ALABAMA WEEK 12: SPRING IS IN THE AIR

The NFL Season is officially over and the the Baltimore Ravens are Champions. The second championship stolen from Cleveland.

There was a Super Bowl party at the clubhouse and we arrived half hour before kickoff and still got stuck with the "cheap seats" (back of the room). After the lights went out in the Superdome in the third quarter, everyone left the clubhouse and went back to their campers. I moved up to the "front row" and again was the last one standing to close up the clubhouse when the game was over.
       
                                                         
                                                           View from the "cheap seats"

                                                       (picture taken from a fellow camper)

Now, it's time to get ready for the American Past Time. The baseball season is upon us with the smell of spring is in the air. If it's College, Minor leagues or Major Leagues I will enjoy ever second of the season from spring training - opening day - All Star Games - College World Series - World Series. In less than two weeks I will be making my third pilgrimage to spring training.  My first was in 2010 to Goodyear, Arizona to see my beloved Cleveland Indians (Cincinnati Reds use same facility), the second in 2011 to Clearwater, Florida to see Philadelphia Phillies and this year will be to Fort Myers, Florida to see the Boston Red Sox. I might even push my luck and see the Minnesota Twins too (same town). The main reason I chose the Red Sox this year is to see my favorite player Travis Shaw (minor league player and top 30 prospect in the Red Sox system). He attended Kent State the same time I did and was drafted by the Red Sox in the 2011 draft. I have seen him play live at all his home games his junior season at Kent State and six times as a Pro in the last two years when his played an Ohio team. As of today, I have a collection of 219 items. Mostly baseball cards (208), 11 items (photos, balls and cards) are personally signed by him while he was at Kent State or in person at the game I saw him at. I even got two MiLB game used balls he threw in the stands between innings. I'm hoping to add to the collection while at spring training or even games I will go to this year. My top personal items are two signed photos with him at the stadium before the game started. I would love to get his personal items like jersey, pair (or single) of batting gloves and a bat (whole or even broken) to round out my collection.

                                2011 Lowell Spinners (Short Season A) @ Mahoning Valley Scrappers

                                           2012 Portland Sea Dogs (AA) @ Akron Aeros

We will be in Fort Myers, Florida for a month, but I will not go to spring training every day (I have to do sightseeing with the wife too). Follow this blog during spring training and I will post all my autographs (not just Travis Shaw) collected on the day I get them.

ALABAMA WEEK 11 (PART 3): ROAD TRIP TO SUPER BOWL XLVII

I have been to a lot of NFL Hall of Fame and  NFL Pro Bowl games, but never to a Super Bowl. ... Well, I guess I still have not OFFICIALLY been to a Super Bowl, but I did go to New Orleans to see what all the hype was about.

We woke up early Thursday and started our three hour drive to New Orleans. The drive was pretty easy, just stayed on I-10 West until we reached New Orleans. We made a pit stop at the Louisiana Welcome Center to get a list of actives that are going on for the Super Bowl. While walking back to our car we saw an old man trying to remove a dead bird that flew into his car. We have seen bugs, but never a bird.

                                      
Less than 30 minutes later we arrive downtown New Orleans, but could not get anywhere close to the Super Dome, without a pass. While driving, looking for the visitors center we saw a guy riding an over size bike. We ate our packed lunch and then off to the water front where all the actives was going on.

I was disappointed in the whole setup of actives for the Super Bowl. Unlike the Hall of Fame and Pro Bowl games, this Super Bowl was behind the curve in it's setup. The list of actives showed to be open at 10:00 am, it was 1:00 pm and still none of the actives was open or finished being bult. Painting players on the side of the building was just getting started. Stores along the strip had signs over their door, "Official NFL Super Bowl Merchandise", but they was painting Budweiser off the banner. After seeing one store do this, how could I trust any of the other stores on the strip? All I wanted was a Super Bowl Program book. The only things really open was all the networks broadcasting the news. There was no line in front of CBS Sports, so we were able to get inside to see a live broadcast with guest Emmitt Smith. I always thought that the players hotel was to be a secret, but I guess the Marriott did not get that message.

Even though the hype was no where close to what I excepted, I can still put The Super Bowl on my list of sporting events check off list. I bet that the Hall of Fame Game actives in Canton, OH in late July early August will not disappoint me. The good news in New Orleans is that Mardi Gras (originally from Alabama) is coinciding the following week with the Super Bowl and the town is ready for it. Why was the Super Bowl not ready?

 

ALABAMA WEEK 11 (PART 2): RAILROAD MUSEUM FOLEY, AL

I don't remember how many time we have drove through the small town of Foley, AL to get somewhere and never realized the town history or sightseeing they have to offer. One day we had to stop at a red light and while waiting for the light to change we looked around and saw places that caught our interest. When we returned to the RV park that night we did some research of Foley, AL on the internet and found a lot of places that we wanted to see.

With each new destination and experience comes an emotion, and The Foley Railroad Museum and Model Train Exhibit was no different. There is no fee to enter. As soon as I walked into to the back room where the model train was set up, I remembered the days of my childhood where I use to play with my model trains and wish that one day I could have build my set like this. On a 1/4 mile track that was built by volunteers that put in over 6,000 hours to complete.With a working fairest wheel, drive-in theater and attention to even the littlest detail makes it an amazing sight to see. They let me down to the tracks and walk around the model, so I got a behind the scenes look at floor level. This is where I was able to get right down on the track to see all the details, for example the gate dropping at a railroad crossing as the train passed and the DVD player that played the movie at the drive-in.

The Holmes Medical Museum was closing as we arrived (there is no fee to enter too) so this is still on the "to do list". We took a stroll to the corner to Stacy's Old Tyme Soda Fountain. It is the oldest drugstore and soda fountain in Foley and it still fills prescriptions in the back an serves sodas and shakes in the front. I'm not a coffee drinking, but it's only a whopping 10 cents a cup and the jukebox plays oldies for free. The wife and I shared a coke float.

Today's trip only put us back $2.50. Now that's what I call a day of fun without spending a lot of money. 

ALABAMA WEEK 11: ORANGE BEACH, AL

On a warm low 70's degree day, we decided to head to Orange Beach. When we arrived, there was about twenty cars in the parking lot, so a few other people had the same idea we did. Orange Beach has a clear white sand that seams to stretches forever. With wildlife and humans flocking to this beach, it seams to have put the BP oil spill behind them.

Before calling it the day, we stopped by the American Legion where they were having a pot luck dinner. We swung by Walmart to pick up potato salad and that was our dish. Lot of the people jump the line and by the time we got there, the chicken and deviled eggs was gone along with a lot of other dishes. We ran into the couple from Iowa again and made a night of it. After dinner I line danced while the wife watched me from the sidelines.