Monday, March 6  2000

Good morning and welcome to Day 3 of the 7th Annual Spring Training Trek 2000!

Today is an away game against the Toronto Blue Jays at their Spring Training facility in Dunedin, FL northwest of Tampa in Clearwater. Of course, the only thing more exciting than driving to Tampa from Orlando is the return drive back again. Because of traffic in Clearwater, I was unable to make the game until the bottom of the 2nd inning. All that was missed was a Brian Jordon solo home run.

In the third, with Furcal on base, Reggie Sanders gets hit in the back.

Chipper singles into left to score the run. Brian Jordan gets a second RBI with a single that scores Sanders, all with 2 outs. Bobby Bonillla strikes out with a lazy swing to end the inning, but not before the Braves add two more. Kevin McGlinchy takes the mound in relief of Tom Glavine, who pitched two scoreless innings. McGlinchy gives up a double down the left field line but gets out of the inning without any runs scored.

Trenidad Hubbard leads off the top of the 4th with a ground out. Brian Hunter pops out in foul territory. Pasqual Matos singles to left, and Rafael Furcal lines one over the 3rd base bag. A bobble by the left fielder moves the runners to 2nd and 3rd for Quilvio Veras. But Veras grounds to second to end the inning. Rudy Seanez pitches the bottom of the 4th, and Marcus Giles comes in to play 2nd. Seanez gives up a double off the left field wall, and the Blue Jays steal 3rd. Deep fly to center scores a run. A come backer to the mound for out #2, and Chipper catches a pop up to end the inning.

Sanders leads off the top of the 5th with a fly out to center. Chipper strikes out, and Jordan grounds to 2nd to end the inning. Bruce Chen comes in to pitch the 5th, and Tim Unroe replaces Chipper at 3rd, with Garcia in left and Lombard in right. The Jays get a lead-off triple from Chen. A pop-up to 1st gets an out, but a double to left scores the run. A hit to center puts runners on the corners. Chen pulls out a double play to end the inning, but the Jays cut the lead to 3-2.

Bonilla leads off the 6th with his first hit of the season, a ground rule double. A ground out to 2nd moves Bonilla to 3rd. A pop up to 3rd is out #2, but Matos drills one into right field to score Bobby Bo.

Furcal dribbles to 2nd to end the inning, but the Braves extend their lead 4-2. Chen gives up a line drive caught by Unroe, who's slow throw to 1st gives the Blue Jays a base runner. Chen gets a pop-up, a strike-out, and a great snag of a line drive by Giles to force the runner out and end the inning.

Today's Rocker Report: There is still no sign of John Rocker, although a smattering of fans called for him to pitch the 9th. This has been the Rocker report.

Nothing exciting for the Braves in the 7th; Jason Baker comes in to pitch for the Braves and gets a ground ball to Furcal for the first out. A double off the center field wall gives the Blue Jays a runner in scoring position. A pair of strike-outs ends the inning. Bonilla draws a walk for Junior Brignac who doubles to center, scoring Bonilla. Brian Hunter strikes out, Jeff Horn gets on base, and Furcal singles in a run, runners at 1st and 2nd. A home run by Marcus Giles clears the bases, giving the Braves a 9-2 lead.

Food report. Today's lunch was 2 slices of Pepperoni Pizza (soft crust, tasty sauce, thick cheese), a large coke. At $9.25, this was the tastiest and cheapest so far. Parking was again $5, and I got literally the last space.

Bottom of the 8th finds Scott Sobkowiak pitching for the Braves. This is a kid (Myrtle Beach) who is just enjoying the opportunity to play with major leaguers and participate in Spring Training. Sobkowiak gets through the inning with a pair of strikeouts. Top of the 9th, Lombard strikes out, but Toby Rummfield singles to left. Brignac reaches base on an error putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Jeff Horn sends one over the left field wall to score 3 and give the Braves a 12-2 lead.

Sobkowiak stays in to pitch the 9th inning with the single charge to hold the lead. A line drive to center is caught for the first out.

Another diving catch robs the Jays of a hit. A strikeout ends the game. The Braves have 12 runs on 14 hits with no errors; the Blue Jays get 2 runs on 8 hits with 2 errors.

As voyeurs of previous Spring Training treks know, no time is left unfilled so after the 2 hour trip back to the Caribbean Beach Resort, I am again walking the streets of Epcot. The first task is to have my digital image etched in steel on a 1" square tile as part of a sculpture mosaic at Epcot's front entrance. Next, while the crowd was gathered around the World Showcase for the tapestry of Nations and Illuminations, I took advantage of the non-lines to visit Innovations West for technology of tomorrow expo, and to take a journey into my imagination with Figment.

To some this might be a full day, but after a short cruise (boat ride) from the International Gateway and I find myself at Disney's Boardwalk.

This recreation of the east coast landmark features shops, restaurants, street performers, and the ESPN club, where I finally sat down for dinner. By pure coincidence, the game on the main wall screen was the NBA on TBS. Although the Thrashers were not available via satellite, my waiter did keep me up to speed as the black and blue birds gave up a 2-1 lead with 6 minutes to go, losing 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens.

A stop in Seashore Sweets for a chocolate ice cream waffle cone, and I was done for the day. Tomorrow is another trip to Lakeland for a contest with the Detroit Tigers. Get some sleep, and come back tomorrow for the next exciting chapter!

Fuskie