to not pay attention. We end up chatting and tuning into the episode here and there. About 9:15 we get ready to go to sleep. I turn on the humidifier, secretly open the window so Emily doesn’t know and jump into bed. This concludes what the most typical day looks like for me. Each one of my teammates and friends who play ball has a different schedule in the offseason. We all spend time preparing ourselves for next year, but how we spend the rest of our day varies. Right now I am writing for this site, Moneyning.com and Baseballamerica.com. Moneyning is great if you are interested in learning more about personal finance, my posts go up every Wednesday. I just wrote my first article for Baseball America and it should be on the site sometime soon. Follow me on Twitter @apettersen1!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1035-What-Now-A-Minor-League-Offseason

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2345[/ATTACH] The season ended last week. It wasn’t the way we all wanted it to finish, but overall it was successful. We won consistently throughout the year and gave ourselves an opportunity to advance in the playoffs. I hope everyone enjoyed following the Snappers in 2012. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on through this site, at games and through other avenues. It is really cool how much support we get in the minor leagues. I had a great time playing the game I love for nearly six months straight and meeting a number of amazing people. When the season ends we all say our goodbyes in clubhouse and head out the next day. For some of us it is a short drive home, for others it may take days on a plane to arrive at a final destination. I went to spring training with two duffel bags and returned home with at least three times that much stuff. Weird how that happens. I picked up a few bats from guys who couldn’t fly them home-can never have enough lumber. And so the offseason began... I drove directly to Arden Hills to say hi at my fiancée (Emily)’s bridal shower, the wedding is coming up! I got to catch the Vikings first game, glad they squeaked it out. On Sunday night, Emily and I headed back to Rochester, MN and the daily routine began. I typically drive Emily to work in the mornings around 6:30, quite a change from waking up around 10 everyday for a 7 o’clock game. Most of the day in the offseason is spent working out, writing/looking for more writing jobs, cleaning, getting groceries and cooking. I am also a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the baseball team at Rochester Community and Technical College. I try to make the days as productive as possible. I will start working out in the gym next week. I am trying to gain some muscle and weight this offseason. Continuing my routine of running, stretching and prehab from last offseason will hopefully prepare my body for another full season next year. Everything in the offseason follows a progression. Swinging gets a rest for a while and returns with dry swings, tee work, short toss and then full bp. Throwing takes a long break and a set program begins in January. The same is true for defensive work and workouts in the gym. Most activity ramps up and hits full stride just in time for Spring Training. Thanks again to everyone who followed along this season. I will continue to tweet about my adventures this fall and winter. Follow me-@apettersen1.

Thanks! The community here at Twins Daily is awesome. I am honored I am allowed to contribute.

I am glad you liked it. Thanks for reading and for the kind words.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?862-A-Look-Inside-a-Minor-Leaguer-s-Travel-Bag

Being a minor league baseball player has taught me to be an expert packer. I travel with a baseball bag and a backpack, what goes into my backpack has to serve a purpose because everything takes up space and there isn’t very much of it. Game Glove My glove gets treated well. I often use the phrase, "treat your glove well and it will treat you well." On airplanes it is carried on, if it is a passenger in my car it usually rides shotgun. Ask many infielders and they will tell you something similar. Electronics What did minor leaguers do before technology? I don't think I want to know. My Ipad gives me the internet, games and more while on the road. A wireless keyboard allows me to type articles on the run. My Ipod has 4000 songs at the touch of a button. Reading Materials I always travel with a book and my Bible. Right now my book is Wild at Heart. Reading is a great way to spend quality time on the bus and during locker room/hotel free time. Clothing Clothing is less important to minor league trips than it is to typical travel. I pack one or two outifts for a road trip. This includes the one on my back on travel day. Before you tell me that's dirty, keep in mind I am at the field for around 8 hours a day. This means I only wear my outfit for 6-8 hours each day. Clothing is the item that takes up the most room in my backpack, it needs to be packed with intent. If it isn’t going to be worn, it isn't making the trip. Miscellaneous Items An empty water bottle is a must. Staying hydrated on the road is vital. Sleeping on the bus is difficult at times, so I include a pillow and an eye cover. This ensures that I am always well rested. A bag of toiletries rounds out my travel bag for roadtrips. I travel light and keep things simple. Others travel with a couple of bags, while I prefer not to. How would you pack for a road trip if you were a minor leaguer? Is there anything else you would include? Follow me for the back end of the 2012 season! @apettersen1