Thomas in Venezuela

Here is the latest from Justin Thomas ('06), who is in Venezuela playing for Lara.

[I]t seems like every game is like the seventh game of the World Series. Sometimes the starting right-handed pitcher may go 2 2/3 innings, not give up any runs but get pulled in the third inning for a lefty reliever, because the bases are loaded and a power-hitting, left-handed batter is coming up.

Teams will also pinch-hit for lefties a lot if the other team brings one in out of the 'pen. That has a lot to do with why I have only faced two lefties in my three appearances here. I have faced a lot of right-handed pinch-hitters.

There are also a few differences I have noticed off the field, such as driving rules, the daytime weather and the economic structure. As far as driving rules go, there honestly are not many rules. Red lights are definitely a suggestion rather than a law, and back streets, where you would normally see either a two-way or four-way stop, lack one important ingredient -- stop signs. So to put it lightly, driving can be a little on the shaky side. That's why I stay away from the wheel and leave all the driving to (Andrew) Baldwin.

The weather is not really all that different here, other than the fact that right now is like their spring down here, and we have been getting a lot of rain of late. One thing that is a little odd to me is that right now we have 12-hour days here. It gets light at 6 a.m. and dark at 6 p.m., or pretty close to it, every day. That makes it nice, because games that start here at 5:30 p.m. are night games instead of late-afternoon games, and that makes for a much more comfortable climate to play in.