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January 14, 2010 Hey guys, Happy New Year! I know it’s been a while since I last blogged but I’ve been trying to catch up on some rest and relaxation. I’ve really been enjoying the off-season and now have quite a few things to update everyone on. As many of you probably know, shortly after the season ended I surprised the guys in my family with a golf trip to Scotland. For months I had them thinking we would be doing a tour of the northwest, hitting courses in Oregon, Washington, and Canada - all part of my secret plan so they’d be sure to pack their passports. I planned the trip through an international travel company and the night before we were scheduled to leave I revealed my plan that we’d actually be spending six days teeing off at some of the world’s best courses in Scotland. We played Balcomie Links in Fife, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Murfield and Carnoustie. It was a trip of a lifetime and my wife Catie and I had so much fun planning it. One of the best parts of the whole thing was seeing their faces the night I surprised them with Scotland! Once I was back in the States I had a minor surgery on my left thumb. The surgery went well and the thumb feels great. After surgery I was left with a cast on my hand and doctors orders not to do much. No baseball, no golf, basically a whole lot of nothing…except watching football. Fortunately for me, December is a great time to be stuck on the couch…I think I saw every college football game played. The cast definitely didn’t keep me from going to the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome, however. The good news is my thumb feels great now and I’m on track to be ready for Spring Training. I started hitting again this week and all is well! I feel really good…no problems with my thumb and I’m just excited to be getting back in the swing of things. “Ho Jo” (Met’s hitting coach, Howard Johnson) came down to Atlanta this week and we were able to get some work in together in the cages and on the field. Next thing you know I’ll be heading to Port St. Lucie in mid-February for Spring Training. I’m definitely excited to join Mets camp this year and I’ll be sure to check back in with you guys from Florida.
Another highlight from my off-season was a wedding anniversary beach trip. Catie and I, along with a few friends, fled the freezing cold weather of Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and headed south to Mexico. Our favorite spot is Punta Mita and ever since we spent our honeymoon there we’ve made it an annual trip. I’m looking forward to another season getting underway. I’ll talk to you guys from Port St. Lucie next month!
September 15, 2009 Welcome to Atlanta…or back to Atlanta! It’s been two months since I’ve been home, and when I’m used to being at my house in Atlanta every night, two months away does seem pretty strange. I’m really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, sitting on my own couch, and making that routine drive down I-85 to Turner Field. I’m lucky to have an off day to spend in Atlanta before playing a three game series against the Braves Tuesday through Thursday. No set plans yet, but I’m sure it will include lunch at Chick-fil-a (and who knows, maybe breakfast too!), a little golf at Hawks Ridge, hanging out with my wife Catie and our dogs at home, and visiting my family in Lilburn. I may even find time to do a little shopping for a couple of ATV’s to use down at our family farm during the offseason. Not sure what kind yet, so any suggestions would be great. It will also be fun to see my former Braves teammates and friends. I’m sure Catie and I will have dinner and catch up with Brian (McCann) and his wife Ashley while we’re in town. A few days after being traded to the Mets back in July, I traveled with my new club down to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Although I was in enemy colors, I had a great reception from the fans. I’m looking forward to that again. It won’t be much longer until I’m back in Atlanta for a few months during the offseason. I’ll check back in with you guys soon and fill you in on my plans for the break!
August 19, 2009 Just thought I’d check in with everyone, especially because this time of year has me so excited! It’s the beginning of both the college football and NFL seasons, and most of you guys know that I’m a huge college football fan. (Go Tigers!) Had I not signed out of high school with the Braves, I would’ve played football and baseball at Clemson University. Now don’t get me wrong, this is also an exciting time of year for me in baseball, with October baseball right around the corner, but the anticipation of football season is great.
August 11, 2009 Hey guys,
Feel free to send me suggestions for places to go and things to do in my new city. Looking forward to calling this home… for seven months out of the year at least.
July 22, 2009 Well as most of you know, I was traded to the Mets last week. I flew from Denver, where the Braves were playing the Rockies, to New York on Friday night to join my new team for two games before the All Star break. Of course there’s mixed feelings on the whole thing, me being from Atlanta and having a great four years with the Braves, but overall I am very excited. I’ll be playing in front of a packed house, in a brand new stadium, in one the country’s best sports cities. I’ve always loved the passion for professional sports that New York fans have, so this should be a great experience for me. And rest assured, I’m in safe hands with the Mets… like the Braves, they are also a Delta team! Clearly I’ll be pulling for David Wright now in the Delta Jeter/Wright Batting Challenge.
July 11, 2009 Hey guys. If you haven't already heard I am on a Delta flight headed to New York to join my new team the Mets. I am looking forward to getting up there and playing in front of a packed house every night at Citi Field. Tune in to watch us take on the Reds at tonight at 7:10. More to come...
July 7, 2009 Well it’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, but we now have a much needed break. The All-Star Game and festivities are July 13-15 in St. Louis and that marks the halfway point of the season. I wanted to fill everyone in my trip to Delta last week. On Thursday, July 2nd I visited the Delta TechOps before our last game against the Phillies (we completed the sweep that night). Delta’s TechOps is located down at the Atlanta airport and they provide maintenance and engineering support for Delta’s fleet. They have the best mechanics in the world! Not only do they maintain Delta’s fleet, but they also serve as the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO is what I’m told) provider for more than 150 other aviation and airline customers. This kind of inside look into Delta and its airplanes was really cool for me and the reception I got from the employees was so great. And trust me, I had to take notes during my tour so I could remember all the names, departments, statistics, etc. So I may sound fluent in aircraft terminology (like frequent contributor Mike Kotas), but don’t let me fool you too much, I wrote most of it down so I could repeat if for all of you. I wish you guys could have seen seen how many questions I asked. The whole place was pretty overwhelming…the facility is 7.2 million square feet and they have more than 8,500 employees. I rode around most of the facility in a golf cart. I had to save my legs for the big game that night, and the place is so big there’s no doubt I would’ve been exhausted if I had walked the whole thing. So, let me walk you through my visit because I got to see and do some pretty cool things… First stop was Engine and Component Maintenance where I met David Garrison, the Managing Director of Engine and Component Maintenance. David and Matt Mullis took me through their department, including engine overhaul, final testing, composite repairs, flight controls, instruments and engine components. I went down a line of engines being overhauled (by the way, a typical engine overhaul costs about $1 million!) and saw a GE CF34, GE CFM56-7, Pratt and Whitney PW2000, and PW4000. They’re huge! I also got to see them putting an engine through one of their test cells. They can set the cells to test an engine at different times of the day, different temperatures/weather conditions, etc. They test the engines at takeoff power and the engine that I saw running was a CFM56-7; it burns 60 gallons of fuel per minute. Not exactly cheap. I ate lunch in Department 299 which is the General Electric CF34 shop (are the abbreviations and numbers giving you a headache yet??)…hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and cookies, just like a good old fashioned meal at the ballpark. During the summer the departments have big lunches brought in every now and then. I happened to time my visit just right and joined them for a pre-game burger. My last stop in Engine and Component Maintenance was Components, in particular Department 361 Electro-pneumatics. They repair engine starters, air cycle machines (in plain English: air conditioners), engine start valves, etc. As I left that department I made sure to tell them, “Whatever you guys do, make sure the planes the Braves fly on are the coldest!” My next stop was Base Maintenance where I met and toured the hangars with Van Kale. Delta TechOps has three maintenance hangars and they can hold many wide-body and narrow-body aircrafts at once. We went through the hangars and even got to climb on-board of a couple of aircrafts, including an international Boeing 767-400ER (the ER stands for extended range). That plane will be put on the Atlanta to London route, and they were looking to have it finished by early this week, which is amazing considering how it looked when I was in there. They were still installing the seats in the business class section…the ones that recline all the way down and your feet slide up underneath the seat in front of you and your head sinks down almost to the floor. Now that’s what we need when we fly! I also got to go sit in the cockpit and learn about the different controls, taking off, landing, etc. Next in Base Maintenance was the paint hangar bay. This was a HUGE room with an aircraft sitting in the middle. There were guys in full white suits and head gear/face masks (to give you a clearer picture they honestly looked a little like the guys from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) working on a paint scheme. They’ve done some pretty cool paint schemes in the past and I got to see some pictures of their work, including Hooters, the Atlanta Olympics, Breast Cancer Awareness, a Hank Aaron tribute, and Cartoon Network. Last but certainly not least I visited Tim Dugger, General Manager of Materials and Logistics, and his team. This department manages the inventory needed to support the day-to-day operations of Delta’s 460-plus aircraft, as well as the planes they work on for other airlines. Here I was able to just sit and sign autographs and take pictures with the Materials and Logistics team. All in all it was a great day. I learned so much about what goes on behind-the-scenes of all those Delta flights my teammates and I so frequently take. The Delta TechOps employees did get to learn a little more about me too…this visit came a couple days after all the news on my lucky “Thanksgiving Turkey Underwear.” I happened to have my Turkey Underwear on that day so I was happy to give them a first-hand peek at the underwear that was all over Atlanta sports news, as well as a lead story on ESPN! And they worked; we won that night so the winning streak continued. Thanks again to all of the employees at the Delta TechOps for showing me a great time. If anyone has any questions on what I saw there, let me know and I’ll do my best to get an answer for you. If it’s not on my cheat sheet, then I’ll just call some of the guys I met there last week.
June 23, 2009 Hey everyone, This is a big week for the Braves and Atlanta… We start a three game series against the Yankees tonight and then host another three game series against the Red Sox, followed by a three game series against the defending World Series champions, the Phillies. And to add to all of that, there’s a chance I could be hitting against former teammate and friend John Smoltz, who as most of you know was with the Braves for 21 years and is now pitching for the Boston Red Sox! If “Smoltzy” ends up throwing against the Braves at Turner Field in a Red Sox uniform, that’ll be a pretty weird sight to see for everyone in Atlanta. Exciting week! But I did want to take a minute to give a shout out to all the dads for Father’s Day this past Sunday. We played in Boston on Sunday afternoon, but I was able to make it back Sunday night when we landed to stop by and see my dad for a little bit. My dad has definitely been a huge part of my life. He’s put more time and effort into my game (all sports) than any coach ever will…because he’s been doing it since Little League! He’s definitely my biggest fan and one of my biggest critics, aside from myself. I used to take BP with my dad on the field a few hours before my high school teammates even got to the park, and by no means did he ever take it easy on me! But all the hard work we put in together, and all the Sundays after church where we’d load up the truck with buckets of balls to go hit, definitely got me to where I am today. Father’s Day, a lot like Mother’s Day, is really cool around the MLB. If you watched any of the ball games on Sunday, I’m sure you saw the players, coaches, umpires, trainers and groundskeepers wearing blue wristbands and blue ribbon uniform decals. We also used special “Baseball Blue Ribbon Father’s Day” lineup cards. A lot of those items (wristbands, decals and cards) were auctioned off soon to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In 2008, the Father’s Day promotions raised nearly $2.5 million for the Foundation. The whole day is great. For Mother’s Day they taped a bunch of us sending a Happy Mother’s Day message to our moms, which was nice because we were out of town in Philadelphia. They did the same for Father’s Day so we all got to send our best on TV to our dads. Unfortunately I was not able to do a Father’s Day trip, but I know a lot of people do that. If I was home and had an off-day, I’d probably take my dad to play golf and then we’d meet the whole family for dinner somewhere like Stoney River. Anyone take a special father/daughter or father/son trip somewhere? I do have a big trip planned with my dad and a bunch of the guys in our family for this offseason though. We’ll hop on a flight and head off, just the boys, for a long golf trip. It’ll be a delayed Father’s Day celebration I guess.
Happy belated Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Hope everyone had a great day and I hope to see a lot of you out for Delta Day at Turner Field tomorrow, June 24th vs. the Yankees.
June 17, 2009 Happy Birthday Delta! 80 years. Wow, you guys are getting up there! I just wanted to wish you a very happy 80th birthday and thank you for not only everything that you’ve done for me and my family, but also for what you guys continue to do for all of your customers. It’s crazy to think how far everything has come…I mean, now we have mobile boarding passes, Wi-Fi on the plane, online booking, TV screens on the back of headrests, movies, music…I could go on and on. One of the first things I do when I sit down is to flip to the back of the in-flight magazine to see what movie will be playing on my flight! Delta never ceases to amaze me and you guys continue to make flying more and more enjoyable. And considering how much flying I do over the course of a year, I love all of the little extras that Delta provide. I’m up in Cincinnati right now in the middle of our series with the Reds. This weekend we’ll be in Boston and then home next week to start three exciting series against the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies. Not a bad lineup of games! We actually had an off day this week, in between our games in Baltimore and Cincinnati. Days off on the road can be great and they can also be pretty boring. Sometimes our wives make the trip with us, but that’s usually to somewhere like California or New York - where there’s plenty of shopping available, of course. It’s fun when they come because a bunch of us will go out to eat before or after the game, do some sight-seeing, or just hang out in the room watching movies. My favorite off day pastime on the road is golf. I love playing the area’s best courses and have had the chance to play some great ones in the past! I’m always looking for recommendations, too. We’ll have a day off in Miami this year as well as in Washington D.C., so if you know of a great course, or even a good restaurant or mall, let me know. Other guys on the team spend their time playing cards, sleeping, going out to eat, reading magazines, getting some extra batting practice and hitting the gym in the hotel. If any of you have seen the old movies like Rookie of the Year and Little Big League, there are definitely some pranks pulled on teammates while on the road. But I won’t get too specific on those. I’m excited to play in Boston this week, and then even more excited to get back to Atlanta to host the Yankees and Red Sox at Turner Field. Don’t forget about Delta Day at Turner Field on June 24th! http://blog.delta.com/category/sponsorships/
May 27, 2009 A couple weeks ago I blogged about April showers and rain delays at the ballpark. Last week, the Delta gang and I experienced quite the rain delay! They invited me to the annual Delta Block Party at Delta’s World Headquarters. It was a huge party for all of the local Delta employees in their parking lot with tons of food, games, live music, face painting, and VIP guests like the Tomahawk Team, Homer, and Freddie the Falcon (the mascot of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.) My first stop on the block was the main stage where the DJ introduced me to the crowd and had me help him with a trivia game. He asked a question that stumped everyone, me included. “How many tropical islands does Delta service?” I wasn’t entirely sure (okay, I didn’t have a clue) but the thought of a flight to a tropical island sounded pretty awesome to me. A right answer to a trivia question got you 4 tickets to the June 24th Braves game versus the Yankees. Those are tough tickets to get! Delta Day at Turner Field is June 24th so I was happy to give several Delta employees and their families tickets to the game. They’ll be there to see me throw out the first pitch! I was getting warmed up at the “Speed Pitch” game (they hold a radar gun up as you throw a baseball at a big picture of a catcher, batter, and umpire to see how fast you can pitch the ball) when the bottom fell out of the sky. I only had the chance to take on a couple of challengers before the storm hit. There’s a great part of Turner Field called Scouts Alley and they actually have a game like this set up. You get in a batting cage and pitch a baseball to a big screen and they call balls and strikes and read how fast you are throwing. They also have a similar game where you can test your hitting skills. It’s a pretty popular place before a Braves game and during rain delays of course. I managed to jump under a nearby tent during the storm, but unfortunately it was not the Chick-fil-A tent! For me, the best tent, hands down, to be stuck in would’ve been the Chick-fil-A tent. The rain never let up much, but it was amazing to see how many people stuck around. Delta had some great entertainment lined up for that afternoon, including a couple bands. I thought it was really cool that Delta was doing this for all of their employees and their families. There were thousands of people there throughout the day. To all the employees out there: Did you enjoy the Block Party in Atlanta? As I’m sure many people did, I left with squishy shoes and soaked jeans, but had I a good time while I was there. Here’s hoping the employees enjoy sunny skies at the Delta Block Party in Minneapolis this Saturday!
May 21, 2009 Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! I hope you guys have great plans for the long weekend. Since I’ve been in the big leagues I haven’t been able to do much traveling for this holiday, but it always reminds me of beach and lake trips, fishing, barbecues, fireworks, American flags and summer. I love driving down the Atlanta streets when they’re lined with all the little American flags. When we’re at home for Memorial Day, Turner Field usually does some really cool things. Members of the Armed Services play the National Anthem and they roll out a HUGE American flag that covers the whole outfield. I hope your cities have some special things going on to honor the men and women who have fought and given their lives for our country. After being on the road for over a week, it was good to be playing at home for a while. We’re wrapping up a long home stand this weekend and then packing up and heading out west to San Francisco and then Phoenix. It’s a long flight, so our bags will be packed with iPods, pillows, DVDs, laptops, playing cards – and game tapes, of course. Unlike the trips to New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Miami, we only go to California once or twice a year. While the jet lag is sometimes tough to adjust to, especially in the middle of an already long and exhausting season, these trips are typically pretty cool. San Francisco is absolutely beautiful with the stadium right there on McCovey Cove. The Giants’ AT&T Park has one of the best atmospheres of anywhere I’ve ever played. It’ll be fun to be out there on Memorial Day…I’m sure there’ll be boats, floats and kayaks sitting in the Cove waiting for what the Giants call “Splash Hits,” which are home runs hit by Giants players that land there on the fly. As a right fielder, with the Cove directly behind me, I’m hoping I don’t hear ANY baseballs splashing! However, I wouldn’t mind any of my teammates or myself launching a few out there to take a swim. I just wanted to briefly check in and wish everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. And if you’re traveling, let me know where you’re headed! Throw a steak on the grill for me!
May 18, 2009 Jeff's New Day Job at Hartsfield And you guys thought I was just a baseball player and blogger... Well, I've figured out what my career would have been had I not made it to the Major Leagues (or the NFL or the PGA Tour) - I would have made quite the Delta airport representative! Last week I had the opportunity to make a surprise appearance at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on behalf of Delta. A few members of the Tomahawk Team as well as Homer, our mascot, joined me in meeting tons of Delta travelers and employees. It was pretty funny to see people's reactions when they realized who I was. I think my jersey (not to mention the Tomahawk Team and Homer) was a dead giveaway, but I guess nobody was expecting to see me there so I got a lot of double-takes. Anyone happen to run into me??!! I started the visit out by surprising Delta customers and employees at check-in...shaking hands, taking pictures, and signing photos and even boarding passes. I snuck up on a couple of travelers who were using Delta's self check-in units and asked if they needed any help - I don't think they were expecting to look up and see me rather than a Delta representative. Of course, I'm pretty much an expert at the self check-in process since we travel so much. It's definitely my preference because it's so fast and easy! Next, and easily my favorite part of the experience, was visiting the airport's USO lounge. It was very humbling to shake hands with the troops and thank them for what they're doing for our country. I'd love to get a bunch of teammates back there soon when they're expecting a big group of troops to come through. I talked to several soldiers, both men and women, who were on their way to Iraq and it really put things in perspective. Just think, in a couple of hours they were leaving for months at a time to go fight for our country - meanwhile I was heading to the ballpark to play baseball. Pretty incredible what they do. Thank you to each and every one of them! But it was then that my true potential as a Delta representative began to shine through... I had the opportunity to board an incoming flight from New York and be the first to welcome the Delta customers and travelers to Atlanta. We just so happened to be playing the Mets that night, so I was able to have a little fun. After introducing myself and welcoming the passengers to Atlanta, I managed to get a little "friendly" trash-talk in to any Mets fans. Delta is also partnered with both of the MLB teams in New York, so there was definitely some Mets/Yankees/Braves banter going back and forth! But rivalries aside, I invited those who'd be in town that night to pick up a couple tickets to the game from the Tomahawk Team at the gate. It was great to be able to surprise and reward Delta's great customers and employees. I hope some Mets fans had the chance to come experience Turner Field. They've got a fantastic new stadium this year and I'm excited to play there this week. I capped off the day by boarding an outbound flight to New York. I scanned boarding passes and then made my way to the cockpit to wish the pilots and passengers well. I've done quite a bit of flying myself this past week, to Miami, Philadelphia, New York and finally back home to Atlanta. I have to say the whole day was a hit! I got a lot of behind the scenes experience at the airport and on the plane too. By the way, if you haven't been in Delta's Sky Club (formerly the Crown Room) I'll say a membership is definitely worth it. I spent a little time in there last week and you're missing out if you haven't been. The Delta group is always so fun and welcoming, and clearly they like to give their customers a memorable experience. I hope everyone I met last week enjoyed it - I sure did! To check out some photos of my day, head to blog.delta.com. April 30, 2009
Passing The Time During Rain Delays In light of the end of April and the “April Showers” we’ve had in Atlanta, I wanted to blog this week about rain delays. We’ve actually been lucky this season and haven’t had too many long ones so far, other than the two-hour rain delay at our home opener. Just like when an airline experiences weather delays and the passengers have a few extra minutes to pass, baseball players find some really creative stuff to do to pass the time during a rain delay. When it looks like the rain delay is going to be shorter, maybe 15-45 minutes, we all try to stay warm so that we can get back out on the field and be ready to play. Position players like me (non-pitchers) will usually head to the batting cages inside the stadium and take a few extra swings to keep the blood flowing. The starting pitchers generally stay in the bullpen to keep their arms warm. The key with hitting the cages, though, is to stay warm without wearing yourself out. So if the delay looks like it’s going to be a little longer than expected, I’ll sometimes sit down and watch video of the opposing pitcher, or take a look at video of my own swing and critique that. Then you’ve got the rain delays that can last several hours. When these happen, guys start to get more creative and turn to non-baseball activities. I think the most common thing baseball players around the league do during delays is play cards, dominos or other kinds of games. During the fall, there’s always a little bit of fantasy football going on. And depending on if you’re in your own home clubhouse, we’ll have video games, or guys on computers playing online, booking flights and sending emails. This time of year, you’ll hear a lot of guys sitting around talking NBA Playoffs. And then you’ve got the Canadian guys who are talking NHL Playoffs. If you’re not playing some sort of game or talking sports, you’re probably watching TV, sleeping or eating. Our clubhouse attendants always have a great selection of food in the clubhouse, whether it’s cold cuts for sandwiches, fruit or snacks. Rain delays aren’t my favorite part of the game, but they’re inevitable and unavoidable since we can’t control Mother Nature. It’s all about what you do to pass the time. What do you do to pass the time when your flight is delayed because of weather?
April 9, 2009 Hello! Spring training has come to an end and we're getting eager for the home opener. The official MLB Opening Day was Sunday, April 5, but we won't actually go back to Turner Field for our home opener until tomorrow, April 10. Turner Field is very special to me since I grew up in the Atlanta area and have been following the Braves since I was a kid. But overall, it's just a really unique ballpark, period. So I thought I'd make this blog Jeff Francoeur's Guide to Opening Day at Turner Field. First, if you've got kids, this is a great experience for them. Just inside the North gates is Tooner Field, which is a cool interactive area with characters and games from the Cartoon Network. Also for the kids is Scouts Alley near the West Pavillion of the Grand Entry Plaza where kids can test their throwing skills, learn about different pitches and see different gloves and bats. For the adults, there's the ampm All You Can Eat seats, which are a new concept at the stadium as of last season. Personally, this is where I would sit if I were watching the game as a fan. These tickets range from $45-80, but include everything you can stomach through seven innings. If you're over the age of 21, you have to check out the ChopHouse. Just about any night of the week, the ChopHouse is the place to see and be seen. It's located directly above the Braves bullpen in right field, so fans can eat and drink while enjoying the game from right above me. Just about every park has its own unique feature that makes it stand out. The old Shea Stadium had the Home Run Apple, Miller Park has the slide that Bernie Brewer slides down, and Dodger Stadium has the Think Blue sign in the mountains. When I look out at the Turner Field from the dugout, I always see the huge Delta letters above left field. And then there's the gigantic Coca Cola bottle next to it that shoots out fireworks every time a Braves player hits a home run. But the newest feature, which was added last year, is the massive Chick-fil-A cow on top of the stadium, which has a mechanical arm that does the 'tomahawk chop' during games. It is 40 feet high and weighs over 15,000 lbs. If you want to get the entire Braves experience from beginning to end, be sure to get to the park early. You can come watch us take batting practice 2 1/2 hours before each home game. The visiting team will come out an hour later for their batting practice. If you're looking to catch a baseball, there are a lot of home run balls that escape over the outfield wall during this time. And it's a great time to see all of the players in their element getting stretched and prepared for the game. Speaking of foul balls and home run balls, here's a little known fact about Turner Field. If you're in the right place at the right time and you're the lucky fan to catch a baseball at a game, you can go to the Guest Relations window by Aisle 146 with your ball and they will give you an official "Grandstand Fielder" certificate. And of course, if you're a big enough fan to travel across the country on Delta and see your favorite team play, there are some really exciting celebrations and events that take place on Opening Day at all the ballparks around the country. March 26, 2009 Hello again from spring training. Spring training is always such a great time of year. It's the time where every team has a fresh start and comes in with high hopes for the upcoming season. I took the first couple weeks here to really work on my swing and get my hitting down. Almost two weeks to the day, things really started clicking and I had several productive days in a row. Now my timing feels great and I feel like I'm ready to go. And then there's the golf. Being in Florida, there are some of the best golf courses around. Since we have early afternoon games most days, I've been able to get up in the morning, workout and get ready, play the game, and still manage to fit some golf in a few days a week. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play with my former teammate John Smoltz and Tiger Woods. In fact, it's sort of become our spring training ritual, to all get together and play at least once during the spring. It is a pretty cool experience to get out there with an incredible athlete like Tiger, but I think I was able show him a thing or two. Another great thing about spring training is being in Orlando. Not only do the Braves get to play in one of the nicest facilities in the Grapefruit League, but we're literally stationed right on the Walt Disney World property at Disney's Wide World of Sports. It's especially fun for all of the players who have kids. But even though my wife Catie and I don't have any kids yet, we've gone to the theme parks a few times to act like kids and ride the rides ourselves. For those of you who don't know, there are currently 17 Major League Baseball teams who train in Florida, called the Grapefruit League, and 13 teams who train in Arizona, called the Cactus League. Orlando, where the Braves are located, is the furthest north location of all the Grapefruit teams. And unlike the teams in Arizona, our teams are spread out all across central and south Florida. Because of the space between all of us, we do a lot of traveling on the road (instead of flying) this time of year. It takes us all back to our days in the minor leagues, where we travelled everywhere on busses and always wished we could just hop on a Delta flight. But that's part of your rite of passage. Luckily, the farthest destination we travel during spring training is to the Cardinals and Mets facility down in Jupiter, which is less than a three hour bus ride. When we have been at home in Orlando and not out on the road, Catie and I have had a lot of family in town to visit. They've literally taken Delta flights in from all over the country to come see us. It has mostly been Catie's family so far, but my parents are coming down this week and I can't wait to see them. Also, my agent Molly Fletcher from Career Sports & Entertainment flies down from Atlanta often and we all get to spend time together. Overall, it's been an exciting spring, but I can't wait for the season to start in next week. But until then, we've got a couple big games coming up this Saturday with the Yankees, and Red Sox, so I'm going to focus in on that for now. March 13, 2009 Hello to everybody from Spring Training in Orlando, Florida! We've been here for a couple weeks practicing and now games are finally starting to pick up. It's great to be here after several months of an off season, which were a lot of fun this year. The first few weeks of the off season, I did nothing but just relax and recover from a very long 2008 season. Midway through October, my wife Catie and I were able to hop on a Delta flight and travel down to Costa Rica with a bunch of teammates and friends for a week. What an incredible trip! There was so much to do and the weather was beautiful. Where do you guys like to go in the fall and winter to catch some warmer weather? Then in early November, Catie and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary in Atlanta at the Four Seasons Hotel. We had hoped to get back to Punta Mita, Mexico. for a couple of days, which was where we went on our honeymoon, but being at the Four Seasons made us forget we were even in Atlanta in the first place. It was incredibly relaxing. What are some of your favorite hotels in your home city where you can go to and spend a night as a nice little "getaway"? As December rolled around, Catie and I were able to put on a really cool charity project, which we're hoping to make an annual thing. With the help of some great businesses around Atlanta, we put together seven huge Christmas baskets full of fun gifts, toys, books, clothes and food. Four families who were nominated through Atlanta radio station "790 The Zone" received the first four baskets, which we delivered to each family's house. Then we took the remaining three baskets to families at the Children's Hospital of Atlanta. We were hoping to bring just a little extra cheer to a family who might have to spend Christmas in the hospital. This was by far one of the most rewarding things we got to do all offseason. Another community project I got to take part in was the "I Am the Solution" campaign through Families First, which encouraged people to make different New Years resolutions in 2009. Many people vow to lose weight or save money, but the public service announcement we filmed reminded you that you can resolve to help others this year and to make a difference in your community. Check out the PSA here. Right before Christmas, Catie and I, along with her entire immediate family, hopped back on Delta and flew to Colorado to spend a short week in Beaver Creek. We actually flew into Denver, then rented a car and drove to Beaver Creek, which was worth it. We were able to take a sleigh ride through the city, which I thought was something only cheesy guys did. But I was totally surprised at how much fun it was. Just after New Years, we were able to do something I've never done before. Kooza, one of the Cirque du Soleil shows, was in Atlanta for about a month and Catie and I got lucky with some great tickets. It's hard to imagine how all of those performers defy gravity and perform tricks like that. Knowing how much hard work we put into the game of baseball, where hitting the ball three times out of ten is considered good, I can't believe how much practice and dedication it must take to perfect some of those stunts every single time they are performed. Getting back into baseball mode, I held the Jeff Francoeur Baseball Clinic on Jan. 17, which gave me the chance to hang out with some young baseball players looking to improve on the field. It's always a good time to be able to help out young players, especially when I was in that same situation 10 or 15 years ago. Being out there with those kids makes me remember being that age and knowing I wanted to be a big-league baseball player when I grew up. But now we're back to reality and back to work at Spring Training. Things seem to be going great and I'm really excited for the upcoming season. What are some of the things you guys would like to read about this season? I'll be blogging twice a month, just like last year. Is there anything we didn't cover last season that you?d like to hear about? October 1, 2008 Hello to everyone from home here in Atlanta, Well, the season just wrapped up, and unfortunately, we'll be watching the playoffs from the couch instead of heading into the Playoffs for a game. It was a tough year for the club, but at least now I can relax a little and recover from a long season. All told, it was tough season for the Braves, but I realized I finished a lot better than I started. I hit .286 in September with eight doubles, so feel like I can really take that momentum into next season. In the field, I had a .987 fielding percentage with only 4 errors, which I was told was the best of my career. Also, I cut down on my strikeouts, recording the fewest in a full season over my entire career. Of course, you guys know that I love the game of baseball. But there are plenty of things I enjoy about the offseason, too. To me, the offseason is a bit like your vacation all wrapped into one big block, since baseball players practically work for 8 months straight without a break. We haven't had a Saturday or Sunday off since February. So it's nice to get in the regular "work day" schedule and be a little bit more like the rest of you all. Overall, I'm going to take some time to not only work on becoming a better baseball player, but also take some time away from the game and travel around the country with family and friends. To start the off-season, I plan on getting on Delta and going to Costa Rica this month with my wife Catie. I'm also planning a vacation with Catie and her family to Colorado, which I'm very much looking forward to. Of course, I plan to make some frequent trips to my family's condo in Florida for some golf and relaxation, and on November 3rd Catie and I are going to be celebrating our first wedding anniversary. We may, just may, have time for a trip to New Zealand as well, and we're in the process of checking into that as I write this. In Atlanta this off-season, I've got a bunch of community service projects that Catie and I are excited to work on. I don't want to get into too much detail about them yet - since a few of them haven't been finalized - but I'll be sure to tell you all about them when they are announced, both here and on www.JeffFrancoeur.com! Now that I'm back to being a regular husband around the house, I'm pretty excited about the football season and checking out some of the new TV shows this fall. We rarely get to catch television throughout the spring, summer, and fall because of the games, so the fact that I'll be home to watch shows like "Entourage," "Wipeout" and "Friday Night Lights" is pretty exciting. (Okay, maybe it's not so exciting for Catie.) For all of you fans out there, what shows have I missed? There has to be something I need to start taping, right? Looking forward to enjoying the offseason but tuned my mind in to 2009 and the start of a great season next year. July 24, 2008 Hello from Florida, Well, it's been quite an eventful last few weeks since I last had time to sit down and post a blog. We're here in Miami now getting ready to face off in the 'rubber game' against the Florida Marlins, one of our big NL East rivals and a team that is playing great the very competitive division. A 'rubber match' is a baseball term used to describe the third game of a three-game series in which each team wins one of the first two games. Whoever wins the third game of this series wins what we call the 'rubber game.' That has me thinking about baseball lingo. There are so many phrases in the game that we use sitting in the dugout and I always wonder: would a fan know what we're talking about? Let's go through some of my favorites. Baseball Term 1. A 'Can of Corn': An easy fly ball that we catch in the outfield 2. A 'Bronx Cheer': When the crowd boos (Although I will say this, the crowds in Philadelphia are incredible when it comes to boo-ing a player, so they should renamed this a 'Citizens Bank Cheer.' 3. 'Cheese': A really good fastball 4. 'Texas Leaguer': A bloop base hit that falls between the infielder and the outfielder 5. 'Uncle Charlie': A really good curveball Sorry to divert a little bit from the subject, but after writing the word 'rubber game' that got me thinking. What's your favorite baseball term? The All Star Break was last week and it's an opportunity for everyone on the team to get away from the baseball field for a few days and clear their minds. Some of our players, including Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, had great first halves of the season and were members of the 2008 National League All Star team that played in New York. Both of those guys were more than deserving of the honor. I'm really happy for both Chipper and Brian. As many of you know, Brian and I came up together and have been great friends for years. To be a teammate of Chipper's, just to watch him play the game the right way everyday, is still amazing. I read a story about Chipper the other day where one of our Minor League players, Tyler Flowers, told Chipper that Chipper actually visited Tyler's class when he Tyler was in 4th grade. Yes, 4th grade. We've got to give Chipper a hard time for that. The fact that Chipper is doing what he's been doing for so long is incredible. I spend three days down here in Florida during the break with my closest family members. I arrived in Florida at about 2 a.m. (we played our last game before the break in Los Angeles) and work up early the next day to spend some time on the beach with my brother, D.J., and my brother in law Barrett. After a full day at the beach, I got out on the golf course early the next morning for a round of golf with my dad, D.J., and Barrett. As a professional athlete, I'm competitive in most everything that I do, and golf is another sport where I absolutely hate to lose. So there is no such thing as a nice relaxing round with my brother and brother-in-law. It's all about competition with me. Four-foot putts may not be as scary as a 95 MPH fastball, but at that moment they were just as important. The next few weeks are going to be very important for this ballclub. July 31st is the MLB trade deadline, and each team at that time of the year determines if they are 'buyers' or 'sellers.' (More baseball terminology. Although instead of buying or selling stock, if you trade for a good player you are a 'buyer,' and if you trade a great player for a bunch of young prospects, you are a 'seller.' ) Last year, we added Mark Teixiera, so we were definitely 'buyers.' Every player wants to be on a team that adds top-flight talent for a run at the playoffs/World Series. We are 7.0 games back today with a little over two months to go, so I'm excited to see what we will do in the next 10 days. These may be the most important two weeks of our season. But it all starts, of course, tonight with the 'rubber game.' Best, Jeff June 25, 2008 Hey everyone, One of the questions I am asked a lot is: "What do you guys actually do 5 to 6 hours before a night game?" It's a good question, and one that changes day-by-day, so I thought I'd walk you through my pre-game routine before yesterday's home game against the Milwaukee Brewers. With Catie out of town visiting family, I was able to get some of my off-field obligations out of the way. When Catie is with me, we like to spend as much time as possible together, but since she was gone, I took the middle of the day (from about Noon-2 p.m.) to get some of my business affairs in place. That meant staying at home (it's getting hot here in Atlanta, so air conditioning is becoming my best friend) and signing a set of 3,000 baseball cards to sign for the company Upper Deck, the trading card company who I have a relationship with. I can't sign all 3,000 cards at once (I'm pretty sure my hand would fall off, which wouldn't make Bobby Cox, our manager, happy) so I signed about 300 baseball cards in half an hour and then got ready to head to the field. Turner Field At around 2 p.m. I arrived at Turner Field. I'm usually one of players that gets there the earliest. I like to spend some time in the video room talking to the coaches, or getting some treatment from our trainers. After that, I spent some time in a Bible study session. The Bible study session was a chance for me to clear my mind, and put a lot of things in perspective. Many players throughout Major League Baseball are active in participants in some sort of Bible study session, and I'm no different. Faith and family are important to me, so this is something that I like to do when I have the chance. Dream House At about 3:45 p.m. (3 and a half hours before first pitch) I was excited to come out to the field because of two reasons: the first was that I had been selected by the charitable organization Dream House to film a Public Service Announcement that will be shown across the city of Atlanta and state of Georgia. (See photos from the shoot here). As some of you know, Dream House is an organization dedicated to helping medically fragile children, and I have teamed up with Delta to donate 25,000 sky miles to the facility for every home run that I hit. Dream House (which received almost a million sky miles last year from Delta) is then able to fly their children across the country to hospitals where they can receive the absolute best treatment. It was very touching to hear yesterday from their CEO, Laura Moore, that thanks to these sky miles they were able to fly a young boy from Atlanta back and forth to a specific hospital in Pittsburgh from Atlanta to receive the best medical attention possible. It makes everything we do worth it. After I wrapped up the filming of the PSA (it took me a few 'takes' to master the script. I had to check out the script a couple times to make sure I memorized the words correctly) I walked back to the dugout around 4:15 p.m. and met up with the first round draft picks of the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan (Quarterback) and Sam Baker (Offensive Lineman). Fellow Atlanta Players Matt and Sam were at Turner Field to do a promotional bit for the Falcons where the three of us were filmed by the Falcons video staff talking and getting to know each other. Matt and I hit off a friendship quickly. Some of you may not know this, but in 2002 I actually signed a football scholarship to play defensive back at Clemson University, which is an ACC school located in South Carolina. Matt, who the Falcons picked 3rd overall in this year's draft, was the starting quarterback for Boston College the past few years, another ACC school. It's funny how our careers worked out. Who knows, I might have been on the other side of the football field from Matt the past few years, trying to pick off his throws. Instead, I'm the right fielder for the Atlanta Braves and he's the (future) starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. Since he's new to the town (he admitted he's a Phillies fan because he grew up outside of Philadelphia) I'm looking forward to spending some more time with him and showing him what's great about the city of Atlanta. He's a very cool guy and we scheduled to play some golf in the near future. I'm also a big Falcons fan (Delta also proudly sponsors the Falcons!), so I told him I'll plan on catching him at his games this fall. By the time Matt and Sam left it was nearly 4:40 p.m., which is the normal time for batting practice and warm ups. From 4:40 p.m. on it's about nothing but focusing on the game, taking care of some minor adjustments, autographing anything and everything for the fans, and then getting ready to run out there and play for the Braves! Are there any other questions you'd like to know more about? Best, Jeff |
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