Free Agent Has Cyber Monday Deal For MLB Suitors

Other may call it Cyber Monday, but I'd like to refer to it as the day I got an email from every online merchant I've ever bought anything from.

That said, to entice potential big league franchises to take a chance on him, free agent pitcher Michael Schlact has his own Cyber Monday deal.

For the record, that's a far better deal than those chumps from Lands' End.

The 6'7" righty last appeared in affiliated ball two seasons ago as a member of the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A team of the Texas Rangers.

This past season, Schlact was with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League.

Minor Leaguer Adds Twitter Handle to Glove

After some soccer players in the Mexican Premier league swapped out the names on the back of their jerseys with their Twitter handles...you knew it was just a matter of time before it reached the playing fields here in the States.

Enter friend of The Hall, pitcher Michael Schlact of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

Earlier this year, the tall righty hinted at adding his social media moniker to his glove and on Monday...he tweeted the customized Rawlings mitt complete with his @michael_schlact.

Your move @LoMoMarlins.

Talkin' Baseball with Michael Schlact

If you’re not hip to Michael Schlact…you’re missing out.

Whether it’s going back and forth with his followers (nearly 11,000 of them!) or live tweeting an ill-fated bus trip…the former Texas Rangers farmhand is no stranger to social media. Recently, the righty was even named Baseball Digest’s top Minor League player to follow onTwitter.

But it was this past Tuesday that Schlact took Twitter to a whole new level and tweeted to his nearly 11,000 followers where he’ll be playing this upcoming season.

If you missed it, I've signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League. So excited and grateful for the opportunity!

HOVG: Michael, first off…congratulations on re-signing with the Blue Crabs. Was returning to Southern Maryland an easy decision for you?

SCHLACT: Absolutely. It's a great place to live, a beautiful stadium, an awesome coaching staff and team, plus the league has such high caliber competition!

HOVG: You’re heading into your ninth season in baseball. What’s the plan going into this year and where do you see yourself a year from now?

SCHLACT: My mission in 2012 is to show everyone that I'm healthy. Yes, a shoulder surgery for a pitcher is a definite negative, but with hard work and taking care of your arm, it is possible to return to full health or stronger! I set statistical goals for myself each year. I hit those marks last year and I plan to up the ante this year for myself.

HOVG: What’s the atmosphere like there in Waldorf? I’ve gotta think playing for an owner like Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson has some advantages.

SCHLACT: The Blue Crabs really take care of us. Regency Furniture Stadium is beautiful, and the fan base there is phenomenal. We can always count on the fans to have our back at home or on the road! The city is close to Washington DCso there's plenty to do!

HOVG: I mentioned the infamous road trip live tweet from this past June earlier. Now, I know I wrote about it here at The Hall, but were you surprised to see it pop up over at The Washington Post’s website?

SCHLACT: Haha! Yes, that story got around. I was surprised to see how popular a broken down charter bus could be. Playing Minor League Baseball definitely has interesting stories that go along with it, but that one takes the cake for me.

HOVG: Do you have any lasting memories from that night? Was there any fallout?

SCHLACT: To be honest, it was amazing to see a group of guys stay upbeat and positive in a situation that was less than appealing. We made the best of the situation. If you're referring to fallout from the story being published, no. It showed that even in a bad situation, we could be positive and make the best of it. I think it was a more noticeable story because at the time, three or four other teammates were tweeting about it too. There's a right way to go about tweeting things like that, and I feel like we all did a good job of keeping it entertaining and honest.

HOVG: Lastly, Southern Maryland is also the baseball home to Josh Caray. I had the opportunity to catch up with Josh this past season and we talked about his legendary family. Has anyone on the team taken advantage of situation and attempted a Harry Caray impersonation around Josh or is it something that just isn’t approached?

SCHLACT: Oh trust me, it's approached. Just ask him. I probably did it more than anyone. He has a sense of humor, and everything was in good fun. But, in all seriousness, Harry was one of the most legendary announcers in history. Josh takes that very seriously but also knows that he'll get his fair share of impersonators...especially thanks to Will Ferrell on SNL.

This past season, Schlact was 6-4 with a 4.61 ERA with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The best way to reach to him is via Twitter. He is also on Facebook and maintains his own blog.

Twitter Tuesday: Michael Schlact

I'm pretty sure it started out innocently enough...Southern Maryland Blue Crabs pitcher Michael Schlact decided he was going to live tweet Monday night's bustrip.

It was all there.

Tales of teammates and their bizarre eating habits...pictures of uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

But then...IT happened. The unthinkable.  The bus broke down.

What ensued was pure Twitter hilarity...but the former Texas Rangers farmhand stayed optimistic.

It's okay folks, I've always wanted to see the Bronx. This is like a sightseeing tour. From the side of the highway.

I'm not going to re-post all the gold that came from #LiveRoadTripTweeting, you can catch up by following Schlact on Twitter.  Suffice it to say, it ranks right up there alongside the night the righty posted pictures of his recently carved jack-o-lantern.

So, thank you, Michael Schlact for making #LiveRoadTripTweeting a joy this Monday evening.  Please post a picture of that "I LOVE NY" shirt soon.

Twitter Tuesday: Michael Schlact's Pumpkin

It all started innocent enough when Texas Rangers Minor Leaguer pitcher Michael Schlact tweeted a picture of his pumpkin.

And no, sickos, "pumpkin" isn't some lame euphemism or veiled reference to whatever it was Brett Favre did or didn't send to Jenn Sterger.  Schlact actually tweeted a picture of his pumpkin...the jack-o-latern shown above.

Minutes later...everyone's a critic.

@DeLaNate:  I think your pumpkin should be in the dugout on Halloween night. Then Vlad should put it out of it's misery.

@enebradcr: nice. Did you just throw 3 baseballs at it and call it good?

@DingersBlog:  your pumpkin is bad and you should feel bad
 
@heykim:  dont quit your day job

Joining in on the action were fellow big league pitchers Collin Balester and C.J. Wilson.

@ballystar40:  looks like you just cut huge holes in a pumpkin and lit the inside on fire haha.

@str8edgeracer:  Hey everyone, check out @michael_schlact and make fun of his pumpkin

I guess with Halloween around the corner...'tis the season, folks!

You can follow Schlact on Twitter at @michael_schlact.  Better yet...check out The Schlact Stories over at MLB.com.