Somer-Stitions
by Mike Ashmore

Sorry, Jeff Nettles, but your secret had to come out some time.

A four-time Atlantic League All-Star well on his way to his fifth straight selection, the former Yankees prospect has dominated in every season as the Somerset Patriots third baseman, and owns or has a share of numerous franchise records.

But now, the secret to his success will finally be revealed.

Protein shakes?

Countless hours in the gym?

Gasp...steroids?

Try a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with crushed chips in the middle.

"When you're in minor league ball like we are, and spreads are minimal like this, you do what you've got to do to get something in your system," Nettles said.

"A lot of times, peanut butter and jelly gets kind of old, so I decided to crunch up some chips and throw it in there. Whatever you've got works; Pringles, Cheetos, it doesn't matter."

If York Revolution hitting coach Ryan Minor once referred to the standard PB&J as "the steak sandwich of minor league baseball," then Nettles might just have created the new filet mignon.

"I don't have one everyday, but if I've got a PB&J, I'm definitely going to throw some chips in there and spice it up a little," he said.

Nettles pre-game routine was a bit more involved in previous years, but now it entails getting on the field about 20 minutes before the game, doing some sprints and playing a little catch.

"I try to be the guy not to have (superstitions)," he said. "I don't want to be a mental midget and go out there, and if I do something wrong, I'll already be one step behind."

Like Nettles, Somerset second baseman Danny Garcia was more superstitious earlier in his career, specifically before he turned pro.

"Back in high school, you'd have a big day and sleep with your bat," said the ex-Met.

"In high school and college, superstitions were so strong. Actually, in college, if I'd gone two or three straight weeks with a hit, I'd watch the same movie and start it at the same part. I'd jump into bed, put the same movie on at the same part and just go to sleep to it."

But as his career went on, things that were once routine started to slowly fade away.

"Once you get older, the weird and quirky things kind of get ironed out or you're just more quiet about them," Garcia said.

Some staples of a player's day are born out of necessity rather than routine. Take Sparky Lyle's pre-game meal from his time in Yankee pinstripes.

"George (Steinbrenner) found out that we were sending across the street for burgers and stuff like that, " Lyle said.

"But then we lost a game and he said, 'You can't send out for anything anymore before the game.' So I bought a Joe Namath hamburger cooker and had a little refrigerator in my locker at Yankee Stadium and I made my own, and he never said anything."

Although it was a daily occurrence, it was far from superstition according to the Cy Young winner.

"I was (freaking) hungry, it had nothing to do with anything else," he quipped.

While most players do some pretty basic things to prepare for games, others have detailed, step-by-step routines that they swear by. Starting pitchers are notorious for their unique ways of preparing themselves on a game day, and no routine may be more unique than Patriots southpaw Keith Ramsey's.

His pre-game preparation starts at 11AM, when he'll watch some "goofy TV shows," such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Home Improvement.

"Even some Full House, if need be," joked Ramsey, who actually met the cast of the show when he was younger.

Following a few re-runs of the best that television had to offer in the early 90's, the Californian makes himself lunch between the hours of one and two o'clock, which takes about 45 minutes. During this process, Ramsey will listen to music.

Following that, he'll kick back for a movie. But not just any movie.

"It has to be something randomly inspirational, like Joe Dirt," Ramsey said, going on to recite the "You can't have no in your heart, brother" line from the movie.

After a post-movie shower and brushing of his teeth, Ramsey puts 11 swipes of deodorant under each arm.

Why 11?

"11's a good number," was his quick reply.

After all that, he makes the short drive to the field, listening to some of the staples from his vast and diverse music collection, including Alice in Chains and Tool.

Once he gets to the ballpark, the music gets a little more mellow, and Ramsey will listen to an artist like Pete Yorn.

With headphones on and his personal MP3 player nearby, Ramsey does visualization techniques, taking a baseball and flipping it up with his left hand, all while sitting in his chair next to the large clubhouse television, oblivious to whatever's on.

"I'll pick out spots on the wall and just focus on them," he said.

"From what I've read, it's supposed to get you focused on what you do when you're pitching. Just blocking everything out, you get up there, and you just see a glove."

After reading two Bible verses, he's off to the field, almost eight hours into his detailed game plan. But it doesn't end when the game starts.

"I'll drink two cups of water between each inning, and after a start, I'll have all these cups next to me from every inning I pitched," he said.

But not every starter has a routine like Ramsey's. In fact, it seems safe to say that nobody has one quite like the free-spirited fireballer. In any event, fellow pitcher Andy Van Hekken has a more conservative approach when he gets the ball every fifth day.

"I really don't have any crazy, weird things I do," Van Hekken said.

Well, at least things that he knows about, anyway.

"I don't even think consciously about that stuff. Maybe I do some things I'm not even aware of." he said with a laugh.

The former big leaguer arrives at the ballpark roughly two hours before game time, insisting on "something light" to eat when he gets there.

Van Hekken will put on his pants and socks, walk around for a little bit, and then put on his belt and jersey right before he has to leave.

Once he gets on the field, it remains all business.

"Around a half an hour before the game, I'll go out and stretch. My stretching routine is pretty much the same every time," he said.

The method to Van Hekken's madness is normal by most standards, and he thinks most players are similar in their preparations.

"Baseball players just like to do the same thing, I really don't think it's that out of the ordinary for us. They just like to do the same thing at the same time," he said.

To be superstitious or not to be, that is the question.

And while it looks like there is no right or wrong way to prepare for a game, leave it to Danny Garcia to give the best advice in trying to answer the million dollar question.

"This game is so mental, it's ridiculous. If you think something's working, just do it," he said.

Superstitious or not, with Jeff Nettles leading the Atlantic League in home runs and RBI, it won't be long before he gets some competition for the league lead in crushed chip sandwiches as well.


"CHEF" JEFF'S CRUSHED CHIP SANDWICH RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

2 pieces, bread
Equal amounts of peanut butter and jelly
"Whatever chips are laying around"

DIRECTIONS

1) Spread equal amounts of peanut butter and jelly on bread
2) Crush chips ("As many as you feel like you need on there") and place evenly on each piece of bread
3) Close sandwich
4) Enjoy

All media files and information are property of Mike Ashmore and may not be copied, transferred or used outside this web site without permission.  All media outlets are not affiliated with MikeAshmore.com in any way.  Site is best viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer.