Former Pitcher Dan Haren Tweeted Random Bits about His Career While Riding an Exercise Bike

Dan Haren, who pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cubs, among others, announced his retirement in October after the Mets beat the Cubs in the NLCS. He had been a professional baseball player since 2001, but now has a lot of free time on his hands. So, what does a former player with lots of free time on his hands do? Live-tweet your stream of consciousness while you burn some calories on a stationary bike, natch. He specifically talked about his career, but some real, um, behind-the-scenes stuff. It's a refreshing (and sometimes gross) look into a ballplayer's life and thoughts.

I went into almost every start the last few years thinking… How the hell am I gonna get these guys out
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

I would count out the days about a month in advance to see if I was gonna pitch in Coors field.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

One of my favorite moment ever was hitting a homer off Chris carpenter. I took my time running the bases.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

I had to take Imodium most days I pitched to plug myself up.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

My only superstition was to make sure I had 2 glasses of wine the night before I pitched. This ties in with the Imodium,
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

I gave up so many homers cause I didn't wanna walk people. That and cause I threw 85 mph meatballs sometimes.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

I only hit like 5-7 people on purpose.
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

Sometimes when the count was 3-1, I would just throw it down the middle and hope for the best. People pop up in batting practice right
— dan haren (@ithrow88) January 4, 2016

Personal highlights for me are the Chris Carpenter trot, and counting the days to Coors. God, pitchers must hate that place. This is great fun, though. More athletes should spontaneously talk about themselves with this kind of goofy honesty.