Over the last few weeks, Red Sox minor league pitcher has been keeping a diary for Aaron Torres Sports about life in the minor leagues. He has discussed getting drafted, moving from starter to the bullpen and life on the road as a professional baseball player.

Being from California, this is Mike's first extended time in the Northeast. And today, he discusses his favorite cities and experiences so far.

Location, Location, Location...

There are an extremely diverse number of cities and venues within the New York Penn League. From Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY to Burlington, VT there are a large diversity of baseball communities we travel to and play in front of.

The Spinners are in an old mill town about 30 miles north of Boston. It has a lot of history in the textile business, hence the name the "Spinners" and a very interesting background. It is a very blue collar community and has fallen on some tough economic times in the years since World War II. Lowell is a wondeful town, full of history dating back to before the American Revolution but really coming to life at the start of the 19th century with the harvesting of cotton and production into textiles in cities like Lowell. The use of the Merrimack River through canals allowed for hydroelectric power to help power large factories and generate a major textile industry in Lowell. This creates a very down to earth and blue collar city as well as fan base.

In high population areas like Brooklyn, the fan base and city are far different. There is a wide combination of fans, everything from vacationers and tourists to regulars and Mets fans that don't want to head to Queens. It is amazing to see the vast range of people who came to the three games there. While it is still baseball, we heard a rap concert performance before our game, the ballparks music during warm ups and thousands of people screaming at Coney Island. It was quite the site to see and helped us realize why New York is the city that never sleeps.

The opposite is cities like Burlington. A much smaller population in a far more rural area of the United States. The folks who live there see snow six months out of the year and clear blue skies for only about four. I really enjoyed the slower pace of life, yet the people had an energy about them that was fun to watch. I saw many people out and active due to the improved weather, enjoying the sunshine.

All in all, my experience throughout the New York- Penn League and in the Northeast has been amazing. The quick paced lifestyle of New York to the casual slower lifestyle fo Burlington, both have wonderful attributes and an unforgettable two months. I'm looking forward to the rest of the cities I get to visit and finishing the rest of the season strong.

Michael

For updates on all Mike's journal entries, be sure to follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres or Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports

Well hello everyone! How are ya? Hope the summer is treating you well.

Anyway, the reason I’m checking is that I just wanted to make a quick announcement: As some of you know, and others might not, I was recently named Managing Editor of a new college football blog called Crystal Ball Run, which launched this morning. It’s a really exciting time, and something that I’m proud to be affiliated with both personally and professionally.

First off, let’s get to the details. The goal of Crystal Ball Run (or CBR as the kids are already calling it), is to cover the college football landscape as well as anyone on the ‘net. No seriously, that’s my expectation. It may take time to build an audience, and iron out all the wrinkles, but it can happen.

We’re going to try and reach that goal a bunch of different ways, but it starts with a ton of unique, and excellent content. Yes there will be the typical news and game previews that's already scattered all over the net, but we’ll also be dealing with much more. Statistical analysis (definitely not me), stadium reviews, key matchup breakdowns, everything. We’ve got a got a great staff over there, one that I trust and respect, all with their own unique opinions and voices. Basically, if you like what I do here, chances are pretty good you’ll like Crystal Ball Run. And if not, let me know. I’m in charge, and am ready to bust some heads as soon as you give me the ok! (Ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But you get the point)

So with that said, what does this mean for this particular site? Honestly, I don’t expect much to change at all. All of my podcasts will still be housed here (I've got some good ones coming in the next few weeks), as well as all my non-college football related stuff.

As for my college football columns, well basically, everything that I was already doing here, will stay the same. Simply put, most of the long-form, well-thought out stuff that I already do, very likely won’t fit over there. Just as an example, I will be revealing my own, personal detailed Top 25 later this week, here at Aaron Torres Sports. Quite frankly, it wouldn’t make sense to put it anywhere else. My weekly college football pick ‘em column will be here too.

Instead, what you can expect me to post over at Crystal Ball Run is more “short form,” stuff. For example, today I hit on a few hundred words on Stanford and Andrew Luck. It wasn’t something that I would’ve likely posted here, but something that was a perfect fit there. The two sites really do complement each other well, and in the end, if you like my stuff, all this means is that there will be more of me spread across the board. Which, isn’t a bad thing.

So that’s it for now. At the same time, I want to be sure to go ahead and thank you all.

Understand that I’ve built a very special community here at Aaron Torres Sports, and I wouldn’t have been able to get this job without all of you reading my work, and commenting or e-mailing in when you can. You may not think these things are important, but they are. For lack of a better term, it landed me this job.

Thanks again.

Crystal Ball Run is one big announcement that I’m proud to share with you. But I also have another really, REALLY big announcement in the coming weeks. Be sure to stay tuned.

Until next time…

Over the past few weeks, Red Sox minor leaguer Mike McCarthy has been keeping a diary here at AaronTorres-Sports.com. Mike is a good friend, and twice the person that he is baseball player, so I’ve been glad to have him on board, and sharing insight from life on the road.

And after a short hiatus, Mike is back, with his most detailed post yet. After sharing his experiences on the path to Division I baseball, his final year of college ball and what it’s been like moving to the bullpen as a pro, this week Mike discusses the intimate details of what it’s like to be a minor league baseball player. The food, the accommodations, the long bus rides. And of course the baseball, where he playing for the Lowell Spinners, the Red Sox Rookie Ball affiliate.

Here’s Mike’s most recent journal entry...

Baseball is a game of constant adjustment; everything from in at-bat adjustment to adjusting ones diet. As ball players we are constantly tweaking and tinkering with every part of our game to make us the best we can be. Since arriving in Lowell I have learned to make the adjustment from starter for the past 4 years to reliever. While it has not been easy and I am still learning, I have started to find my stride over the past few outings and really understand what it takes to be a closer. I have still barely scratched the surface but I think over the last six weeks of the season I will continue to grow and learn about how to fill my new role.

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Alright, so some of you have been getting on me for not writing more. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t “some of you,” and was actually just one person. Whatever. The point is, I haven’t been writing much. I get it.

At the same time, I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m not sure quite what there is to be discussed. If I hear one more word on the NFL lockout, my head will explode. I don’t have much to say on baseball. And any comments I make on Hope Solo or the women’s US soccer team will make me sound like a sexist, so I can’t go there. Really, what else is there to talk about?

Which is my biggest conundrum: Nothing is quite, “column worthy.” As in, nothing is interesting enough for me to have a strong, tangible opinion on.

Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t have some thoughts.

As a matter of fact, here are 50 Random Thoughts, none that have anything to do with the other.

I hate to say it, but we’ve officially reached the most inglorious part of the sports calendar.

The NBA has been done for over a month. Baseball is fun enough to watch, but not yet far enough along to be captivated by. The NFL is still locked out, meaning that even if I wanted to, there’s no real reason yet to make fun of Rex Ryan. And then there’s college football, which is close enough to practically taste, yet far enough away that fans will spend this week manufacturing excitement over “media days.” For those wondering, media days are basically just a series of mundane press conferences where no one says anything, everyone pats each other on the back, and every coach tries to sell his team as a National Championship contender (This of course, despite the fact that half his wide receivers can’t catch, the defense can’t tackle and his best tight end just got arrested for armed robbery). Good times. Wake me up when camps open in a couple weeks.

So it’s what that, that I was just genuinely stuck in terms of how to pass my time yesterday. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t feign interest in the women’s World Cup (and understand it wasn’t a, “I hate women’s sports,” thing, just an “I really, really don’t care,” thing), meaning, that my already bleak sports day was basically over before it even began. Add in the fact that it was too hot to be outside, I was too broke to go to the movies, too disinterested to hang out with my family and too lazy to get work down, and I was really screwed.

Then I decided to go to the Greater Hartford Pro-Am.

Full disclosure: Yesterday, I planned on writing about the ESPY’s. My outline was done, the jokes were written, my thoughts on Erin Andrews (stunning), Blake Griffin (hysterical) and Justin Bieber (poor kid, he’s definitely headed to rehab at some point) ready to roll. All I had to do was put pen to paper.

I couldn’t do it.

The truth was, the more I watched the show, the more that one sentiment continued to come back to me: I’d never seen a more self-aggrandizing, self-promotional, smug 150 minutes of TV in my life. Not only did it bore me to tears, it basically made me sick to my stomach. Quite frankly, I didn’t understand how anyone who didn’t work for the company could possibly find the whole thing even remotely entertaining.

So I decided to scrap the column.

Understand that I’m not one of these people who gets a sick thrill out of bashing ESPN. Granted, I don’t agree with everything they do, but think that for the most part, they put out more than enough quality content to keep me satisfied. Overall, the company has good programming, entertaining personalities, and for the most part, is really good at what they do. Who am I to criticize them? Especially since I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who felt the way I did about the ESPY’s. So in the end, I decided to keep my mouth shut. After all, I didn’t want to be one of those “snarky,” bloggers that everyone is always talking about.

Well apparently, I was a day early in my ESPN bashing. But today, I won’t keep my mouth shut. Sure my voice may be small, and this article might not be read by anyone outside the handful of you who are regular visitors to the site. But I’ve got to say something.

What’s the news that has me so upset? It’s ESPN’s suspension of star college football reporter Bruce Feldman. And if the facts in the case are true, it's nothing short of distgusting.

Now a month into his professional baseball career, Boston Red Sox minor league pitching prospect Mike McCarthy has been keeping a journal on his road through the minor leagues.

In his first entry Mike shared his struggle to get to Cal-State Bakersfield, and his eventual success in getting eligible. Last week he discussed his final season, where his team beat the eventual National Champion South Carolina Gamecocks, and where he out-dueled the eventual No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft, UCLA’s Gerrit Cole on the mound.

Today he takes us into his minor league career, where Mike discusses his new teammates, new coaches, and new surroundings in Massachusetts

About a month ago I was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 14th round. Interestingly, I wasn't watching online when it happened, and I didn't get a call from the organization. Instead, the players at my college and I were in an intra-squad scrimmage that day to stay sharp for our respective upcoming summer seasons (both college and professional). Louis Cazares yelled, "Mike, you just got drafted by the Boston Red Sox." After that guys came over and shared a bunch of hugs and smiles. It was an enjoyable chance to share with my teammates another milestone for CSUB Baseball. We had four players drafted in the top 20 rounds of the 2011 draft and it was also the same four guys who were in Alaska two years before. A surreal moment for us, especially for me.

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For the second week in a row, my good friend and Red Sox minor leaguer Mike McCarthy is keeping a journal for Aaron Torres Sports.

Last week, Mike discussed his unique route from under-recruited pitcher with no college interest, to a Division I roster, and how even as an ineligible transfer he still contributed to the team. This week, he takes us behind the scenes of this past season, as his Cal-State Bakersfield club (which started its baseball program only three years ago), went on to beat the eventual National Champion South Carolina Gamecocks, and how he personally outdueled the eventual No. 1 pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, UCLA’s Gerrit Cole.

Also, be sure to check back next week, when Mike takes us through the thrill of getting drafted, and the first few weeks of his fulfilling his dream as a professional baseball player.

Enjoy.

After sitting out the first year at CSUB I was extremely excited for our second season to begin. I knew we would be much better and I was prepared to make an impact on the field.

The coaching staff sent me to Fairbanks, AK to play for the Alaska Goldpanners along with three other players from our team. Ironically enough, we were the four players drafted this year in the 2011 MLB Draft. Fairbanks is actually where my story with Aaron begins but, as you can see, it does not end there. I am sure Aaron and I will continue to be friends long into the future.

After a frustrating summer in which I didn’t perform very well, I went back to Bakersfield and CSUB with a little extra intensity. We had a long but beneficial fall and winter then got rolling on the season. We had a few big highlights that I'll mention below, but we wrapped up the season going 26-30 and our RPI ended up in the 120's, I believe. While we weren't thrilled about the final results, we understood that to finish in the top half of the nation as a program in only our second year, is amazing. Here are a few highlights from that season:

I’m not sure if you heard, but the Travelers Championship golf tournament was this weekend. If you didn’t get a chance to watch, it’s ok, I’m sure you had more important things to do. Like wash your hair, rearrange your old Glenn Miller band albums, or actually do stuff with your children. To which, I must say, I’m truly sorry to hear about that last one.

Located in scenic Cromwell, CT (and by “scenic,” I actually mean, “not scenic at all”), the Travelers is one of my home state’s few chances to show America that it can in fact, put on a big time sporting event. Due to bad timing however, it almost never lives up to the hype.

The Travelers is played every year in the week following the U.S. Open, meaning that it’s got an “Island of Misfit Mascots,” feel to it, with almost everyone participant either up-and-coming, washed up or someone who- quite literally- can’t afford to skip a tour stop. Tiger Woods has never played the event. Rory McIlroy passed this year. Same with Ernie Els. While I’m not saying that a big name has never played in Cromwell, every year the Travelers almost feels like one of those alcohol-free, post-prom parties that every high school throws. Essentially, you never know who’s going to show up, how long they’ll stay, or what their interest level will be.

So with that as a background, I hesitated when my buddy Gene told me he couldn’t attend Sunday and offered me a free ticket. Eventually I got roped into going, only after finding out my uncle and his friend would be there, and in realizing that I honestly had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon in late June (College football can’t get here soon enough).

However, I’ve got a confession to make. Much to my surprise, I actually had a really good time. It just wasn’t because of the golf.

Truth be told, unless you’re a golf die-hard, attending an actual tournament really isn’t fun at all. Quite the opposite, actually.

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A few weeks ago, an e-mail popped up in my inbox. As it read, an old buddy of mine named Mike McCarthy had been named College Baseball’s National Pitcher of the Week. Obviously that’s a pretty high honor for anyone, but considering Mike’s background, it’s all the more impressive.

I’ve known Mike for close to two years now, after spending time working with one of his summer league teams. From the start you could tell Mike was different than most of the other guys on the team, and that’s not an insult to anyone involved. While most everyone else (including, too often, myself) was concerned with letting loose and having a good time when the games were done (like any guy in his early 20’s would), Mike was always sitting back, reflecting and thinking about stuff besides baseball. He was wise beyond his years, and whenever you had a conversation with him, you always felt smarter after when done speaking with him, than you were before. Our birth certificates may say that I’m older than him, but I always came away from our conversations as if he taught me something, rather than the other way around.

Anyway, after that first e-mail about the award, he and I began speaking quite extensively; about his time at Cal-State Bakersfield, their shot at a first ever NCAA Baseball Tournament berth, and the upcoming MLB Draft. And when Mike was drafted by the Red Sox two weeks ago, I knew I had to somehow get him involved in this site. My only goal here is to provide unique and quality sports content, and I had no doubt Mike would bring that.

So for the next few weeks, Mike will be keeping a journal for this site. Today he’ll talk about his rise as an under-recruited high school player, to his transfer to Cal-State Bakersfield (which just added Division I baseball three years ago), and how he used his own birthday money to support the team when he was ineligible after arriving. From there, he’ll take us on the road with him as a minor leaguer playing up in Lowell, MA.

It’s up to Mike how often he posts, and what he chooses to talk about. This is his story, in his own words.

I’m just happy to be part of all of it.

Here’s his first entry.