To have a voice
I remember in high school hearing a song lyric that I wanted to show the world or having something on my mind that I just had to share and my best option was an AIM away message. Yeah, I was cool. A blog allows you to say much more than you otherwise could tweeting or in your facebook status. It doesn’t matter if you are passionate about basket weaving or sports cars, someone else has the same interest and you likely have something to offer in that niche.
To practice writing
I have always felt I express myself best when I write things down. Surely I am no Mark Twain but in a written letter, email, text message, and now blog posts, what I say is calculated and I have complete control over the clarity and thoroughness of what I am trying to convey. At the same time, I have realized my shortcomings with vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. I make a point to proof read each post so I don’t sound like an uneducated buffoon but I know I overuse commas and have most likely butchered the English language on more than one occasion. I am working on it though.
To pass on what you know to those who want to learn
Many of the times I will come up with an idea for a post without actually knowing what I am going to say. The topic itself is born out of curiosity or a need on my part to improve. For example, the recent article Be Neutral – Getting Ready Like a Big Leaguer spawned directly from my need to settle on a way to prepare for the ball to be hit to me as the pitcher delivers. That was my focus as I observed the spring training game and with substitutions made by both clubs I saw 19 different versions of pre pitch preparation.
People who think they know everything about baseball don’t visit this site. Their loss.
To make money
Make no mistake about it, eventually and hopefully in the near future 108stitchez.com will be a marketing tool and thus a source of income for me. I was a student athlete at Merrimack College’s Girard School of Business and this blog is one manifestation of what I learned in the classroom. Thanks to social media, conventional marketing is decidedly on its way out. I pay attention to commercials one day a year…Super Bowl Sunday. If done properly a business’ social media marketing campaign (which typically involves a blog among other things) can be far more effective than a billboard on Main St. and a whole lot less expensive.
It goes something like this: If you are interested in buying or selling your home, renting an apartment, buying or selling a condo, please don’t hesitate to give Mike Andre a call at 781-727-8619 or e-mail him at michael.andre@ERA.com.
By the end of this week well over 1,000 people will now know a good friend of mine and former teammate is a licensed Realtor in the Boston area.

To journal
Until this winter I had never been west of Albany, NY. I know, lame. Spending time on the west coast was a new experience and the places I went, things I learned, and people I met make an appearance somewhere on here. Unless the internet gets abolished I will forever have access to what I have been through the past few months and going forward.
Check out reid-jackon.com. I am a regular reader of his website because what he is doing with his life is interesting and different. After an email correspondence or two with Reid I found out a few things about him. We have quite a bit in common (ex. We both hate people who do bicep curls in the squat rack) and also, if the dude wanted to he could have a nice job that paid him well and be on his way with a “real job”. It’s just not in the cards for him; he has an opportunity to play professional baseball in Belgium. It’s a ballsy move on his part but look me in the eye and tell me you would pass up an opportunity like that? No doubt, he will never forget what he is about to go through and has started his own blog to document his travels. Check it out here.
