Player Journal: Fowler, Drillers feeling loose

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Hi! This is Dexter Fowler coming to you again from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In my last journal entry, I talked about how our team was struggling. Fortunately, as of late our team is doing a lot better. We are continuing to hit the ball well and we are executing offensively and defensively.

What a lot of people don't realize is that when a team is struggling, it is important to keep your team relaxed and loose.

Some of the ways we do so are playing jokes and having fun off the field in the clubhouse. Probably one of the most popular games on our team is a game originated by Jose Valdez: whenever you're speaking, you can't use the words what, who, when, where or why. If you do use these words, you get a crazy whistling sound.

This game sounds pretty stupid, but it really makes people think about what they're about to say and it definitely helps keep us going throughout the summer.

Another thing we do in the clubhouse and on the field -- God forbid you do something stupid or say a joke that's not funny, you get what we call the "crickets." The "crickets" were originated in big-league camp this year by outfielder Ryan Spilborghs, but are now being used all over our organization.

You would be surprised about all the things that go on during a baseball season. There is definitely a lot more to tell, so if you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Here are a few emails from last week:

My name is Thomas Taylor and my son is Nico Taylor (from McKinney North High School in McKinney, Tex.). He is a graduating senior heading to the University of Arizona on a baseball scholarship. I know Blacks are dwindling in this great game. What made you decide to continue to play?

Thomas, what made me decide to continue to play was just the love of the game. It seemed like no matter what mood I'm in during the day, as soon as I get on that field, I am excited and blessed to be out there.

Hey Dexter, how close did you actually come to playing basketball at Harvard? --Evan H.

I got a lot of different letters to go play basketball at various schools. But after my junior year, I decided I was going to give basketball up and focus solely on baseball for my senior season.

Thank you, everyone, for your support! Keep your questions and emails coming!