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  • Resilience and Attitude – Justin Viele [Guest Post]

    We’ve all been fired. We know what it feels like to have our boss tell us we suck. Most folks can’t comprehend, however, the feeling of having our childhood dreams snatched from our clutch. That’s what happens to a minor league player when he is released for the first (or last) time.  Baseball is all…

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  • Cold Showers

    If you’re trying to kick the energy drink habit, punt on the Red Bull and take a cold shower instead. This afternoon, I found myself at the ballpark, short on time and not in the mood to be patient. I was in no mood to twiddle my thumbs while the finicky shower slowly warmed. I…

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  • Guacamole and Pork Chops: On Food Assumptions

    We often encourage you to challenge your assumptions around here. Usually when we do, the topic has slightly deeper energy. Today I’m going to push you to address skeptically the notion that you need chips to enjoy guacamole. We have conditioned our minds that we can’t truly enjoy certain foods without the accompaniment of others.…

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  • Food Energy and Eggplant

    The energy of food, just like its attractiveness and tastiness in general, is subjective. Don’t believe the hype. I love my friend Susie, Boston’s best health coach. You remember her from our popular post on the many benefits of coconut oil. Susie is all holistic and stuff. She once told me that eating apples after…

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  • Drinks

    Most men will opt for coffee over tea, myself included. That doesn’t mean we have to choose. We can appreciate the many health benefits of tea, and we can pair it with music.Today, a ballplayer came up to me, accompanied by several teammates, to inquire about tea. He asked very generally, “What are your thoughts on tea?” I…

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  • Chicken Coop

    I have a dream, and it’s unrelated to race or gender equality. It’s not about peace in the Middle East, and it has nothing to do with anything philanthropic. I want chickens. Lots of them. I want to eat freshly laid eggs every morning, and I want to make chicken soup. I will have a chicken…

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  • Adventures in Soap Making – the Process

    “Dad, are you going crazy?” That was the major question on my older son’s mind as he walked in on me, sitting at the table, mad scientist style, preparing my luscious and intoxicating peppermint vanilla soap. As the great Tupac Shakur said in Juice, “I am crazy. And you know what else? I don’t give…

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  • Adventures in Soap Making – Lye

    A few days ago, I told you about my first foray into soap making. It seemed simple enough – I could make my own soap, leave out all the chemical ingredients, and boom, I’d be Tom’s of Maine. I whipped up a bar of coconut oil soap with a bit of lemon juice. It lasted…

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  • Selfish Behavior

    The greatest way to counteract selfish behavior is to model selfless behavior. This morning, I received a text from a respected and trusted former teammate of mine. Not surprisingly, he was looking for a way to be a better brother to his current teammates: How can I get guys who are on the extreme side…

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  • Strength Through Writing

    Writing daily may be more valuable than any sort of formal English classroom education. Consistently putting your thoughts down can teach a man (or woman) articulation of thought. This is certainly a critical communication tool in baseball, but more importantly, it empowers you in the chess match of life. It can also lead to a more powerful…

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I aim to plan and consciously choose all of my indulgences. I have the knowledge and willpower to do so, but occasionally, I will have a substantial misfire.

I was in Boston, my home away from home, for the 2004 World Series reunion. I splurged nutritionally as I had intended, but I didn’t map out my large nutritional stumble while watching the game.

I had it all pre-navigated. My two men (12 and 14) and I love to experience travel through food. We think it’s the most efficient and interesting way to explore the culture of a city. We discussed the trip ahead of time and decided on three restaurants where we would fully indulge and eat like kings. We’d start with the team dinner at a fine steak and seafood house, follow it up with breakfast the next morning at a bakery, and finish it out with lunch at a tapas joint in the South End.

The first night the three of us shared bone in filets, swordfish steaks, oysters, giant shrimp, crab cakes, lamb chops, chocolate cake, apple crisps and cold vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed a few glasses of whiskey, neat, and my boys drank Sprite. We left the restaurant 1 for 1. Remember, this indulgence was planned.

The next morning, we went to a bakery suggested by a Boston-based chef friend. The boys picked up scones and French toast; I scored big with a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a crusty roll with spinach and tomato. The bite came complete with a Dijon mustard finish that struck a chord with me, managing to last all day. 2 at bats, 2 knocks.

After mobbing around on the T train all morning, making our way to Harvard and back to Downtown Crossing, we landed at our destination for lunch, Toro. Theo Epstein made the recommendation after I mentioned that my boys and I were on a food adventure. This is the guy who went out to get the “washed up” 2002 version of David Ortiz, so he’s proven his scouting mettle. If he thinks it’s a worthwhile trip, I’ll take his advice.

Back to food.

Rather than turn this post into a restaurant review, I’ll keep it simple. I had an out of body experience. Every small plate that arrived was visually captivating and stunning on the palate. We sprinted the gamut. From spicy curry beef empanadas to cauliflower with golden raisins and pine nuts to the pièce de résistance, roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade. This dish, holy fuck. Our waiter described it exquisitely as “like rich, hot, beef flavored butter.” I was now 3 for 3 and ready for my final at bat.

A theme throughout this entire trip was advance planning. My first mistake was not preparing for this final meal. I figured my boys and I would just eat at the ballpark and didn’t put much thought into it. I knew that the options would be plentiful and come in large quantities. I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I quickly got off course.

I was running around at Fenway from this place to that, answering questions and meeting folks. My boys were on their own and already up in the suite by the time I arrived around the start of the first inning. They had eaten pizza, snacks and fruit, totally what I expected for them. I walked in starving, my second mistake.  I reached for a plate and piled on decent looking veggies, a huge mound of guacamole, and the only available protein, stale fried chicken strips. I could have reached into my bag and opened a can of wild caught salmon. I didn’t. My defenses were down. I hadn’t snacked. I ingested that garbage and suffered strike one.

You know my stance on processed foods. Those frozen chunks of flour covered meat product provide little nutritional value. I had already experienced a whirlwind day filled with emotion and exertion, and the pizza under the heat lamp began to look lovely.

I advocate indulgence, but I advocate planned, quality indulgence. This was neither. I scarfed down a piece and the drugs hit my bloodstream. I couldn’t chew fast enough. Strike two.

The final pitch of the at bat came in and I chased it. I scarfed down a few more slices, knowing even as I did so that it wasn’t my finest hour.

3 for 4. In baseball that’s a hell of a day. Nutritionally, I expect 4 for 4s from myself almost always. I’m in control, so the high bar is appropriately set. Rather than dwell on it, I’ll do what Manny tells us to do after a rough at bat. “Turn the page, papi.”

I write this from the plane the following morning. I’ve turned the page. Today, I’ve ingested steel cut oats, fresh organic blueberries, a pile of kale, a chunk of a ham steak, a few fresh scrambled eggs and organic black coffee.

In my bag, I have a large salad with tons of fresh veggies, almonds, chicken, organic Hannah yams. I also still have that wild salmon I passed over for pizza in a box.

I’m back on track. I remember last night’s at bat and will make the adjustment without carrying the emotion of yesterday over into today’s game.

I hope you’ll share your stories of strikeouts or home runs in the comments section below.

Kap