The following post is from Alexis King to bring everyone a side of baseball you rarely see. As the fiancee of Senators’ pitcher Danny Rosenbaum, Alexis will take us behind the curtain to reveal an intimate and thoughtful look at life as a baseball player’s significant other.

It has been almost a year since I last wrote more than a card and I have been putting this particular writing off for a few months now.  Why?  Maybe I didn’t want to face the facts… baseball has started, we are back to “on the edge” living that grants not one ounce of stability, and very short visits that barely add up to 48 hours together.  But hey… here I am sitting on my back deck with our little dog, a beer in hand by the bonfire, and the urge to get this all of whatever it is off my mind.

I’ll start with what makes sense for us, the 2011 off-season.  Was it easy?  Enjoyable?  Was it everything I hoped it to be with lots of time together?  If I told you yes would you believe me?  People always think – oh it’s the off-season; lots of time to travel, see family, spend time together, and lounge around.  No.  I worked three jobs to provide some financial support during the upcoming baseball season. Danny worked out every morning and gave lessons from 2-9 PM. That left only about an hour here and there for each other.

Not only are we busy working and preparing for next season, but we deal with a lot of family demands.  “Wa wa wa poor baseball fiancé has to spend time with family…”  Right.  During the season we have little time to just lay back and relax.  We are always preparing, entertaining family or guests that are in town, and hoping for the next big move.  The off-season isn’t any different… tons of holidays and lots of family to cater to.  EVERYONE wants to see you when you’re home for the off-season.  Maybe if more people lived our life with us during the season they would understand our need for time to breathe, look at each other, and really be together.

Spring training came quickly and we both were excited for this season.  The last few years it’s been a trial run.  Work hard and let’s see where it gets us.  Let’s be real here, we were a 22nd round draft pick and there are hundreds of players in just our organization alone.  I’m a realist and like to keep our feet on the ground.  Reaching AA last season was a huge success in my book.  The bigs are that much closer and we need to work that much harder.

Side note: I refer to “we” a lot.  Many think it’s him on the field and him doing the work, but let me be the first to tell you it takes more than one man.  I do the grocery shopping, the cooking, I clean his clothes so he can work out, I work three jobs to make him feel secure in chasing after a dream that pays close to $1300 a month for seven months a year. (NO, we don’t get paid for spring training)  I am the other half to what is needed to accomplish this dream and by being there for him he is able to solely focus on the task at hand: the bigs.

Spring training was rough.  Danny was trying to figure out his motion again and make a few changes, but he struggled and it was hard to be there for him while on the other side of the country.  For example, this is a typical conversation from my side.

“This is what spring training is for: to fail, to learn, and to move forward for the season.  Get it out of your system and focus on what needs to be done.  Go out there and play baseball like you always have.  Quit thinking and caring. Just be the player you always have been.”

I am not easy on Danny… I don’t care if he just gave up sixteen runs… my answer is clean it up, get rest, and start up again tomorrow.  We never quit.

While visiting Spring Training this year I could tell something wasn’t right.  He was distant and we spent little time enjoying each other.  He had one thing on his mind and it was that damn white ball with red stitches.  Please baseball… please just give me three days with him that are full of “us.”  Yeah right….

Skip a few weeks and a few “Hell yes!” moments… and we are here in the start of the 2012 season.  My heart, mind, and soul are so full of excitement for this season.  I feel it for him… his moment is coming and whether that moment be one hell of a year at AA and we walk away or he makes his lifelong dream come true.  I recently visited Danny with my mom and had a great visit.  He seems so strong, so focused, and totally himself right now.  Leaving Danny never really gets easy… Heading back to home to work and stay focused for the next 3-4 weeks before my next trip can be tough, but it’s all a part of doing my part in chasing this dream and I wouldn’t change my life for an instant.

So far the season has started off better than I think both of us could have ever expected.  Seeing him on the field just makes me want to jump up on a bed like a two year old screaming and throwing pillows.  And then seeing him succeed on the mound… it makes me want to sprint onto the field, run the bases, jump on top of him screaming my head off while giving both of us beer showers.  

So here is to this season… OUR season.