Friday, March 15 2002

Good morning and welcome to Day 7 of the 9th Annual Spring Training Trek 2002!

It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.  Or so it must seem to so many kids here at Disney World where the sensory overload and emotion of the Magic can lead a child from wonderment and joy to exhaustion and disappointment.  Parents and grandparents who feed a child's desire for more and more (sugar and toys) and then feel the sting when they dare to say no, or who drag their offspring around past their breaking point, insisting they build magical memories and experience everything.

You also get the wide-eyed little boy or girl who on the bus can not stop talking about meeting her favorite character.  Or the little boy, who despite the best attempts by Dad to lay his head down counts to 10 in multiple languages to keep awake so he can swim in the pool (it was 11pm).  Or the cool teenager with Mom and little sis succumbing to the urge to act a different age.  Or the college breakers who turned down beach and beer to spend Spring Break with friends and memories.  And thousands of cast members dedicated to sharing that dream come true and extracting a little more cash than you intended in the process.

This is Disney World, and this is Braves Spring Training.  In some ways the innocence of Municipal Stadium at West Palm Beach has been lost. Disney's Wide World of Sports is expansive and the ballpark so big that the familialness can not be regained.  Yet those attending these exhibition games all have a good time, even when their team comes out on the short end, or they have no particular team for which to root.  I traveled to D-Sports with a gentleman claiming to be from Manchester, England.  He had seen a Rangers game in Texas last year, had the afternoon free at Disney World, and decided to take in the game.  Didn't even know who was playing or where the teams were from.

The morning began with a trip to Disney MGM Studios where I picked up a FastPass to the HTH and then wandered to the Animation Studios for the Walt Disney Story museum.  This tribute to the man who would be celebrating his 100th birthday traces his life from early childhood in a town upon which Main Street USA was based to his years in the WWI ambulance Service (he was a year too young to fight) to his fascination with trains.  You can see the animation photo production desk where Walt first created Mickey Mouse.  There are original drawings of early proposals for Disneyland.  Original collectibles, demonstrations of animatronics, and tributes to technical innovations Disney invented for animation, movies and television.  And a movie that ties it all together.

After this reflection of 100 years.  I checked into the Hollywood Tower Hotel.  The bell cap told me I could check out any time I wanted.  But I almost couldn't leave!  Using the freight service elevator because the main was out of service, I reached the 13th floor and found myself in the Twilight Zone.  Then we were dropping like flies, five times by my count before coming to a crashing halt in the souvenir store.

>From here it was time to go to this afternoon's ball game.  It was probably the hottest day of the week so far.  After consuming a hot dog and diet coke, it was time to enjoy the game.  Two hits and no runs started the game for Jason Marquis.  In the bottom of the inning, A fly to center by Wilson Betemit, a fly to left by Andruw Jones, and pop-up by Gary Sheffield and he game is 1/9th over.

Marquis greets to Dodgers in the 2nd by giving up a walk, a fly to center, a single to center putting runners on first and second with one out.  Former Braves pitcher Terry Mulholland bats for the blue, grounding out but moving the runners up.  A ground to short, throw to first, and Marquis gets out of the inning.  In the bottom half, Vinnie Castilla, hitting .259, flies out to center.  Julio Franco, hitting .367, flies out to right field.  Javy Lopez, making his first appearance during my week-long trek, grounds weakly to 2nd and the inning is quickly over.

Top of the 3rd, and Marquis induces a ground ball that follows the left of the foul line all the way to first base where Franco scoops it up for the out.  A ground to first, Marquis covers for the put out.  Brian Jordan gets a round of applause as he stand in for the Dodgers.  A drive to center gets past Andruw to the wall, and Jordan has a double. Marquis counters with 3 called strikes for the third out to end the Dodgers half of the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Marcus Giles returns after injury and flies to deep center for the first out.  George Lombard, playing left and hitting .344, gets hit by a pitch and takes the free base.  Jason Marquis misses a bunt with 2 strikes and is called out.  Wilson Betemit grounds to second to end the third.

In the 4th, a fly ball to left is followed by a strikeout and a two-out walk.  A fly ball to shallow left, Giles calls it, catches it, and the inning is over.  Having pitched his 4 innings, Marquis will be replaced in the 5th.  While he fared better than his last outing, he still was forced to make a lot of pitches under a blistering hot sun.  In the Braves half, Andruw pops up to right center.  Sheffield flies to left, and Castilla drives the ball to left center and takes 2nd standing.  But Franco flies out to left and the inning is over but the Braves do get their first hit of the game.

Top of the 5th, Ozzie Timmons comes in to play right, Mike Remlinger on the mound.  A grounder down the first base line, Franco fields and touches the base but the ump calls a foul ball.  The crowd loudly disagrees having seen the ball travel a foot inside.  Remlinger turns it into a walk and the Dodgers have a runner on first.  A line drive over Betemit's glove puts runners at first and second.  A hit to left scores a run, still no outs.  The dodgers draw first blood.  A fielders choice puts runners on the corners with one out.  A ground to 3rd, throw to 2nd, throw to 1st and it is a 6-4-3 double play.   Bottom half, Lopez and Giles ground out, Lombard flies to deep center where the fielder can not make the catch.  Ozzie Timmons stands in with 2 outs and a runner in scoring position.  A ground to short, and the inning is over as Lombard crosses the plate.

Know you know: The average person has 1460 dreams a year.

In the 6th inning, Ryan Langerhans takes over in left, Eddie Perez behind the plate, and Keith Lockhart at second.  A drive to left field and Jones cannot make the catch, giving up a double.  A single to right puts runners on the corners.  A pop-up to center, the runner holds at third, one out.  A broken bat grounder to 3rd is fielded and the runner is out at 1st, but another run scores.  However, the play was called back as the ball was called foul.  Regardless, after a fly to center is caught, the runner tags and scores and the Dodgers lead 2-0.  A fly to left and Remlinger gets out of the inning.  In the bottom of the inning, a pinch hitter  flies to deep right and the catch is made against the wall.  A broken bat grounder by Betemit to second brings pinch hitter Matt Franco to the plate where he promptly strikes out to end the inning.

In the 7th, Tim Spoonybarger pitches and Mark DeRosa moves to center. Yes, I said Center Field.  A ground out, then a line down the 3rd base line and the Dodgers have a runner on second with one out.  A grounder to short, Betemit hangs on to the ball and just makes the throw to first in time, moving the runner to third.  A single to left scores the run. A stolen base and Perez's throw is to the left of the bag.  A ground to short, throw to first, and the inning is over.  After the 7th inning stretch, Castilla flies out to center.  Julio Franco grounds to 2nd, and Perez grounds to 3rd.

Now you know: Howdy Doody has exactly 48 freckles on his face.

Top of the 8th, Travis Wilson checks in at 3rd.  The sun temporarily moves behind a cloud for a welcome respite from the afternoon sun.  A pop up to center for the first out.  A line drive to first handcuffs Franco and gets through for an error.  A ground to short is turned into a double play and the mistake is erased.  In the bottom half, Keith Lockhart strikes out, Langerhans follows suit, and Timmons flies out to right.

Top of the 9th, and it is a familiar sight.  John Foster takes over with a grounder to short, a grounder to 2nd, and another grounder to 2nd for an easy inning.  But the Braves have another steep hill to climb. Betemit leads the charge in the bottom of the 9th.  DeRosa singles to left, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs.  Wes Helms comes off the bench, hitting .360, and sneaks one past third for the RBI.  Runners first and second, no outs.  Travis Wilson, hitting .292, wimps into a double play but beats the throw at 1st.  Franco pops to 3rd; the throw to first but Helms is safe.  Two outs for Eddie Perez, hitting .182. The last chance for the Braves grounds to short, the force at second and the inning is over.

Totals: Dodgers 3 runs, 10 hits, no errors.  Braves 1 run, 5 hits, 1 error.

This game ensures the first losing week in my Spring Training Trek's 9 year history.  Four losses, one win, one game to go.

And go I went back to Disney MGM Studios where I decided a little rollin', a little coastin' and a lot of rock and roll was in order so I stood in line and 45 minutes later enjoyed the rush of Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster, an indoor glow-in-the-dark experience that shoots you from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds across LA.

Next it was to Hollywood and Vine for an all-you-can-eat buffet style dinner and a priority viewing pass to Fantasmic.  Dinner was a little of everything, and I literally ate a little of everything, plus a strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Fantasmic is a creative stage show that celebrates Mickey's imagination as all the Disney characters bubble up from the lagoon through animation projected against a fan of water.  But with dreams come nightmares and soon the evil villains are struggling for control.  Mickey realizes that good always beats evil and battles back against his demons culminating with a spectacular finale that draws from the Sorcerer's Apprentice.  A terrific show leaving everyone well satisfied.

Almost.

After a pit stop back at Coronado Springs, it was time to head to Downtown Disney's Marketplace to shop 'till I dropped.  Which was not hard since I was barely still on my feet.  And spend I did.  And when all was done, I was totally spent and so was Day Seven.  If you are not too tired, join me as we have only 2 days left!

Fuskie