Scott's View - Orlando, Florida
Think about Orlando, and what comes immediately to mind? Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the Disney gang, of course! And today, the Orlando Rays do indeed play their home games at the "Wide World of Sports" within the gigantic Walt Disney World complex.
Back in '97, though, the Rays called Tinker Field home, a tiny dump of a ballpark that literally sits in the shadow of the Florida Citrus Bowl football stadium. And that was fine with Ron and me. I love vacationing at Disney World with Deb (in fact, we honeymooned there!), but in the middle of a Baseball Trip, well, Goofy, Donald, and thousands of shiny happy families just don't quite fit.
Circa 1923, Tinker Field looked every bit its age. But, the weather was beautiful, and the cold beer made the hard wooden benches a bit easier to tolerate. Plus, the huge facade of the Citrus Bowl hanging over the right field fence was a constant source of amusement, as we kept hoping a long home run would bounce off, or even into, the football stadium. Didn't happen that night, but I'm sure it has at some point.
Anyway, the Rays won, which was apparently a rather uncommon event. Of course, they were the A-level franchise of a first-year expansion team, so I guess we didn't expect too much. We always root for the home team, and as the underdogs, it was even more fun to watch them emerge victorious.
Now it was time to check out Orlando's night life. My first thought was to head over to Church Street Station, a collection of bars and nightclubs located in the heart of downtown. My wife's cousin Steely, who lives an hour away in Daytona Beach, had told me this was the place to go. Of course, Steely's 10 years younger than I am, so I guess that's where the mid-20's crowd did indeed go, but it didn't quite float my boat, or Ron's. As Doug Stone sang in Jukebox With a Country Song: "Some clown was playin' records; too fast, too loud, and too long." *sigh*! Yeah, I admit it. I'm getting old.
No matter. Just a few blocks down the street, we stumbled into One-Eyed Jack's, a regular hole-in-the-wall tavern with a live band who played our request for The Band's The Weight. (For some reason, it has become a quest of ours to hear The Weight played live at some point during every Baseball Trip.) And, who could forget One-Eyed Jack's Motto, immortalized on the plaque above the bar? Well, I could. It was something really cool, though, and I wish I could remember it. I think maybe it had something to do with fish.
Oh well, like I said -- I'm getting old.
Think about Orlando, and what comes immediately to mind? Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the Disney gang, of course! And today, the Orlando Rays do indeed play their home games at the "Wide World of Sports" within the gigantic Walt Disney World complex.
Back in '97, though, the Rays called Tinker Field home, a tiny dump of a ballpark that literally sits in the shadow of the Florida Citrus Bowl football stadium. And that was fine with Ron and me. I love vacationing at Disney World with Deb (in fact, we honeymooned there!), but in the middle of a Baseball Trip, well, Goofy, Donald, and thousands of shiny happy families just don't quite fit.
Circa 1923, Tinker Field looked every bit its age. But, the weather was beautiful, and the cold beer made the hard wooden benches a bit easier to tolerate. Plus, the huge facade of the Citrus Bowl hanging over the right field fence was a constant source of amusement, as we kept hoping a long home run would bounce off, or even into, the football stadium. Didn't happen that night, but I'm sure it has at some point.
Anyway, the Rays won, which was apparently a rather uncommon event. Of course, they were the A-level franchise of a first-year expansion team, so I guess we didn't expect too much. We always root for the home team, and as the underdogs, it was even more fun to watch them emerge victorious.
Now it was time to check out Orlando's night life. My first thought was to head over to Church Street Station, a collection of bars and nightclubs located in the heart of downtown. My wife's cousin Steely, who lives an hour away in Daytona Beach, had told me this was the place to go. Of course, Steely's 10 years younger than I am, so I guess that's where the mid-20's crowd did indeed go, but it didn't quite float my boat, or Ron's. As Doug Stone sang in Jukebox With a Country Song: "Some clown was playin' records; too fast, too loud, and too long." *sigh*! Yeah, I admit it. I'm getting old.
No matter. Just a few blocks down the street, we stumbled into One-Eyed Jack's, a regular hole-in-the-wall tavern with a live band who played our request for The Band's The Weight. (For some reason, it has become a quest of ours to hear The Weight played live at some point during every Baseball Trip.) And, who could forget One-Eyed Jack's Motto, immortalized on the plaque above the bar? Well, I could. It was something really cool, though, and I wish I could remember it. I think maybe it had something to do with fish.
Oh well, like I said -- I'm getting old.
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