Bois-Guillaume Club goes undefeated in first weekend.

Hello friends and family! I am typing from my new apartment in Mt. Saint Agnion, it is a little town just a little further out of Rouen. I gotta tell you guys it is good to have free phone and internet. I live about 2 blocks away from Chris, The American, also....Let's just call him Chris. I live next to a forest part that has trails up a huge forrested hill, and right next to a bus stop. I live with an older women who has a 23 year old son going to school in Paris and that is where my rent money is going. I also live with Bibette 2. This Bibette talks to me and is a 20 year old law student in town. All of us try and communicate to each other. It is quite a scene. One in French, the other in Enlench, and the other in Spanglish. Sounds like a sitcom. Critter, I still laugh at your comment,oddly enough, that movie is really accurate with the shit that goes on here, Melissa, I am glad that you are still reading, Joey, I am still only your Uncle, Mom and Dad, get familiar with electronics for fucks sake, still love you though.

Let me begin with Saturday. The Bois-Guillaume Softball team has their first match against Caen. So I woke up early, got a run in, and had my usual eggs and ham breakfast. Jean-Luc picked me up in an extended van with the other players in the car and we were heading north. You wouldn't believe me if I told you...it wasn't raining. The sun was even out. Everyone was so so excited because this would be the first time that we would do anything outside. I just hope that our practices would be enough prep for our game.
Softball in France is Co-ed for the most part due to lack of players. So Romain, the Spanish speaker, and Arther, Jean-Luc's son, played with the girls. So we got to Caen and started our warm-up. I run them through the same drills that I did when I was at Drury and it is nice to still have that connection with a team. Then the game started. I am going to just say that they killed the other team. The final score was like 24-7. A lot of hits and errors. Just a messy game but a win none the less. We celebrated by going to McDonalds. I can say that I have had a Royal with Cheese now.

Our games vs Dunkirk the next day were supposed to me postponed but the teams decided to meet at another site, Campeign, to play our games. Campeign was playing away so we had use of their field. Campeign is about 2 hours north of Bois-Guillaume and is a hell of a lot better than going all the way to the most northern end of France to Dunkirk to play them.
We got to Campeign and there was just a light drizzle. A lot better than the continuous rain that we have been getting. So we started taking batting practice on the field. Everyone was so pumped to be outside and we were just running all over the place. Laughing, yelling, and hitting. During my bp, I was just smacking the hell out of the ball. We were ready to play.
The other team looked really young. There were probably some 15 yr olds mixed in with the team. Our team has quite a range of players. Arther, the youngest at 15, and Bernie, the oldest at 40. Marc was going to be the starting pitcher. I played
3rd base this game.
The first two innings were pretty slow. No score. I drew two walks in my first two at bats. There were no hits on either side for awhile. Then we errupted. We scored 5 runs on 2 hits and 3 errors by the other team. Bernie had a clutch 2 RBI hit to conclude the inning. We never looked back after that. In my 3rd at bat, I had a line drive shot that almost found the throat of the 2nd baseman. It was a good game. We run ruled the other team 10-0.
So the rain was really starting to come down with no signs of letting up. In the States, this would easily be considered a rainout but both teams were getting ready to play a 2nd game.

Unbelievable.

There were small lakes forming all over the field but everyone was getting warmed up to play. I slowly walked out of the dugout after a yogurt filled lunch and didn't feel like moving. There was no way we could play...but we did. So we starting the bottom of the first in torrential downpour. We scored 3 runs off of a couple of errors and another RBI hit by yours truly. Yeah, no big deal...I rule. BUT the game was quickly called after the opposing pitcher was bitching about the mound...I would have to if I were him because this game was looking out to be another blowout. So both coaches met with the umpires and they said it was a rainout. So our runs and hits meant nothing and we would make up the game at another date. This was alright with me because I was cold as shit and wanted to get somewhere warm. So we got showered, had victory beers, and headed for the French Cuisine that Americans refer to as McDonald's.

This is where some the guys decided to fuck with me.

I had decided that I was going to order for myself and not let Romain do the talking for me. So I was talking with Olivear, a really good guy, because I know he would tell me the correct thing to say to the clerk. I have to tell you the guys get a kick out of telling me to say dirty things in French. It is expected but I really didn't want to say anything vulgar to this McD's worker.
So I had my sentence all lined up. But at the last moment, Romain asked me what I was going to say and I repeated it to him. He said what Olivear had told me to say was inaccurate and that I needed to say something else. So I memorized another French sentence to say to the worker and was nervous enough as it was. Well it turns out that Romain told me something completely vulgar and inappropriate.

I asked the lady, english translation, "Will you go out with me and do you want my white sauce."

I got a quick. "Excuse mwa?!"

The whole team errupted with laughter including Jean-Luc. GODDAMN YOU ROMAIN.
It was funny though. So I got my Le Big Mac and quickly headed to where our team was sitting and was greeted by laughter.

I am so happy where I am now in my new apt. and I am glad that I was able to talk to you guys the other night. I walked around all day today getting my bearings on the new neighborhood. The park is beautiful and there is a fresh bakery real close. Love you guys and talk to you soon. Au revior.

Castle and Cathedrals

Hey pics to follow guys. Here is the post for now.

Bonsoir All. Sorry I haven’t blogged in a bit but it goes without saying that finding times to get this on here is limited BUT (and a big BUT it is) I MIGHT BE MOVING INTO MY OWN APARTMENT!!! Free internet, phone, my own kitchen, bathroom, NO OLD FUCKIN PEOPLE!!! I am looking at different apartments tomorrow, Friday 28th, with Chris. He has been a savior for me. Jean Luc said it would be possible to find another living arrangement if the prices met. So hopefully soon I will be able to keep in touch with you guys more. I’m crossing my fingers. A lot has happened this week. Rain, snow, sun, and a couple of field trips. Thanks for all the compliments. I especially liked the *Illegal Immigrant Alert* one. If you guys are going to be anonymous on the page, at least tag your name on it so I know who it is. I bet that one was Alex though….conservative asshole.
Easter Sunday. Our games were cancelled due to rain and I was going to spend Easter with Chris’s family. I wasn’t expecting any candy at all but Anne, Chris’s wife, got me a huge orange chocolate egg with candy on the inside. It was so nice. Anne really has gone out of her way to see that I am ok. She researched all these apartments for me and has tagged a couple that we are going to look at. I am so grateful that I have her to look out for me. The lunch was wonderful. We had a salad, beans, and lamb. I still think I amaze every one in France about how much I can eat. Still being polite on my portions.

Boy’s gotta eat ladies and gents.

The next day I was supposed to go to the Normandy Beach but snow prevented that trip. Yeah, fucking snow. So Chris picked me up around noon when the snow had melted and we were off to see Chateau Gilliard (Castle Gilliard). It was a holiday on Monday due to Easter. Kinda weird but hey, what’s the point of a holiday if you don’t miss work? It is a medieval castle in a town about 2 hours to the south of Rouen. Emily, you would have just loved it. When you enter this town, it sits in a Seine River valley that is overlooked by this castle. You have to trek up winding roads to get to the top of this hill amidst a huge forest area. It was amazing. Rolling, green, French plains were visible from the top. I took a lot of pictures of the area, trying to be the best Ansel Adams that I could. So the Harrison family and I enjoyed the day at the castle. It was really weird walking through the courtyard of a castle. Again there are not any adjectives to describe some things. Chris, Gabriel, his son, and I walked around mostly because little Emmanuel, his daughter, fell down and scuffed her little hands up. The kids are really starting to warm up to me and I feel like their Uncle Tony. It was a good day.

The next day Chris wanted to take me into Rouen to show me the sites in the downtown area. He keeps on assuring me that there is no problem with him toting me around. Rouen actually isn’t a huge town, it is just the surrounding suburbs that make it big. So we hit the popular part of the town. I have to apologize about one the posted pics. The first cathedral pic that you see is not Joan of Arc’s cathedral, it is just another cathedral in town. Joan of Arc’s Cathedral is a rather unorthodox looking one. The cathedral’s main building represents a ship, with the other structures representing huge waves crashing onto the ship. It was really impressive. We saw the main cathedral as well. It is still hard to believe that people go throughout their normal routine of life living in a town with these massive, intricate, beautiful structures. The main cathedral is impressive. It is the tallest building in the town and it is only when you are inside of the cathedral that you really get a perspective on how big it is. Massive halls, intricate stained glass paintings, huge alter, and huge stone carvings. Is carvings the word? Whatever. I took a lot of pictures. Emmanuel even let me take a pic with her with a beautiful smile. She is starting to think my face is a familiar one now. Gabriel climbs all over me like a big brother and he actually took me down when we were at the castle. I really appreciate how his family has taken me in. The day ended with Chris and I taking the kids into a huge candy shop. Think Mr. Bulky’s on steroids. This place is just full of color. I grabbed a little plastic bag and carried Emmanuel around the shop to pick out what candy she wanted.

Chris took me home after that because I had to plan that nights practice for the guys. I was going to have fun this practice. Jean Luc said, “Uhhh Tonee, I vant the guys to feel….how do you say….tired, at the end of practice.”

“No problem, Captain Bicard.”

I didn’t say that. But was thinking it.

I went through bunt coverage’s with the guys and some hitting drills. I have started kinda of a neat handshake with some of the guys. I have a special one for each one of them. Kinda of a tag we have with each other. For instance, Charles and I have a handshake with quick hand movements and at the end we point an imaginary gun gangster style and click twice. After about an hour and a half of practice, I had a good conditioning sequence for the guys. I broke down my “300 Spartan” workout into a nightmare of running exercises. I showed all the guys the different exercises that we would complete in a series of 1 minute intervals. I was noticing that they were muttering to each other when I would show them each drill. It was probably something along the lines of,

“What the fuck…”

They didn’t particularly like the “Spiderman pushups.” That is where you get in pushup position but your feet are on top of a bench. When you go down, one of your legs comes off the bench to touch your knees to the ground, then visa-versa.
Haha. So we did all the exercises in the time I had allotted. Everyone, including myself was hurtin. I was screaming at the top of my lungs at the guys. “C’MON OLIVEAR…..LET’S GO PIERRE!” I still really don’t know how the guys feel about a little American yelling at them.

Today I had the softball team to coach and I did the same type of thing to them. It was great. Not so Uncle Tony anymore though. Kinda like, “fuck you Uncle Tony” now. But a good “fuck you”, if there is such a thing. I have put quite a big dent into The Hobbit. Ian, you’re right, it is like seeing old friends again. I didn’t pick it up the first time, but Gandalf is kinda an asshole to Bilbo. Well, it looks like our games for Sunday in Dunkirk are cancelled….Give you two guesses….So we are going to practice once again on Sunday. That is fine with me because Dunkirk is in the most northern part of France and “Latino boys don’t play so well in cold weather, now do we precious.” I love and miss you guys a ton and will talk to you soon. Au revior.

Off Topic.

In response to 1984

I have just completed 1984, a novel by George Orwell. It has taken me 3 times to finally complete the whole book. I have always touted this book as one of my favorites even though I have never finished the novel before until this very moment. To be honest, I have never felt anything like I feel right now. I don’t know how to describe the feeling that I have this instant. I have great respect for such a piece of literature that has the power to move me like this novel has. I don’t know if I love it or hate it. Haha, it is almost the principle of doublethink. It is impressive that Orwell can captivate your mind and put you into the shoes of complete sanity knowing that 2+2=4 but then understanding why Winston has changed his thoughts at the end of the novel knowing why he thinks 2+2=5. The book is magnificent and just incredibly depressing. In my heart and soul, I wanted Winston to hold strong. That part in my body wanted the last lines of the book to be “Down with Big Brother,” but in complete opposition, the book ends with “I Love Big Brother.” This brought the question at hand in my mind. Would I have the strength to resist complete submission of my mind so stop torture? I would love to say that I have the strength. What makes me human says that I have the strength, but in extreme circumstances that Winston was under, any mind would break…..or would it? A complete “hero” in a novel or in life would stay strong and resist betraying everyone that is close to them. The undeniable force of Love was the key message I got from out of this novel. But even Love fails in this novel. Love is the key to life. Utter and complete Love in life is what keeps me living day in and day out. Love for and from family, friends, and one day my eventual wife. What George Orwell does in this novel is question one’s sanity and beliefs. I now have a complete different outlook on life. I am so privileged to have been raised by loving parents and positive energy all around me. I can not help to think that this type of society is being applied to our current time. What makes me sane is that the fact that I can see right and wrong. An interesting point was brought up by the book but wasn’t directly addressed. When you hear that people have confessed to crimes, treason, atrocities against government, or other things of that nature, can you really believe that they actually confessed? What I want the people who I call friends and intellectuals is that you can not really know the truth in some cases. Maybe they were being tortured into incriminating themselves. What scares me even more is the whole “water-boarding” torture that has been used by our government. What is next? Being sent to Room 101 in the Ministry of Love? It seems absurd now but we are closer to that than we think. What makes me even more pissed off at society is the fact that people believe that it is ok to torture another human being. What pisses me off is that people, today, have the same beliefs that would push this nation into 1984. It is not the Bush Administration that I believe people should be leery of but in regimes in general. What people have to do is ask themselves the same question that Winston is constantly asking other characters in the novel. Is your life better now than it was 10 years ago? Before you rashly answer that question, really ask yourself that question. What any drone would say is “yes” immediately. That same person would say that “We are winning the war.” What war, people? War on terrorism? Al-Quieda? Saddam Hussein? Osama Bin Laden? A number of his masterminds? Drugs? Profanity? JUST WHO THE FUCK IS THIS WAR WAGED AGAINST? The answer that the current administration wants you to say is all of them. It is fear where they derive their power. Guns and ammo are mere child’s play when it comes to the power of putting fear into your mind. And THAT is why so many people are on the fence on what they believe. Of course you are against these different battles, what person wouldn’t be? But the reality of the thing is that this type of war is complete imaginary. So the point of this message or whatever the hell you want to call it is that people need to control their mind. It is the only thing that makes us human.

Love CAN endure in this society. And fuck anyone who wishes to tell me otherwise.

A Weekly Routine.

Pic Descriptions: 1st Pic = Image from my window. 2nd = Charles and I. 3rd = Field in Paris, 4th = Team photo (From left: Pierre, Romain (can in mouth), Sam, Olivear, Charles, Jean Luc, and Marc (kneeling), 5th = Joan of Arc Cathedral

Bonjour friends and family! It goes without saying that I think about you guys everyday and I miss you guys a lot. Emily, there isn’t going to be anymore references to Mauricio or my sexuality…assholes, Alex, answer your damn phone you prick, and I will throw whatever the hell I want when I am on the mound…nobody can touch this speed baby, Ian, thanks for all the email information you have sent me and FOR ANSWERING MY CALLS, Mom and Dad, thanks for talking to me this past week and seeing how I was, it kept my head on straight, Phyll, glad to finally talk to you the other day. To others who are reading, I appreciate the feedback and thoughts so keep’em comin.
Alrighty, let’s see…hmm. Since last Sunday’s games I am trying to find a routine to get mind off the fact that I am in France so far away from home. Not going to lie, I hit a low point during the week really missing home but things are looking a lot brighter. At the beginning of the week, I was running as usual just trying to pin down everything there is to do Bois-Guillaume. My surroundings are beautiful. The weather….not so much. I would just love the see the extended forecast on a news channel for the Normandy area. I can just picture a French Tom Dye,
“Well, we got a lots of wind and rain, clouds, chilly weather for about…..hmm let’s see…Well shit…I can’t see a sunny day in sight. Well if you are going to commit suicide, you are living in the right weather folks.”
Haha, the weather is really depressing right now. The sights and weather go perfectly with any Radiohead song. Dreary and poetic. I have been taking really good pictures; messing around with a lot of the cool features on the camera Mom and Dad bought me. Thanks Momma ☺. AND I WILL POST PICS WHENEVER I CAN, SO I DON’T WANT TO HEAR SHIT ABOUT IT. I’M WORKING ON IT. Same goes for internet access. Believe me, the more I can talk and share things with you guys, I will. Well, it seems that everyone that I meet in France DO know where Springfield is. It is apparently the birthplace of the Simpsons. Damn that fucking show because I can’t tell you how many times somebody asks me,
“Is Homer your dad?” or “How is Ned Flanders”
Yeah, fuck you.
So it is Sacre Bleu and the Simpsons Theme song for now.
After practice on Wednesday with my team, Chris, the American, drove me home because, yes, it was raining out. He is just the nicest guy. For a house warming gift, he had bought me some of the Normandy Cider. It is like an apple champagne. Just a really nice gesture. The next day, Chris picked me up to go to his house to use his phone and internet and to meet his family. He has two kids, a boy and a girl. Just the cutest things. The little boy reminds me of JoJo and the little girl is adorable. The boy just smiles at me and the girl is kinda scared of me at first. So I talked with Chris for awhile as well as messin around with his kids. I finally got the his little girl to laugh at me and give me a little high five before he took me home. I think Chris and I will be really close all season because he knows the adverse situation I am in. Our game this Sunday is cancelled due to, yes, rain. So I will help Chris make a big Easter Lunch for his family and others. He is Catholic and is having a big meal to celebrate.
The other weeks activities included coaching the other teams. I really love coaching these kids. Every baseball exercise is just so new to them so they are really excited to do the different drills I have them do. Haha, I did a type of conditioning drill with them with lots of running and quick movements. I hated the drill because it made me tired as hell but they just loved it. I think they are just really tired of all the same boring ground balls and any type of fast movement interests them. I have to tell you before every practice I coach, there is twenty minutes of either soccer or other French game. I am always Paul’s first pick, and we just have a ball. I am just yelling at kids in English like
“WHAT THE FUCK PAUL, PASS ME THE BALL!” and “OHHHHH, IN YOUR FACE STEPHANIE!!!”
They just get a kick out of it. But when practice starts, I am not so play full. I kinda put on a serious face and I make sure they are not goofing around. It is usually Paul talking with his friends and I have to snap at him. But I love coaching and things on that front are going really well.
This Monday, The Paturel’s are taking me to the Normandy D-Day beach. I am really looking forward to it. I am going to take my signature picture with my feet in the center of the shot with hopefully the beach in the background. I am thinking of making a huge collage with that pic from the different places I have been. Another, “Ha, look where I have been and where you are probably never going to be.” Yeah, I rule. Love ya and talk to you guys soon. Au revoir.

Bois Guillaume 2-0!

It is Monday morning here in Bois-Guillaume and I have yet to find a good way to get onto the internet but I think I have found a solution. I am working on the field today with Jean-Luc and afterwards I am going to ask him to use his Wi-Fi and if that doesn’t work , I am storing all of this information on a flash drive and converting it to a internet café computer. ALRIGHT….Love and miss you guys. I am sorry once again for the lack of phone calls/emails. Trust me…I’m working on it. ALSO, if you want to email me, I can’t get into my Drury email account, so send emails to my other account at TonyLew003@yahoo.com.
I will begin with Saturday’s activities before I talk about our double header sweep on Sunday. I learned that not all of the players live in the Rouen area and that they have to come into town to stay with Jean-Luc on the weekends. So on Saturday I was to meet a few more players and a little more on Sunday. Well, I gotta be honest, I was feeling pretty down on Saturday. I was missing the constant communication with people. But one thing that the Paturel family is doing is making sure I don’t feel homesick. Just when I thought I was going to spend the whole day alone, Charles was at my door. He wanted to go lift with me at the gym. Their word for lifting is Musculation. Sounds exactly the way it is spelled. So we headed up to the gym where we would meet another weekend player. So we got to the gym and I started my 300 workout. I explained what exercises I was going to do and Charles said, “I’ll pass.” After about 30 minutes of lifting the other player we were waiting on came in. His name is Romain (Row-mahn). I didn’t say anything to him at first and just listened to him talk with Charles in French. Charles told me that Romain thought I was shy. He said “Socre Bleu is anything but shy.” Romain is a 19 year old catcher that has loved baseball since he was a little kid. He was wearing a St. Louis Cardinal had with an Atlanta Brave warm-up. He had told me he has read all about me on the Drury website and that he was very excited to meet me.
After we got done lifting, all three of us had to attend the Cadet practice to help coach the little kids. So we got into the gym where practice was going to be and we started off playing the sport that is absolutely loved by Europeans. Charles told me that every practice begins with 20 minutes of playing soccer. There are two goals at each end of the court with lines on the court marking a mini-soccer field. Most of these kids are on the other secondary teams that I have already seen and everyone of them are so nice to me. Charles explained that they really respect me and will listen to what I have to say because whenever Charles tries to tell them something, they really just kinda horse around and not pay attention. But when ever I am yelling instructions at them in English they really try to understand me. Lemme tell you when I get back home, I will be a master at charades. But before the baseball lesson we would begin, we would play a mock soccer game. Two of the kids were captains. One of the captains was a little kid named Paul. So far he is my favorite. A little dark haired boy who loves to mimic what I do as well as my speech, haha…he tries to say my English words to his friends and all of them start laughing. It is understood that he is the leader of the bunch even though he is about 4 years younger than all of them. He reminds me of myself when I was his age and I constantly laugh and joke with him. His first pick was me for his team.
So we played, I scored a goal, we celebrated, had our baseball practice, and we said our goodbyes. It was during the game that Romain and I became really good friends. I heard him yelling in Spanish during the game and I quickly asked him “Hablas en Espanol?”
“Si, vivo con un amigo de Venezuela por tres anos. Aprendo espanol durante este tiempo.”
We speak in spanish to one another and it feels great to have this connection with him.
That night we would have a French dinner at Jean Luc’s house. Let me tell you that is was phenomenal. I can’t remember the word for it but everyone sits around the table and has their own little tray. You place a piece of cheese onto the tray and everyone places it into a grill that sits in the middle of the table. You get mashed potatoes, an abundance of meats, and wait for your cheese to melt. Once it does, you pour the cheese over your plate. Oh, my, god. It was so good. Benedict helped me with everything and everyone at the table started to give me shit. I said “Thanks Momma,” and everyone started laughing. I think she really likes to help me out with everything because she understands what position I am in. I really like Benedict. After our meal, I was so fucking tired from the whole day of running, lifting, soccer, and baseball activities that I just went directly to sleep when I got home to prepare for Sunday’s games. Let me tell you now that I had a great two games.
Sunday, 930am.
We departed for Paris to play at an Astroturf field. The weather was beautiful. We would meet two other Canadians at McDonalds before we would leave. I got a 5 dollar McMuffin and coffee that morning. Not your dollar menu shit. After I said my hello’s to Marc and Sebastian, the Canadians, we headed off. We got to the field and their were the two teams we were going to play playing their game ahead of us. I just watched them play for awhile. In my mind, I was looking at their pitching and thinking, “Oh..yeeeahh baby.”
So we warmed up and I gotta say I was nervous because I really wanted to do perform well in front of the other guys.
Bois Guillaume Woodchucks vs Paris Expos. Attendance: 20.
“Ven Caballo!” said Romain. My nickname to him is ‘horse.’ And mine to him is “Gringo de France.” Simply, ‘gringo’. We really have a good rapport with one another.
The game started. We were visiting and I was batting 3rd. The two guys ahead of me, Marc and Pierre, struck out. The pitcher was throwing about 75 miles per hour. So this was my first at bat in France. So I did my same ritual before I strode up to the plate and stepped in.
First pitch. I swung so hard I almost pulled my shoulder out of my socket and completely wiffed. I am going to have to get used to French pitching.
I worked a full count and the 3rd pitch was on the way. I would like to tell you I knocked it out of the park but that would be a lie. The ball was about a good 2 feet high at my head level. I threw my bat back to the dugout and started walking towards first. Then I heard a bunch of screaming from my bench in detest.
“Strike Three. YOU’RE OUT!”
OH FUCKING BULLSHIT. Everyone was laughing at my reaction and everyone told me that the zone in France could be absolutely horrible and that if it is close at all on full count I have to swing. I told them I will never swing at a Ball. So my first at bat…backwards K.
I got my glove and ran out to SS cussing the umpire out the whole way. I can get away with it because he has no clue what I was saying as I was eyeing him down the whole time.
“Tony….I know you are upset…just try to keep the ‘Fucks’ and ‘bullshits’ to a lower level.” Jean-Luc said as he was laughing.
So the game went on. I made some really good plays at short-stop the whole game. I would field an easy ground ball and just air it out to 1b. We losing 5-1 going into the top of the third.
Next at bat. Jean-Luc told me before I went up to the plate that if there is a pitch I can hit, I better swing at it because it would probably be the best one I would get. Ok..Jean.
First pitch. I waited back and swung. CRACK! The ball went sailing towards the power alley in right center. Off the top of the wall! I went into 3rd with a diving triple. All the guys were yelling from the bench and I will never forget that moment. My first French hit.
With that hit and a couple other hits from the guys we regained the lead at 8-5. We eventually went on the win the first game. It was great.
We took about a 30 minute break before the start of the second game. Jean-Luc told me he wanted me to play 1st this game because I was going to close (pitch the final innings) this next game. I was happy with this because I wanted to have my full arm strength this next game.
Bois Guillaume vs Montequille Cougars.
Marc, one the Canadians, was the starting pitcher. He throws lower 80’s with just a sick slider. Dad, he could definitely pitch at our level. I was impressed with the way he through. 3 up 3 down for about 4 innings. My first at bat that game was another triple to the opposite field. Hitting is going to fun all summer.
It started to rain and with some errors commited my us, we found ourselves down 3-2 in the 5 inning. We came back up to bat at the bottom of the 5th and we retook the lead 4-3 with the help of a double hit by Marc, his 3rd of the afternoon. He is an athlete.
“Tony, close this game out,” Jean –Luc said.
So I started warming up down the line. I was feeling really good. My knuck was working and my fastball had surprising pop. Dad, maybe I am over exaggerating but I was pumping Mid-Upper 80’s. To these guys it looked like 95.
Top of the 6th. First batter I faced. I threw an inside fastball and the fucker laid a great bunt down the 3rd base line. I yelled “BALL”, bare handed it, and threw a laser into the 1st baseman’s glove, Olivear. “YOU’RE OUT!” yelled the umpire. A roar of applause came from the team. Wheww. I absolutely blew the next batters away for swinging K’s. Dad, I know what you are thinking…’Throw your damn knuckle ball’….I did and almost plunked one to the hitters in the head. I couldn’t get a good grip on it because it was raining.
We went down in order the next inning and I had one more inning to record the save. 4-3. I got the first batter to K. Next batter hit a little bloop over my left shoulder and Charles made the play of the day. A diving catch for the 2nd out. I gave him a hug for the out and strode back up to the mound.
First pitch. Swinging strike. Next pitch. Looking strike two. The next pitch was going to be gas. I knew it, the batter knew it, my team knew it.
I hiked up my leg, and grunted loud as I released the ball. Romain’s, my catcher’s, glove made a snapping sound and the umpire yelled, “STRIKE THREE. YOU ARE OUT!”
Bois-Guillaume to start off the season. 2-0. A great day. High fives, Socre Bleu’s, and laughing was had by all. I took pictures of the field as well as my team. I slept on the car ride home and went directly to sleep when I got back to my house.
I love you guys and miss you guys very much. I will contact you guys soon. Love you, au revoir.

My First French Run

Bonsoir everyone! (bon-swa = good evening) It is Friday night and I am absolutely exhausted. I just got back from a night run. Oh, and I am sorry Mom and Ian if I sounded pissed off on the phone; it took me fucking forever to figure out this damn phone card. I seriously was cussing the phone booth out and it could have easily been a spot on France’s Funniest Home Videos. Again, I am sorry and I will try and call you soon again. Regarding the internet posts, it was so easy for me to log onto the internet in Italy because I had a school to go to with unlimited internet access and I have yet to figure out what is going to be the easiest way for me to post from Bois-Guillaume. Until then, cool it with the remarks when I talk to you guys….dammit.
This morning I had to get up at 830am to go the a doctor for a physical. Jean-Luc said that I have to do this in order to be covered by BG if I get hurt at the games/practices. So he pulls up in his little car and we are off. We are headed to an opposite suburb of Rouen where this doctor is. Jean-Luc is a friend of this doctor and said we should be in and out.
So we arrive and we have waited for a good hour. I finally go into a little room where the doctor is. He first checks my blood pressure and conducts normal procedures that I have had to do back in the states. He then tells me the same turn and cough procedure…you know what I am talking about. And then I had to do perform the same procedure on him……….JUST KIDDING. Haha, that reminds me of the Friends episode where Joey sends Chandler to his tailor and Chandler gets molested. “Yeah…that’s how they do it…IN PRISON!” Haha, well everything checked out and we headed back into town.
Jean-Luc then informed me that I would be on my own today because he had to go to his work. He works with the train transportation department in Rouen. So he gave me a map of the Rouen area and told me I could go lift at the gym and walk around if I wanted to. I was kinda like, “Shit”, but going out on my own is the only way I am going to familiarize myself with the place. So I went and I lifted and I stumbled onto something very unique.
On my walk to the gym , I passed a little children’s school, Ecoile. I saw a ton of kids in a fenced playground on recess. The kids that were hovering by the fence were yelling, “Bonjour” to me and other French remarks as well as waving at me. I smiled and yell Bonjour to them in return. So I finally got into the gym and I had it to myself. This is a very basic gym. Just raw equipment. But I really like it, this raw feeling is just what I want. So I start hitting it pretty hard. Soon enough a French man walks into the gym. He is a patrol officer of the complex and was asking what I was doing there. After a clusterfuck of hand gestures I finally get across that I am a baseball player and that I have permission. But to my surprise he didn’t leave. He just sat there at first and watched me workout. Flags started going up but I realize that he is just admiring the exercises that I am doing because after I was done with one machine, he would put the weight down and mimic the workout I was doing. We were both laughing at each other because I am sure none of us have had this type of experience. So then we try to communicate to each other. It felt like it was straight out of a movie. I would say something in English, he would mimic, and give me the word in French. We had to have talked and laughed for about an hour and a half. It was a really good experience. I think I have got the complete numerical French system down. He was laughing at my pronunciations and me at his. His name was Nadie. Alright, go ahead and start with the Mauricio comments because I know they are coming you fucking assholes. Let me ask you if you have ever lifted in a French weight room……..that’s what I thought. Fuck you.
After lifting I decided to go for a run. I was planning on running into Rouen to Jean-Luc’s house because he said it was only about 2 K. Kilometers are shorter than miles, noobs. So I was like “piece of cake” but do you think it was 2K? No. It fucking wasn’t. It might as well have been 5 miles.
“Ok Tony, run to Ozark.”
Dick.
Well I started out, people staring, exchanging bonjours, and listening to my music. At first, everything was good. It felt perfect. Taking in landscape, running past cathedrals, seeing vast green pastures. It was about 500pm when I started out and I was thinking that a combined 4k run wouldn’t be bad and I would get back to BG before dark. It was about 545pm when I started hitting the outskirts of Rouen. What the FUCK Jean-Luc! I had taken a long route. So I finally made it to his house and I was so fucking tired and it was starting to get dark. I was thinking, there better be someone home and I hope they would give me a ride back. Well there was someone home. It was Benedict. She greeted me and told me to come inside for water. So I sat down and watched a French game show with her and was just waiting for her to say,
“Need a ride back?”
Do you think it came? No.
After realizing that I was going to have run back I said my goodbye and walked dejectedly out of the house. Dammit…this was going to suck. It was dark as piss and I had to go back. So I started walking up a huge hill that I had ran down and was just reversing my route pretty much. I saw a different Bois-Guilloume sign shortly after my walk up and I realized I had to make a decision. Either to walk my original 5 mile route back or to take a chance with this hopeful shortcut. So I decided to take a chance with this shortcut and I couldn’t be happier that I did. THIS was the route Jean-Luc was telling me about. It drastically cut my time down and I arrived at my house in BG at about 800pm. BG is such a nice town that I had no worries of encountering trouble on my way back. Jean-Luc informs me everyday that everywhere in Normandy is really safe and that I have nothing to worry about.
I got back, peeled a huge orange that I bought, made some cheese ravioli, ate a piece of bread, and now I am writing you guys. I am going to put in Lord of the Rings and crash now. I love you guys and miss you so much. Au revoir for now and I will talk to you soon. Socre Bleu Lewis…out.

The Bois Guillaume Club

Bonjour! It is early Friday morning and I can’t sleep. It is about 2:30am……Whatever. OH…for the next two weeks I am only 5 hours ahead of time because the Europe doesn’t recognize daylight savings until another 3 weeks. Stupid Americans.
Alrighty then…hmm where was I….Oh, practice. Jean-Luc picked me up after I took about a three hour nap before we would go to practice at 730 pm. This time his eldest son, Charles, was in the car waiting for me. Charles is 21 years old and was very nice as soon as I sat in the car. So we drove about 2 blocks to the gym. There has been a light rain everyday so far. Nothing bad, but just a cool spit. So practice was to be held inside with the rest of the Woodchucks. When I walked in, there was about 8 other guys in there tossing around baseballs. I got the “There’s the American” look from every one of them as I stepped onto the gym floor. Everyone of them came up to me and shook my hand and introduced themselves. There is Josh (Quebec), Rafeal (Venezuela), Olivear (BG), Brolsh (BG), Ryan (BG, but speaks perfect English because he was born in Northern California), and a couple of other guys that I do not remember their names. I started warming up with Brolsh, 3B. So I started my warm up routine with some light arm exercises and soon noticed that the other team was mimicking me. Haha, it was pretty cool. Then we got into some long toss. I hummed several throws right into Brolsh’s chest and he was laughing with admiration because they were pretty damn hard. I am not afraid to say that I aired some out to send a message. When we got closer to cool down, I brought out the knuckle ball. Let’s just say I don’t think they have seen any pitch like it. Brolsh told everyone in French to watch me throw it. They all laughed with delight. Then Jean-Luc said he wanted to catch it and when he did, I got the same wail of laughter.
So after we warmed up, we set up a half-ass infield and took ground balls. I set up at SS and lined some throws into the 1B’s chest. Arther was not there because he is in Italy at an Amateur European Baseball camp.
Wouldn’t you know it….I already have my nickname for the next 7 months.
Socre Bleu Lewis. I whipped out the saying during practice and everyone was laughing almost to tears. Apparently, that phrase hasn’t been used in a good 35 years in France. Ryan, was laughing but confirmed the phrase because he remembers hearing that saying in American cartoons. Jean-Luc just gets a kick out of it and often exclaims SOCRE BLEU in my presence. So practice ended and everyone headed home. That night, I would have dinner at the Paturel’s house.
So on our way to Jean-Luc’s house, I mentioned that I wanted to buy a guitar. Charles and Jean-Luc were glad that I mentioned it because both of them have played drums for years. Wouldn’t you know it…they have an old acoustic guitar that they don’t use and they are going to lend it to me. It seems for the time being that things are falling nicely in place because it is pretty overwhelming being thrown into a completely different culture. When we arrived at their house, I gave Charles and Jean-Luc the hats and the stuff that I had brought for them. They were very grateful for the gifts and said they couldn’t be happier that I came. Jean-Luc even bought a bottle of wine for the occasion because he said he loves to have a glass of wine when he has a good day. Hell, maybe everyday is a good day to him, but the gesture spoke a thousand words. So we had a good turkey dinner and later Jean-Luc drove me home. I was to be ready at 200pm the next day because Jean-Luc wanted to show me Rouen.
The next day started with some hard knocks on my door. It was 215 and I was still in bed. I couldn’t believe that I had slept that long. My body must have needed the sleep though. Jean-Luc couldn’t believe it either, but he was not angry at all. So we headed down into town. The sights are unbelievable. Absolutely beautiful. I’m sure that these people don’t think anything of the beauty of the town because they seen it everyday but to a boy from Springfield, it is amazing. Well…wait a minute! We got Bass Pro, Pecker’s Beach, and the Hammons Tower…HA, Rouen is tiddly winks compared to that. So Jean-Luc first took me to his music studio. It was nice to see that we have music in common. I just hope that when he hears me play he won’t laugh and actually pull out the 35 year old phrase Socre Bleu on me.
After the studio, we went into the heart of downtown. We stopped in front of one of the cathedrals and walked around. Renaissance architecture was all around. We walked to the Joan of Arc cathedral, I really got learn the name, and I was blown away. Very, very beautiful. After we had a Kabob for lunch we headed back into Bois-Guillaume (BG) for Cadet/Softball practice.
BG has four levels of baseball related teams. N1, the best and my team, N2, a younger team, Softball team, a girls team, and a Cadet team, younger kids wanting to learn the game of baseball. I was informed that I would be the assistant coach to all teams with more responsibility with the three other teams besides N1. So this was a younger kid and softball practice that we were headed to. So Jean-Luc and I headed to the same gym that the practice was a night before. I was greeted with the same foreign stares and an abundance of greeting kisses from the female softball players. I am just glad there is only about 7 softball players at this practice because it seems greeting a larger number females with kisses could take a good thirty minutes. We started with throwing and other basic baseball exercises to begin. After that, we had a simulated scrimmage at the corner of the gym. It was a lot of fun. Laughs, Socre Bleu’s, and other jokes were shared by all.
After practice Jean-Luc drove me to a supermarket where I could get some basic items for the time being because Jean-Luc informed me that I would be paid in two days because he needed the city of BG to confirm my staying there as a baseball player/ coach. Apparently, BG helps him with the payments to me. So I got some ham, eggs, milk, a jug of fresh strawberry orange juice, and a fresh loaf of French bread. The food is just excellent here. Everything is so fresh. So I concluded my evening with making ham and eggs with a big piece of bread. The heel is even good. Dad, you would just love the bread. I love you guys and I will keep in touch as much as I can. Love you guys, au revoir.

The Arrival

Bonjour de Bois-Guillaume!!! (bwa- gwoo-yon)
I feels good to be writing again. I already miss you guys so so much. I will start off from the moment I got on the plane in Philly.
If I didn’t talk to you before I got on the plane, lemme tell you that I was feeling anxiety. I stepped onto this massive plane and headed back to Row 26B. The plane was full of high school girls taking their spring break in Paris. Very nice. But I was not to be seated next to one of these girls, my seat was next to the girl from The Christmas Story. The girl who says, “I like the Wizard of Oz….” could have easily been her twin sister. But soon into the flight, I started talking with this girl and she couldn’t have been any nicer. She is a citizen of a southern French town and she was telling me all about France. What to expect, weather, customs, common courtesy, etc. She was just the nicest girl. We watched Rush Hour 3 on the plane and I got a good start on 1984 (Ian, she studies English Literature, and that book you gave me is a first edition and she informed me that it was worth at least 2,000 dollars.) Well it’s mine now. I finally managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours and before I knew it we were flying over French soil. I had told this girl that I was supposed to meet Jean-Luc (my coach) at the airport and he was going to drive me north to Rouen (Rwo-uh). She was saying that I might have to wait in customs for a bit but since she is a citizen she was going to inform him that I had arrived to to still wait for me if she could spot him out holding a sign for me. Let me just tell you that I might as well been a French citizen because when I went through customs, the officer barely looked at my passport, no stamp, and told me to go ahead. So I went ahead to the luggage claim and was frantically looking for my bags. Thank god all of my bags were quickly spotted and I nabbed all of them. So I am toting all of this luggage through the terminal and was about to head out to the arrival area. Now to find Jean-Luc Paturel.
Sure enough, there was a little bald French man holding up a sign that read, “Mr. Lewis.” Haha, I was just as shocked as he was when I went up to him. I guess we had different images of each other in our heads.
In a heavy French accent, “You look like an 18 year old!”
“Well Jean-Luc, not many 18 year olds can send a baseball 450ft over the fence.”
“Hahaha, that’s what I like to hear! Let’s go!”
So we piled all of my luggage into his small 4 banger car and headed north to Rouen. The landscape in France is beautiful. Lush green plains stretch across the countryside. I learned that driving in Europe is kind of a cluster fuck last summer and nothing has really changed.
I was thinking, “Jesus Christ, Jean-Luc! This isn’t the fucking Enterprise! (Star-Trek) Slow the fuck down!” He was weaving in and out of traffic through the rain like nothing was a problem. So after about an hour of driving and talking we were coming up on Rouen. Rouen is known as the city with a hundred cathedrals that sits in a valley. Sure enough, we came out of a tunnel to see a beautiful sight. The entire city was sitting below us. Cathedrals, the Seine River (Suh), and winding city streets are laid below us. The main Cathedral, where Joan of Arc was burned, towers above everything. When we got closer into the city we eventually drove by it. Absolutely beautiful. It is so immense with intricate design, it made me think, “Wow, this is going to be my home for 7 months…” Absolutely breath taking. After maneuvering through some narrow streets, Jean Luc informed me that we would have lunch at his home with his family. I was absolutely famished.
The architecture in Rouen reminds me exactly of Firenze, (ha, see what I did there). Benedict, his wife, was the first one to greet me with two little pecks on each cheek.
“Tony, you have to know that you greet every women in France with two kisses.” I quickly took my outstretched handshake back and gave her two little kisses. They all laughed, as I was blushing. The next family member I met was Arther, (Our-tour) his 16 year old son who was our 1st baseman. “Ello Tonee. So nice to meet oo” Then I met his daughter ,Sarah, (Sa-Ra). She is 18 and very pretty. She is our statistician. After we said our hello’s, we all sat down at their dining table for lunch. The first dish was a mixture of corn and fresh tomatoes, followed by small round steaks and then a healthy proportion of fresh pasta. Not your double-cheeseburger shit, I couldn’t be happier. My first authentic French meal. After we sat and talked for a while, well….it was them doing all the talking and me just sitting their acting like I knew what the hell was going on.
Benedict, “Tonee, you have to learn French you know...!”
Yeah. I’m workin’ on it.
Jean-Luc then drove me to our field. I wasn’t expecting too much but I was pleasantly surprised by it though. I was expecting Central High School but got equivalent to Meador Park. Not great, but not bad by any means. No stands haha, but green grass and a short right porch. After we walked around the Bois-Guillaume complex we headed to my house. I have to tell you that Bois-Guillaume is a suburb that sits on the opposite hill of Rouen. It is a really nice suburb that overlooks the city. My house is very, very nice. An cute little old French lady greeted us at the door and we walked in with my bags. Her and her husband live in the downstairs of the house and I would share the two bedroom loft with another female roommate who I have yet met. My roommates’ and my schedule are completely opposite. She works as a waitress at night and sleeps during the day. I work with the baseball team during the day and night and come back pretty late so we rarely are going to run into each other. So, no Bibette for now.
After I got settled in, Jean-Luc drove me to our first team practice inside of the gym of the complex. The complex is a two block walk for me. Very close. There is a post office, supermarket, and little shops that line the street as I am going to walk to the field everyday. I will tell you about my practice, the team, the softball/younger team that I coach, and the following day’s events in another post. I love you all and for now, I have no problems where I am at all. Love you guys, bye.