MLB AtBat on your phone or iPad is a baseball season MUST!

Everyone has a different way of preparing for another season of baseball. Some people read blogs and watch Spring Training games. I do that, I swear, but I have a list of things that prepare me for the regular season that are perhaps a little different that the average fan’s list. Wanna know what I need before that first pitch.

1. The Tearing of the Tickets- One of my favorite things that gets me in the mood for the regular season is the tradition of sitting around my mother’s kitchen table with her and the weeone and tearing apart our sheets of season tickets. Now, if you’re not a season ticket holder, you’d skip this step, but I challenge you to find someone who will let you help, because there is something so ridiculously satisfying about separating the tickets and seeing how much baseball is really ahead of you.
2. The New Ballpark Bag- I buy a new bag every year that is just for the ballpark. It’s always made of a material that can’t be ruined by spilled beer, that I can easily clean chili and mustard off of and can hold all of the essentials I take to the ballpark – phone, iPad, scorebook, extra pencils, camera and wallet. It’s a tradition I love.
3. The Learning of the New Roster- I like being able to tell who a player is by the way they throw or their stance at the plate, but with all of the changes and new players in Houston over the last year that’s become a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, I spend a little time before Opening Day familiarizing myself with the depth chart and new players’ numbers. I like to know who I’m watching when I’m at a game.
4. The Downloading of MLB AtBat – I really do this by the start of Spring Training, but if you only follow the regular season and not ST, this should be on your list. AtBat is great for a variety of reasons, but one that I like is that I can listen to the game, while at the game, while watching Gameday of the game. If I don’t understand a call, it’s right there on the screen, explained for me. When I wonder how old a player is or what college they went to? Right there in my hand. It’s stocked with more information than you could imagine. Plus, many ballparks have a concession ordering feature on it now that allows you to order on your phone then pick up your order in a special line at the counter, shortening your “away from the game” time. Lovely.
5. The Mental Preparation – I am an Astros fan. In recent years, that means being ready to watch some bad baseball and accept loss as a regular thing. It may not be that way forever, though. This year, my focus will be on watching the development of the young players. The may lose a lot of games, but if I see progress and individuals whose performance is a stand out, that means that the Houston Astros are headed in the right direction.

So that’s about all I do to get ready for baseball. What do you do? Do you need to be following more Astros on twitter? If so, check out this list of Astros related twitter handles!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.