Fond Farewell, Part One

Bob's Backstop for March 29, 2004

We've had a wonderful time in Fort Lauderdale. As we enter the more serious last week of Spring Training, it's time to take a Look Back at our experiences at Orioles camp...

We had a leisurely trip down in the car. We did have a little bit of trouble getting our bearings around the outskirts of Atlanta, but then the Pascual Perez Parkway can be daunting for even the most seasoned traveler.

Invited on the team bus for one road trip, we discovered that some of the players' complaints concerning the quality of the traveling experience are justified. One driver took us to Key West instead of across Alligator Alley...

One of the real pleasures of playing in Fort Lauderdale are the seemingly endless road trips. This enables the younger players, in particular, an opportunity to experience all the world of the trucker, which is where some of them will be if they don't make it to the bigs.

The dining facilities were first rate. It felt just like eating off the TV trays in Uncle Steve's rec room...

The players really do pay a lot of attention to their diet. Here's the morning regimen for Sidney Ponson. He says the caffeine, sugar, and fat gives him just the boost he needs to get him through the morning workout after a long evening of hitting the town.

Speaking of Sidney, did you know he's become quite the team leader? The dining staff has even named a hamburger after him...

As tempting as the Big Guy was, we opted for a team favorite, the "Manager's Special Fish Boil." It was so good, we had one every day!

Most of the veteran players stayed at the sumptuous Yankee Motel, where the Bronx Bombers used to stay when they were using Fort Lauderdale some twenty-five years ago...

the motel's Yankee Clipper Lounge is a hot spot any time of the day or night...

Some players seem to prefer the seclusion of the Cocky-Locky Leisure Cabins, located just outside the city limits. Although they do have their rustic charm, that's nothing compared to the charm of this lovely local talent we found awaiting a player for a late night rendezvous. Describing herself as an aspiring actress, she was more than happy to pose for us as she awaited her Prince Charming...

On that note, we'll close for today, but we'll be back with more fort Lauderdale Memories...