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Player Journal: LaPorta on the upswing 04/29/2008 10:00 AM ETBy Matt LaPorta
Matt LaPorta, the former Florida Gators star, burst onto the scene in his pro debut in 2007 after being taken seventh overall by the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit 12 homers in just 115 at-bats (30 games) to lead the Minors in HR/AB ratio, then went on to lead the Arizona Fall League with six more round-trippers in just 30 games. He also finished second in the AFL in RBIs and total bases. Hi everyone, this is Matt LaPorta reporting again from the Huntsville Stars. I hope everyone is doing well in their endeavors. These past couple of weeks have been a test for me because I was not hitting the way I would have liked to. I had to battle through those tough times and know that God had a plan for me. I hung in there and kept fighting until I finally got out of the little rut that I was in. I continued to focus on the one thing that was constant in my life and that is Jesus and the wisdom he was trying to teach me through my trials. As the latter part of the week went on, I began getting a few hits here and there, and by the end of the week I was doing well enough to get Hitter of the Week. I was surprised when the coaches told me that I received that honor because I know there are many other talented hitters in the Southern League who could have earned this award as well. I would not have been able to do so well if it weren't for my teammates. They are the guys that got on in front of me, and they deserve a lot of credit. I play with a great group of guys who love this game and play with a lot of enthusiasm.
I thought this verse was fitting for the past couple of weeks I have had in baseball: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) Well, that's all for this week, folks. I hope you enjoyed this journal and I thank you for taking the time to read it.
Quote for the week Here are a few emails from the previous weeks. Hey LaPorta, I just wanted to wish you good luck for your 2008 season. I've been a big fan of yours ever since you started with the Gators. I hope you play well and get called up to Triple-A or maybe even the Majors. That was a sweet grand slam you hit against Mississippi, can't wait until you do that again! Thanks for taking the time to write the player journals to let us fans know what's happening in the life of a Minor Leaguer. --Alex B. Alex, thank you for taking the time to send me an email it is much appreciated it. I also want to thank you for the supports and confidence you seem to have in me. Take care and God Bless. I remember watching you play against my college team, the Arkansas Razorbacks. You were impressive then and I am glad to know you are doing well now. Thanks for the information in your journal. Continued good luck and God Bless. --Blake H. Blake thanks for the emails. Those were some fun times getting to play against the Razorbacks. They always had great teams the fours years I was at school. I can remember we played them my senior year at their place and it was about 38 degrees outside -- which I am not a big fan of being from Florida. Thanks for the email Blake. Take care and best of luck in all of your endeavors. It is great to have you here in the Rocket City. As a Stars fan, I was really excited to see you have a Player Journal on MiLB.com. As a Christian, I was even more excited when I saw that you used scripture in your journal entries. I plan to follow your journal throughout the year and look forward to reading it. I had the privilege to see your grand slam on Opening Night at The Joe and I also saw both games of Saturday's chilly doubleheader. I usually attend about 20-30 Stars home games a year and have a "half-season" (35 games) ticket with a seat on the concourse level right behind home plate. It is a great seat because it is the area where most of the MLB scouts sit as well as the pitchers who are charting the game. Opening night and Saturday I had a Milwaukee scout sitting right in front of me. Last year, I got a chance to talk quite a bit with a White Sox scout which was really great. If you are looking for any topics to discuss in your journal, I am sure many fans would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Jordan Schafer suspension. It would also be interesting to hear what kind of challenges you face as a Christian in playing ball. I am sure that playing Sunday afternoon games makes it difficult to attend church services as regularly as you might like so maybe you could address some of those challenges and how you keep your faith so strong despite so many distractions from your career. To follow your wonderful example, I will leave you with this thought from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. I find it to be a great comfort and source of encouragement in difficult times. "Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!" (Nehemiah 4:20). -- D. Gardner Don, Thank you for taking the time to read my journals as well as the great bible verse you sent me. We as a team appreciate your support at the baseball games because if it wasn't for the fans there would be no baseball. Don take care and maybe one of these days I will have the chance to meet you at one of the stars games. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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