Road trip hits and misses
TAMPA – The Nats, The Mets, The Boss. Palm trees, beach scenes and plenty of sun.
Not a bad way to spend the last week of February – talking baseball from sun-up to long after sundown. But that's the beauty of our annual spring training barnstorming trip. Even though we visit just a small number of the hottest clubs in the majors, it's plenty to get us fired up for the season.
This year's trip was about what was new: the Washington Nationals, Pedro in Queens, the Big Unit in the Big Apple. And what was familiar: Joe Torre, Andres Galarraga, Dodgertown. And what never changes: the competitive nature of the majors.
The archives can catch you up on anything you missed along on the way. But here is a CliffsNotes version of what went down, complete with valued reader email.
Best Restaurant: Dodgertown Lunchroom, Vero Beach
Always the most coveted title on the trip, this year the stakes were raised when we attempted to spend an entire week in Florida without eating in a single national chain restaurant. The bid at culinary greatness failed – for a state with plenty of grandmas and grandpas, they sure don't like mom and pops.
But before our failure, we did enjoy a spectacular lunch at the Dodgertown buffet facility. It wasn't just the food (although it was good). It was the ambiance and history, the pictures of Dodger greats framed by the most picturesque facility in the Grapefruit League.
Most Talented Team: New York Yankees
Hard to tell from spring training, but the Yankees sure look loaded. Whether they have any chemistry (the difference between them and Boston last season) remains to be seen. Already they are sniping at one another, the media and George Steinbrenner. If nothing else, it will be an eventful season in the South Bronx.
Quietest Clubhouse: Washington Nationals
Maybe it was our presence in Viera, but the clubhouse of the former Montreal/San Juan Expos was church-silent. Most spring training clubhouses are full of chatter, jokes, music, whatever. But it's all business at the Nats', where no conversation was conducted louder than a whisper. Who knows what this means, if anything.
Best Interview: Derek Lowe, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers' new starting pitcher had plenty to say about his former club (Boston) and wasn't shy about sharing it. Good for him. We always are in favor of such talk. As for whether the guy parties too much or not, all I know is I got a couple dozen emails that went like this ...
Dan – I just read your story about D-Lowe claiming to not be a "partier." Well I've witnessed his partying firsthand.
In the summer of 2001 the Sox were playing in Montreal. My friends and I drove up, since it was only a five-hour drive. We were there on the eve of the first game and we were at a bar. In walks D-Lowe and a couple of other Sox at the time, Mike Lansing and Shea Hillenbrand. ...
Tim Taylor
Boston
There was more to this letter, obviously. We won't print it because there is no way to verify it. But I'll say this about D-Lowe, for a guy who says he wasn't a partier, there are a heck of a lot of people in Boston claiming they've seen him out.
Best Idea
The no-national-chain-restaurant pledge was an inspired idea that inevitably crashed and burned. It's out. The winner? Our decision to stay away from all steroid talk during the trip. We don't advise baseball to continue sticking its head in the sand about this problem, but we understand why they do it. The game is a lot more fun when you just think about the game.
Best Evening Entertainment
The Melbourne Greyhound Park was entertaining, and that was on a night when there was no actual dog racing. If simulcast wagering and people watching can't get you through the night, then you are expecting too much out of life. Or at least too much out of life in Melbourne, Fla.
Best Bartender: Dan Rudy, Fort Myers Ale House
First off, he is just a good bartender. But his job at the best sports bar in Fort Myers means through the years he's met plenty of Red Sox and Minnesota Twins players, who pop in for post-workout beers and dinner. Needless to say, the guy has some great stories. Besides, he's a diehard Miami Heat fan who reads Yahoo! Sports every day.
Biggest Dilemma
Should we have enjoyed driving the Toyota Solara convertible as much as we did? If the Solara is not a total chick car, it's close ... not that there is anything wrong with that.
Another valued reader email:
Dan – No, man, it's a Toyota. That's never a chick car, at least not here in L.A.. Maybe in the Midwest or Florida.
Why didn't you guys lease at least a BMW 330i convertible? Your editor won't give the approval? Guess you'll have to do less horse betting.
Liem Doan
Los Angeles
I think the phrase "at least not here in L.A." is the most pertinent to this discussion. As for transportation, just be glad we were betting horses, not riding them.
Biggest X-Factor: The Mets
They made the boldest moves of the offseason, acquiring Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. But they also finished 20 games worse than .500 last year, so how much of a difference can two players really make? In Port St. Lucie, the feeling was the Mets were pennant contenders and would battle the Yankees for the attention of New York all summer. Maybe, but that's still a lot to ask from two players.
Best Bet
It certainly wasn't anything we accomplished at the Melbourne Greyhound Park, so we'll go with the St. Louis Cardinals. The team that won 105 games last year looks determined to do it again. The core of the team is back, key offseason losses were filled, and Tony La Russa is going around saying things like, "I think we are just as good as last year." Plus, any bad memories of the World Series sweep seem to be forgotten. Expect the Cards to be good.
One last valued reader email:
Dan – Barry Bonds succeeded in one thing. That giddy theme to "Sanford and Son" is stuck in my head.
Ed Lopez
Manila, Philippines
