Blue Rocks: On The Road No. 2

First pitch is more than three hours away, but the Blue Rocks, and myself, have arrived at City Stadium. As the Rocks warm up in left field, their gray tops remind me that I'll see the Rocks bat first tonight after going to who-knows how many games with the Rocks as the home team.

Josh Johnson, a 21-year old infielder, says that riding the bus from town to town is something you just have to get used to as a minor leaguer.

"How do you get used to it? You just do," Johnson said. "There's no way of getting around it. There's no way avoiding it. You just have to go through it."

Even though Wilmington is the northern-most team in the Carolina League, Johnson said the travel in the league is not that bad compared to some others.

"When I was in the Pioneer League," Johnson said, we had longer bus trips, so [this] is not as bad. It was an older bus and it didn't have as many features as the newer ones do. You just adapt to it."

The Rocks' bus has several TVs from front to back and the seats, while narrow, are more comfortable then those in coach class on a plane. Johnson said some players pass the time on bus rides by reading books, or playing games -- the Sony PSP is easily the Rocks' system of choice. A few players even squeezed in a quick game during today's short ride from the motel to the stadium, which is in a rural area, so instead of a city skyline beyond the outfield (like at Frawley) it's the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Johnson, however, said "I'm more of a sleep guy," when it comes to the long trips. "I'll sleep or I'll listen to my music. You try to keep yourself busy to pass the time, do a couple crossword puzzles or something like that. Sudoku is a big help, too. The worst trip is probably to Myrtle Beach, just because it's so long. But it's fun down there, so it's all worth it. Adapting to the rides isn't hard."

Anyway, more notes about Lynchburg: It's a bit smaller than Wilmington, with about 70,000 people... Lynchburg was a supply base for the Confederacy during the Civil War, but the Union was afraid to attack, as the base was made to look more fortified than it actually was, including citizens who rallied around empty trains... The field itself at 4,000-seat City Stadium is named after Calvin Falwell, an older cousin of the recently deceased Jerry Falwell, who founded nearby Liberty University (as Lynchburg Baptist College)... The current song warbling through the stadium speakers is Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler." I know we're just in Virginia, but the song seems even nicer now that I'm on the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Later tonight, I'll post snippets from my interview with the team bus driver and then, of course, a review of the Hillcats' hot dogs.