|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Philip Humber Journal
|
|
Location: Blogs . |
 |
| Posted by: Content Administrator |
4/9/2007 |
He's most famous for his complete game victory in the championship game of the 2003 College World Series, bringing Rice's first ever team championship to South Main. He was also a three-time All-America and first round draft pick of the New York Mets. He's experienced life in the big leagues and he's working his way back. He'll be checking in with RUBPA all season. He's Philip Humber, aka The Shark.
Hey guys, it's Philip Humber checking in from Memphis, Tennessee.
I'm here with the New Orleans Zephyrs, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. This is the first year for the Mets in the Big Easy after a 20-year relationship with Norfolk, Virginia ended this past fall. I was at first a little uneasy about the situation down in New Orleans after hearing about the troubles the city has had since Katrina. Those fears were calmed when the team took a tour a few days ago. Although the devastation is still evident in some areas, many people have returned to their homes and are looking to make a fresh start. We are hoping to be a part of that resurgence by giving our hometown fans something to cheer for.
Most of you probably know that last year was a really exciting year for me. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2005 and rehabbing for nearly a full twelve months, I returned to the mound and pitched well enough to earn my first taste of the Major Leagues in September. Despite getting into only two games for two innings (hitless I might add!) I gained a great deal of experience and an increased resolve to get back there and stay.
I came into camp this year with hopes of earning a rotation spot, but unfortunately didn't pitch as well as I would have liked and soon found myself back in the minor leagues. I know what I need to do now and am working to improve my game here in New Orleans.
The team here is loaded with guys who will no doubt be helpful in my quest to get back to the big leagues. Our two catchers, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Mike DiFelice, have a combined 26 years of Major League experience. That is a lot of knowledge to soak in and I am already learning.
I will share one story about that for now. Thursday night was our first game of the year and yours truly was the starting pitcher. I had a pretty good game going and as happens with many pitchers, the further into the game you get the better your rhythm and with that comes more confidence.
Mike DiFelice was behind the plate and like any young pitcher knows you don't shake off a veteran catcher. At some point I decided that I needed to mix my pitches up a little bit, so as to keep the hitters guessing. So, after the third inning, I went up to Mike in the dugout and very politely inquired as to why we weren't throwing any change-ups. The reply, with expletives deleted, went something like this. "Well kid, how many hits do they have?" Answer: "One." "Why the ___ would you want to throw a change-up when they aren't hitting your fastball?" I just nodded my head and retreated to my seat on the bench. Lesson learned.
I will check back in soon with more updates, but until then...
Go Owls!
|
|
| Permalink |
Trackback |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|