Life On the Road

As a northern program we usually spend the first month of the season on the road.  When I hear away games I automatically think airports, buses, hotels, study hall, hotel breakfast, warm weather, and tan (sunburn for myself).  The upside to the road is we don't have to worry about waking up at 6:30 in the morning for tarp duty which tends to happen at least once a weekend at home.  Suitcases turn into dressers and hotels become our homes.  I actually get more sleep on the road because the dorms aren't quite the quietest on weekends.  I'm almost positive the walls are just our imagination at 3 A.M. when the neighbors are getting back from their night out and can't go to bed so instead choose to have the bar come back and have a sing-along to "The Show Goes On".  (It's alright though because we get them back at 6:30 in the morning to Eminem's "Stay Wide Awake"). Flying is definitely better than taking a bus but it never ceases to amaze me the questions asked by strangers and airport security. "Oh you play baseball? Are you guys going to Spring Training?" Yea we're actually skipping a month and a half of school to go down and play major league teams.As we got on the plane a guy actually grabbed my arm and asked, "WHO'S THE PITCHER?".  I didn't even know how to respond so I acted like I was looking for him and claimed I couldn't find him.

Sometimes it's nice to get away from campus though (if only we could get away from the schoolwork too).  

For a weekend series we leave campus on Thursday early enough to miss class and make it to take batting practice that night.  Friday games are generally at night so we'll have a study hall in the morning, grab some lunch, and head off to batting practice and the game.  After the game we'll head back to the hotel, throw our laundry in, take a shower, get some rest for the next day, and the process is repeated.  After the game on Sunday it's a quick shower and off to the airport to get back to campus around midnight to early Monday morning.  I don't know what it is about flying back Sunday night but there is always a delay of some sort.  My freshman year we were getting back to campus as the other kids were sleepwalking to their 9 A.M. class.  The road is tough during the first month but it's nice being at home during the second half of the season.