Day 4

Thursday, 4:15 p.m.

Dear Diary,
Finally, some baseball news to report.
The Patriots lost 6-1 to the Bridgeport Bluefish in their spring training opener Thursday morning.
The game looked a lot like many of the team's games from last season, and that's not a good sign.
Jeff Nettles' RBI groundout in the first inning produced the only run.
Former Patriot Tommy Rojas hit a three-run home run in the second inning against Somerset starter Brian Reith, and the Bluefish rallied for three third-inning runs against Andy Van Hekken.
Van Hekken actually pitched OK, but two errors by his infield on routine grounders started the rally. The damage could have been worse, but Van Hekken got three straight outs with runners on second and third.
The Patriots bullpen looked very strong, and the highlight was Phil Norton's 1-2-3 inning on 4 pitches.

As for the roster, the team has added right-handed reliever Jeff Tam and outfielder Anton French. Tam will join the team Friday and French will meet them in New Jersey.

As for me, quiet day so far. I loaded up on Claritan and Tylenol PM last night and slept like a baby. Nearly fried myself in the sun at the field because I forgot to wear sunscreen. Classic Ryan. Even when my mom packs my sunscreen for me, I forget to wear it.
After the game, Matt and I went to Lone Star steakhouse and arguably the worst service of all time. Remember when you could crack peanuts and your table and throw the shells on the floor at Lone Star? That was great stuff. I once saw a guy slip and fall on those shells. Come to think of it, it wasn't too long after that incident that they stopped the idea. Must have been happening everywhere.
I tried writing today's story in the sun by the pool but then I started panicking my computer would not be able to take the sun. I know a reporter who once let his computer get destroyed by a foul ball at a baseball game and didn't want to duplicate such a dubious feat.
So I came inside, but not before some Patriots staffers got a digital photo of me working out there with my shirt off. Let's hope that one doesn't end up on Myspace. There's enough spam out there already.

Love,
Ryan