Bryan Pritz’s official RSI Blog

It has been a while since my last update, and noticed I still get a large number of hits on the site so I figured I would give everyone an update on what is going on and what has happened in the past few months.

After baseball ended in April, 2009 a lot has happened. I debated for a few months on continuing to play baseball, and ultimately decided against it. I had played 5 1/2 years of professional baseball with the Boston Red Sox and would essentially be starting over if I continued to play with another team. All the respect I had built with the Red Sox would be lost and I would have to spend a few more years to get back up to the top of any other organization. To me, as someone who has a lot of other aspirations and dreams other than baseball, it was time to say goodbye and get on with my life. It is something that I may never know if it was the right decision, but I made it and am happy with it.

I had a job lined up with a company out in California, but a deal fell through that would have given them the money they needed for a National expansion, which I would have been a part of leading. Since the deal fell through, that job has been delayed. While I wait for that to open up, I am selling marketing services on the East Coast. The job in California is expected to open up in late December/January. I have been lucky in starting a few businesses while playing baseball that has given me the experience and business relationships that will allow me to succeed outside of baseball. I am an exception to the idea that when most professional baseball players stop playing, there are few options outside of the sport. Many players have a high school education, or have left college before graduating. They play 3-10 years of baseball and once they are done, they have no education, experience or opportunities. It is actually quite sad what the dream of playing professional baseball can actually do to ruin someones life. I hope I don’t sound anti professional baseball, because I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, but professional baseball organizations need to help young players establish a base of experience or education so when they are done, they have something to fall back on.

Anyway….I just set up a meeting with the San Diego Padres, not as a player but to go work for their marketing department. I have always been interested in working on the front office side of the diamond, and maybe this will be my chance. I will meet with them Jan 11th.

The status of Real Sports Interactive is that it has been officially shut down. We had an amazing thing going, which both fans and players loved, but since MLB shut our operations down initially, we have never been able to gain the momentum and funding needed to launch a full scale operation. Our investors and partners decided not to get involved in the new concept, and without them we could not launch the idea as we wanted. We figured it was in everyones best interest to stop what we were doing, and possibly re-visit the concept in a few years.

Stephen Strasburg waited until the last minute to agree to the 15.6 million dollar offer from the Washington Nationals. This is the first positive sign from baseball as a sport that I have seen this year. What has been plagued by steroid rumors, abnormal signing bonuses and poor moves all around baseball, the Strasburg signing gave me a little hope that things were getting better.

Not only did the Washington Nationals sign Strasburg, but they signed him for a “good” price.  Yes, the record bonus amount of 15.6 million was a good price. While sports reporters state that Strasburg is Major League ready and will make an impact next year, it may take a bit longer. Even if it takes 5 years, it’s worth it. Not only for the impact on the team, but for the ticket and merchandise sales for the team, the hope and trust for the fans. I think if they went up to 20 million on the bonus, it would be worth it to show their fans they are willing to make the investment for their team.

A guy like this is worth it. Guys who may not be worth it include the Baltimore Orioles 22nd round pick who got 1 million dollars and the Yankees 44th round pick who got a 500k bonus. The chance that these players become great major league players are slim and the odds are stacked against them. The Orioles told reporters they gave their 22nd round pick 1 million dollars because he “is projectable.”  The big “Projectable” reasoning for giving large bonuses is the dumbest thing in baseball. It is basically gambling on a player just because he could be good eventually. Why not wait to see if he projects out, then spend money on him or trade for him if you don’t get him.

There are a ton of guys that aren’t projectable, but are good already, that deserve this kind of money. These are usually college kids that have built their skills and have succeeded against higher levels of talent.

To me the draft is extremely flawed, which is why the Stephen Strasburg signing was a great moment in baseball.

You see professional baseball players on TV and you instantly get an impression of that player by the way they act or the way that the commentators talk about them. Many times, you think that because a player is really good he is probably a good guy. Announcers tend to talk highly about a kid who is an incredible athlete. But how well do you really know that player? You don’t. Many players are completely different on the field vs. off the field. Sometimes their God given ability dictates how people view that player.

 I can think of several players where the public absolutely loved the guy, when in turn he would be in the dugout talking about how much he hates fans and wish they would leave him alone.

As I watched Clay Buchholz pitch last night the commentators were puting him on a pedestal above all others, both in ability and as a person. But what is Clay really like off the field? As a teammate of his for a few years I will tell you.

Clay is one of the nicest kids you could meet. He also happens to have ridiculous pitching ability. He is someone that will talk to anyone, rarely “Big Leagues” anyone and will actually go out of his way to help people. This is something you don’t see everyday, especially from a Big League pitcher. As a fan you may see him fly by you and not sign an autograph, but I would too if I were him. He gets pestered every day for a million autographs and is expected to concentrate on his career.

 I found myself nervous watching him pitch last night, as if it meant something to me if he did well. This type of reaction out of me only comes out rarely. I think he deserves a chance to pitch at the Major League level and I hope he does well. He has slowly matured over the past few years, both as a player and as a person. A few years ago Clay would be wild sometimes, eat McDonalds for every meal and play Rock Band during his free time. Now he is always low key, from what I have heard he eats a little better and is more focussed on his career. I believe he has his fiance, Deal or No Deal’s case #26, to thank for some of these changes as she seems to have settled him down a little bit.

Hopefully we will all see Clay as an everyday starter for the Red Sox, or even another team. Either way he deserves it.

By the way, I am 1-1 off Clay in my career. No big deal.

Aaron Bates was sent back to AAA Pawtucket after a brief stint in the Big Leagues. Despite the fact that he was 4-11 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s, he was sent back to Pawtucket. As expected, he was only up there for a few games until one of the Red Sox injured players returned to the team. Bates was able to impress everyone by going 4-11 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI’s in big situations.

Due to his quick stay, he did not qualify for the RSI 30 day in the Majors rule and his Sponsorship Cards are still available until he reaches that 30 day mark.

RSI’s current minor league player was called up to the Major Leauges today. Aaron Bates was told last night that he would be joining the Boston Red Sox today and would be playing  in his first Major League game. Infielder Jeff Bailey was injured in last nights game and went on the 15 day disabled list, giving room on the roster for Aaron Bates.

RSI is extremely happy Aaron got called up, and to satisfy RSI’s contract with Bates, he needs to spend 30 days on the active roster to become an official Major Leaguer. Once he is up there for 30 days, RSI will no longer sell Sponsorship Cards of Bates. Also, once he reaches the 30 day mark, anyone owning a Sponsorship Card of Bates will be able to redeem their card for the benefits listed on RSI’s website.

This is RSI’s first athlete to get a call up to the Majors and we hope it is a long one. It is assumed that Bates will be only up there until Jeff Bailey recovers from a high ankle sprain, but if we have learned anything about the Major Leagues, anything can happen.

So buy your Aaron Bates Sponsorship Cards today to get signed memorabilia, tickets to games, photographs with the players, personal items and exclusive VIP access. Visit www.realsportsinteractive.com to learn more.

Unfortunately my good buddy and business partner Randy Newsom retired from professional baseball a few days ago. Now I say unfortunately because he put in a lot of good years playing and was unable to make it to the Majors despite pitching great his entire career. In actuality, I am very happy for him.  I know the struggle of trying to reach the majors, which often seems like your climbing a neverending wall of frustration. Especially when you play well enough that you feel you should have been given a chance.

It is not something you want to admit at any point in your career, but you know the politics of baseball are against you. It is unfortunate, but it’s the truth. Guys that you outperform all your career are granted an easy path ahead of you. I could see this at many points through my career, but didn’t want to believe it.

So while Randy made the tough decision to leave this crazy life, I would say it’s a good decision. You are not young forever, and you give up a huge part of your life working towards this dream that is statistically improbable. Good luck to Randy and now maybe we can take this business to the next level.

On another note, we have now added Aaron Bates (Boston Red Sox) to our website www.realsportsinteractive.com. He is a big time prospect and absolutely has the potential to make the Major Leagues. Aaron was a 3rd round draft pick in 2006 and has quickly reached the AAA level. He is a great player and a great guy. Please sponsor Aaron for only $14 and help him reach the Majors.

I first want to comment about the whole Stephen Strasburg issue. He is the first overall pick that the Washington Nationals just selected in the 2009 MLB draft. He is reportedly the best #1 pick ever and will be trying to get anywhere from $25 million to $50 million out of the Nationals for a signing bonus. The sad part about this is that he might actually get that much money. He consistently throws 100mph which is obviously uncommon. If a guy throws 100mph but is straight and can’t locate it, it is not that hard to hit. I would rather face a guy that throws 100mph down the middle than a guy that throws 92 on the corners. So why is there so much hype about him? Because not only does he throw 100mph but he can locate it and it has movement. As a hitter, this is scary. Combining all these abilities could be disastrous for hitters. He is young though, and still needs to develop to be Major League ready. There is always that possibility that he could lose it or not develop as projected and never have a good Big League career. If that happens it would be terrible for the Nationals.

Now on to Al Rava. I am sure you have never heard of this guy. He is not a baseball player, but a lawyer. I would also consider this guy one of the most ridiculous humans in America. Not for any of the reasons you might think. He is one of those guys that takes advantage of the american legal system for no other reason than the fact that he can. His most recent issue is that he sued the Oakland A’s because they ran a breast cancer awareness promotion for women only. He was unhappy that he didn’t get the floppy hat passed out at the game. So he sued the A’s for over $500,000. Oh yeah, his mother died of breast cancer. You think she would be proud? You can read about this guy on espn.com. Rick Reilly wrote a funny article which can be viewed HERE.

First off I would like to mention that while attending a wedding this past weekend, something happened that the majority of the people in this world will never witness. During the wedding ceremony, the groom passed out. I felt like I was watching a movie. Just as the priest says “when one of you falls, the other will catch you,” the groom starts swaying a little bit, and starts to fall. His brother seemed to know what was going on and quickly caught him before he hit the ground.

As the people in the church all let out horrified moans and screams, I believe I had a smile on my face. Maybe it is my abnormal view of life or strange perspective I carry, but to me that was a great moment. Now many people would look at that like a bad omen or something like that. However, I would look at it as a great story you can tell people for the rest of your life. It instantaneously makes your story as a newly married couple unique.

I understand why people were a bit scared at first. After all many people probably have not seen anyone pass out before. I have come close to passing out probably a dozen times and seen many people do it. It isn’t that big of a deal. So while most people were horrified, I think I was having a great time. I felt honored to be at such an amazing experience. I even told the groom at the end of the weekend I thought he was lucky and I hoped I would pass out during my wedding. Maybe that was taking it a little far, but like I said I have a very different perspective on life.

Now back to baseball. The major topic right now seems to be the Manny Ramirez scandal. It seems that the more superstars that are caught using steroids, the less shocking it is. I think the general public is starting to understand the true nature of the sport. There are still a few that seem to believe steroids are not very common, which is unbelievable to me. If you look back to baseball even 50 years ago, there is evidence that players were using illegal performance enhancing drugs.

If you were in their situation, you would be tempted to do them too. Imagine you are in the minor leauges making dirt for a paycheck.  You have the opportunity to do steroids with the possibility you improve enough to make the Majors. You are most likely not going to get caught because the testing policy was a joke until recently. This small difference in ability could change your life forever. You could go from being a nobody minor league player to having no financial worries for the rest of your life, you would become an instant celebrity and have the ability to reach your dreams. It would be hard to say no. In fact, for many especially foreign players that have no opportunities back in their home country, it would almost be stupid not to.

Aaron Bates has signed a contract with RSI and will be available to be sponsored on www.realsportsinteractive.com.

Aaron played at North Carolina State and has been a prospect in the Red Sox Organization ever since. He moved to the outfield this year to gain experience. Currently he is hitting around .320 and leading the Portland Sea Dogs in batting average.

Once we get him up on the website, we will get him going on a blog and you will have a chance to hear more Minor League stories and a different perspective.