Catching UP

I’ve already missed a few trips, and for the second year in a row, I’ve failed to do what I intended to do. So I will try to catch up on some of the highlights of previous road trips, and later this weekend I’ll recap this road trip.

Let me say this about this trip, I’m currently in Asheville, NC. The series features two division leaders and it should be a fun four game series. I have a freaking suite. Two full bathrooms, a living room, a bedroom, full kitchen, its AMAZING.

Lets recap some of my other trips. In Delmarva the boys started to hit their stride and won two games in a rain shortened series. Delmarva was pleasant as always. The hotel isn’t great but the location is ideal. I don’t ever really shop, but I decided to upgrade my wardrobe by purchasing a few things at a Marshalls that’s maybe 100 feet from the hotel.

I gained weight as usual because the hotel is right near SEVERAL outstanding restaurants. The trip was short because of the rain. On the ride home there were wind advisories that were so intense, we didn’t know if the bus would make it across the bay bridge. Thankfully it did and we got back at a decent hour.

Highlight of the trip: Cold Stone Creamery, enough said.

The next trip was an eight gamer, four in Lexington and four in Hagerstown. The Power won the first three games in Lexington. The had a 14 game winning streak, setting a franchise record. The way they won their 14th game was amazing. The game went 17 innings and they won 8-5. Here is how it went down…the Power were down 4-3, facing Lexington’s closer Santo Luis who was 5 for 5 in save opportunities. He hit Andrew Lefave with an 0-2 pitch. Anderson Delarosa pinch ran for Lefave, he stole second, the throw down to second went into center field, Delarosa went to third, and the throw from center to third, took a weird hop and went into the crowd allowing Delarosa to score the tying run. BIZZARE.

The highlight of the trip, besides the 14 victories in a row, talking to former Reds General Manager Dan O’Brien who was a first class human being. He works for the Brewers as an assistant to GM Doug Melvin.

It was off to Hagerstown after an off day. There were two day games during the trip. Day games are great when they are over, they are tough to start though. After one of the day games we went to the Hagerstown Outlet mall to kill a few hours. It was probably the highlight of the trip.

Its tradition on the Hagerstown trip, that within 10 minutes after getting in, the entire staff goes to the Chinese buffet and the crushing begins. Its been done every year since 05. I love it. My stomach doesn’t like it so much, and minutes after I get back to my hotel room, my toilet doesn’t like it.

The Power took three games from the Suns and continued to dominate, they won 14-3 in the first two games, taking advantage of two big innings. In game one they scored nine in the fifth, and in the second game they scored eight runs in the seventh inning. Bizzare.

The next trip, we went back to Hagerstown. Same trip, different week. Same result, West Virginia took three of four. They dropped the first game of the series but won the next three. One in six innings, a rain shortened game, and in the final game, they won 11-10.

In that final game they were up 4-0, let the Suns come back and tie it, until Taylor Green hit a freaking bomb, a Grand Slam, the highlight of the trip. The Suns came back to make it a one run game but couldn’t get over the hump.

That takes us to the current trip. It started with two games in Greensboro, and now we’re in Asheville. In Greensboro, the Power dropped game one 4-0. Graham Taylor, a lefty for Greensboro recorded the Sally League’s first complete game shutout. He held the Power to five hits. The game took just over two hours to complete, LIGHTNING quick, my kinda game.

The second game was WAY different. West Virginia won 14-10. It was a lot like the 11-10 win in Hagerstown. West Virginia had an 11-2 lead, but the ‘Hoppers came back to make it 11-10 before the Power scored three times in the ninth to pull away. Taylor Green hit two bombs. Amazing.

Greensboro’s park is great, but my broadcasting position is not good. I cant see much on the left side of the field because a suite is in my way, and there are windows obstructing my view. The hotel is great, its near some good restaurants, it has wireless internet and it’s a good, clean hotel.

Here is what we’re working with in Asheville. It’s a GORGEOUS hotel, great scenery, wireless internet, I have a suite and the whole nine yards. The ballpark isn’t great, but my broadcasting position is great. I can see everything. Its small, but I like it, very easy to see the action.

To recap. Hagerstown’s hotel had no internet, that means I had no chance to blog there. Its not a great area, but the people there are very nice. I ate way too much Chinese food there.

Delmarva was shorlived. The broadcasts were ok. Good people, not a bad hotel, GREAT area though.

Lexington is nice. Our hotel isn’t near much out there, but the stadium is nice, press box is kinda crammed but I like the people there a lot. Larry Glover, their radio announcer is one of my good friends, and he makes the trip worthwhile because he runs a good operation. The hotel on the whole is good, reliable internet access, big, clean room with all the essentials.

Greensboro has all you need, except the broadcasting position sucks. The people are great, the city is nice and so is the ballpark. The hotel is awesome.

We don’t go to Hagerstown or Delmarva again, which isn’t a real bad thing. We go to Lexington and Greensboro a lot more so I’ll report on those areas again. This is our only trip to Asheville, and I’ll have more to report on it later.