Well.. 1,206 miles later.. I MADE IT!
I'll tell ya driving alone isn't nearly as bad when you have thousands of people on
Twitter and
Facebook keeping you company. If you
follow me or "like" the
Facebook page you already knew I was on my way. I apologize for the excessive updates but it kept my mind off the hundreds of miles I had ahead of me.
I had roughly 19 hours of drive time to ponder a few things. What are my expectations for this trip? Why the hell am I driving to Florida for a team that everyone is labeling "underdogs"? Will Johan (or enter any name here) stay healthy?
First and foremost I am a die hard fan so coming to Spring Training was something I've always wanted to check off my to do list. My grandparents attended in the 80's and since I was little I've had visions of being one of those fanatics traveling down South to watch my favorite ball club. I guess I have shades of Jimmy Fallon from the movie "Fever Pitch" ... minus the Red Sox sheets, baseball glove phone and shower curtain of course.
For those that don't know The 7 Line isn't just a hobby.... it's my life. Everything I do for the brand from printing shirts to tweeting is considered "work" although it's really just something fun that I am wholeheartedly thankful to call my job. So coming down here is basically a business trip and I couldn't be more excited about it. I have all you Mets fans out there to thank for putting me in this position. When I made my first shirt for The 7 Line in Sept 2009 I would have never dreamt that 2.5 later I would be in a hotel room in Port Saint Lucie writing this blog post. So THANK YOU!
The above photo was shot at mile marker 8 on I-95 just before I passed in to Florida. Another order of business on this trip is to deliver that poster board to the Gary Carter Foundation in West Palm Beach. I'm donating the proceeds of the
RIP KID shirts to them and I asked the fans who attended the impromptu memorial service at Citi Field a couple weeks ago to sign that print out of the
t-shirt design. I'm not sure when I'm heading down there yet, but it will get done for sure before I leave town.
In every sport there is always an "if" factor before the season starts. Look at our cast of characters.... why can't they all have ON seasons? It's not "likely" but it CAN happen. I have faith in our guys although Wilpon want's them to wear UNDERDOG t-shirts. Which by the way, I will not have any part in parodying.... so you guys can stop e-mailing haha.
HEALTH is the factor as it is every year. With my fingers and toes crossed the DL stints will be few and far between and the guys in orange and blue have what it takes to shock the world. The rotation of Santana (when ready), Dickey, Pelf, Niese and Gee.. it COULD happen!
I brought down hundreds of t-shirts and calendars so if you are in town come by the Holiday Inn next Wed. night 3/7 from 5-9pm. I rented out their meeting room and you're all invited to swing by. I'll have shirts for sale and everyone who shows up will get a free calendar. Oh yea, and they'll be FREE BEER and FOOD! Read more about that
HERE.
So lastly.. I am really excited to be here and am looking forward to hitting the ball park tomorrow to watch practice and soak in some rays. This Irish boy gotta work on his sunburn!
And with that KEEP CALM AND CHEER ON! LGM 2012!
