The last few weeks has flown by.  Playing five games a week and wrapping up final papers and presentations is not an easy task.  Classes end on Monday and then we have a week off for exams.  This week off will be good for everyone to recover and get ready for our stretch run.  During exams we do not have mandatory practice, but we all know that we need to stay in shape on our own if we want to make it back to Omaha.  Since the school year is coming to an end that means that we had to attend a few different banquets.  This past Monday was the entire athletic department end of the year banquet held in the Dean Dome.  They fed us and there was a small program including a highlight video, a few speakers, and awards.  The baseball team was recognized for being in the top ten percent in APR (Academic Progress Rate) for the year so that was pretty neat.  Last week was the Leadership Academy banquet.  The Leadership Academy is optional for student-athletes and gives them an opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills.  I was fortunate to graduate from this program and I feel that it will help me throughout life.  We had a handful of guys get recognized at the banquet for their participation.

This past weekend was one of the most enjoyable for me.  Not only did we win all three games, but the new stadium was dedicated and "made official".  It was also exciting to see the fan turnout all week and it was fun to share our new home with all the people that made it happen and let them see how fortunate we are to play baseball at Carolina.  It has been an amazing experience for me to be a part of the transformation of this program.   The entire team is grateful for all those that contributed to this great stadium.

For those of you that toured the stadium, you may have noticed that in the bathroom we now have combs and other toiletries.  I know for me personally I combed my hair for the first time in about 8 years.  Also, it has been amusing to see some of the hairdos that some of the guys have been flashing now that we have the option of combing our hair.  Ryan Graepel has put together the best hairstyles so far.

My apologies for not posting a blog last week.  We have been very busy with back to back road series against Georgia Tech and Florida State.  I think most teammates would agree with me when I say that we have had two long and painful bus rides.  Highlights of the Georgia Tech trip included the movie Tommy Boy, a verse of "I'm Proud to Be an American" started by Mark Fleury, and some turned to schoolwork for a cruel kind of entertainment.  We have three weeks left of classes, so this is the time where the papers and projects start to pile up.  Thursday morning we left at 7:30 a.m. and we arrived in Tallahassee around 6:30 p.m.  We were able to practice at Dick Howser Stadium last night for about an hour.  In my opinion, the Florida State fans create the best atmosphere in the ACC.

Last week our brand new whirlpools were filled and ready to be used.  The hot one gets up to 100 degrees and the cold one was down at 50 degrees.  At one point the cold pool looked yellowish-brown due to some minor setbacks, but our trainer Terri Jo tried to remain optimistic by calling it the "Mountain Dew" pool.  This week I think just about everyone has jumped in the pools at some time and there have even been some unofficial pool parties.  There is talk about getting a few basketball goals by the pools, but I don't think our trainers want us shooting hoops during rehab.

Some Thoughts:
1.    Not to brag or anything, but I predicted all four Final Four teams in my bracket and the NCAA champion.

2.    Chase Jones was the target of this year's April Fools Day prank.  The prank basically involved switching his locker with a clever storyline to go along with it.

3.    The most popular song on the team currently seems to be one made up by our one and only Mike McKee.  He has created his own tribute to Bryant Gaines or "Donk" and names it "My Reliable Donkey".