July 1, 2009

To begin the month of July, junior shortstop Derek Poppert fills us in on his summer activities.

Derek Poppert

Well, it looks like it's my turn to share my summer experience so far. I think it's safe to say mine will look a bit different than everyone else's. I'm not playing summer ball, nor am I graduated and moving on to other things.... rather, it's been me trying to make the hardest decision of my life (so far). As people probably know, I was drafted in the 28th round by the Cincinnati Reds. From the outside, I don't think people realize how hard this whole process really is. I know I didn't when I saw the guys who were older than me going through it my freshman and sophomore year. Though it's been extremely difficult for me so far, I have to remember to sit back and realize what a blessing this really is. It can be tremendously taxing and stressful to continuously run the decision factors through your head, and so sometimes the blessing can feel like a burden at times, but I try to remain with things in perspective as best I can. Though it's difficult, not many people are blessed to have such a hard decision with two pretty good options at either end.

After this past season, I felt it was really important for me to have a summer off if I wasn't playing pro ball. There are a number of reasons for this, but I don't want to bore people with that. In short, the past year took a big toll on me. I felt it was in my best interest to have this time. Though I've chosen to do so, it's not like I've been sitting here in the sun with a pina colada everyday. In fact, quite the opposite is true. It's been a lot of soul-searching and hard thinking. So far it's been a real mix between relaxing time off, and stressful decision making resulting in a couple sleepless nights. I'm not lying when I say this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Some of you may see this for yourself at some point in time. Actually, I can bet everyone will at some point, although it may not be about baseball. All I can say is, one day you will look back on the whole thing and see that it was a huge life experience.... something to grow from, learn from, and ultimately make you grow up. The last few weeks I've been spending a lot of alone time trying to uncover what my heart is saying through all of this, though I've found this much easier said than done. I keep being told to "do what's best for you" and "do what your heart says", but in the midst of it all, as hard as one tries, it is hard to do. I've found, though, that there's only so much you can do in terms of reason and logic. At some point you have to just get quiet and see what voice or feeling is there beneath all the thoughts.

One of the things I have done to help me is reach out to people and get their view on the situation. I've found this really helpful, as someone with an objective viewpoint may have insights you may have overlooked. I've sought advice from people who I really trust, as well as guys who have gone through the decision making and pro ball experience themselves. I'm lucky to have very loving and caring support around me.

Aside from all that, I try to balance it out with something to take my mind off things. I tend to think through things deeply, and although I think this is a good thing, I also know I run the risk of over-thinking it and getting stressed out. I have to watch out for my own health. Usually I wake up and go to the gym here in my hometown in the morning for a workout. Also working on the tan so I'm not just jacked, I'm jacked and tan. Big difference! I've also got a batting cage I can use near my hometown by a hitting coach I used to go to in high school. He played a number of years in AAA and has some great knowledge of hitting, and I'm lucky to have a good enough relationship with him in which he has made a key to his facility for me so I can use it anytime I want. I've also been doing a lot of reading, catching up with some old friends, and spending quality time with my family. I love being outside, so I haven't done a lot of sitting around watching TV. Okay, maybe I have caught up on some movies I wanted to see...

Anyways, I'm glad to hear that people are enjoying their summer ball experiences so far. After two summer ball experiences, I look back at my memories with a smile. It is something you will truly never forget, and something unlike any other you will ever experience. Work hard, play your best, and most of all....enjoy it! I hope to see everyone soon.