Dear Dirk,
My name is *Beaker Humperdink*. I was drafted as a catcher out of high school by the Mets in 2009. I have played 2 years of rookie ball so far, and I am currently spending my 2nd fall in the Dominican Republic for Instructional League. After spending last fall down here, with nothing to do after work outs and playing games, I knew I needed something to turn to to occupy my time.
I was in conversation with a few of my teammates and coaches during the regular season and into our playoff push (we won the Wild Card and got eliminated in the first round), about good baseball books to read. The Bullpen Gospels kept coming up in conversation and a bunch of guys said it was a great read. I picked it up before I left home to come down here, and I haven’t stopped reading it the whole trip. I finished about 20 minutes ago and said to myself, I have to find a way to contact him. Your book was such a great read Dirk!!! I really can’t get over the final chapter and your story at the wedding with Hoffman and how you tied it into manhood, your personal life, and your speech. In my short-lived time thus far in the minors, I can definitely relate to some of the things you talked about in the book, but there were also a lot of other things that I have never experienced, whether it be in the Minors or in life in general. I can see how people who have not gotten the glorious chance to play professional would enjoy a book like yours, being able to see a lot of things on the inside that no one sees. My dad also heard about your book from one of his co-workers and he asked if he could have it when I was done. He’s always asking me questions about the inside, like what I say to pitchers when I go out to the mound or what conversations we have in the clubhouse on rainy days. My dad told me after I signed that I should keep a journal of everyday and what happens, and maybe someday I would write a book or at least have some stories to talk about. Of course, being a young kid and all, I haven’t done that yet, but after reading your book and what you have done and said, it has inspired me to start doing that. I don’t know if I would be able to write a book like you did, but at least I could have something to look back on someday.
I just wanted to thank you and applaud for the book and that you have inspired me and hopefully other professional athletes, not only baseball players, to do the same.
*Mr. Humperdink*
Hump,
Sorry for getting back to you so late, but I was out of town this weekend. First off, let me tell you that if I can write a book about baseball, or, more importantly, if a titanic vacuum like Jose Canseco can write a book about it, you can write one. My best advice on that is do start journaling and keep doing it, but know your teammates will treat you like a virus for it. That’s okay though, because the writing may help you make sense of stuff that right now I’m sure seems super serious in the grand scheme of your life. Baseball really isn’t the big deal that being around it 24/7 leads us to believe, and writing is a good way to capture the balance —and that is what this game is all about in the end, balance. Trying not to loose your humanity in a world distilled down to numerical values can be tough, but bear in mind, especially when things get rocky, you ARE more than a number. Even if its a good one.
As for your lack of experience, don’t worry. You play long enough and you’ll see everything you’ve ever wanted to see in this sport, and a lot of stuff I’ve never seen, and some stuff you don’t want to see. Each team is different, but in so many ways the same. Enjoy all the similarities as a right of passage and add each difference to your own personally collection of memories.
Thanks for the compliments on the book. I really did write it with minors guys in mind. Give your dad my best and tell him to buy his own copy! Now that I’m a free agent, I need all the royalties I can get!
Yours in baseball,
Dirk Hayhurst.