Chris Swauger Blogs From Colombia 2010

October 23, 2010 - Returning To Colombia

November 1, 2010 - Energy & Desire

November 10, 2010 - Focus

November 24, 2010 - Dealing With Failure

CBNL Winter Ball Special: Chris Swauger - Dealing With Failure

I am pretty sure one of the hardest things to do in life is to deal with failure.

Thankfully, I play a game where when you fail 70% of the time, you are one of the best. So, I feel like I have a head start on everyone else because I have to deal with it on a daily basis. Although it is on a slightly smaller scale than life because I am talking about a game, it still has some gravity because right now this game is how I make my living. I think failing is a formality in this game and in life, but I think how people deal with failure is more important.

Baseball is the most humbling game on the planet. As soon as I feel like I have figured it all out and I should never make an out again, the game finds a way to bring me back to reality. My coach at The Citadel, Fred Jordan, used to say that you don't play the opposing team or pitcher as much as you play against the game of baseball itself. The more I play the more I believe he is right. As a hitter you can do everything right: get a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it, hit the ball where it's pitched, and still make an out. Watch any baseball game and you will see pitcher's make mistakes in the middle of the plate, the hitter smashes the ball but it goes right to one of the fielders. Now, the pitcher made a bad pitch, the hitter did everything right, and the fielder stood in his normal position and put his glove in front of the ball. In my opinion, the opposing team did nothing to create this out. The game did. There are countless examples of this, but my point is that sometimes failure is just a part of playing this game even when everything is done exactly like it’s supposed to be.

I used to get frustrated when things like this happened. Don't get me wrong I have gotten myself out by taking bad swings or swinging at bad pitches plenty of times, but it seems like the really bad slumps start when the game starts fighting you. Your bloopers don't fall and your line drives all get caught. I have struggled dealing with this in the past and never really knew how to correct the shaken confidence that goes along with it. However, I have learned a few new things down here in Colombia this season.

First of all, I have learned to trust myself and the things that I am working on to get better. I have done this through working with Jeff Albert, who has been my hitting coach (and pretty much my hitting mentor) for the majority of time I have been in professional baseball. We we're together for the entire season in Batavia in 2008 and for parts of 2009 and 2010 in Palm Beach. He has helped me mold my swing to where it is now, but more recently he has helped me with the mental side of it. He has encouraged me to trust what I am working on in practice and that although the results may not manifest themselves immediately in the game, they will show up eventually. Even if you fail, it is the manner in which you fail that matters, and how you respond to it.

This brings me to the second thing I have learned to do, accept failure and learn from it. In the past if I hit a line drive and made and out, I would get frustrated. That would carry over into my next at-bat or next few at-bats and they would gradually get worse until I was in a slump. I've learned now (by talking to teammates and coaches about it) to take the positives out of every at-bat. Yes, I did make an out and if I would have hit the ball 3 inches to the left or right it would have been a hit. However, I did what I was supposed to do. Get a good pitch and hit it hard. I did everything I was working on leading up to that at-bat. So, from my point of view I have to look at it as a successful at-bat.

This type of progress I feel I have been making has never been more evident than after our series in Monteria last weekend. I went 1 for 11 and struck out a few times. I started to get frustrated, but a few timely words from Jeff turned me right around. He showed me a little bit of video from my at-bats that showed I was doing exactly what I had been working on in practice. Just that my timing was a little bit off. I was still putting good swings on pitches. The results just weren't quite there. Sure enough, in the next 5 games I tallied 9 hits. In the past I feel like I may have gone into a prolonged slump, but in this case I trusted myself and didn't worry about the game fighting me a little bit in the results column. It has worked out great so far.

We are still in first place at 14-5 and enjoy a 3 game lead on our next closest opponent, Los Leones de Monteria, who will come into our house for a 2 game series starting tomorrow. This should be fun.

-Chris Swauger

CBNL Winter Ball Special: Chris Swauger - Focus

(Mark Shorey, Adron Chambers, Chris Swauger)

It rains all the time here.

However, just like everything else in baseball, something can be learned from this. I think the lesson here is how to maintain focus. Baseball tends to be a streaky sport. When everything is clicking it seems like the pitcher is throwing a beach ball at you. If the ball comes anywhere near the strike zone it's getting whacked. Other times, it feels like they are throwing Tic-Tacs. It doesn't matter if it's an underhand softball toss the ball seems to find someones mitt (and most of the time it belongs to the catcher). But, you play so many games that the hot and cold streaks seem to even out. So, what happens when you only get to play one or two games a week?

In this league we are supposed to play 5 games a week, with Mondays and Thursdays reserved as off-days and travel days. On paper it looks like a great schedule because you play a lot of games but have ample time to rest your body and travel. However, the rainy season has thrown a monkey wrench into our schedule. Thus far, we've played 8 games in almost 3 weeks. We have won all of our games and enjoy a 3 game lead in the standings. Still, the game is fighting some of our players. It is difficult to find a groove and have confidence in your swing when you rarely get to take batting practice, much less see a live arm. This situation has taught me a very valuable lesson. The power of focus.

Each time I step into the box, I know I have to be locked in. I have to know (or at least have a really good idea) of what the pitcher likes to do and what I want to do based on the situation and count. It is definitely more difficult to do this when you only play a couple times a week. So, what I have learned to do is step up my mental game. Visualization and anticipation have become more a part of my game. It is something that the Cardinals have started to implement with the help of sports psychologists, but I really never utilized it until some of the older players mentioned it to me. They told me that even when we don't play, I can still get better. Visualization of the game in my head can make it feel as if we actually did play and keep my senses sharp. I don't want to try and sound like some Zen master, but it seems to help me. Not playing games used to really impair my ability to perform, but now I seem to be able to roll with it a lot better. I think this is exactly what it would be like to be a bench player. Pinch-hitting and playing a couple times a week seems like a really tough job but I feel like because of the weather and the schedule here, I have gotten a taste of it. It is surely a positive experience that has come out of a negative situation.

CBNL Winter Ball Special: Chris Swauger - Energy & Desire

I have never been a part of a team that LOVES to play baseball as much as this one. Maybe it is partially because we have been rained out so much the first couple games of the season (3 out of 5 games) that guys are going out of their minds to step on a field even if it is muddy. Still, I have never woken up in the morning with as much enthusiasm for the game as I do right now. Don't get me wrong, I have always had a passion for baseball. Since I was 4 years old it has been my favorite thing to do. I don't think an hour has gone by in my life that I haven't thought about something to do with baseball. I eat, sleep, and breathe it. I get to live a dream everyday I go to the ballpark and put on that Cardinal red. However, sometimes this game wears on you.

Ask any baseball player how they feel about this game and they will tell you they love it, and at the same time they hate it. It is a game of failure. You fail 70% of the time and you are considered great? That makes no sense, but it is the essence of our game. The players who deal with failure the best are the ones that succeed in this game. Having a short memory and staying positive all the time are keys to that success. It's a lot easier to do that when you are excited to come to the ballpark everyday.

Granted, it's easier to be excited when your team is 5-0 and has come from behind to win 3 times out of those 5 games. Everyone on our team has contributed, including the bench players. In the game on Saturday every pitcher in our bullpen threw in the game that went 11 innings. Both runs to tie the game in the 9th were scored by pinch-runners who hadn't played a game all year. And what is amazing to me is those guys who hadn't played and knew they weren't going to play the next day had the most energy. The next day when I showed up to hit early, they were the first ones there with me. It is a great thing to see guys trying to get better. I know it's making me better. And I know that type of enthusiasm for this game and to play is something that I can take back with me to the States. Wherever I play this year in the Cardinals' organization, I want to play with the energy and desire to win that burns within our players here on a daily basis.

If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to email me at jrocke217@yahoo.com

CBNL Winter Ball Special: Chris Swauger - Returning To Colombia

Most people would think I was crazy to sign up to go play baseball in a country I had never been to and where I did not know anyone. As a matter of fact, at that time, I had never even been out my own country, much less a country that had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous in South America. But, last year I decided to jump at an opportunity to play more baseball in the Colombian Winter Baseball league, and it ended up being one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Baseball has taken me all over the place during my life. When I was younger all my family "vacations" centered around what tournament I was playing in that weekend. I would like to take this chance to say thank you to my parents for driving and flying all over the country to support my chasing my dream. Without them I would not be here today and they are truly and inspiration to me. Since I have been in pro ball, I have not gotten to see my family very much because of all the travel. But, I have developed a new family with my teammates and the staff. I learned that here in Colombia. The team is a family and we always have each other's back. That was the first thing I was told when I arrived last year.

When I came down last year, I was ready for anything and expected nothing. I was ready for whatever. When I stepped off of the plane and got on the bus, I got a reality check and gained a new perspective very quickly. Our ride to the hotel was in the middle of rush hour in downtown Barranquilla and it was definitely eye-opening. Taxis were everywhere, intermingled with buses, motorcycles, and an occasional donkey-draw carriage in the middle of the highway. People were scattered everywhere, some clothed, some not. Stray dogs and trash littered the street. But, in the midst of what seemed to me like the worst poverty I could imagine, Most of the people were smiling, laughing and joking with one another. I could not figure out why. I learned quickly though.

My first day at the field, every member of the team came up and shook my hand and introduced themselves to me. Then they proceeded to go to every one of their teammates and give them a hug or shake their hands and say hello. After the third or fourth day of this, I went and asked one of them, Donovan Solano, why they do that. He told me that they say hello to everyone every day they see them because it is a blessing that they made it through the day and so did all of their teammates. Basically, they cherish every moment they have with each other and on this team. That was when I realized why everyone in the street was so joyful. They were so excited just to be surviving and living another day. They were happy to be able to go home to their family at night, even if there were ten or fifteen people jammed in a house designed for five. The same was true with my new team. They were my new family. We bled, sweat, and cried baseball together. We prayed together before every game and practice (something that might be looked at strangely in the United States, but here it was something to bring everyone together every day). We grew as a family (and a team) every time we stepped on the field and it ultimately translated into a championship last year.

This year I have returned to Caimanes de Barranquilla (Barranquilla Gators) at the urging of my family at home and the St. Louis Cardinals. They both have told me that this is another great opportunity to get better on the field and develop as a player. But, I also wanted to come back. I wanted to be with my other family.

The media here calls Barranquilla my "segundo hogar" or, my second home. I am in my second home right now and we just won our first game of the 2010-11 season last night. Everyone on the team contributed in a come-from-behind win. It seems like our family is coming together very quickly.

I will keep everyone posted throughout the season on how things are going down here and my experiences, good and bad. I hope that everyone enjoys my postings and that they are informative. Thank you for your time and allowing me to post my thoughts and perspectives here in this blog.

Chris Swauger

Cardinals Best News Links Expands In Winter Ball Coverage

I first would like to welcome Chris Swauger to the Cardinals Best News Links blog. It is great to finally get this project off the ground and have a player who is open to write about his experience in another country whether it be playing, meeting the locals, or even site seeing. Many Cardinals fans will enjoy and cherish this with you as you participate.

This has been something I have been actually working on for the last 2 years. I wanted to take a page from the MLB Blogs and bring it here for the Cardinals fans. But at the same time introduce other players and other leagues that aren't getting the coverage they deserve. Last fall/winter I almost had my first but things didn't work out. This year Swauger was open to the idea.

I have been covering Cardinals winter ball since the 2008 winter season over at The Cardinal Nation. There you will get daily posts on how the Cardinals players/prospects and even former players/prospects are doing during the offseason. In that time I have gotten to know the various leagues, the times they open their seasons, and who plays where during those times. Sometimes it can be complicated but after a couple years, you really become a fan of these leagues and their teams.

I have been luck enough to put together interviews with Luke Gorsett (Nicaragua, 2007) and Mark Hamilton (Dominican Republic, 2009). I even came within minutes of chatting with Amaury Cazana, while he was in Nicaragua a couple years ago, before he was invited to Cardinals spring camp. I make connections with some of the local media/bloggers in the various countries to help expand the experience/knowledge for the fans and even the players who have an interest in playing in these areas.

So please enjoy this, comment whenever, and if you can't feel free to email me at jrocke217@yahoo.com with any questions whether it be for me of for Chris. I will be sure to pass anything along to Chris as I'm sure he will be happy to hear from any and all of the fans. Be sure to headline emails 'Cardinals Best News Links' so I do not erase.

Thanks

Jrocke217