Tuesday, March 7  2000

Good morning and welcome to Day 4 of the 7th Annual Spring Training Trek 2000!

We are once again cruising southwest on I4 towards Lakeland, FL and Tigertown, the Spring Training home of the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. On the way, I stopped to fill up my gas tank, and paid $1.58 per gallon for low grade gas. Still, this is cheaper than at Disney where the $1.70 price is the only game in town. Gas in Florida is normally above average, but how does this compare to where you live?

Gas has not been this big a concern since the energy crisis in the '70s.

OK, to the game.

In the top of the 1st, Weiss grounds out and Andruw Jones singles before Javy Lopez homers to give the Braves an early lead. Andres Galarraga strikes out and Bobby Bonilla grounds out to end the inning. Terry Mulholland starts the game in the bottom of the first for the Braves.

After a line drive out, Wes Helms is unable to handle a dribble up the 3rd base line and the Tigers have a runner on 1st. A line drive double to the center field wall scores a run. Jones threw a bullet to the plate but was not in time. A 2 run homer to left gives the Tigers a 3-2 lead. A fly out to right is followed by a solo home run to left, and Mulholland gets a bruising start to his Grapefruit League season. A strikeout mercifully ends the inning.

In the 2nd, Keith Lockhart singles to right, Trenidad Hubbard pops up to 2nd, Wes Helms flies out to center, and Junior Brignac strikes out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 2nd, Mulholland recovers with a ground to first, a pop up to 2nd, and grounder to 2nd for a 1-2-3 inning. In the 3rd, Weiss grounds to 2nd, and Andruw Jones hits a solo home run over the left field wall. Lopez flies out to left, and the Big Cat draws a walk, followed by Bobby Bonilla. Lockhart then grounds to short to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Kerry Ligtenberg makes his first appearance of the Spring, and Toby Rummfield takes over behind the plate.

Ligtenberg gives up a hit and Rummfield fails to prevent a stolen base.

A fly ball to Hubbard in right gets an out and moves the runner to 3rd.

A foul pop-up on the 1st base side is out #2. Another pop-up to 1st ends the inning.

In the 4th, Trenidad Hubbard singles, Helms pops out and Hubbard is caught doubled up. Brignac is flies to left to end the inning. #77 Paul Assenbacher takes the mound in the Tiger's half of the inning and gives up a line drive up the first base line. Galarraga is unable to handle it and the Tigers are on the prowl again. An excuse me swing, and Assenbacher is slow off the mound and runners are safe at 1st and 2nd. A wild pitch moves the runners over. A double to center scores two. A ground ball to 3rd gets the runner at 2nd, but the Braves can not get the double play. A line drive over the Big Cat's head puts runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out. A dribble up the 1st base line, and Galarraga tags the batter out himself with a big toothy smile; runners hold. Ground to short gets Assenmacher out of the inning, but not before adding two earned runs to his average.

Today's food report: Italian Sausage (with onions and green peppers) and an Icehouse - $7.50; parking $3.00. Not much food, but the cheapest ballpark.

Walt Weiss leads off the top of the 5th with a ground out to 1st.

Andruw Jones strikes out, and Toby Rummfield singles to center.

Galarraga strikes out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Randall Simon comes in to play 1st, Mark DeRosa at short, Freddy Garcia in at left, Brignac moves to center and #72 Luis Rivera comes in to pitch. Rivera gets out of the inning with just a walk.

In the 6th, Bonilla strikes out, Lockhart grounds out, and Hubbard grounds out. Steve Sisco comes in to play 2nd. A ground to 2nd, walk, stolen base strikeout, and a double to left results in a run. Rivera gives up another walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd. A line drive past 1st, but Sisco gets the ball in to hold the runner. With three lighting pitches, Rivera gets a strikeout to end the inning. But the Tigers have a 7-3 lead after 6.

In the 7th, Helms strikes out, and Brignac singles to right. DeRosa draws a walk, and Garcia draws a walk to load the bases. Toby Rummfield drops one into left, the fielder miss the ball, and two runs score on a stand-up double. A pass ball to Randall Simon scores a run, and Rummfield advances to 3rd. Simon pops one to center, but the Tiger misses the cut-off man and Rummfield is able to tag and score, with the score now tied at 7. Bonilla flies out to right to end the inning.

In the Tiger's half of the 7th, #69 Matt Besisle takes the mound and gets a ground to short, a strikeout, gives up a walk, a wild pitch, and another strikeout to escape the inning. In the 8th, Steve Sisco homers to left to give the Braves an 8-7 lead. Hubbard can not check his swing and becomes the first out. Wes Helms grounds to 3rd but beats the throw. Rafael Furcal pinch runs and is subsequently caught stealing.

Brignac pops out to 2nd to end the inning.

In the bottom of inning, Sisco moves to 3rd and Furcal stays in at 2nd.

A ground ball to Simon at 1st for the first out. A drive up the middle puts the tying run at 1st. A single to left gives the Tigers a runner in scoring position. But a double play puts out the fire, and the braves hang on to their comeback lead.

Here is today's rocker report. There is still no sign of John Rocker.

This has been the Rocker Report. If there were actually a sighting of John Rocker, you would probably know all about it before reading my account.

DeRosa leads off the 9th with a walk. Garcia lines to left, putting runners at 1st and 2nd. Rummfield flies out to left. Simon triples to center, scoring DeRosa and Garcia but is tagged out at third. Bonilla bats with the bases empty and pops out to 3rd base foul territory. But the Braves add some insurance for #71, pitcher Derrick Lewis. Lewis gets a strikeout swinging, a fly to right, and the Tigers have one out left. A walk keeps things suspenseful, but strike three out three, game over.

Braves had 10 runs on 12 hits with no errors; Tigers had 7 runs on 13 hits with one error. We are now 2-2 on my Spring Training Trek 2K.

On the way back from Tigertown, I took a small detour to the Ridge River Groves where I picked up some oranges and fresh grapefruit; after all, this is Grapefruit League baseball. If you are looking for pleasure at Disney World, you have to go to Pleasure Island. And if you are looking for barbeque, the Wild Horse Saloon has the best. Dinner tonight was the Memphis Ribs with baked beans and a side of soul slaw. The price tag, $22 and change which means we are getting control on our food budget.

After watching the Pleasure Island Mardi Gras Bat Tuesday (Las Vegas

style) parade, where all you have to do for beads is stand up and cheer, I headed over Downtown Disney's West End to plug into DisneyQuest.

DisneyQuest is a virtual reality theme park with 4 floors of games and rides to warp your mind (and mess with your sense of balance).

DisneyQuest, where it's not just an elevator, it's a Cybervator and controlled by a holographic genie from Aladdin (complete with Robin Williams vocals).

My first adventure is to rescue colonists under attack by alien invasion. My partners were two Mexicans (the original Mexico, not that new one) who work as cast members over at the Mexican pavilion at Epcot's world showcase. Sadly, our entire transport was lost when the planet exploded before we could transport back to home base. Instead I was transported into the world of comic books, a virtual reality swashbuckler where I scored a lowly 5th of 6 after slaying only 6 comic creatures. Next I one-upped the pinball wizard by becoming a human pinball in the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam where I fared better scoring three times on the virtual goalie.

A quick trip through Buzz Lightyear's Master Blaster bumper car ride, and I was ready for adventure at the Cyberspace Mountain Roller Coaster.

You design your own roller coaster, and then you ride it in a full motion simulator. I designed the Way Cool Chariot, which ranked only 2 out of 5 on the scared shitake-o-meter. After turning upside down and flipping around, the guy behind me invited me to join him on his 5 coaster, prepared by DisneyQuest staff as their best coaster (with 8 loops). It was wilder than Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

The next stop on my Disney Quest was the Virtual Jungle Cruise where you ride an inflated raft on a air cushion of rabid rapid water as you paddle into oblivion. Next I joined Hercules as he battled Hades in the underworld in a 3D virtual fantasy. This was not your Kevin Sorbo/Lucy Lawless action, but Disney's hammed up version in which I was Hercules, and man was I cool. Next up was riding with Aladdin and his magic virtual reality carpet; alas we were unable to rescue the genie but I was able to complete the ride without getting sick.

And thus ended my virtual day as well as my reality day at Disney World, where it just isn't Florida anymore.

Fuskie