What I do During the Off-Season

Hello, MM followers!  You figured I couldn't stay away for the entire off-season, and you were right!  This time of year is actually a pretty busy one for the General Managers and front office staff of all Major League baseball teams.  Players have to be traded, free agents have to be signed, and season tickets have to be sold.  Josh Hamilton still needs to pick a team, the Washington Nationals still need to work out a deal with Gold-Glove winner Adam LaRoche, and Kevin Youkilis still needs to decide if he wants to wear Yankee pinstripes for a year since third base will be open for at least the first half of next season while A-Rod recovers from hip surgery (I wonder if A-Rod received the flowers I sent him - NOT!).

Speaking of Gold Glove, all the post-season awards were handed out shortly after the World Series ended.  You can go to this link to see a complete list of who won which award:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2012/index.jsp

I was happy to see several players from my Washington Nationals on the list - Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper (I was skeptical when they called him up from the minors back in May, but he really did have a great rookie season); Adam LaRoche (who won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and Defensive Player of the Year for first base); Ian Desmond and Stephen Strasburg (who earned Silver Slugger awards for their positions); and NL Manager of the Year, Davey Johnson.  Orioles players were a-plenty as well (except for Buck Showalter, who should have gotten the AL Manager of the Year award), and the Giants' Buster Posey walked away with about 50 different awards (and he deserved every one of them!).

So the awards were handed out, the General Managers have been meeting, and "Dancing With the Stars" is over.  So how have I kept myself busy during the past month without live baseball on TV?  Here is a sampling of what I've been up to:

• I watched "The History of the World Series" on the MLB Network (channel 738 for local Comcast viewers - I bet you didn't even know you had that channel!).
• I watched "A History of the Major League Ballpark" on the MLB Network.
• I organized my baseball card binders and sent some cards to Beckett for encasing and grading (and many of them came back with not-so-good grades - a "4" for the Clemente my brother gave me for Christmas back in 1989?  Really???).
• I watched "Baseball by the Numbers" on the MLB Network
• I raked the leaves in the front yard.
• I decorated the house for Christmas.
• I watched "MLB Tonight" on the MLB Network.
• I went on WalMart's website and checked out their extensive array of Washington Nationals merchandise (and decided that Curly "W" curtains would not look good in my living room).
• I convinced my husband to run the St. Louis marathon with me next October.
• I contemplated going back to school and pursuing a Doctorate in Sport Management and Sport Theory but realized I couldn't do it for free.
• I watched "Baseball's Seasons" on the MLB Network
• I convinced my father to take us to a winter-league baseball game while we are visiting him and my mother in Puerto Rico.

So as you can see, I've kept myself plenty busy since the last out of the World Series was made.  And since pitchers and catchers can start reporting to their Spring Training locations starting on February 12 and the World Baseball Classic is less than 85 days away, I think I'll be fine for the next couple of months.  Stay tuned though, because the 2013 inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced in early January, and I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about that!

Felíz Navidad, everyone!