The Berlin Wall is Still Down

Initially refreshed to see that the Berlin Wall is no longer dividing Berlin, we were able to relax and enjoy our time on the "east side, Communist side" of Berlin. Full of history and culture, sidewalk cafes and massive monuments, the two days in Berlin were a special time for Emily and myself.

We arrived to East Seven Hostel on Sunday, a trendy and fun place located in the northeast corner of Berlin known as Prenzelauer Berg, and complete with a garden courtyard and free wi-fi.

On Sunday night, we decided to stay local and head to the massive flea market near-by. We thought we were in heaven. The sun was shining, the smells were rousing our taste buds, and the junk and trinkets galore tuned the attention of at least one of us. After walking around, we decided to sit and have Emily's favorite (fries!) and my favorite (crepe with nutella)! Yummy! After enjoying those moments, we checked out the area, which is chock full of sidewalk cafes, cheap coffee and drinks, and fun restaurants! We managed to find a restaurant (where we'd return) to watch the Switzerland soccer game, and headed home after a few mojitos and margaritas.

On Monday, we did the tourist thing, checking out all the major stops including Checkpoint Charlie (a place where the British/US tanks squared off against Russian tanks), parts of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, and the Berliner Dome. All very cool, as they were full of the history of the wars, the Holocaust, and the dividing wall (which only fell in 1989!). At night, we headed to Ku'udam Street, which is the SHOPPING street of Berlin. After buying a few items, we headed back to the restaurant we'd been at the previous night to camp out in order to get a spot to watch the Germany soccer game. As we sat in the lowering sun, we played cards, ordered tasty meals, drank German beer, and enjoyed the company of enthusiastic German fans.

On Tuesday, we made our flight by 5 minutes! We missed a few trains here and there, but managed to SPRINT to the gate to make it by 5 minutes. We were quite worried, but managed to keep tension to a minimum! 

All in all, a sweet European city that I'm glad we took time to explore! 

Can't believe we are home in 2 weeks! It seems like it has gone so fast! 

Peace and love,

John and Emily

Dramatic Wins For Flyers

On a day that began by remembering the life of Grandma Phyllis, our baseball and softball team won all four of the games against the Bern Cardinals on Sunday. 

Emily's team handled the Cards in the first game as they won 12-5. Emily went 1-2 and was able to play despite having a bruised foot and ankle. In the second game, she pitched and they won 4-3, on a game-ending walk in the 7th inning. Despite the emotional ride of both games, the Flyers ended victoriously and are now 8-0 since Emily's arrival.

Our baseball squad faced the mighty Bern Cardinals at home. Coming in with a 33-1 record and three-time defending champion title, they feature some of the most polished pitching and team defense in Switzerland. However, our team was well-prepared and also includes two of the best pitchers in Switzerland. The first game was a battle back and forth, until we took the lead in the bottom of the 7th on a Daniel Eichenberger "Eicha" homerun to put us ahead 5-4. The Cardinals then tied the game in the top of the 9th with two outs at 5-5. Battling all the way to the bottom of the 11th, Eicha proceeded to hit another homerun to lead off the inning. We celebrated by bouncing around at home plate, ending the Cardinals streak of 22 straight wins.

In game two, we faced the top pitcher in Switzerland, Severin Fries. He shut us down for 2 hits in 6 innings and they managed to get runs off our Aussie Chris Blackbee. I relieved him in the top of the 6th and shut them out in both innings. Down 3-0 and losing Eicha and our other catcher Carlos to injury, we had to dig deep. A one out single, a two-out walk and then a single by Reto Siegel to score one run, I stepped to the plate with runners on 1st and 3rd, two outs, and down 3-1. Let me say this: I'd been struggling at the plate ALL day. Getting jammed, popping up - I was frustrated more than usual, that's for sure. Facing the playing coach John Baum, I proceeded to crush a 2-2 fastball over the centerfield fence for a walk-off three run homerun!!! Let's just say we celebrated like crazy. Honestly, it was a top 3 coolest moment of my whole baseball career! We were so pumped. To beat the Cardinals twice - on walk-off homeruns - it was unreal! Quite an emotional ride! 

Anyways, just an update on the exciting happenings of Swiss baseball. Emily's team is now 9-3 and we are 6-1 and in first place. We are thrilled about what is happening in the Flyers' organization and are so thankful to be a part of such a great group of people! 

We have a week full of Valentino's tonight (a restaurant we go to EVERY Tuesday night and stay until way past closing because we know the cook!), watching the Swiss play again in the Euro Cup (Soccer) on Wednesday night, going to a discotec with the teams on Thursday, and having a raclette (a famous Swiss cheese dish) party on Friday, and then heading to Berlin on Saturday for 3 days. Not too bad huh?

My friends Zach Poth and his girlfriend Shayne came to visit us on Saturday for the night! We had a great time hanging out with them and getting to know Shayne!!!

Peace and love to you all! We love and miss you!

Written on Mister Baseball: Preview for Game today

BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY IN THERWIL AS THE CARDINALS TRAVEL TO FACE THE FLYERS 
The undefeated and 1st place Bern Cardinals (8-0) meet the 2nd place Therwil Flyers (4-1) Sunday at the Kannelmatt. The games, whose outcome will decide, who ends up in first place at the midseason break, are going to be fierce battles. Two of the top offenses face off against two of the league’s top pitching staffs. The Flyers have four new bats in the lineup this year, Reto Siegel (.455AVG), Daniel Eichenberger (.368AVG), Australian Chris Blackbee (.591AVG), and playing/coach John Alexander (.364AVG); have energized an already solid Flyers team. Stefan Koller (3-0, 3.81ERA), one of the top Swiss arms, andChris Blackbee (1-1, 2.25ERA) man the hill for their team as they look to shut down the dangerous Cards offense. The pitching staff for the Cards is once again healthy as Severin Fries is now back and throwing at 100%. The offense is also at full force, with all the regular starters available. Look for the Cards arms to silence the red hot bats of the Flyers, and the offense to find its groove heading into the Euro Qualifier. I have to give the Cardinals the edge in this one, until someone knocks the Redbirds from the top; they have to remain as favorites in every game they play.
PREDICTION: CARDINALS MOVE WIN STREAK TO 22 STRAIGHT WITH TWO HARD FOUGHT VICTORIES!

Some press in the Basler Zeitung (Newspaper)

http://www.therwil-flyers.ch/photos/Flyers_nr231.jpg

An Ode to My Grandma

To be read at her funeral:

Being the youngest of 10 grandchildren, I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the most time with her as Grandma. Because they moved to Longview when I was a young child, Grandma played many special roles in my life.

 

As Grandma the Teacher:

Hours upon hours, I spent creating and designing games of cards, marbles, checkers, chess pieces and other assorted items with rules and regulations that were solely determined by me – which, of course, led to much flexibility and rule-bending. But Grandma would constantly encourage this creative approach to gaming, instructing me in the virtues of creativity, mind expansion, and fun! Grandma would tirelessly listen to my in-depth instruction of each new game ~ and proceed to lose every time!

 

She was also consistently full of knowledge and had a small gem of truth to offer at each visit to her home. Whether it was a medicinal instruction or a fact about the current state of affairs in the world, Grandma seemed to know it all. Each piece was like a slice of her infamous blueberry and apple pies ~ a bookend of solid crusty truth and filled with gobs of love.

 

As Grandma the Peacemaker:

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18.

What I’ll remember most about her is the peace that surrounded her being. Patient, kind, and filled with peace - except, of course, when she had to yell at Grandpa to turn his hearing aid UP. In her presence, you felt a sort-of Mother Theresa like harmony exuding from her that seemed to transcend the deeper bond she had clearly made with the world. Her tenderness and concern for your health exceeded the importance of her own life tenfold.

 

As Grandma of Faith and Love:

Most importantly, her and Grandpa together lived a life of profound faith, of undying love for each other and God, and of believers in both of these things. Her life modeled this faith in her every day living. The precious moments I had sharing “devotion time” in the morning with Grandpa and Grandma; the countless times she attended my piano recitals and sporting events; the genuine smile that appeared each time I approached; the Swedish pancakes and blueberry pies, the lefse and tiny chocolate chip cookies; the visits after school and popcorn treats ~ all moments conceived in heaven and brought to Earth by the love and faith of our Grandma.

 

Two final moments: Unfortunately, I am far away in Switzerland and unable to attend the funeral. Before I left for a mid-morning coffee on Monday, my fiancé Emily and I decided to pray for Grandma after receiving word of her failing health. As I checked my watch, it was 11:00 AM. We prayed that God would rest her soul and take her body if He so chose. Two hours later, I received the call that she had passed on ~ two hours before, at exactly the time we prayed for her.

 

On this night (Monday), the night of her triumphant return, I decided to embark on my first ever attempt at making Swedish “Egg” pancakes. With each swish and sizzle of the pancakes, even as incomparably dismal as they were to hers, I remembered her and the life she lived.

 

Tender; loving; peaceful; knowledgable; challenging; submissive; serving; merciful; sincere.

 

May we all come to know the supremacy of a life filled of love, of family, of the gift of nurture and care, of inescapable and undeniable faith, and of true, profound life like our mother, grandmother, and friend – Phyllis Martinson.

Weekend of Baseball

The Flyers win again ~ Another undefeated weekend of baseball and softball for us!

On Saturday, our baseball squad played a round of the Swiss Cup (basically EVERY team in Switzerland at any adult level plays in a single elimination tournament). We played a C league team. I started on the mound and pitched 2 innings, had 4 Ks and 0 runs. It was definitely sweet to pitch again. I've had to become more crafty in my old age. Also, I was 2-3 with a homerun. Our team won 17-0. 

On Sunday, Emily's softball team won 10-3 and 9-0. They are now 7-3 on the season. She played wonderfully again, going 2-4 in the first game with a huge bomb (double over the fence) and 2-3 in the next game. She also pitched a shutout with 10 Ks in 6 innings. 

Sunday night, we hosted a few friends over at our Webergasse apartment. It was a grand time as we made spaghetti and salad. They were SHOCKED when Emily drank MILK with dinner, an unheard of atrocity in Europe.

This upcoming weekend, the baseball team faces off against the Bern Cardinals, the first place team and reigning champs. They are 32-1 in their last 33 games and 8-0 this season. I was interviewed by the local paper (Basler Zietung) about the game and the season thus far. It will be an epic matchup! Also, the EURO CUP is starting on Saturday, which is the European Soccer Championships. And this year, it is hosted by Switzerland and Austria, and will have all the Swiss games in Basel. Needless to say, it will be chaotic here for the next few weeks!

Last, here's what I wrote for the Basler Zietung. They'll obviously translate it into German, but here's my unedited English version.

The Euro Cup will not be the only big competition this weekend.
Although tucked in the tiny fields of Therwil and the approximately
42,300 fans less than the first Switzerland Euro Cup match is sure to
attract, our Therwil Flyers baseball team squares off against the
first place Bern Cardinals in a doubleheader on Sunday in Therwil.

Even though it is early in the season, these games feature the top two
teams in Switzerland. The Cardinals are 8-0 and have only lost once in
the last 34 games. Currently, we are 4-1 and in second place. The
games are an important barometer into how well we can compete with the
best; however, they are still just games in the early part of the
season - what matters most is who wins at the end. Bern is a
tremendous baseball team and of course, I definitely think we can beat
them.  However, we will have to play some of our best baseball with
strong pitching performances, timely hitting, and mistake-free
defense.

Without question, this is the strongest Flyers team in the last few
years. From top to bottom, our lineup does not include a single easy
out. Compared to two years ago when I was here, this team is much
stronger comparatively. I am extremely excited about our team this
season. We feature two of the best pitchers in the league (Stefan
Koller and Chris Blackbee) and have 3 or 4 other pitchers we can rely
on in tight situations. Our defense both in the infield and outfield
consists of solid defenders with above average arms and speed. We
feature an aggressive style of baseball, and yet have several guys in
the lineup who can pop one out at any time. Our lineup includes two of
the best players in the history of the league (Reto Siegel and Daniel
Eichenberger). I joke with those guys that they are "legends" in Swiss
baseball, but I'm actually serious. They are on the top of every
statistical category in Swiss baseball history. Along with those two,
the lineup includes several competent hitters with myself, Blackbee,
Carlos Brito, Stefan Koller, and Sebastian Zwyer. Mario Cuevas
provides a speedy and powerful spark and Adrian Kaufmann plays a
tremendous defensive shortstop. Matti Jung mans centerfield with
maturity and leadership.

Baseball is a beautiful game, oftentimes decided by centimeters. There
is nothing like stepping out to a field filled with freshly cut grass,
the smell of leather and pine tar, and the crack of a bat on a ball.
So clearly, I love the game. My playing career consisted of playing
four years at Chapman University in Orange, California where we went
to 3 World Series Championships. Then, I played one year with the
Atlanta Braves before I began coaching at Vanguard University and then
Bethel University. My dream would be to one day be a full-time college
baseball coach.

Living and coaching baseball in Switzerland is a dream, but doing so
with my fiance Emily McNamara makes it that much better. As she had an
outstanding playing career in college as well as a softball player,
she is a HUGE bonus to this whole situation. She is the starting
shortstop and head coach of the Flyers' softball team. I'm amazed on
her love of the game and her abilities on the softball field. Emily is
incredibly fast and plays great defense. So, as this is a dream for
her, it is a dream for us together. We get married on August 16th this
summer and will have to miss part of the season to fly back to
Minnesota to do so.