The Final Chapter (that is not so final)

I realize that the final chapter of my Fancave experience is way overdue, however there are a few reasons it has taken me this long to write it. For one, I have needed time to process everything that happened in the past few months and think about what it has meant to me. I have had massive writers block the few times I have tried to write down my final thoughts and thank yous. In addition, I went on vacation for a week with my parents and biggest supporters. And lastly, I don’t really think of my Fancave experience as being over as it has opened new doors, brought new friendships into my life, allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and helped me to fall more in love with the game of baseball.

All that being said, there is NO way to individually thank all the people who supported me in my Fancave run, nor am I able to express the extent of my gratitude to these same people. So, a simple ‘Thank you’ is what comes next. Thank you!! I have been overwhelmed with all the people who have had faith in me to succeed in something I wanted so bad and continue to be overwhelmed with the amount of support and praise I have received since finding out I did not make it into the cave this year as a cave dweller. So once again, thank you! I couldn't have done this without all of you.

As for what comes next for my dream of working in sports, I don’t really know. I will continue to blog and to explore other opportunities to work in sports, ideally the MLB. I will definitely keep in touch with the Fancave 30 who I met in Arizona, and hope to blog and podcast with them periodically as well. These 29 people mean so much to me, as they are my first set of friends to share the same passion for the game of baseball, along with the desire to talk about it, watch it, breath it for all waking hours. I would love to do 'out of cave' legwork for the Fancave 9 as I attend weekly games in Fenway and take my ballpark tours on the road (Beavs… Detroit is on the tour this year). I plan to host members of my 'baseball family' who visit Boston and Fenway, and I plan to keep dreaming.

On a not so serious note, since laughter is life's best friend, I will share some of the pet peeves I developed along the way in my Fancave run. Here are my top five that I think the other 29 of you (you know who you are) can relate to.

1. People who call The Fancave, ‘The Mancave’.

My thought: No, No, No I am not aspiring to be in a Mancave. Does that make any sense???

2. People who cut me off while explaining what the MLB Fancave is, to say “Wait… you are going to be on a reality show? Nobody ever looked better after being on a reality TV show.” My thought: Again, NO, NO and NO.

3. The reaction, “But you’re a nurse at Children’s Hospital… You are going to leave your job to do THAT?”

My thought: You may not quite understand... but it is a dream for some of us to work for the MLB. Not to also mention that the real world will always be there.

4. “So, you are going to live in an actual cave in New York City?” No explanation needed.

5. When hearing that I didn’t make it to the cave for the season… “Oh yay, so you are not leaving us” followed by a hug.

My thought: News flash… I said that I did NOT win. The word ‘Yay’ should not be in your response!


Of course I recognize that none of this, including the laughs, adrenaline, new friends, new opportunities, sleep deprivation, pride, motivation to succeed, etc. could not be possible without the MLB Fancave and all the incredibly dedicated and talented people who work there. Thank you MLB Fancave, thank you! Although I did not obtain my ultimate goal of becoming a cave dweller in 2013, I will always have the memories! And for that I am thankful.