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In July of last year, Collin Balester made his big league debut against the Florida Marlins. He pitched five innings, allowed only one run and struck out three in the 9-6 victory. He remained in the rotation throughout the summer, pitching 15 games with a 3-7 record and a 5.51 ERA. In October, he decided to start an MLB Blog, Bally's Blog, to connect with fans. He took a few minutes recently to fill us in on his rookie year experience, clubhouse pranks, his life as a blogger and hopes for this season.

Q. First of all, can you tell me about your blog?

A. One of my buddies, Phil Hughes, has a blog and I was looking at his and kind of seeing that he was doing pretty good at it. So I asked my agent if he could set me up with one and if he thought it was a good idea. And he set it up and it ended up working out pretty good. At first, it was kind of like a thing where it was fun, but I was getting a little frustrated because I wasn't too good at writing. But then it started forcing me to actually write about a lot of stuff and now I feel a lot more comfortable writing and it's a lot of fun to be one-on-one with the fans. It's something I enjoy a lot. I'm going to keep up with it [during the season]. I think it will be a lot easier in the season because a lot more things happen. It will be pretty fun.

Q. How did you get a feel for what to do and what to write about?

A. My agent told me to read Gilbert Arenas' and Chris Cooley's, those kind of guys in the DC area to get a focal point of what to expect and how to do it. So, I read those and then I started branching out and reading Kevin Slowey's and those kind of guys and seeing how they wrote. And that kind of inspired me a little more.

Q. Can you tell me about your debut last year in Miami? What were you thinking?

A. Before I got called up, I didn't really know I was going to get called up. My coach kind of told me that if all these things happen, it will fall into place. So I hadn't expected it, I guess. If this, that and the other thing happen, and the weather cooperates and it doesn't get rained out, then you'll get called up. So you're kind of thinking, oh great. Once I got called up, I was in Miami and I got to the field and it was the weirdest feeling ever, just going into the game for the first time as not a fan, actually being in the big leagues. It was a dream come true and I enjoyed it then, and I still enjoy it every second of being able to play baseball.

Q. Were you nervous?

A. When I was warming up, I was a lot more nervous than when I actually got on the mound. I got on there and it almost felt normal. It was kind of weird. I thought for sure I was going to be crazy and so nervous, but I really wasn't too nervous.

Q. Did any of the veteran guys show you the ropes last season?

A. All the guys were good, all the guys were looking out for us to make sure we didn't do anything stupid. I have a one-on-one basis with all the players and that is pretty nice. Austin Kearns, Nick Johnson, Ryan Zimmerman, Aaron Boone and John Lannan were the main people that showed me around and showed me what to do and what not to do, so it was pretty nice to see that.

There's a lot of jokers in there that like to pull pranks. I'm usually the focal point on that. They like to mess around with me first because they know I'm not going to get too worked up about it. It's pretty fun to know that - it's almost like I'm a younger brother. They like to pick on me a little more but I have fun with it.

Q. What kind of pranks did they pull?

A. They did all kinds of stuff. They put baby powder in your shoes and in your warm ups, so when you are in a hurry, there's no way you're going to get out there in time. And they tie your shoe-laces, anything that can delay the process of being on time. It's a lot of fun.

Q. You had some hits last year. As a pitcher, what are you thinking when you're in the batter's box?

A. It's funny because in the minor leagues, I was 0 for 40. For me, getting in the box is not a comfortable experience. I just don't feel comfortable with that. It's funny, we always joke about. it It's the main thing that all pitchers do is - we have little bets going that say let's see who is actually going to get a hit or who is going to have the best batting average, we do that kind of stuff.

I didn't expect to do anything out there. I didn't expect to get any hits, just wanted to get some bunts down. And it ended up working out. St. Claire's batting practice was working out pretty good for me I guess. It's a little different with pitchers. You don't have to worry about getting hit in the head or anything. But, you don't have to worry about too much. If you strike out, there's not too much pressure on you. It's kind like a win-win situation I guess.

Q. Can you tell me about the importance of trusting your catcher and what it's like to work with a young catcher who is still learning the game too?

A. It's important to be comfortable with your catcher because the catcher has to know what every hitter does in the other lineup. He also has to know what you like to throw in certain counts and in this situation, you'll do this depending on the count. So it's very important to have a guy that you actually trust and you know what to expect from. It's hard enough thinking what you want to throw, and if the catcher is on the same page with you, it works a lot better. If you work with a catcher who is not on the same page, it gets kind of confusing out there. You don't have to call time and have him come out and talk to you every five minutes.

So working with Flores, it was a lot easier. And Wil Nieves, both of those guys do a tremendous job on scouting reports, being on page and sitting down and going over what you actually like to throw and that kind of thing. They are students of the game and they really take pride in getting every single pitcher's repertoire down and getting one-on-one with everyone.

Q. Did you follow a team growing up?

A. I loved the Angels growing up. Big time Angels fan. I probably went to 300 games in my whole lifetime. Growing up, I remember heading out to the stadium and going to all of the games. I remember watching my favorite players, like Garrett Anderson, Tim Salmon, and Troy Percival, going to the games, it seemed like 7 days a week. It was a lot of fun watching the Angels and watching them grow from nothing to World Champions in 2002, so that was pretty cool.

Q. Did the experience of being a big fan influence how you interact with fans today?

A. Even though Garrett Anderson and those guys were my favorite players, and I have so much respect for them, growing up, when I saw those guys, there were only a couple guys that went out and signed autographs. I don't know if the other guys were busy or whatever, but Adam Kennedy would sign for 15-20 minutes and be one-on-one with the fans. The one thing I like to do is be hands on, as much as I can. Without the fans, this game is nothing. I like to give back and sign autographs as long as I can everyday, just to give back.

Q. Do you have any special routines?

A. Depends, I change them all the time. There are about 30 of them that I change around. From eating this meal on some days, or before a start, and if I get hit, I'll change it. Putting my left sock on first before my right and jumping over the lines. I have so many routines, but they change from game to game. If things are going good, I'll stick with the routine for awhile. But I switch it up a little bit to keep my luck going.

Q. How did you lose your jersey number to Daniel Cabrera?

A. That's a funny thing. The other day, Wally, the Clubhouse guy, called me and said Daniel Cabrera wanted #40 and it's up to you if you want to change it or not. For me, being a little rookie, I said that's no problem, I'll change to 49. He said you really don't have to if you don't want to. I said, No. He's got way more time than me. And I'm sure he wants the number more than I want to keep it. So I didn't have any problem with changing it for him. I was thinking about waiting it out a little longer to get something out of it, but...

Q. If you weren't a baseball player, you would be...

A. Oh boy, I would probably be going to school and I don't know. That's the toughest question to answer I think. Probably going to school and doing something like business related.

Q. Can you tell me a little bit about the interaction between starters and relievers and why you prefer to be a starter?

A. Yeah, the ultimate is goal to be a starter my whole career. But as long as I have a job, I don't care where I am. I'll be a reliever or even a hitter if they want. Obviously, I want to be a starter, but if it works out that I'm a reliever then it works out for the best. Starters stick together and relievers do their own thing. We don't really have too much conversation. We keep it kind of segregated.

Q. You joked on XM Radio that the Nationals would win the World Series this year if they landed Mark Teixiera and everyone took you very seriously. What was that experience like for you?

A. I go on with the guys at XM like once or twice a month at least. And I know those guys really well. When I said it, you know, he knew what I was talking about. Most of the people who know who I am knew exactly how I meant it. But the next day, everyone was telling me, "Look at this! Look at that!" and all these New York Times and Boston Globe and all this stuff. I was like Oh boy. It got misread.

What I was trying to say was that I was excited for the season to come up. Me, Zimmerman, Lannan and those guys, we talk all the time and we know how excited we are to start the season and that we really think we have a chance this year. It's going to take a little while. We have some guys coming up this year. The farm system is real strong now. They are going to be starting to come up and get some time in the big leagues and within the next couple of years, at some point, we'll be contending for a playoff spot. Right now, if we're all healthy, we could compete with any team. I think you have to think that way.

Q. How do you put the 2008 season behind you?

A. In baseball you have to have a short term memory. If you're good one night, you've gotta soak it up, forget about it and go on to the next day. If you're bad, you gotta get rid of it out of your mind and go on to the next day. That's the good thing about baseball. Everyday is a different day and every year is a different year. You have to forget about that and have a positive attitude going forward. I think everyone on this team has got that attitude. No one is going to remember what we did last year. You can't live in the future. You can't live in the past. You have to live now. As long as you have that attitude, you can just go at it day after day.

Q. What's it like working with Manny Acta and Randy St. Claire?

A. Both of those guys are class acts and I've said this before, Manny Acta is a great guy. He knows how to be one-on-one with every single player. It doesn't matter what language you speak, he knows how to make conversation and talk to you. And that's what a lot of players like. They have a lot of respect for him because he doesn't just talk about baseball. He talks about family, and that kind of stuff too. And he just knows the game up one side and down the other. He studies the game and he just knows everything. You gotta have respect for guys like that - that actually take the time, 5 hours after the game studying the next opponent. That's why you feel bad. When we lost, it wasn't his fault. It wasn't our fault. We were just so injured. A guy like that, you just have to have 100% respect for him. It's an honor to be able to play for him.

I feel the same way about St. Claire. He works harder than any other pitching coach. He's there 5 hours before the game and he stays 5 hours after, so no matter what there's no excuses to say that he wasn't there. You have to love to be in that environment, being around people that are there for you. He is one-on-one with everyone. He has a different relationship with every single player and that's what everyone likes about him.

For example, me and Lannan, with us, he's different than he is with say, Olsen. Olsen likes to watch video and me and Lannan don't like to. Every single day when we get to the field, me, St. Claire and Lannan go out and play Pepper and do a little bit of hitting and fielding and get our focus straight. Then he'll come in and go watch video with someone, say Cabrera or Olsen and he's there for every single person no matter what you want to do. He'll be on that level with you. He doesn't teach the game one way. Whatever way you learn, that's what he does for you. There's 12 pitchers; he could have 12 different ways of teaching the game. Everyone can get on the same page with him and it makes it a lot easier.

Q. Finally, what are you working on this spring?

A. This year, I worked on strength. I got a personal trainer and tried to get as strong as I can. Usually, I try to do it on my own and it doesn't always work out too well. So I got a personal trainer and I feel the strongest I've ever been. My arm feels good. I just want to build on what I did last year. Watch some tape. I was looking at tape of all the games I pitched. I was looking at those and figuring out what I did wrong and learning and all that stuff. I have an idea of what I want to work on. I just want to go out there and get ahead of hitters and compete for a spot, because it's not for sure. Hopefully, I can make the team and go from there.

To see what Collin is up to throughout spring training and the regular season, visit Bally's Blog.