December 30, 2011 | 
Author 
I was just flipping through my iPhone looking for a photo for a future blog post, when I came to a realization: there’s a big story to be told via my photos. So, I decided to share the best of the best with you. This is unlikely to be in perfect chronological order, but I’ll do what I can.
This was in Spain last Christmas, which isn’t technically 2011, but it was within 4 days or so and is worth sharing. This was the best breakfast ever, and was provided every morning in our hotel. Fruit, meat and yogurt. Pretty simple, but healthy and delicious. Jamon Serrano is the ham shown, which is cured for 400 days and sliced paper thin; it’s incredible and unlike anything made in America. Depending on the pig’s diet, the fat can even melt at room temperature.
But for as well as Spaniards do breakfast, they don’t seem to have a clue about what is, and what is not CREEPY. Christmas just passed, and I guarantee one-surgically-removed-one-button-eyed-denim-Santa did not come down anyone’s chimney, at least not without a greeting by a shotgun. Seriously – these things (there’s another one in a top hat next to it) were creepy as hell, and did NOT want to make me buy whatever crap they were peddling. Read the rest of this entry »
Welp, I’m officially 26. I’m like 45 in the baseball world, but so be it. Anyway, I’m going to share some of my vast wisdom on this day…26 little pearls for you. Enjoy or don’t. Read the rest of this entry »
A moment ago, as I lay in bed writing this, I yawned and stretched my legs; I immediately recoiled in pain.
2 hours ago, as I stepped out of my car to get lunch, I nearly fell to the ground. Why? My damned legs keep knotting up in charlie horses as a result of the 2-Mile Strongmarathon.
What is this event, you ask? An act of stupidity, at least on my part. One of my interns, Steve, asked for a challenging workout that could test his resolve and give him feedback on his mental toughness. Steve has possible aspirations of enrolling in Air Force Pararescue Jumper school, one of the toughest Special Forces schools in the military. Here’s how the conversation went a few weeks ago:
Steve: Hey Dan, can you give me a workout one day that will push me to my limits, to show if I’m PJ material? I need to know how much pain I could tolerate.
Me: Sure. In fact, a 3-Mile partner tire drag is a great one – you CAN do it, it’s just a matter if you want to keep going or not. One more step is the difference between quitting and continuing. I’ve done a 1/2 mile solo before; I’ll do it with you – I could use a challenge.
Steve: Okay. How’s next Sunday?
Me: Uh, sure. (cue immediate internal remorse) Read the rest of this entry »
The music at Meijer has alerted me that it is once again Christmas season. It’s just barely December and already everything is decked with boughs of everything else.
This year, rather than write a simple “What Gifts to Buy” article, I decided I want to encourage a zero-possession-shift for this year. Yes – I am going to impose my lifestyle of very few material items on everyone else. So, I’m going to suggest 5 things to buy for your athletic friends and family. I am also going to recommend that you steal and destroy 5 of their current possessions, items that are likely holding them back from productivity. That way, you can get them new things without increasing the amount of “stuff” attributable to their name. Hopefully by getting them new, cooler things while destroying their old, counterproductive crap, we can put them on the right track to having a better year in 2012. Without further ado… Read the rest of this entry »
I occasionally discuss the role of the opposite gender in each of my athletes’ lives. What Do I tell them?
Stay away.
In a roundabout sort of manner, I’m advocating chastity in my gym. While I’m fully aware that making young athletes more athletic, strong, and successful at their sport increases their attractiveness to the opposite sex, and the subsequent testosterone built during training also increases their natural drives toward the opposite sex, my interest is in building a good career for them. For most athletes, a boyfriend or girlfriend is a major distraction in their quest to make something of themselves. I advise my youngsters that girls are the devil, and that boys are big pieces of garbage. Is this true? Yes and no. Here’s why I hold these views: Read the rest of this entry »
I’m occasionally asked “Is the Rice Bucket good for strengthening the hands?” I reply: “No. They are a waste of time.” The Rice Bucket is an old set of drills – they were even recommended to me when I was like 10 (I did them) – and even back then I thought they were stupid and ineffective. If your hand was immobilized in a cast for 6 weeks, then maybe. If you’re a normal person, trying to use these exercises for strength gains, then no – the rice bucket is garbage. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »
I meet lots of parents in my line of work. Out in the midwest, the best thing about life is how nice the people are. Yet, not all parents approach the sporting careers of their children in the right way. Having been through a relatively long relationship with baseball and my parents, I know what parental attributes further a child’s career and which ones potentially derail it. An emotionally healthy athlete is one who plays his sport because it adds joy to his life, not because he feels forced into it. Here’s a list of some of the things I find relevant in raising a young athlete. Read the rest of this entry »
I was recently in the local supermarket and spotted some new, Whipped Peter Pan peanut butter. As I asked myself, “why the hell would I need whipped peanut butter?” I looked curiously at a claim on the label “1/3 less sugar.” Oh, really, Peter?
You need to understand – I love calling companies out on their deceptive practices. As such, I flipped the jar around to look at the nutrition label, wondering how they managed to squeeze 1/3 of the sugar out of said nut goo. The answer? They didn’t. Not technically. Here’s an example of what they did, provided to you in town-crier format:
“I’ve created the world’s lowest fat Pizza! Come eat it! It has 87.5% less fat…it’s true! This magical pizza is called…one slice.” Read the rest of this entry »
Interested in getting your arm in shape and throwing harder this offseason? Sign up now at Extra Innings/DBSP. Second session starts Nov.29th.
If you haven’t heard of the Lake County Fielders, let me fill you in.
They were an independent professional baseball team. They were the best team in a newly formed league. They played a crazy schedule, flying to every city like big-league clubs do, visiting teams spanning from Canada to Hawaii. They were in first place when transgressions against them were brought to a head, causing the original team of players to disband. They were treated like kings by the coaching staff and fans; much less by the management. I am proud to say I was one of them, and I want to share some of our good times, not harp on the bad like the newspapers have.
This situation, of which I was a part, got national news when our team finally refused to play, when our broadcaster quit on the air, and when Jose Canseco and other position players took the mound to pitch in a game of reversed-positions. The whole summer was a fiasco; not what professional baseball should be, but absolutely what baseball should be – ridiculously fun. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m going to give a shout out to Annie Heineman, my first D-I signee. She has committed to play outfield at Illinois State University, though only a junior still in high school. If you don’t know about Annie, she is one of the strongest pound-for-pound athletes I train, male or female. At 114 pounds, her level of strength is pretty scary.
I’d say good luck to her but she’ll be hanging around for two more sass-filled years, so I’ll save it.
Here’s the little angel pinch-gripping a 25lb plate by the hub, and a 100-lb York plate by the rounded lip. Not easy stuff.
Good luck pitching to her…