Chapter 3

January 10^th 11pm

Dear Diary;

While everyone was helping me clean up after breakfast Jane asked me if I was still single, she wants to set me up with a co-worker of hers. I let her know that I'm single because I'm really picky to which everyone else there could attest to that having tried to set me up at least once or twice, but they quickly stopped realizing how picky I am.

She just wouldn't quit though, so I just gave her a few suggestions so as not to waste anyone's time. Not an airhead, which was quickly reaffirmed by everyone else at least twice, kind, and while looks weren't #1 in my book I needed to be attracted to her. She looked surprised by the criteria of my list, and when I asked her why, all she said was that she had thought that looks would've been #1 and that's why she had heard from Keith that I was so picky. I really didn't know how to answer her and everyone else just sorta chuckled a bit.

After taking a quick shower I checked out sports center to see if there were any trades made or signings, when I saw that Matt had been traded to the Reds. Immediately I called Matt's cell phone to let him know in case he didn't get the news. He told me he knew last night but didn't want to say anything because he didn't want us playing on the same team to be the reason that I did or didn't retire. We then shot the shit for a few minutes before he had to go meet his cousins, me sort of letting him know who was really annoying and if Jack was a good coach or not.

Matt's statement got me thinking as did my brothers statement last night about what would I do. I had been considering going to college seeing as how I feeling insecurity at being the only one of my friends not to have gone to college since I entered baseball immediately after high school. Matt who had that same opportunity choose to do things differently and recently I had been regretting that decision.

I've made a decision I'm going to at least play one more year, I know that having a friend on the team with me during the year should help me from being a completely isolated during the season. After that point I'm going to either continue playing or go to college, I'll start sending in applications to various schools, nothing ivy league or anything but decent schools.

Jan 12^th 10am

Sorry about skipping a day diary but nothing interesting happened yesterday given it was Sunday and I just decided to just sit at home and read a new book, Blood of Gold by Anne Rice just in case you were wondering.

After deciding to play out this year and then make up my mind I quickly called my agent to tell him my decision, but that I don't want it public knowledge. I then called my friends to let them know of my decision, and asking them if they are ashamed of me because I didn't go to college, and that question really bothered most of them because they felt that I wouldn't have mattered if I'd dropped out of school as they were my friends no matter what and if I did something that bothered them they would let me know. My next call was to my mother, then father, all of whom seemed indifferent to my decision, except when I told them that I was considering going to college, that seemed to perk them up, my mother especially since she never had a chance to go and since I was a little kid had aspirations of me doing what she never had a chance to do.

The next thing on my agenda was to find out about some winter tournaments that I had heard about from Jack, and if there was any that were going to only last a few weeks and that were starting soon, and I then called my travel agent to let them know I was going to be going to traveling to Alto Vega in Puerto Rico for 3 weeks leaving tomorrow morning.

Then I called Matt again and let him know about the tourney and suggested he come with me seeing as how we both could use the playing, and I told him what I knew about it. 3 weeks long 30 games in 21 days which obviously included several double headers, and that the type of ball played was extremely competitive which was what I knew would interest him the most. When he heard that part he agreed and hung up to call his travel agent.