And so it begins

And so it begins. When I was 14 I finally reached the age where I could umpire baseball. I knew the older kids were allowed to umpire when they turned that age. We grew up just 3 blocks away from our local youth baseball complex. For some weird reason I knew my place was on that field. Its a weird thing because its a place where I feel both comfortable and uncomfortable. Its a love hate thing. Mostly love. So here I am a old 29 year old professional umpire working in short A (my second year). I'm always older than the players and my partner. You see I got into this a bit later in life than most professional umpires. Trust me right know I feel it. The squatting, sprinting and constant state of attention wears you out (oh and the traveling and practically no days off) Add on top of that me being a couple months out of back surgery and having to miss spring training I am playing catch up. I feel much more comfortable that last year. I'm enjoying myself on the field and trying to take it all in. I miss my lovely wife and doggies a ton just like last year but it seems to be a bit easier on the road this year. Granted we do have the added excitement and complication of Billie Jo being 8 and a half months pregnant with our little Joie girl. She is doing great by the way. I can't believe how awesome and strong she has been. I love that girl. Anyways so far I got to open in Eugene (former hometown of 5 years) and now in Washington. Will be here for another week. I'm going to continue to work until near the due date then head home for our new adventure. Exciting times. And did I say that this is crazy.

In Case You Didn't Know...

BJ, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

In case you already don't know... my wife is awesome. Really she is. Really just rocks. Ok some back story. Met this lovely gal back in 2002. 9 years ago for you lower level math peeps like myself. We have traveled this country together and apart. She loves sports and watches more than me. She loves tamales and skiing. She is just plain cool. She lets me get in to way to many hobbies and lets me cook all of the meals. I am a good cook and I get to practice on her. for nearly 9 months she carried a little girl inside her too. I didn't even have do it at all. Some feet rubs did take place and I still owe her many more. She lets me go off to work in minor league baseball for months at a time. Not only that during the end of the pregancy. I know crazy. We moved across country again and bought a house. Did I mention my wife is pretty cool. She can tell you the entire line up for the Atlanta Braves and tell you who Arkansas plays next and the Oregon Ducks record was. She now is even a professor at UT San Antonio. She is molding great minds .If that can be half of what she is that class is do awesome.

I'm leaving on a plane tomorrow for baseball. I will be coming back to become a dad and a better husband. This is kinda crazy I know. It is gonna be tough but is going to be incredible when I get back. Heck it's incredible now. Oh, in case you didn't know. My wife is everything

HeartSticker, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Heart sticker, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

BJ

BJ, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Meet Jackson

A few months ago I had the chance to shoot a few pictures of Jackson. This young man is the child of a couple of our friends, Toby and Jessica back in Eugene, OR. This guy is awesome and has awesome parents.

Meet Jackson, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Meet Jackson, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Tarah

Tarah, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Another older shot of Tarah. I have been playing with some skin smoothing in PS and wanted to try it out on this one as well.

Tarah

Tarah, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

This is an old one but wanted to play with it a bit. Tried some new things and I came out happy with it.

The Cross

The Cross, originally uploaded by RickyRodriguez.

Taken at Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix, AZ while off working the Arizona League this summer

Injury Update: The Season Comes to an End

This is NOT me

So not the news I had hoped for. I am done for the year. Sending me home. But I'll back track for you first. Thats the best way to tell a story. Ahh what do I know? As you may know a couple of Sundays ago in Boise I left the game due to injury. I got smoked by a foul ball in the 1st inning. The ball took my mask completely off, which is not the norm. After picking it my mask I went back to work. I felt a bit dazed but okay. As the inning went one I began to have trouble tracking the ball and making decisions on the pitches. I left the game after the 2nd inning due to a concussion. After little over a week I had not cleared the ImPACT test. The ImPACT test in a computerized neuro test for my injury. It helps with the return to work decision for me. So after a week of not passing I get a phone call from work. "We are sending you to Pittsburg today." So I boarded a Red eye to Pittsburg. No sleep and an AM Dr appointment. However I got to go see Dr. Micky Collins, who is the one of the nations leading minds on sports concussions. I love reading anything he publishes and puts out in the media. So it was a great experience to get to meet him and learn a bit. He put me through a battery of tests. Again I would love the opportunity as an ATC to come out and study under this guy. He is phenomenal at this. Just not so much on this end.

After some testing by him I had some symptoms return. He said that he would bet my car that they would return if I exerted myself. So with only 2 weeks left he decided to call it a season for me. He said if this was April it would be different and I could be back in 3 weeks. 

 This is the right choice. I'm not completely better. But close. I got to see a vestibular physical therapist for an evaluation and some rehab. She gave me some rehab exercises for my vision. A lot of my symptoms come from my eyes. So this really is cutting edge rehab. Its exciting stuff really. I even got to meet a AA guy form the Texas League named Kelvin. He is awesome man. A man of God and a good umpire. Glad I got to meet him and share some stories with him for a night.

The Crew

There is no doubt that I will recover so please don't worry. This season was a great experience. I learned a lot about baseball. Professional baseball is nothing like amateur. Just a different sport. Both are great but way different. I like it. It is tough but rewarding. The experience has also been great for my marriage. Billie Jo and I have gotten closer by being apart. She has been a great sport. I have made some great friends and some great contacts. I had an incredible roommate in AZ. I also had a rocking partner in the NWL. We will see where this will take me. It's been blast, a real blast. I had some rough spells but what an experience. God has continued to bless me and will continue to, I am sure. Well one thing is for sure I am ready to get back on the field next season. Until then time to get healthy.

Lastly I wanted to thank the many people who have supported me this season. I couldn't do it justice by naming names. You know who you are. And Thank you. God Bless.

-I've always felt like an umpire. I still am one and really like that.

Concussions...Not Just For Athletes Anymore

 I spend usually about 10 months out of the year working with high school athletes as an Athletic Trainer. Usually sprains and strains. However often I deal with head injuries. These injuries are sustained in many different sports. To be honest it is one thing think interests me the most. This is probably due to working so closely with Dr. Mic Koester. He is one of the best in the country regarding young athletes with concussions. For years I have seen, treated, worked with and tested kids for concussions. I have seen a lot of them in 5 years.  However I have never had one...until now.

I took a shot working a professional baseball game last Sunday. I was hit in the mask in the top of the 1st inning. After picking my mask off the ground, I continued to work but felt lethargic, dizzy and had difficulty concentrating on balls and strikes. I worked for one more inning until my partner and the home team's ATC pulled me out. Since then I have started to feel better. Still have a dull headache and some other mild symptoms.

If there is one thing I have learned it is empathy. I have tried to coach many kids through this process. The process from injury to rest to return. I am doing it with some help but a lot of my own knowledge. I now know how many of them feel. It is hard to remove yourself from the game. It is easy to deny your symptoms and you feel like you are letting others down. But I do know that if I do the right things I will get better and back on the field soon. I won't do it until I am ready and that is a promise. I would never let a kid do it and now it is time to practice what I preach. I will certainly use this experience as a tool in my future while working with young athletes who suffer from a concussion.

First Overnighter...

Last night was my first overnighter. I know there will be longer ones in the future. So here is the scoop. We worked a 3 game series in Keizer and after my plate job on Friday night we packed up and drove from Salem, OR to Boise, ID. It was a long sleepy haul for sure. Then we we got there at 7am there was not a room for us. The hotel started to tell us ,sorry see you this afternoon, but fortunately enough they finally cleaned up a room for us. So we eventually got in and crashed and crashed hard. So after a long night, losing and hour and very little sleep its time for game one of 5. Should be a good time.