If you read my blog from last year's Giants Fantasy Camp, you'll know that I am not much of a baseball player. To be fair, before last year, I didn't even know if I could play the game. Growing up I didn't play little league and, when school sports came into play, I was fast, so I ran track. But, after sheparding kids through little league and now enjoying my life as an umpire, I certainly have a passion and love for the game that I didn't have in my youth.

After my rookie year at the Giants Fantasy Camp, I even said that I doubted that I would come back. Last year's camp was a gift from my family. A gift that put me miles away from my comfort zone. I was terrified.

Don't get me wrong, I had a great time last year. I found out a lot about myself and had a great week playing the first organized baseball of my life. It was a stressful week being a rookie and, yes, nobody ever lets you forget that you are rookie. Rookies are nervous - all the time. Just figuring out where to be and what to do was nerve-racking. Add Joel Youngblood hitting you fly balls and nervous doesn't even begin to describe the feeling. But by the end of the week, things fell into place.

The reason I came back had everything to do with NOT being a rookie. I know where to be and what to do. I know that Rich Aurilia is just a nice guy with a freakish skill that allowed him to play professional baseball. I know that I can field ground balls and catch fly balls. I also know that I can't hit anything but ground balls to third. I'm still working on that!

My rookie year may be have been a gift from my family, but this year it is a gift to myself. I'm back in Scottsdale, Arizona: this is NOT my rookie year and I want to play ball!