Friday, March 23 2001

Good morning and welcome to Day 7 of the 8th Annual Spring Training Trek 2001!

Can you feel it in the air?  The thrill of doing something completely different, something you've always wanted to do but never had the opportunity.  Tonight's game can wait: Today we experience Dolphins In Depth!

That's right, it's up early to meet my research hosts at 8:45am for this personal and close up exploration of Mammalla Cetacea Odontoceti Delphinidae Tursiops Truncatus at The Living Seas pavilion at Epcot. With 6 others, I learned much about Dolphins that I did not know before.  For example, Dolphins breath and make sound only through their blowholes and not their mouths.  When Flipper opens his mouth to sing or call out, it is a Hollywood invention.  Similarly, Dolphins do not attach themselves to favorite humans, nor has our understanding of dolphin communication evolved to the state where something like Darwin in the TV series SeaQuest is remotely possible.

Dolphins are mammals, warm blooded, with hearts and lungs.  If a Dolphin is held under water, it could drown.  Their skins are smooth and soft, and they are very playful when in the mood.  Disney's research with Bob and Toby, the two adult male  Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, centers on cognitive research rather than teaching language or training for tricks.  The experiments center around putting the two dolphins in situations where they have to survey a situation and decide how to solve a situation to reach their goal.  This is not necessarily natural behavior for dolphins, but they have demonstrated (today in fact) the ability to process information, learn from experience, and figure out what needs to be done to get that fish.

Disney's dolphin research is voluntary - for the dolphins.  They participate when they want, and play when they don't.  The aquarium is the largest indoor salt water aquarium in the world, and doubles for the focus of SeaBase Alpha, the Epcot Living Seas guest attraction.  When not participating in research, the dolphins are often swimming around and looking at the humans on the other side of the glass.  Dolphins can see both in and out of water, and unlike humans, can see through the barrier between water and air.  Toby and Bob weigh close to 500 lb., were over 9 feet long, and aged (estimated) 19 years.

The best part about the Dolphins In Depth program is that after their morning research project was completed, Toby and Bob consented to letting us get into the pool with them to study them up close.  We got to rub their backs and bellies, examine the dorsal fin and pectoral flippers, look at their teeth and watch them breath.  And for exercise, they took a few bows (running jumps out of the water).  Included in the tour (all proceeds went to the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund) were a T-shirt and a video of our time in the water.  Truly an experience I will not soon forget.

But the day goes on, and I am off to Norway for a buffet lunch of cheeses, cold meats, and hot dishes.  Topped off with a native Norwegian beer and a delicious cheesecake, I was ready to hit the rest of Epcot's Future World.  First stop was the GM Test Track, where my vehicle got up to 65mph as it was flung around the speed loop.  Next, being recently concerned with the workings of the human body, I visited the Wonders of Life pavilion for the Body Wars virtual ride and the Cranium Command theater show.  Across Innoventions Plaza, I went to what may be the best of all 3D presentations at Disney World, Honey I Shrunk the Audience. They call it 4D because it involves not only 3D glasses but the senses of feel and smell as well.

Next, I took a Living with the Land tour and The Land pavilion, followed by a return trip to The Living Seas and SeaBase Alpha where I said good-bye to Toby and Bob.

And I was off to Disney's Wide World of Sports for a night game against the Expos.  Greg Maddux got off to a bad start, giving 2 runs on 5 hits.  The Braves were blanked in the bottom of the inning.  In the top of the 2nd, Maddux gives up a hit, and the runner moves to 2nd on a fielder's choice.  Another hit puts runners on the corners with one out.  A broken bat grounder is turned into a double play, the run does not count, and the Braves are out of the inning.  In the bottom of the 2nd, B.J. Surhoff grounds to 1st, and then Andruw Jones lifts one over the left field wall that lands in Epcot to put the Braves on the board. Rico Brogna flies out to right, and Wes Helms pops up to 1st for the 3rd out.

In the 3rd, Maddux gives up a double but Surhoff makes a great throw and gets the runner at 2nd.  Out number 2 is a strikeout.  For out number 3, Maddux fielded a come backer and threw to 1st.  In the Braves half, Paul Bako strikes out, Maddux flies out to right, Quilvio Veras singles to center.  Kurt Abbot flies to right to end the inning.

In the 4th, Jesse Garcia comes in to play 2nd.  Maddux faces former Brave Mike Mordecai, striking him out.  A ground to short, Abbot makes a high throw to 1st that pulls Brogna off the bag.  In fact, Brogna saved an extra base on the error.  The pitcher bunts, Maddux fields, but Brogna drops the ball for the 2nd error of the inning.  Runners on the corners with one out.  A double to left scores 2 to make it 4-1.  Brogna finally makes a catch for the 2nd out, and a line drive to 3rd ends the inning.  In the bottom of the inning, Jordan flies out, Surhoff draws a walk, and Andruw Jones launches a 2 run homer to left, this one landing in MGM Studios.  Brogna flies out to left and Wes Helms singles to center before Paul Bako grounds out to end the inning.  But the Braves cut the lead by 2 more, trailing 4-3.

We go to the 5th with Chan Perry at 1st, Mark DeRosa in left, Travis Wilson in right, and Jason Ross in center.  Maddux gets a strikeout to start the inning, followed by a pop up to center.  A pop up to 2nd and the inning is over.  As he warms up on deck, Maddux has been making faces to young ladies who run up to the net to snap a picture.  One girl even enticed a blown kiss as he hammed it up.  Maddux strikes out, Jesse Garcia and Kurt Abbott are out, and the inning is over.

In the 6th, a ground ball to Helms at 3rd, a quick throw to 1st, one out.  A fly to right and a ground to short, and we go to the bottom of the 6th.  Travis Wilson lines to center for a standup double.  DeRosa strikes out, Ross grounds to 3rd, and the runner holds at 2nd.  Chan Perry grounds to the pitcher to end the inning.  In the top of the 7th, Steve Avery pitches to Dax Norris and starts with a ground out.  A ground to 2nd and the throw from Garcia is late despite a tag of the runner.  Avery tries a snap pick-off with no luck.  The next pitch gets by Norris, and the runner takes 2nd.  Avery gets a strikeout for out number 2, and a pop-up to center to end the inning with no damage.

In the bottom of the 7th, Helms pops up to right foul territory for the first out.  Norris grounds to 1st, and Keith Lockhart pinch hits unsuccessfully.  In the top of the 8th, Seelbach pitches a 1-2-3 inning.  In the bottom of the inning,  a pop up and a pair of ground outs takes care of the Braves.  In the 9th, Jason Marquis takes over the hurling duties with a pop out followed by a single to center.  Norris drops the ball, allowing a stolen base without a throw.  Marquis fields a dribble to the mound, but his throw to first again pulls Perry off the base to put runners on the corners with one out.  A single to left scores a run and it is 5-3.  Marquis gets a strikeout, but then a ground ball is bobbled not one, not two, but three times before finally the Braves catch the lead runner in run-down and make a play at the plate for the third out.

The Braves go to the bottom of the 9th with their work cut out for them, trailing by two.  Mark DeRosa takes ball one, swings through a strike, and grounds to 2nd.  Jason Ross swings through a strike, watches strike 2, fouls the next pitch, then flies out to right.  The Braves final hope is Chan Perry, who's job is to get on base any way possible for Wes Helms on deck.  Perry, hitting .225, watches strike one, takes ball one, and singles to left.  Wes Helms, hitting .233, swings through strike one, takes ball one outside.  Ball 2 goes to the backstop and Perry takes 2nd.  A tomahawk chop breaks out.  Helms launches a blooper to center.  The fielder makes a diving catch but can not come up with the ball.  A run scores, and Dax Norris has a runner at 1st with 2 outs, the Braves trailing by one.  Norris watches strike one, fouls strike two, watches ball one high and outside.  A single to left puts runners at 1st and 2nd, and Pedro Swan makes his first appearance, swinging at strike one, fouling strike 2, taking ball one, taking ball two high before singling to right to score the game tying run.  Jesse Garcia watches strike one, the crowd is shouting Jesse, Jesse as ball 1 goes in the dirt.  So is ball 2.   Ball 3 is high, and Ball 4 gives Garcia a walk to load the bases for Abbott.  Abbott is only hitting .152 and pops up to shallow right to end the inning and send the Braves to extra innings.

Top of the 10th, Brad Cumberland pitches for the Braves, getting a fly ball to center and a pair of ground outs to end the inning.  Nothing doing for the Expos.  Travis Wilson leads off the bottom of the inning with a ground to 1st.  DeRosa grounds to short, and Jason Ross grounds to 2nd.  In the 11th inning, Cumberland gives up a single to right.  A bung, and Cumberland has trouble fielding the ball and the only play is to 1st.  A fly out to center holds the runner at 2nd.  Strike 3, Out 3, inning over.

The Braves come up in the bottom of the 11th with Perry working the count full drawing the walk in front of most of the original crowd. Helms singles to left to put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs.  The Expos pitcher holds a conference at 3rd to avoid Perry picking off signs.  A second trip, a 3rd trip.  A line drive back to the mound, the pitcher throws to 3rd to get Perry, runners still at 1st and 2nd with one out.  Steve Torrealba pinch hits, singling to center scoring Helms, Braves win!

Braves 6 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors.  Expos 5 runs, 14 hits, no errors. Cumberland gets the win.

Now, for some, the Dolphins might have made the day.  For others, an afternoon at Epcot would have been satisfying.  For you, topping the day off with a baseball game would be icing on the cake.  But this is no ordinary day, and Disney's Wide World of Sports is no ordinary Spring Training facility.  Since this is the last night game of the spring season, and because Walt always liked a good firecracker, we were treated to a fireworks show from the outfield.

First, red white and blue sizzlers were shot up.  Then a big red one exploded, followed by a green flower.  A white star spread out with some noise crackers.  More blue, more red, more green, more white, more, more, more, more, then a big finale!  Just like being there!

Well, that's it for today.  But be sure to get a good night's sleep because tomorrow, it's all about respect!

Fuskie