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Saturday, May 17, 2008
Change of Plans
Our trip itinerary saw some changes today as we decided to slow down a little bit, and attend a minor league game. Sure, we’ve been hitting up all the baseball hot spots- Yankee Stadium, Wrigley, and Fenway, but the Horsemen unanimously decided it was time to sleep in a little bit, and descend the ladder to the AAA level.
After checking out of our Marriott room[Thanks Sylvia Martinez!] at noon today, we made the scenic drive to Durham, N.C. With former presidential hopeful John Edwards in attendance, we watched the famed Bulls destroy the visiting Toledo Mud Hens, the triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Behind four homeruns and solid starting pitching, the Bulls, the AAA team of the Tampa Bay Rays, powered their way past the Hens.
While the home team impressed tonight, the Horsemen also made their presence known in Durham. In the second inning, VanZandt participated in a trivia question atop the Bulls dugout. The question posed was this: What major league pitcher was the first to start the year 9-0 with a win last night? The options were Justin Verlander, Brandon Webb, and Braden Looper. I’ll give you a few minutes to mull that one over, but just so you know, VanZandt got it right, and won a Blue Bunny soft cooler and t-shirt.
Ethan and Ed also had their moment to shine as they participated in a sumo wrestling match on the field. Decked out in their big, cushiony sumo suits, they took to the field, drawing a chorus of cheers from the uproarious stadium. Ed body slammed Ethan to win round one, but Ethan came roaring back as he side-stepped Ed as he charged, and threw the big guy to the ground. And so it moved to round three, all knotted up. After circling each other for a few tense seconds, Ed realized he was much bigger than his Hawaiian foe and finished the match, completing it by jumping and landing squarely on Ethan’s sumo belly.
With the crowd going crazy and autograph hounds beckoning [not really], we returned to our seats to watch the rest of the game. Special thanks to the Durham Bulls for recognizing us on the jumbotron during the game. They flashed a screen that mentioned we were driving across the country and raising money for breast cancer. Soon after the Bulls finished their dominating performance on the diamond, the postgame fireworks show began! Vanzandt’s trivia question answer- Brandon Webb.
After some deliberation on where to stay, we decided to bite the bullet and secure some classy accommodations at the local Super 8. That’s where we are now- eating pizza and chinese food and watching UFC.
We plan to sleep in a little bit in the morning and head to Atlanta around noon to see the Braves take on the Athletics in their first interleague series of the year. The end of this trip is imminent but as we near the end, I don’t think we’re ready for this dream to end.
I’m going to finish my pizza and relax. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to donate before it’s too late at http://www.active.com/donate/tylerkomen08/4horsemen!!!
