Dirk Hayhurst's Blog

Words and thoughts still trying to make it to the big leagues...

JAN

2011

Dear Trevor…

Dear Trevor, I just thought I would write to tell you how sad I am you’re not coming back to baseball as a player, and also that I understand why. The time to stop comes for us all. For you, however, this conclusion is not simply the ending of a career, but the ending of a legacy. You’ve meant so much to so many that saying goodbye seems insufficient. Instead, I’ve elected to say thank you; for all the things you’ve given that will never leave this game. Thank you for realizing that your...

JAN

2011

The Cost of Being Tone Deaf

Maybe you noticed my Bye-Bye Blue Jays post had a pretty good reception? Maybe you were one of the people who commented on it? If you did, thank you, bad or good comments, I appreciate them, and your time in viewing. You’re words meant a lot to me, maybe more than you know in this anxious time of wondering if I’ll be a baseball player next season. I can’t help but be astounded at the turn out that post garnered, which keeps coming in now a week after the fact. So much touching...

JAN

2011

No Ice Cream If You Lose

*The following is an excerpt from an email I worte to a coach concerned about the role he would play in the development of his young team’s personal lives. I though I’d share it here as well. Thanks for reading. * In my opinion, the main job of the baseball player is to entertain. That’s why the job exists when you stop to think about it. People may ascribe other meanings to the sport, like learning how to work in a team, stoking the competitive spirit, over coming...

JAN

2011

Bye-bye Blue Jays.

I’ve actually known about this for a while, but I’ve been dragging my feet on just what to say about it. I’ve decided you need to know since you’ll find out eventually and I’d rather it come from me than some other blog which will probably highlight my small career sample, average right-handed-ness, and otherwise inconsequential impact on a program of up and coming talent. If you’re a fan of the idea of me being a Toronto Blue Jay, the following wont be easy for either of us: I won’t be...

DEC

2010

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

This past weekend I had a conversation with a soldier about the abolishment of Don’t Ask, Don’t tell. This conversation went down at a restaurant over dinner, and when the topic was first broached, there was much whispering in case anyone in ear shot who was sensitive to the subject might be offended. By the end, however, I was loud and heated and quite unconcerned with anyone’s feelings. This really was a classic case of discussing something that should not be discussed at the dinner...

DEC

2010

To Thine Own Self

To following is a version of a letter written to a college pitching staff currently reading my book as part of a winter break project for their coach (The coach is a friend of mine, and former Padre teammate… Thanks for the sales boosts!) Hey guys, You know, I took a lot of flack for writing The Bullpen Gospels- I mean gallons of it. I still sip from a very bitter cup as I think of all the players who told me they’d kick my ass if I penned even an innocuous word about them. Why...

DEC

2010

Baseball Mounds In Every Stocking.

One of the worst things about the winter time is how its frigid temperature cuts into baseball training. If you’re a pitcher like me and make your home in a cold weather state, you know it’s tough to find places to throw when the snow starts falling. You compete with other indoor sports, camps, and holidays for heated venues just to try and keep your arm in some semblance of a routine- oh for the days you could just go outside and play a game of catch! However, a pitcher is the...

DEC

2010

Bob Feller

The thing about Keith Olbermann’s brain is, when it comes to baseball, it’s a perfectly maintained, state of the art, encyclopedic museum of knowledge where the curator lives to share the wonders of his collection and drinks to much coffee. When Bob Feller passed away yesterday, Keith was the first person I talked to about it, because I knew that Keith has an intimate relationship with baseball and infinitely more knowledge on the history of it. I also knew he’d understand what I was...

DEC

2010

How to get to Spring Training.

…if you play in the minors. When it’s time to put your costume on and go back to being a baseball player in the minors, here is what your itinerary will look like. Night before flight: Attempt to pack 7 months of supplies into two suit cases and one carry on. 4:30 am. Loathsomely awake and on way to airpot. 5:15 am. Check in. Pay fine for overweight baggage. 5:16 Swear to ship extra baggage next year, then remember I said that last year. 5:45. Board Plane. 5:47. Take seat next...

DEC

2010

Baseball Lesson Manifesto

It’s winter here in Ohio, and that means if you’re a family looking to advance your child’s baseball career, you’re turning to indoor baseball venues. Supporting parents will shop around for facilities, camps, and instructors that promise ground breaking insight for their children’s sports future. And, like vultures, many of those aforementioned baseball avenues will offer unqunatifiable guarantees concerning a child’s potential to become the next big...