Menu

  • Grinding It Out

    If you’re an athlete, there’s real value in learning how to “grind it out.” However, we should optimize to be at least as equally efficient and measured as we are gritty. I vividly remember a muggy 2002 spring training day in Port Charlotte, Florida. I had come to the realization on that Mid-March morning that…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Open Thread: Week 36

    Kicking off Saturday morning with our weekly open thread. Leave your questions or thoughts in the comments. No rules. Today’s question comes from Brad: I’ll try to keep it short and simple. Like many people I’m out of shape and overweight. I work in the commercial HVAC industry in north Texas. I get up at [spp-timestamp…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Mediterranean Pasta Salad – Heather Downey [Guest Post]

    This blog provides as much gratification as anything else I work on in life. Among the many fulfilling components, I derive great satisfaction from providing others with the platform to share their gifts. Heather Downey’s gifts are many. Today, we illuminate her ability to prepare fresh, healthy, satisfying meals. More importantly, we learn about her…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • gum

    During my playing career, I was definitely a pack a day guy. I might go through 10-15 during every nine inning game. Cigarettes? No. Chewing gum.I wasn’t alone. Look around the league and you’ll see endless examples of dudes chomping while manning their respective positions. It’s just habit for us. For me, it actually goes…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Adjusting the Seasoning – Changing a Workout Routine

    Every Thursday and Sunday for the last year, I’ve gone through the same sprint workout. This time, I find myself dreading following that routine. A warm-up followed by four 100s, four 60s and four 40s…I can’t do it today. I need something different. From business2community.com: Ask anyone who fell off the bandwagon with their New Year’s…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Hip Mobility

    I love squats. I truly believe that they are the most important weight training move we can perform. If there was only one lift you could do, I wouldn’t hesitate to make it the squat. Far beyond simply improving your power, squats have a beneficial effect on your hormones. Testosterone levels are also influenced by…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • body odor

    There isn’t much I won’t do for my readers. I’ll be putting my body (and reputation!) on the line to experiment with showering without traditional soap. It turns out that that Johnson and Johnson, among other soap producing companies, have been selling us a form of perfume masquerading as detergent for our skin. As a…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Solving the “Skinny Fat” Issue

    Sometimes, adding a few calories to build muscle is a solid strategy, even if you want to become leaner and harder. Kaplifestyle readers are a passionate group. They reflect the energy of the blog beautifully with their comments and questions. This one came in on Facebook and sparked a mind-fire for me. Kap, what advice…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Know Thyself – Drew Saylor [Guest Post]

    If you’ve been reading this blog for a bit, you know one of our themes revolves around mining for the answer to the question “why?” I believe strongly in this concept. The modern day baseball player does too, and we are lucky to be in a generation where players don’t blindly follow direction. They require explanations…

    0Comments

    Read More

  • Cocktail Class 5: No Half Measures [Guest Post]

    Our know it all editor, Stephanie, pays attention to detail in every aspect of life. When it comes to teaching people about cocktails, she’s even more meticulous. In today’s guest post, she demonstrates why. Enjoy. It’s been a while since we’ve done a cocktail class post. A recent night of indulgence had me thinking about…

    0Comments

    Read More

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