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  • Protein Powder Alternatives

  • Treadmills

    I generally dislike training on a treadmill. I can’t think of a reason I’d rather sprint indoors over being in the open air under the stars or sun. That said, we stress flexibility around here. From time to time, we get forced indoors. When we have no choice, the belt provides ample opportunity to build…

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  • caffeine – Page 2

    I’m asked often about the health benefits and effectiveness of energy drinks.I can gracefully answer the first part of the question. The nutrition label on a Rockstar or Monster can tells me all I need to know – stay far, far away.The effectiveness part is a little trickier because once I read how unhealthy these…

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  • recovery – Page 2

    I woke up this morning feeling like telling a couple of stories. You should gather by now that I’m not a doctor, so don’t browse for medical advice in this post. I’m simply sharing a few of the things that came up over the course of my professional baseball career. Hopefully you can extract a…

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  • Add Some Spice to Your Life

    If you’ve been following this blog, you know I throw hot sauce on almost everything. From jalapeños to habaneros, I love me some spiciness. I recently started a garden. While I’ve done pretty well at killing off my other plants, my ghost peppers have made it. Survival of the fittest! I eat spicy foods for…

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  • Long Journeys – Weight Loss

    We don’t have to stand in another’s shoes to provide insight. Being equipped to relate through personal experience isn’t a prerequisite to offer counsel or guidance. Rather, assisting in another’s human development is about interest and care. A few days back, I received this message from a Dallas-based reader: I seek your opinion on my…

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  • Supplements

    Peer into the locker of most professional athletes, and you’ll find a plethora of legal powders and pills promising larger muscles, speedier recovery and increased energy.  Some of these magic elixirs even claim to improve reaction time and memory.  Supplement companies make equally empty suggestions to the general public that may be even more egregious.…

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  • Out of the Training Room, into the Kitchen

    Major league baseball training rooms are a popular spot for guys looking to get their daily drug fix. The drug of choice? Advil. Over the course of 162 games, plus spring training, plus the post season, an inflamed muscle here and there is impossible to avoid. I have clear recollections of taking 12 Advil a…

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  • Open Thread: Week 6

    Let’s dive right in. Kelebek: So recently, you invited the KapLifeFam to your place for breakfast (I love a good omelet), but what does dinner look like in your house on days when you don’t get home late from the studio? You have a busy schedule but from following your blog since the beginning of…

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  • Addicted to Sugar

    This post contains no solutions or suggestions, just a freaky analogy and some sugar-free food for thought. “Would you like a cinnamon sugar scone?” This was the refrain from the United flight attendant as she strolled up and down my plane’s aisle. The smell was intoxicating. The man next to me couldn’t resist. He gobbled…

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  • Eat Your Veggies, Don’t Juice Them

    There is a reason children around the world are told “eat your veggies” instead of “drink them.” I’m frequently asked about juicing, cleanses and liquid diets. My reply is generally the same: “I’m thrilled that you want to eat more fruits and veggies. I’m also pleased that you’re making an attempt to become more nutritionally…

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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