Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Corey. It sounds like it was well worth the trip!

Another player who had a locker next to mine in the clubhouse was a starting pitcher and in one game he pitched TEN INNINGS in that 83 degree heat and South Florida sun. He ended up passing out and collapsed during the banquet later that night and EMT’s were called in to attend to him. They took him to the ER and he spent the night at the hospital for evaluation. We found out later it was extreme dehydration that caused him to essentially drop like a fly at dinner. He missed a day of camp out of precaution and came back to play. We faced him in the Friday playoff game and he pitched all seven innings and he was real tough to beat.

The Pro Staff kept reminding us TAKE IT EASY and HYDRATE. But it was so hard to let up when running the bases. The juice just flows and I felt like the Flash out on the base paths. Every time I rounded a base, I could hear “Soup” Campbell shouting, “Easy! Easy! Easy!”. But my body was saying “F*** THAT! I WANNA RUUUUUUN!!!!!”

I was in heaven despite my bum legs and the admonishments of the coaches. I had a number of hits during the week, and at least 4-5 of them were infield hits that I beat the throw to first. I just love to run.

It ended up working out great. Andy Schmakel was my roomie, he was 34 years old and a veteran of Afghanistan, who now works stateside for the Army in upstate New York. Andy is a Minnesota native and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year award for this year’s Fantasy Camp. As I recall, he batted .692 for the week while performing some arduous duties as a catcher for the Hrbekskis (it was 83+ degrees every day, and playing at least 2 ballgames a day takes it’s toll).

It was nice having someone to talk to about the day’s events and to sit with at each of the five banquets. I have never been to Fantasy Camp before and so I didn’t know any of the campers when I arrived. Having a roommate helped break the ice in the first two days. By the time Monday and Tuesday arrived, we had been placed on our respective teams, and once I started playing ball, I got the chance to know my teammates. By the end of the week, I became friends with a fellow outfielder named Shawn Roerick who really helped me to keep my perspective about how Fantasy Camp baseball is played, what to look for from pitchers, etc. He was a great mentor to have. Shawn had a great attitude, put a lot of heart and effort into playing and stayed upbeat no matter how he played or how the team played.

All said and done, I had an absolute blast and never took a moment of it for granted. It was the most fun I have ever had playing baseball. I will definitely be going back.

And I will definitely remember to do a lot more strength and conditioning work on my lower back and legs. My poor hip, quads, and calves were in agony by Thursday of Camp week. I was in the hot tub and cold tub in the trainers room every day. Next time I will be stronger and more flexible.

The doubling up in rooms has two advantages, that come to mind, in addition to the obvious (keeping fees lower than they would be otherwise). First, it gives campers a little taste of minor league pro ball life, where they do have room mates on the road, and second, well… let’s be honest… for some campers, it’s probably not a bad idea to have campers on a “buddy system” just to make sure there’s someone around to call 9-1-1 at any hour, day or night!

But doubling up in rooms with that fee. Gee. We are not talking about 20 year old kids here