There's nothing more I love than a challenge.

This's why I choose most of the sports and games I play. They require a great deal of work, if I am to succeed. And there is always someone better than me -- giving me something to drive to beat.

I play baseball more than any of my other sports. I played hockey till 2007 when i decided I needed to start focusing my mind on just one sport. I condition, and practice most days. I work on pitching mechanics every day. To relax, I play video games.

I am a pretty laid back person and I like to relax and calm my mind. But when it's work time -- I'm all about the work and I focus. For years, my Dad got on me for not trying harder. I made the play, or got the hit, but he said I didn't look like I wasa working hard doing it.

When it comes to baseball I do not like to lose and I like to fight to the end. I have seen the almost impossible happen in baseball throughout my years of playing. One time we had a 16-3 lead in the bottom of the last inning let the other team score 13 runs and almost tie the game. Another time in a championship we tie it in the last inning, played three more scoreless and then broke it open. We've come back in impossible situations and won. You just feel it in the dugout. I keep those thoughts in my mind every time my team is down (or up). It's what fuels me. It's not over till that last pitch -- then the tired, wobbly legs can bend.

I've pitched in many championship games and last inning nail-biters. This, I think, is what makes the game fun. Sure, you might win or lose the game, but pitching in those moments is all about the pressure. Everyone is counting on you to do your job. When the game is on the line, I want the ball. I feed off that pressure and it makes me stronger and the crowd noise and chatter diminish instantly. We have won and we have lost in those situations. Thankfully, mostly we have won. But in baseball the difference is sometimes something very small. You have to master the mental side of the game -- be able to focus inside all that pressure and not think of anything except what you will do when the ball is hit.

I love baseball and everything about it. I've loved it since I was a little kid. I will always love baseball no matter what curves the game throws at me. I'll be ready to battle my way through it and come out on top.

Nick Lee