AJ-C traveling with Thrashers on team plane?

I took the team charter once when the Expos had one of those long trips caused by the "Puerto Rico" experiment, which basically meant a road trip, followed by a "homestand" in PR, then another road trip.

It was logistically impossible to arrange commercially. It was Montreal - Miami - Philly - Puerto Rico - Seattle - Oakland - Pittsburgh - Montreal. 25 days.

It came two weeks after another west coast road trip, during which I had gotten very ill and spent 10 days in the hospital in San Francisco. Bacterial infection. Nearly bought the farm. I was weak as a kitten, and the trip probably would have killed me even if it was doable.

But it was hairy (a few years ago, before wireless and 3G would have made it easier).

I was at the San Francisco airport (or was it Oakland?) not having sent a story because the bus left so quickly after the game. There was no phone on the plane, and it would have been 2 a.m. by the time we got to Pittsburgh, far too late.

Industrious me finally begged an airport employee to whizz me back to the charter terminal on a golf cart, as the players and coaches were having their carry-ons checked, reached under a desk and unhook the fax line (the phone lines were digital), sent the story and streaked back to the plane.

The players were looking on in amazement as is, "WTF?" as I yelled to catcher Michael Barrett to PLEASE make sure my suitcase made it onto the plane. Livan Hernandez was laughing his hole off.

I made it back as the last guy was passing through the check. Didn't hold anybody up. The media-relations guy, completely useless and of zero help (he's still around, I think, equally as unhelpful but with good hair) just stood there.

I think the team ended up charging us the cost of a first-class plane ticket, which hadn't been the original agreement. But we paid it.

Not sure I'd do it again. Too stressful.

Turns it, it's pretty boring to travel with a baseball team (although seeing the roided-up lefty veteran journeyman reliever bring the 2003 equivalent of his "Hello Kitty" pillow on the plane because he was so petrified of flying was probably worth the trip).

The food was a cut above, even if all the players ate were Gatorades and M&Ms. Free beer, too, although I didn't have any.

 

You lost me here ;D

 

Please go back into your electrical closet for a few hours. And tell your dad that he's a putz and so are you.