Movember 2013

Hi All,

That wonderful time of the year when Movember returns and peace is restored across the galaxy....

Due to popular demand I have decided to alter the Mo design slightly as we move towards gaining more sponsors, a few designs came into mind but two stood out for me.

The Mini Mo, this is where I will grow my normal over the lip but then have a smaller one etched in under my bottom lip without touching the other.

But the one which got the vote this year and makes me think of Star Wars all over is..... The Dual Mo. Every time I think of the name Dual Mo it makes me think of the epic Star Wars battle between Qui Gon, Obi Wan and Darth Maul. The soundtrack to this battle was named "Duel of the Fates".

The Dual Mo is just that, two mo's instead of one, here's an early photo. I've carved one in the normal spot and another underneath my bottom lip.

So far its been received with mix reactions, majority from my work are shocked but hey - I'm not doing this for approval, this is for charity!

This year I've started off a little slow as I was interstate for the first week until now, so all my normal emails pleading for donations went out rather late and subsequently my donations tally isn't looking healthy at the mo.

I'm confident though of it moving towards the $1k mark, I've been participating in Movember now for 8/9 years and in all that time I think I've missed raising $1k only once. So it makes me proud that I've been able to raise approx $7k to this fantastic charity, one which is growing in popularity at a rapid rate. When I first started Movember then was in its infant stages, not many knew of the charity - now its all over the media and expanding all over the world!

Looking on the website the Movember event started with as little as 30 people back in 2003 and has propelled into a massive 1.1 Million participants in 2012. Back then the idea was born but no real funds raised, in its first real fundraising year, 2004, Movember raised a total of $54,000... Compare this to a staggering $141.5 Million in 2012 and you have yourselves a massive event!

So, with those stats now comes my plea. As I mentioned I've raised approx $7k in the history of my Movember, This isn't enough and I aim to push towards $10k and beyond. I do this for the charity only, no personal gain - One month a year of having a Mo which most will laugh at is a small price to pay for this great event.

Please, hop online by clicking this link: http://mobro.co/TonyRogers This is the link to my Mo Space, please check out and donate anything you can - remember everything over $2 is tax deductible and greatly appreciated.

Regards

Bo_Gas

Prelim Final - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

I astounded myself early on Prelim Final gameday, I could still pick up the bat and swing hard... The grip I used with the "almost" dinger I tried again and perfectly it swung with no pain in my thumb... hmmm...

But realistically I won't be moving from the bench position... Unless it was the Grand Final and we needed some bat to be subbed in I won't be used at all, I can't even put my mitt on so really only a DH role would work or come in last inning for a hit...

So lets look at the game, sobering mood for me pre-game, still had nerves but different ones... not playing so it was like I was watching my beloved Richmond Tigers or Seattle Mariners, just hoping they'll win.

Our Divvy 5 team travelled down to West Torrens on an extremely hot, dry, humid 36 degree day. Felt more like 40 in that sun, no wind and just that yucky sticky heat.

Team looked good though, Cummo was a welcome addition after battling Glandular Fever and our boys were in high spirits that we could take this game.

Once we hit the field though the team wasn't as full of confidence, almost looked a shade nervous. Didn't use the bat well in first couple of innings and little things weren't going our way...

You could also notice it in the field, Robbo was working hard on the mound but bugger all chat around him...

Gussy made the stop of the day with a beautiful diving save at first, just narrowly missed getting the runner out but showed great courage diving to his right to snare the ball.

Sadly I had to leave early as was due for a family get together in Goolwa, this is a special occasion that we can't miss.

Years ago we pledged that we would make sure we attempt to participate in the annual Mervy every year to honor our nephew Jackson.

Jackson sadly passed away at birth a few years ago.

As I married into a golfing mad family, each year we get together and play a stroke comp for the Mervy Trophy, previously, under the old Calloway system, the winners each year were generally the ones which played regularly.

This year the rules had changed slightly and handicaps formed based on previous cards, this gave all players a much better chance of winning.

Myself, I finished last in the 2nd comp and since then (5 played overall) i've placed about middle of the pack.

With a broken thumb, I didn't think i'd actually be able to participate this year but pledged I would come out to support and try a swing to see how we go, I tee'd off first to officially start the mervy. Not sure who was more suprised, my golfing family or myself as I launched my drive straight and long up the middle of the fairway. I altered my grip so that the thumb was not touching the club and was free of my right hand so no connection or bumps would occur...

Really shocked, not for a minute did I think I could swing a club... I said I'd play 9 and see how we go.

I ended up playing all 18, had an awesome first 9 of 48 but dropped off a bit on the back 9 with 56. But still hit very well for someone with a broken thumb and I even beat the score from last year...

We all finished up and headed back to my brother in laws for a bbq tea, shortly after dinner the scores were announced, My golf mad father in law who plays the most out of everyone came dead last... woohoo! Slowly each name was read out - no Tony as yet...

Three names remained, two players who never really play (myself included) and one who plays regularly...

And there it was, I was named runner up tied for second and the winner, Bec has never won before either and is Jacksons mum. A fitting end to a great day, two unknowns in top 2 and Bec takes the cup for her son.

Overall a great weekend.

Now back to the game (sorry I tend to get sidetracked).

I was relying on my mate Jarrad to supply the scores, I said before I left, I wanted a play by play, pitch by pitch summary... no luck.

As we reached Goolwa the fateful message came in, East Torrens Div 5 team had lost in the final inning by 1 run.

When I left, we were 5-2 down and didn't look like over running them at this stage, it was there but not just yet..

Jarrad later revealed that we staged a massive comeback holding them to the one run over next 3 innings as we took the lead in the top of the seventh inning, leading 7-6 we looked like a history making win.

Sadly West Torrens levelled the score and then a dodgy shot dropped in for them to bring home the win.

Credit to them they were a good side, I still think we're better but, they're in the GF.

Season over and now West Torrens take on Glenelg in the Grand Final, personally, I hope West Torrens wins it over Glenelg. After our last "heated" game down at Glenelg where sportsmanship and gentleman's code was not even in their vocabulary.

Well thats my Baseball reviews over for the season, I'm off to rest this thumb over the next 6 weeks and look forward to an even bigger and better 2013-2014 Season.

Go RedSox!!!!!

Semi Final - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

Firstly apologies for the week delay getting this out, been a rough week and a half since the Semi Final - most know why but for those that don't all will be revealed shortly.

It was to be a massive day for me, not only was I heading to Soundwave straight after to watch Blink 182 but this was also my first ever real final.. Never played finals in my footy life at Happy Valley nor have I seen finals whilst playing baseball for East Torrens...

To say I was super nervous was an understatement...

Well, the first Semi shaped up to be an absolute cracker and it didn't dissapoint. Adelaide had our number this year winning both games in the regular season, first game they held us to only 1 run, 2nd game they narrowly beat us when we gifted the game to them.

Hot day started us out with Ralphy kicking the day off with a knock, Ralphy is looking more comfortable in the lead off role and Jonesy our regular is having some rest period a few slots back giving him time to mentally rest.

Memory isn't as good as it was before the end of the first inning, I still can't remember all the piecings of this next play but here goes...

I think from memory we had a runner on 1st when the Adelaide batter hit deep out to Jarrad at right field, I ran back to third base ready for the throw. The ball came in but wasn't on the full and was to bounce short about a metre in front.

Now I have let alot of balls through this year, this wasn't going to be one of them. If I missed it, certain run and error. I came off my base and ready to take it as it hit the deck but the bounce kicked it up quite sharply narrowly missing my glove.

But it didn't miss me hitting me squarly in the head, just above my right eye.. Lucky it didn't hit me in the eye...

Umpire called time and the boys checked to see if I had concussion and attended to a small cut above the eye. All good and I insisted I continue - looked like a unicorn though sporting a horn!

Didn't affect me too much though as I was able to secure my only hit in the next inning, hit nicely through short to advance scoop to second.

Jarrad advanced us around and I managed to get to second when I turned and noticed Scoop recorded a geriatrics's moment when he kept walking off third towards home plate, wasn't running though, just walking... pitcher quickly threw ball to 3rd and was tagged out... Chalk this one down to amnesia or something...

Robbo pitched all day and he really did a pearler of a job, hitting the zone nicely and keeping the batters thinking.

Red Sox managed to get up to a nice lead as we moved on to 4-1 however Adelaide pulled back a few and we were leading towards the 5th inning 6-4.

Memory has me, I'm not sure if this happened now in the bottom of the 4th of 5th but here goes..

My second body blow for the game came with the last out of the inning, the adelaide hitter burned a drive to me sitting at 3rd, hit very hard but it dipped at the last second. I moved my glove behind it and got down to the ball.

It hit my glove on the high right hand side and agony began, the ball spilt out but I was able to recover and throw him out at first. I noticed straight away something was wrong, the ball, when it hit the glove, it hit the top of my thumb and the swelling told me something wasn't right...

Being as stubborn as I am I didn't want to come out and wanted to see how it would go for next inning and batting.

Well if batting was something to go by it was fine. With two runners on and two outs I went to the plate, watched my usual first ball just to see how its coming in, then proceeded to launch a ball into the stratosphere... Sadly it was hit with too much height and the wind held it a metre short from being a Home Run.

Next inning I went back out to 3rd but by that time the thumb was very swollen and it hurt to catch the ball, Robbo too noticed this as he threw a ball to me and I hesitated greatly to catch it...

That was me done, we went 3 up 3 down that inning and Robbo and Matty took me out to bring Curtis in - a wise move, I couldn't een touch the thumb then...

Ralphy lead the pack with a stellar batting display, he wasn't the only one though, young Mr Laws connected well twice getting to the gaps in the outfield and overall our batting lifted dramatically with most getting off the bus as Robbo likes to call it...

By the top of the 6th we held a good lead to which we extended out to 14-4 at the end of our bat, 3 more outs would enforce the mercy rule and we would leave early knowing one of the best games would secure us a Prelim!

3 up 3 down, Robbo capped of a fantastic game and the Red Sox ran out winners 14-4, This was a massive team effort and I was beside myself! Man I was sore but the feeling of winning my first ever final drowned it out completely... We just beat the side who was top for most of the year and we hadn't beaten all year - throw in the fact we were playing at their home ground. Yep this will be remembered for a long time!

Ok so the fallout was a cracker, we changed and sped to Soundwave, by that stage I had a massive horn on my head from the first knock and I couldn't move my thumb which now was extremely swollen and turning purple...

Blink 182 was awesome but the event sucked for me as when we reached the blink stage it was near impossible to move, there was nowhere to get through the crowd and a sea of people pushed each other as we moved towards the back - Phone reception was non existent too resembling the TV show Revolution...

Finally after 25 minutes of stressing and sense of being lost I found my wife and we watched the remaining 30 minutes of Blink... Blink were awesome and should have been the final act.

Linkin Park was ok, I got to hear my favourite song What I've Done but other than that it wasn't Blink.

Metallica was so so... Most will disagree with me but I wasn't really impressed, they played 4 songs I knew and to be honest I kept looking at the clock for it to be over....

If Soundwave promoters are reading, make sure if Blink 182 are there next year, give them a 2 hour finale spot - they would kill it far better than Metallica did...

Anyway, by monday morning I was in a heap of pain and wolfing down panadene forte tablets to help stem the pain..

I went to the doctor who, before I could tell him about my thumb, went straight for the lump on my head... He then informed me that I had cracked the bone in my nose, I knew it was red and sore but it didn't bother me as much as the lump on my head...

Bummer...

He then said the thumb did look nasty and immediately arranged X-rays to be taken.

X-rays done and I was starving so we started heading off to the pub when the phone rang, it was the x-ray place... X-rays were ready to be picked up and taken to doctors, I replied but I'm not going back to the doctors today.. Response wasn't encouraging, Umm yes you are...

Hmm that didn't sound good, I headed down to the doctors who started examining the film.. His face was priceless and I knew it wasn't good.

The verdict... Broken Thumb in three places, possibly need surgery to correct and have screws put in to mend...

Thats me season done... expecting 6 weeks out whilst it recovers...

So - Our Divvy 5 team now shapes up against West Torrens away next week with me to warm the bench for them...

Go Red Sox!!!!!!!

Round 18 - ETPBC Div 5

A very hot day was forecasted and it managed to bring what it threatened, a very hot 37 degrees with hardly any cloud cover.

With that came in the reduced game rules, this enforces a maximum of 5 innnings or 90 minutes...

For someone like me who was starting on the bench, that brings in nothing but angst on whether you will be played or not.

Robbo started on the mound and got off to a flyer, zone was good and not many opposition hits through the five innings and really worked hard to keep them at bay - recorded some good strikeouts too!

Gussy again proved to be the one pitchers hate the most being walked twice, Cummo was the hitting specialist for the day twice with big bombs into the gaps and also superb speed to reach third twice for back to back triples.

Cummo's first proved to be a spark the team needed, most were telling him to hold off at 2nd but Cummo knew his pace would beat the throw to 3rd.

Hard to determine which highlight was the best on the day, so I think line honors need to go to both Cummo and Jonesy.

Jonesy is now known as the aerial defender, late in the 4th inning with runners in scoring position, a big bomb was hit to deep left field. For all money Jonesy looked beat on this one as it was well hit, from nowhere Jonesy lept back and took a superb catch which recorded the final out of the inning and any chance of Southern coming back to challenge the lead.

Red Sox ended up holding them off in the last to record a 7-1 win over Southern and securing our place in the finals.

I'm super excited, never in history of sport have I reached finals, not unless you count mixed netball which I don't think I will... During my football life at Happy Valley, my junior years were spent being thrashed by teams like Reynella and Morphett Vale, sometimes by 30 goals... During my senior years at the club we won games but never enough to reach finals, often missing out by one or two.

In my baseball career we haven't made it over the 4 years i've played, the year I missed our team won the flag.

This is something to savor and I look very forward to the challenge.

See you all down at Adelaide this weekend to cheer on the Red Sox!

Round 15/16 - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

Firstly apologies for the delay in writing articles for the last two games, reason for delay... well I'm still that shocked and angry at the result.

Round 15 saw our Red Sox take on Golden Grove at home, GG has lost alot of games this year to teams we have accounted for well - yet GG always seem to have the wood on us and this game was no exception.

The game was full of suprises, whilst I won't go fully into the inning by inning I'll touch on some highlights.

Sadly for us alot of them were not good ones, Cummo had the first bad luck in inning 1 with a ball heading through him, Gussy sadly had the same late in the game which let a couple through and I also managed to bobble one late in the game also...

We didn't take advantage of our opportunities which was our downfall in the end, we had a chance to steal the game in the last inning with myself sitting at 3rd as the tying run but sadly the fairytale finish wasn't to happen with DR grounding out to finish the game.

That one was gut wrenching, a game we needed to win, not only for finals but for ourselves, GG has the wood on us for many years, its time we show them they aint as good...

Myself, well, My hitting is something i'm really pleased with over the last 5 games, according to my stats (hoping this is what the scorers agree with...) I'm 9 hits from the last 17 at bats including the big bomb out at Gawler. Included in that stat was my 2 from 4 with my first knock bringing in a couple of runs.

Fielding is my big worry at the moment, i've had 10 errors this year according to the scorers, thats 10 too many, yes very hard position but something I need to work on. Sadly for me its also a confidence thing, I lost a heap of confidence weeks ago and I'm slowly clawing it back.

So in a heartbreaker the Sox went down 8 - 9...

Round 16 we were on a road trip to Glenelg, everyone who know's me will know I love my Tigers, just not these ones.

In the past few years the games at Glenelg have never been pleasant, the strike zone has always been miniscule and we always tend to hear "New Rules" that come into play...

Theres two good things about playing at Glenelg, One - Its the birthplace of my first ever Home Run, Second - I love the fact the biggest jumbo jet to depart from Adelaide Airport will fly directly, and very low, above your head...

Yep its a superbly scenic ball park.

So, Glenelg of late have been hot, they've moved to first spot on the ladder and look to have added a few players since we last played them. Last time the result was 2-1 in our favour.

Red Sox came out hitting in the first few innings, we also had alot on base over the course of the game courtesy of the pitcher who wasn't hitting the zone.

We ran out to an early 4-1 lead however that was turned around but some good hitting by Glenelg but also some very good base running helped them level the scores and then never look back as they ran out to a 9-4 lead late in the game.

We pushed for contention right throughout that game, Robbo pitched well but was hindered by not being able to find a consistent and nice strike zone, it was small and very inconsistent. Fielding wise I think we weren't too bad but they were just hitting the gaps well.

Our bats were good early but then all of a sudden with runners on base we were skying balls instead of hittting the ground and into the gaps..

7th inning came and went just like that, we managed to go down without making a whimper, ready for the time and game call another swifty came from nowhere and caught us completely offguard..

Glenelg was getting ready to bat......

All year, each time the home side is winning in last inning and the away side has bombed out without getting infront - its been "Time & Game". Not at Glenelg.

**Removed comments here incase of further issues** Those there know my frustration on this issue.
To say we were all annoyed is an understatement, we risked injuring our pitchers arm and the simple fact, we could not win...

Ah well, thats how they play it so be it, we play it differently. Here's hoping we see them again come finals and we repay the favour...

Ok so last few games we are at home against Goodwood and Southern Districts, we just need the one more win and we're home and hosed sewing up 4th position and securing that Finals Birth i've so longed for...

So get down to Payneham oval and cheer us on as the mighty Red Sox push for finals!

Round 14 - ETPBC Div 5

Spent alot of the long weekend thinking about how the title for this article should read, many ideas came to mind but in the end thought - keep it as usual and let the article describe the game...

So Divvy 5 took the long road north out to Gawler, which I earlier learned is more so Evanston Park now as the club has moved from its previous site to a new oval about 10-15 minutes down the road. Great for us as the usual 40-45 minute drive is now only 25-30 minutes... I went my usual way, up the new Northern Expressway, should be put as one of the best things this state has accomplished, a dual freeway which connects Port Wakefield Road and Main North Road... Simply a delight to drive on, so smooth, it makes driving it pleasurable and you hardly notice the length of the drive.

Previously we used to go up Main North Road through Elizabeth, Munno Para etc... don't really need to describe why I prefer the other way...

So, mix tape was in featuring great's such as Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park and System of a Down (also a hint of Nirvana and Eric Clapton...), rest of the family was either already down at Lady Bay for our big family holiday or at home getting ready to head down...

Arrived at Gawler super early after allowing too much time to get there, Quickly scoped the oval and it looked to be also used as a hockey ground, very square and not very long or shaped like a diamond...

Game time finally arrived and we took first dig at putting some runs on the board, Gus managed to do some very handy base running, stealing two bases and in the end scoring our only run for the first inning.

Matt said early on our team looked flat and this was very evident in the first 3 or 4 innings of the game, the bats we know we have weren't showing early on, fielding we were going ok too but lacked the edge to keep Gawlers mind from thinking they had a chance...

After 4 innings I think we held a lead of about 5 runs, which is good but against one of the bottom teams it was far less than expected.

Cummo was in on the money for most of the game, hitting the zone and sitting them down nicely, we just weren't backing him up with the lead he deserved.

A bit of feeling started to come into the game, coincidentally the same time Robbo went deep out Left Field which for all money looked like a Home Run but was called a Double by the Gawler player. The heat came after the opposition pitcher decided to "chat" a bit more about it and even claim wind assistance in the hit.

Well, the moment all have been waiting for..

The pitcher moved to Short and his new protege stepped to the plate to salvage what was left of the sinking ship, Robbo and Ralph were sitting on 3rd and 2nd and I recall my first thoughts was I wanted to belt the living daylights out of this ball as when I got to the plate the pitcher was mouthing off to Robbo, not good first impressions haha

I left the first ball as I usually do, just to see how fast and how controlled the ball was as it hits the catchers glove. The 2nd ball was perfect for me, inside and high to the inside, this time I put everything behind it.

As I ran to first I watched it sail over the left field line and the left fielder whacked his hands up to show Home Run... The moment I've been yearning for since I last hit my first ever Home Run down at Glenelg.

Now, alot will say I was a tad excited... couldn't be further from the truth hahaha, to hit a Home Run is the best feeling, to think you've hit the ball that far, something we've done a little this year but not heaps so I've joined the group...

Funniest thing was, as I touched 2nd base on my way to 3rd the Shortstop went out to get the ball from the Left Fielder and was yelling out "Not bad for a wind assisted Home Run"....

There are some who accept things happening to them and there are some who act out when losing, he was the latter unfortunately, I laughed really hard when I heard that then made reference to his mouth being wind assisted...

I'm sorry and this might just be me, but if your languishing on the bottom of the ladder, losing too to a team who is in the Top 4 and also your using the same conditions as this Top 4 team... I don't think you have any ground to stand on to then ark up at the opposition by trying to bring their score down...

So, I hit home plate and the team was there to meet me as we celebrated my bat waking up but also the 3 runs just quickly added to the scoreboard..

Matty went down quickly with a strained calf so Jonesy who was sitting down with a strained neck came back on, Matt's was more so a light strain and more cautious than anything...

Scoop pulled up late in the last inning with a hamstring, not sure how bad at this stage but hopefully just minor...

So our ET Boys ran out winners 14-1, could have been much worse but we were certainly flat both with the bats and in the field in the first half of the game.

This week we're at home against Golden Grove which is going to be tough, but we seek revenge for the last game we played there when I think it is safe to say were nowhere near where we are now...

PS - I'm still grinning from ear to ear, here's hoping I can do it again in the not so distant future!

Round 13 - ETPBC Div 5

Hi All,

In happier sorts than last week, nowthat the Seahawks are out of the playoffs I can focus solely on what the Mariners are doing and exactly which player they are going to trade for, rumor has it we are going big for Giancarlo Stanton.

Michael Bourne's name is still out there which could be a handy inclusion to take the pressure off Dustin Ackley, although I wouldn't mind betting now John Jaso was moved on for Michael Morse that the Mariners look for a veteran catcher to fill the shoes, a hitter no less.

Anyhow, we're here to discuss Divvy 5's game against lower ladder Flinders. Last game we played them they were severely depleted from previous seasons and this was no exception. Fielding the bare 9 they had to give up one of their players to use as umpire, rules are home side must provide an umpire.

Game got off to a flyer and our boys were getting the hits and a couple of runs on the board, i went down swinging in the first at bat after the umpire called second strike on me which I thought was way outside the zone, this caught me off guard so I swung at the third strike regardless... not a good idea...

Probably should have been a 7-0 inning as the pitcher wasn't throwing much, our bats seem to guide it straight to the fielders for easy outs...

Next few innings it remained within reach for Flinders but I don't think we were any real chance of losing control of the game, our hitting just wasn't working and we weren't making the most of at bats especially with 2 out..

Matt opened up the Home Run column with a big blast to left field in the 3rd inning, this proved to be the turning point with Ralphy putting one out in the same spot while 2 runners were on, then the pitcher awoke the sleeping giant when Fish returned the favour and put one out of centre field, also with 2 runners on.

By then the game was all but over and we ran out clear victors 19-4. Good to see a one J Laws starting to connect with the ball alot better, hit two safely into the outfield.

A look at my own game, hitting I was happy, although the strike out was poor I got good contact on my second at bat which was caught deep in right and my 3rd at bat produced a nice contact single out to centre so all up I was happy with the contact and to come away with a hit.

Fielding, was another story, for some reason I have lost a hell of a lot of confidence sence midway through season, I'm not doubting myself and doubting everyones thoughts on me playing that role. I need to regain my confidence soon or I will sit most of the rest of the season, including finals if we make it, on the pine as I don't feel the coaches have the confidence in me to play 3rd at the moment.

I am determined to regain the confidence, after all it is my position at 3rd - two errors cost me last weekend, I need to make sure I don't do any out at Gawler this weekend or I may as well bring a cushion and get comfortable on the pine...

Ok so with that out the way training this week to iron out some issues with my footwork while batting and will look to get extra fielding to help get the confidence back.

We're away to Gawler this weekend, 12.30 game which is good as I'm expected at Lady Bay ASAP after the game so lets get in, get the kill and head home early!

Round 12 - ETPBC Div 5

Ok All, this ones tough to write, probably more so as i've been up snce 4.30am heartbreakingly watching my beloved Seattle Seahawks...

To paint the picture, we've been renowned for our defence and also Lynch with his awesome running and our Rookie sensation QB Russell Wilson. First half there was none of the above, no defence, run from lynch or Wilson to help us - 20 - 0 at half time.

3rd Qtr you could see the fight in the hawks, but at 3qtr time we were still 27-7 down. Then, just like out of a movie/fairy tale, with 40 seconds to go, Seattle takes the lead and we're up 28-27.

Already running late I thought best to make a dash for the bus whilst glaring at twitter feeds the whole walk, what was a 2 minute walk lasted an eternity as I hear 2 passes from Atlanta brought them within Field Goal distance and just like that Atlanta stole the game....

So, you can now see why I am in one heck of a downer right now...

First game back ETPBC were up against Adelaide, who for most of the year has remained on top only losing 3 games, and we were at their home ground...

One thing identified by Matt & Robbo was the need for our team to get early runs, when up early our team is hard to beat! And thats exactly what we did, early runs were ploughed on the board with the help of Jonesy's replacement lead off hitter Ralph, with some great base stealing too he helped us get the momentum early and maintain a healthy lead.

Unfortunately we couldn't hold the lead and Adelaide, pulling a swifty, untied Ralphy's shoes and he tripped over which brought in 2 runs - from there Adelaide had the momentum and took control of the game.

Not being outdone however, ET pulled back the lead with some great hitting, especially from one J Laws going deep to bring in the runner - might have to work on his sliding though....

Sadly Adelaide were too strong and we fell short 11-10.

Now a look at my game, fielding I was happy until two players pointed out I'm not doing my job... news to me and now I need to get out and learn my 3rd base role again.. Didn't realise my role was the cutoff for left field, something I haven't done all year - but, now I know I can work on that for rest of season...

Batting, terrible, the previous game I went 4 from 4, this week, didn't look like getting on. Struck out in the first at bat (although still think last two were out of the box...) and flied out in my 2nd bat... was benched just over halfway through and actually glad I was, head wasn't in it and I tell you as a fielder it can be a very lonely place when the heat is on you, especially if your doing the wrong thing...

So, from here - yep i'm filthy, we're 6 games from finals and I'm a very massive chance of losing my 3rd base role and playing alot more bench time - something I don't want to happen. Need to get out wednesday, work on my hitting/fielding and hit it hard from there. If someone wants my position you better come hard cos Bo Gas is gonna come harder...

Flinders this week, time to hit these Uni students and show them what the Red Sox are made of!!!!!

Happy New Year - 2013

Happy New Year to all my readers!!!

At this time of the year everyone decides its a good idea to make changes or alterations to themselves to better the year to come.

And this year will be no different to the last so I will try and add some things I would like to achieve below...

Weight... Always on the cards and I'm sure this occurs in 90% of the New Years resolutions people make every year.

About 6 months ago I set out to get under 100kg's, would be the first time in 15 years then if I could.. Weight loss was going well and I was exercising alot too during that time, Sadly I got sick with a bad throat infection, from then on I slowly stopped exercising and maintained my current weight.

So the good news from the last push was I acheived 2 out of the 3 goals I set myself which I am happy about, my last goal was to get to 109kg's which I did well, good thing also (sort of..) is that I've been sitting on 108-109kg's ever since. So no stacking getting on...

Couple of key factors get me into gear; Motivation, Will and Support. If I have heaps of people (especially family) encouraging me or getting me involved I become unstoppable and love exercising, if I get negative feedback I tend to go back to old ways and can't be bothered... Time sadly is also a factor in our household as we have very few hours left in each day once you take work and sport committements into account.

The good news is I'm active in sport 4 days out of 7 due to baseball both with my team and my sons team, so its not like I sit at home playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 every day (although I wish I could hahaha). The important part for me though is utilising the other days we don't have baseball and get the most out of each day...

Sickness is another factor, I need to make sure I don't get sick, each time I get into a fitness regime something happens and I go back to old ways, each time I get sick I also crave shitty foods like a combo yiros with double onion and double garlic sauce...

So - I'll give it another go and see if I can get myself to my main goal weight - 99 kg's. I also want to increase a bit of muscle in my arms so will hit the weights machine at home..

I guess another resolution I'll need to consider is study, I'm currently completing my Diploma in Financial Planning and halfway through, due to time restraints I've found it hard to take on the final subjects but again, like exercise, I need to find the time..

Investment is another one I'd like to nail too with Renovations, one of my long term goals is to have 5 Investment properties by retirement, this way we have a regular income coming in and hopefully won't need to rely on the government! So this year I would like to get my hands on an investment property, be it a small little unit somewhere, a holiday house down the coast or a house. Whatever the size I need to get moving on an investment.

So that'll be the first step, I'm not fussed if I haven't bought one, just as long as I am in a position to be ready to buy one, not jump out too eagerly...

A wise person once said to own 5 Investment properties before retirement is a very sound investment plan, you should have one new one every 10 years...

Well I think thats all for now, Hope you all had a very good Xmas and an excellent New Year, hope you didn't make an a*& of yourself like I did...

Round 11 - ETPBC Div 5

Boasting a big line up with only a few missing, East Torrens travelled out to Woodvilles temporary ground (Seaton High School). I likened Seaton to my favourite Seattle Mariners ground which is currently being renovated - Home Run fence is being brought in and this is what the Seaton ground resembled.

Certainly a plus but a distraction... I certainly eyed the fence as something I wanted to surpass.

Last time we played Woodville we started very slow and they got the jump on us early, we kicked into gear around halfway through and never looked back comfortably winning.

With that in mind we expected another good game for our hitters and we were treated to that early with bases loaded in the 1st. From memory we only ended up bringing two runs through however ET dominated the game from early on, Robbo threw well on the mound with Matty at home plate in General status as he controlled and motivated the troops at every opportunity.

The biggest hit came from probably our smallest player on the field, with bases loaded and yours truly parked at 3rd DR (or Runt as the others like to call him) watched the first pitch and never let go on the second, launching a bomb to centre left. Clearing the fence and bringing home a grand slam to absolutely throw ET in the clear and dominate the game.

I think from then on all eyes and wishful batters were looking to the fence for their next at bat, I know I was.

Our fielding was much better this week however still a couple of bloopers, I watched DR bobble a ball in the 1st and not to be outdone I did the same a few balls later... Unfortunately stuff like that puts pressure on Robbo and Matty also.

Personally I was happy with my game, from my count I went 4 from 4, two just dropped in but two were clearly in and one nearly reaching the fence... dammit.. Fielding, well I bobbled one and missed a flyball catch losing it in the sun but overall not too bad.

The game wasn't without fireworks, late in the game Scoop stole 2nd maybe unaware we were up by 10 runs, this seemed to enrage the 3rd baseman for Woodville who proceeded with a rant at Scoop, Scoop casually shrugged it off. Wasn't until last inning that the two players would be clashing again with the 3rd baseman running to 2nd, Scoop caught the ball and hopped off the base to throw for the double play at 1st.

It was here things went ugly, the Woodville runner slid into 2nd with his cleats up and rammed them into Scoops leg. Scoop hit the deck and we missed the double play however alot of our players, understandably, were not too pleased with the actions of the Woodville player. With his back hairs already up he continued to cause issues on the field until finally ordered off by the umpire. Whack this down to a brain snap I think.

In the end ET ran out clear winners 15-2, could have been far worse however we put the brakes on.

As I write this we're on a three week break which I think some of the older bodies are enjoying.

Well hope you all had a great Xmas and have a fantastic New Year and we'll see you first round after the break.

Round 10 - ETPBC Div 5

Round 10 saw our East Torrens boys currently sitting equal 2nd on the ladder take on West Torrens for the outright 2nd position battle.

I managed to resist the lure of going out on my works Xmas show which was held at the Sebel on North Terrace, shame, from what i've heard alot was spent on the show.

In hindsight, I wish now I went, good night to catch up with work mates but also I think now alcohol would have helped my fielding on the day.

Sadly I'm a confidence player, if I field the first ball with no issues I'm happy and go well, if I field it poorly I'm down on myself and nervous for the next ball...

First Inning saw my first chance to field the ball, of course luck was not on my side as a ball which was hit sharply down to 3rd base, clipped the edge of the border and skipped. I tried to get down onto knees to block it but for some reason I was not a lady and had my legs spread and the ball went straight through into the outfield...

Ok now I look at it, it was a hard ball due to it hitting the edge but thats not what I was thinking at the time.. To me that was an error and my fault, sadly it set my head in a wrong space and to me I let the team down.

Luckily for me even though West Torrens then loaded the bases, Robbo worked hard and got out of the inning unscathed.

Our boys battled and took the lead early off some nice hitting however West Torrens brought the scores level and took the lead after a couple of innings with the opposition getting hits when it counted but also some errors cost us also.

Our outfielders again fielded really well and definately saved a few hits which were close to falling in, Robbo fought hard but in the end came out of the game and DR finished the game on the mound.

Luck was certainly with WT last weekend hits for them were falling in, our infield wasn't as strong as normal and our hits weren't getting to the gaps like WT's were. Matt and Scoop were both unlucky with a couple of big hits, Matt's just going out of play and Scoops being tracked down by WT's right fielder...

Half happy with my hitting picking up 2 hits from 4 at bats, although they were hits I still have alot to improve on, I'm not connecting like I was in previous years and getting myself too worried about footwork and stuff to concentrate on just hitting the damn ball..

Well, last game this week before the Xmas break, could do with the break both from sport and work which will be awesome, mentally drained this week so need to recharge over the Xmas break and stamp out any players thinking about coming in for the last half of the year/finals and show why 3rd base is mine...

So - lets get out on Saturday, take out Woodville @ Woodville and go out on a high!

Mariners Woes

Ok this will be my first blog on my favourite baseball team the Seattle Mariners.

Not a pretty blog unfortunately, today I sit here as angry - if not angrier than I was this time last year.

For those that don't know, Seattle is a franchise team started in 77, has had limited success in the MLB since it joined, most notable was 2001 when after winning the AL Championship with a staggering 116 games won it fell short of a fairy tale ending by losing the World Series to the Yankees.

The next few years saw the peak of the Mariners winning and the end of 2003, when falling short of a wildcard berth, saw the Mariners fall into years of misery, many losses and bad signings.

Milton Bradley, Chone Figgins, Richie Sexson are names that come to mind, all had great careers and success at previous clubs but failed to do much at Seattle and in the end were hated by the fans... Especially Figgins...

So, Seattle has signed Jason Bay as a free agent after he parted ways with the Mets who agreed to still pay him the $20+m owing on his last year of contract. Bay had success previously with the Pirates & Red Sox but failed when he went to New York on big $$'s... 8 years ago he was a gun, now he's just a player hoping to find some of the old form, Seattle swooped in and offered a small contract worth approx $1m and gave him the lifeline.

Many will argue this is a waste of time, heck after Figgins I remain cautious also, but the size of the contract and the fact its dependant on him earning his spot at spring training makes me think it is worth a punt.

But Mariners should definately not stop there, Seattle has struggled offensively for some time, ever since the old days of Rodrigues, Cameron, Boone, Ibanez, Martinez, Griffey Jnr, to name a few..

Being an overseas Mariner its hard for me to gage first hand what the fans are thinking, twitter gives me a chance to get that look whilst being 10,000+ km's away. Attendance at games appears to be down, from what I understand our team's attendance is dropping the hardest over the last 10 years. 10 years is when we last had that real taste of success and decent batters...

Hamilton.... Oh man, Hamilton for me isn't like Prince Fielder last year. Prince was exactly that, a massive bat, first baseman who could have delivered a major change for Seattle, both offensively and as a marketing dream.

Instead Prince signed with the team he followed as a child, the Detroit Tigers.

Hamilton... gave indications, or as the rumors provided... that one of his preferences was Seattle. But he also was said that any offer given he would give Texas a chance to counteroffer. Both proved to be just that, rumors, as out of nowhere Angels popped up and signed the big hitting free agent. They now boast a superior lineup that should get them into the playoffs, although look back to last year with the Pujols signing...

Was Seattle naive into thinking Hamilton knew they were keen but thought we would sit back and wait for him to come to us? Were we never in on Hamilton to begin with? Was Seattles price offered (If they did offer..) too low?

Who knows, all I can take from this is once again the Management at Seattle have not worked hard enough or aggressive enough to deliver the best available batter to Seattle. Its great to boast some of the best pitchers in the competition, but if they don't have the support behind them how do you expect to win games?

Seattle does have a really good core of youngsters in the pipeline, everyone knows it, but they need an experienced bat to help them develop. You can't expect a player as talented as Ackley to be our new hitter straight away, he needs someone to learn from - someone to lift the clubs thoughts and confidence.

Without it, we're going to be a team of youngsters all hoping King Felix will deliver one in every five games as starter... I wish Felix in his negotiations, would say to the club, deliver a key at bat I approve of or am happy with and I'll sign a longer contract, if not prepare to trade me or lose me at free agency.

I know its not the best situation for a player to make such demands, but this is a club that needs new management to deliver the goods - the current management feel upgrading the stadium and making it more friendly and appealing to the fans might actually bring them back to the stadium...

How wrong they are, anything I've learned from my local favourite team, the Richmond Tigers, fans don't go to games whilst in losing status.. If people expect them to lose and their list points to that, fans don't give away their hard earned money to go to the games. Instead they'll watch from the comfort of their home where a hot dog and drink won't cost them the earth...

Personally, I will always go to my local teams game, even when they are losing - but thats me, everyone is different. I don't judge anyone either if thats how they act, why should they waste money on a team whose management don't work hard enough for them.

So, we've lost Hamilton, that sux and has hurt the fans who were liking the idea of him moving to Seattle.

Lets move on and focus on the agents still left, for me my number one (and has been since the start) is Nick Swisher. I've hated Nick for many years now, only because he was a Yankee... If he moved to Seattle he would become my new number one favourite player, He's a great player and has been one of the best at the Yankees. He's consistently hit over 20 Home Runs every year for past 6 years and last year had 93 RBI's.

Heres his stats for last season:

Average - 0.272%
HR's - 24
RBI's - 93
OBP - 0.364%

Ok the average and on base aren't as high as most would like, 24 HR's & 93 RBI's do it for me, far better than all of the players on our list, closest to him was Saunders with 20 HR's and Seager with 86...

Swisher currently aged 32, Will be a great fit for Seattle, either in the outfield, or whack him at 1st Base. Justin Smoak is touted as our first baseman but injury and poor form makes me want Swisher there instead. Smoak has talent don't get me wrong, but how long do we wait for a player to start hitting such as Smoak and Carp.. Do we wait like we did with Figgins... then have a player noone wants and delist him? Keep Smoak in the system but if we're ever going to contend we need to push for players that can perform.

So Swisher, big tick from me, and we should put an offer of atleast 4 years and even up to $80m on the table.

There is still Upton's name and Bourn being put out there too and even Delmon Young, Upton & Bourn I would love for Seattle to go for, not over the top as I want Swisher more.

Upton would be good for the right deal, last year 28 Home Runs, 78 RBI's, slightly lower on base percentage than Swisher but has the right numbers to move in to Seattle's new improved arena.

When I say "Seattle's new improved arena" I don't mean their new fancy restuarant and big TV... I'm talking the walls being brought in which will only help our offence..

But imagine the change for Seattle if they first signed Swisher, then turned to Upton and said, we mean business and we want success, sign with us. Upton & Swisher in the outfield (or Swisher at 1st) would be an awesome addition to compliment the youth we have such as Saunders, Seager, Ackley etc.

The signing of Swisher and another good player would show to the loyal fans that this Management does mean business and want the club to succeed, this will inturn bring bums back on seats and more $$'s earned at each game through merchandise and food/drinks consumed.

The signing also signifies much more than that, it delivers hope that this great club will return to success, everyone wants them to succeed but sometimes we need to take a chance to gain that. If we don't make any signings other than Bay I believe fans will make the stance not to turn up this year as frequent as they have in the past. Why spend money to sit frustrated for hours only to see your beloved team lose again.

Time will tell I guess, i'm hoping the management do the right thing and deliver what is required, but jesus start getting aggressive in negotiations, put it dead in the free agents mind and their agent that Seattle is the only place worth considering. We want success and We Want You!

Yes I'm 10,000km's away but Seattle is in our blood regardless if you are in the city or not, we breath it and want success - Go Mariners (& Seahawks!!)

PS - Bring back the Sonics!!!!!

Round 8 - ETPBC Div 5

The weather gods were thinking of us on Saturday, the days before had reached high's around 39 degrees and a change in the weather with storms hit Thursday/Friday.

Our Div 5 squad reached Goodwood on an overcast 24 degree day, what we didn't realise was the Thunderstorm around us..

We weren't in any real danger so the game progressed as normal, Goodwood in past years has always been a tough game and we were really suprised what we saw next.

Myself, tired from the previous nights antics at the Russell Brand show @ Entertainment Centre and Cummo also at the same show but sinking 20+ ales....

But our squad showed something not seen this year, first inning run production. We piled on six runs in the first to put real pressure on Goodwood, unfortunately I couldn't join the hitting parade in that inning as I skied the ball to 1st..

Robbo, in his new running shoes, hopped on the plastic pitching mound. You heard correctly, PLASTIC. Speaking with some players they mentioned that the local public lobbied against the club to stop them adding dirt to the diamond to allow them to make a proper mound. The local residents like to bring their dogs to the park and feel that it will stop them from being able to use the oval... Sorry - I cannot believe how ridiculous that sounds and is, local residents who use the oval possibly once a day so their dog can unload on the oval - probably to be left there and not picked up... can potentially stop "Sport" from being played, or safely played, is beyond me...

This reminds me of the residents at Norwood Oval complaining about the occasional ball being hit over the fence in the Adelaide Bite games, some backward people almost cost that oval from continuing to just survive and keep baseball playing at Norwood.

What these little narrowminded people don't realise is their potentially stopping much needed revenue in struggling venues and local communities... If we stop playing sport because of a ball going over a fence or because someones dog can't take a dump then we may as well be soft like most Australians want and sit in our lounge room and get fat!

The same geese will then complain to their local council and government when places like Norwood oval then have to close down due to not enough revenue coming through from ticket sales and clubs using their venue...

Ok thats my rant about dumb narrowminded people

So, inning one all on fire, Robbo stepped on the mound and delivered his best as we closed out Goodwood with no runs on the board.

We continued to pile on our runs and take a commanding lead while Robbo kept them at bay and minimising the threat.

Cummo lead the days hitting, well hungover, yet delivered the best hitting i've seen from him all year, triple, double etc, but this all happened while we had runners on base - not sure what his final RBI tally was but it would be very high!

In the end Redsox ran out clear winners 21-5, sadly it should have been 21-1 however I had my biggest brain snap of the season, with runners on 1st and 2nd I received an easy ground ball. Ran to 3rd to get the runner out but then eyes set on glory threw the ball to 1st to get the runner out for a double play. Stupid Stupid thing to do as I wasn't balanced, overthrew the ball and in the end it went out of play and put two runners in scoring position. Unfortunately they then put on 3 runs which I will wear - never been so filthy with myself for an error which shouldn't have happened...

So overall my day, dissapointed with my fielding but happy with my batting coming away 2 hits from 5 at bats.

Back to training on Wednesday to work on both areas but sadly this weekend I will miss the game at Southern Districts whilst I play the role of jolly Saint Nick at my wife's child care centre. Been asked by the man himself to fill in for him...

Round 7 - ETPBC Div 5

I'm hoping my article isn't going to sound weird today, I'm writing this after a solid night on the PS3 checking out the latest Call of Duty installment, Black Ops II. Safe to say after a 5 or 6 hour stint playing it both my eyes and brain aren't functioning well with hardly any sleep...

Anyhow.. Last saturday we hosted Glenelg at home, we expected tough opposition from them and thats what we got.

It was a slightly different team to what we played last year and a new pitcher I hadn't seen before. The Glenelg pitcher must be given some credit for the score and the hit count, watching the first few batters I thought he was extremely hittable as there was no heat and it was coming very slowly into the box.

But, we should have learned from the last slow pitcher we faced... When a slow pitcher comes in it really throws you off guard and makes you chase the ball more and lose patience.

So after a few weeks off of the starting role, Robbo returned to weave his magic. For a pleasant change we held the opposition for a scoreless first inning, lately we've allowed runs in the first inning then have to battle for the lead back...

Our boys started off well with a few runners on bases in the first however couldn't capitalise and the first two innings went scoreless.

Glenelg managed to snare the lead in the 3rd and held onto the lead for the next few innings until Redsox finally got a runner over the line to square things up.

Redsox worked extremely hard in the field and snared the winning run in the bottom of the 6th, Robbo stepped up to the mound in the 7th and lights out, Redsox win 2-1.

Offensively, probably wasn't the best day for either side but thats what happens when two finals contending sides match off against each other in the regular season. Defensively, Redsox were awesome.

The previous week our team made a minimum of 8 errors (I stopped counting halfway through the game), Golden Grove scored 6 runs from errors in the field.

This week - Redsox had zero errors, that was the difference, our infield was solid with Angus having a game at 1st base, Hung moving over to 2nd, DR at Shortstop and yours truly at 3rd.

Outfield also boasted some strong defence with Jonesy at Left, Cummo at Centre and Ralphy dropping out to Right.

Defensively it was the best we've been all year, especially error wise, this is what we need to nail against the top sides - each game and practice we spend time improving facets of our defense, practice paid off for this game.

"Time and Game" was called and for the first time this year we played a full 7 innings before time was up.

For me personally, with the bat I had a not too good game, was 0 from 2 and didn't look like getting the hit I was looking for - part of me kept thinking of my hamstring which was feeling tight - need to forget that for this week and just hit hit hit.

Defensively I was very happy with my game, zero errors which is something i've been trying to do since my first couple of games where even though I made some really good plays I also fumbled the ball a bit. Made a nice throw in the 6th to remove the runner at 1st after a line drive which backed me away from the base - with cannon like precision I flamed it to 1st and runner sits down.

Ok - Glenelg we have met and worked hard to win the battle, this week we're away to Goodwood who in the past have always been strong, expect a tough game this weekend - especially for the pitchers who chuck the cleats away for the game and whack on runners.... the diamond we will be playing on doesn't have the usual dirt mound but has a plastic moulded mound which can get quite slippery...

Round 6 - ETPBC - Div 5

Well yesterday was always going to be frustrating for me, the previous week whilst being subbed back in the game for Scoop who just did his hamstring - I also did mine whilst stealing 2nd...

So, hamstring feels ok however not wanting to risk it I let Robbo know just to keep me as an emergency should anyone else get injured.

Number 1 rule of me and sport, god I hate watching. Even though I was happy to sit and do the team thing - part of me wanted to jump out and get back in my old position..

But I must be ageing because I was content not to be stupid and risk injuring further, earlier years I would have done just that...

Anyway, our Div 5 troops headed out for a rare away game out at Golden Grove, spirits earlier in the week were high as our form has been good however both Matt and Robbo could see the team that came today was not themselves mentally.

Raply started on the mound and to be honest I thought he pitched a bloody good game, the strike zone was extremely tough and not what we're used too. Errors played alot also with the mind of the team as Robbo pointed out after the game - Golden Grove took 6 runs by our fielding errors....

Our boys started with the bats quite confidently however were unable to capitalise and get some early runs on the board, something we have struggled with this year - get out and put a teams morale down early... We ended up leaving runners in scoring positions which would soon cost us.

Golden Grove came out and hit, although there weren't many impressive hits, mostly bloopers and bleeders, they still recorded hits and were able to get out to a massive lead in the first inning 7-0...

Ralphy, already getting frustrated by the small strike zone continued through for another inning. Like I said, he didn't pitch bad at all but was very frustrated he wasn't being rewarded with the strikes he was working hard for.

2nd Inning was similar to the first, Red Sox failed to get the hits that we needed and again leaving runners in scoring position, Golden Grove on the other hand came out and nailed another 3 or 4 on the scoreboard making it a 10-1 ball game..

Matty came in to take over from Ralphy and pitched well considering he hasn't pitched for some time and he's still not 100% after the calf injury. He too found the strike zone tough but worked hard to keep Glden Grove at check.

That was the majority of the runs we really saw of Golden Grove in the end as they comfortably ran out winners 13-3.

Unfortunately for positives, the boys will all agree there wasn't many yesterday, errors and not getting runs in cost us badly.

I felt for the boys and it was super hard being there and not helping out, best I could do was support from the bench and try and use as much voice as possible.

So, training Wednesday and we need to focus on a bit of fielding but also using the bat, might need to maybe thing of using runners to simulate runners in scoring position...

Next week is a big challenge, Glenelg at home, a very tough game.

The Walking Dead

I will safely go out and say this has to be the best TV show ever produced.

Never has my wife and I been so on edge until the next episode is aired and then laced with uncertainty on what is about to unfold.

The Walking Dead was something I first heard about a year or so ago, as usual it had alot of hype built around it. I don't like hype and jump on things straight away - I've always been funny like that but now I'm wishing I didn't...

Last years Adelaide Comicon had alot of stuff featuring The Walking Dead and I started to gather more interest rather than pushing it away, I had a quick like while at the comicon and it started to sound interesting.

I jumped online that night and started checking out the website trying to find info on what this show was all about. Sounded good so thought lets take a plunge and get Season 1, then go from there.

Thats where the love affair started....

Right off the bat, Episode 1, Season 1, had it all. The main character Rick in a nutshell being introduced and then being placed in a como after being shot through the left shoulder. After months of being in this state Rick awakes in the hospital reliving a memory of his partner Shane talking about flowers his precinct gave to him.

From here Rick goes through the agonising process of trying to work out what has happened to the city, loved ones, friends etc. Its not until he meets Morgan and his son Duane that he starts to see the picture and how the city, if not the world has been decimated by this disease.

Rick however is convinced his wife Lori and son Carl are still alive so he sets out to Atlanta to see if they are at the Refugee Centre, the Centre for Disease Control is also based there..

For one episode introducing us to The Walking Dead it had everything, high speed car chase ending up with three criminals shot dead including Rick. We've then got the unknown part of whats happening to Rick as he wakes up and travels to his house trying to comprehend what has happened, then we have him grasping the reality of whats happened then off to search for his family.

The remainder of the series is just as good as the first episode, packed with action, twists and turns at ever corner and awesome zombie slaying!

The Walking Dead's producers have put real attention to detail, leaving us believing this is a true story or is so damn believable that this is what it will look like.. From the location to the look of the zombies, this is one brilliantly put together story.

The characters have been brilliantly chosen also, My favourites Rick and Daryl are perfect for their roles. Rick the police officer taking charge of leading the group and Daryl as the trusty tracker who is probably the best fighter in the group.

Season 2 the group moves from the centre for disease control and comes across a farm after Ricks son Carl is shot by a member of the farm. The group move in temporarily while Carl is cared for by Hershel.

The writers/producers never fail to suprise us viewers as you can never assume what is about to happen.

Take the change in attitude from Shane, one which I thought would be a major character right through next couple of series, he became enraged and flooded with stalker/jealousy type thoughts when it came to Lori and Rick. Everyone watched with dismay as he hurdled quickly out of control and built such hatred for his best friend, then, lured Rick out to the woods to kill him and make it look as if a walker got him.

The next suprise was Shane then returning from the dead and about to attack Rick, who had his back to him, to then be shot by Carl... Bet Shanes spewing he taught Carl how to shoot now... haha

Next suprise was once that shot was fired it attracted a herd of zombies who were following the sound of a helicopter, sadly they shifted focus from that to where the shot came from and stumbled upon the farm - lives were lost and the group had to leave in a hurry leaving Andrea behind.

As much as I was shocked by the above, the biggest shock for me during Season 2 was the search for Sophia. The group, especially Daryl, looked long and hard for Sophia even as the weeks passed by.

Then as Shane blew his trolley and ran down to the barn and let out the zombies being held in there, one by one Shane and the others cut them down with a flurry of bullets. A pile of corpses remained including that of Hershels wife and people they knew well, then a noise came from the barn, one final zombie remained.

What shocked the group and I dare say nearly everyone watching the TV show was the zombie slowly walking out was Sophia, the hope all clung too that she would once be found was lost and the TV community was wowed at one of the children of the show was now turned to the zombie public.

I remember sitting with my wife watching that episode in pure shock, we were sure Sophia would be found and when she came out it was gut wrenching.

The final episode of Season 2 gave a glimpse of hope for the survivors, a massive prison in the background, this is the sort of place they could take over, fortify and then try reclaim neighbouring areas and maybe attract survivors.

The prison would also give a safe area for Lori to give birth...

Season 3 starts out with a bang as the group comes across the Prison, empty to the living but full of the walking dead. Rick instructs all to take the first part of the prison, just shy of the main buildings. A very very good plan, one, they have a safe area which they can rest for a few days and two, they have two lines of fences between them and the zombies.

The area is taken with minimal resistance and the group takes time to rest, but what is clear to Rick, indoors and beds are what the group needs.

He devises a plan for the group to take one of the cell blocks so that they can then later take the supply areas and wardens blocks. The cell block is taken easily and the group can now rest in peace on beds for the first time in almost a year.

Whilst searching the adjoining blocks for supplies the group are forced into a blocked off area after Hershel is bitten by a zombie which was laying against a wall appearing to be already disposed of. Rushing into the room Rick quickly begins to remove the part of the leg just above where he was bitten, hopefully removing the threat of the bite and saving his life.

A group of prisoners are found hiding in the kitchen area of the room, something isn't right though with atleast one of them, Ricks instinct about them is correct when he ignores their plea for them to stay in the groups cell block.

Rather a plan is revised that Rick and the group would help clear another cell block, then each live seperately without contact. All agree and they proceed to clear out the 2nd block, its what they witness in the clearing that worries Rick and Daryl.

Firstly, Big Tiny, one of the prisoners found is bitten by a walker, whilst the group is deciding what should be done, the main prisoner, Tomas, attacks Big Tiny smashing his skull, he then proceeds to unleash a series of attacks on Big Tiny whilst blood covers him all over. The group including some of the other prisoners look on with caution at what Tomas is capable of.

Secondly whilst in one of the rooms Rick orders only one of the doors to be opened to ensure a slow amount of walkers enter the room, instead Tomas opens both and puts the group under pressure as well as pushing a walker onto Rick.

Tomas claims it was an accident, this was further proof to Rick he shouldn't stay on - with that Rick drives a machete into Tomas's head.

The other prisoners plead their case and subsequently are allowed to live in the cleared cell block.

With this taken care of focus has now shifted from Rick and the survivors to a new group led by The Governer, a helicopter crashes in a forrest further down from the prison, the sole survivor is picked up by the Governer and his crew with Michonne and Andrea watching from a far.

An old foe appears from behind and holds them at gun point, Meryl Dixon, the one all thought had died in Atlanta or in surrounding area was found dying by the Governer and given a 2nd chance.

They along with the pilot are taken to a fortified town with approx 60 survivors who have built walls around and made a mini city. Michonne is extremely cautious and urges Andrea to consider them not staying long as not is all what it seems.

Over the cause of the next few episodes Michonne's hunches are coming to light, The Governer not only kills the pilot but also kills his surviving National Guard group in a nearby camp. He also has a sidekick scientist which is working on captured zombies who produces a weird Tea which the Governer is quite fond of.

Alot of questions are left in viewers minds on what is the Governers plans for the survivors, the scientist etc.

Questions I have:

*Is the scientist looking for a cure to bring the zombies back to life?
*What is this "Tea" made of...
*Why does the Governer keep the heads of zombies alive in a fish tank environment - is this where the tea is brewed from?
*Is the Governer trying to build a new race/breed within the city by getting the women survivors pregnant?

There are just a couple of what I would love to know about this new group added to the series.

Back to Rick's group, a sabatour residing within the prison cuts wholes in the fences from the other side of the compound and lures a hoard of zombies to the group. Choas reigns as the group, already split up with Rick, Daryl and Glenn are on the outside of the main fence.

As walkers flood into the area the group splits up to find safety whilst Rick, Daryl and Glenn speed to come and help. Lori, Carl and Maggie run into the cell block however this is being flooded with walkers, Lori starts getting pain from her stomach so they hide in the boiler room.

Meanwhile T-Dog is bitten on the shoulder whilst trying to close one of the gates, he leads Carol into the cell block trying to get her to safety - when a group of walkers confront them he takes them all on to let Carol leave.

Rick and the group arrive and start clearing walkers, Hershel tells him that Lori and the rest are inside - to make matters worse a loud siren is blaring which is coming from the back up generators.

When the group locate the generators they are met by the mystery sabatour, Andrew. He attacks Rick and they struggle with each other, Rick's gun is thrown but picked up by Oscar, one of the other prisoners. Andrew pleads for him to shoot Rick so that the prisoners can reclaim the prison as theirs. Instead Oscar shoots Andrew allowing them to shut off the generator and go look for the rest of the group.

What happens next is close to the most shocking moments of the three series. Lori, hemorrhaging, instructs Maggie to do a c section on her, Maggie knowing that this will ultimately kill Lori pleads for her to wait til they get back to Hershel and the group. Lori knows her time is up and doesn't want to lose her baby, she tells Maggie there isn't enough time and then assures Carl its ok and the best thing she ever did was to have Carl.

Maggie performs the c section with the help from Carl and delivers the baby, during this Lori drifts off to sleep and ultimately dies. Carl tells Maggie that he will be the one to kill her once she turns.

Wow - I for one didn't see that coming, both my wife and I sat more in shock than when Sophia was found as a walker.

Rick's reaction brought out the reality of what just happened, for what he fought to protect, his wife of so many years was gone, just like that. No doubt he will also blame himself for her being in that position as he swore to protect her and Carl.

Well I'm going to leave the description there, I'm an episode short but I have many questions about Season 3 and with Ricks group:

*What will Rick do now, will he be fit enough to remain in charge?
* How will the group recover from losing two of their main characters?
*All are assuming Carol died, I remain confident she didn't, so where is she?
*The mysterious person watching Carol from the woods, was this Morgan and his son?
*If not, when and where will Morgan reappear?
*Should Rick and the group now take and clear the remainder of the prison with a view to then exploring nearby areas to find survivors and build their group?
*If so, should they trust newcomers into the group?
*Will the Governer locate Rick's group and try to slaughter them?
*If so, will Meryl try to lure Daryl over or will Daryl succumb and kill his brother to defend his new family?

No matter how or if i've described it the right way above, this television series has captured the mind and imagination of millions of people. Since the first episode aired many months ago to the most recent this week I have thought constantly about the series, what would I do, where would I go, wow why did that happen or how did this all come about...

Either way you look at it, its a believable story which guaranteed after you've watched a few episodes, it will leave you wondering!

If your reading this and you haven't yet succumbed to the phenomenon that is The Walking Dead, I urge you to check out the first season and make your mind up from there..

Me - I'm hoping this continues for another 5+ seasons, this is a storyline that could keep going for a long time.