So many things to see...

**Top 13 of 2013**

First was the Top 11 of 2011, then came the top 12 of 2012.  So, it only makes sense to have the Top 13 of 2013, right???  Oh boy, what the heck am I going to do when it gets to a year like 2025?  I guess it means I just have to keep doing more and more events each year so that I have a bigger pool of events to choose from.  Yeah, that's it!

For some reason, this year's list was a little harder for me to compile.  I had a lot of great moments but nothing that was as truly special as my number one of 2012 - my heart to heart conversation with Brian on my birthday.  It wasn't the fact that I didn't do anything this year, it was more that I did a lot and a lot of great moments happened.

I know that many of these moments don't have their own blog post yet and I apologize in advance for that.  I have been traveling a lot this year, I went from having a part-time job to a full-time career (my first ever might I add), and my husband and I bought our first home.  Needless to say, there have been so many good things that have happened to me this year.  But, as most of you know, this is a Backstreet (with some other boys bands thrown in occasionally)/University of Kentucky blog so that is where I will focus my attention.

13. Bringing in the New Year with BSB - Okay so this event was sort of on my list for 2012, as well.  However, is there a better way to start a year than spending it with BSB???  I think not!  I was there in the audience with my best friends when the clock struck midnight and the streamers and balloons fell down upon us.  At that moment I knew it was going to just be a good year.

12.  Afterparty with Aaron anyone? - Sometimes an event can be more memorable because of bad things that happen rather than good things.  Seeing Aaron Carter during his After Party Tour might be one of those cases.  Now, don't get me wrong, the show itself was excellent!  However, standing in the cold to get into the venue and then standing for almost four hours through five opening acts can take its toll on you.  Meeting Aaron afterwards made up for it though.

11.  Fun in the Sun (blog coming soon!) - So what does a normal person do after a cruise?  Simple, a person normally returns home to the daily grind of his or her life.  Now, what does a person do after a Backstreet Boys Cruise?  If that person is smart, she takes a vacation!  It only took us three years of cruising with BSB to discover that taking a vacation after a Backstreet Cruise is probably one of the best things a group of girls can do.  Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale after this year's cruise allowed us to rest our sore achy feet, helped us avoid getting on airplanes with compromised immune systems due to a complete lack of sleep, and gave us time to talk about the cruise with one another in person as we laid around the pool or went around in the lazy river over and over again,  rather than sending a million e-mails with one another.  I also found that this trip helped tremendously with the Backstreet withdrawals once I got home.

10.  Big Blue Weekend - For me, the next best thing to a weekend attending a Backstreet Boys event, is a weekend attending University of Kentucky athletics' events.  After years of trying, I was finally able to make it to a UK Baseball series in Lexington.  To make matters even better, the Spring Football Game happened to be the same weekend.  I got to meet all of the baseball team during their post game autograph session; got to see former Bat Cat, Michael Williams, whom I had traveled to New York to see the previous year; and got another photo with my favorite Bat Cat, Corey Littrell.  It was a great weekend filled with a lot of Wildcat love!

9.  You gotta live it Big Time  - Yes, there is a new boy band in my life.  Sure, they are no Backstreet Boys, but Big Time Rush is still pretty awesome.  Because I had no one in my area to attend a show with, I decided that it would be perfect to travel to see a show with the people that got me started on them (of course, we blame Ash).  The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut was the lucky establishment that we would grace with our attendance.  I got to meet the group during VIP and it was at this show that my inner conflict on my favorite Big Time Rush member was resolved.  Congratulations Carlos for beating out Logan for that one.  As always, this trip was just as much about getting to see all of the people that I don't get to see often as it was about going to the concert.

8.  "It's Christmas Time Again" (coming soon!) - After BSB Cruise 2013, I thought it was going to be months before I got to see BSB again.  They had announced some holiday shows but I couldn't really swing going to any of them....until they announced that they would be coming to Chicago!  Yippee!!!!  I couldn't pass up the price of the VIP, which may not have included a soundcheck but it did include a solo photo with the group.  I got a lot of extra love from Kevin on this day between my extra long hug with the words a fan girl always wants to hear from her favorites, "it's nice to see you again," his acknowledgement of my UK gear while standing in line for the photo, and his compliment of my UK hat during the concert.  Plus one can not beat the fact that I got the rare hug from all five guys during the photo session and was the center of a "Kentucky Cousin Sandwich" for my photo.

7.  Beating Cancer "Step by Step" (coming soon!) - Okay so this event isn't particularly related to attending a boy band concert or a UK athletic event...but it was still extremely important to me and is somewhat related to boy bands.  After some disappointment in only walking 20 of the 60 miles of the 2012 Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day, I decided I had to try again in 2013 as the team captain of Team Betty, named so for it's involvement with Remember Betty (the organization founded by New Kid's member, Danny Wood).  After focusing more on my training, I am proud to say that I walked every single mile of that 60 mile walk this year!  It was painful and I wanted to give up so much on that third day.  But, I kept going.  The fact that I completed such an accomplishment after some failure the year before is why this is put so high on this year's list.

6.  What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (coming soon!) - Okay, maybe there really are no secrets when it comes to sharing the details of my Backstreet trips.  In 2012, my birthday was spent talking about life with Brian Littrell.  I'm not sure anything can really beat that birthday.  This year's birthday was special in a different way because all of my girls and I hopped on some planes and met in Vegas for some Backstreet fun!  The soundcheck was probably one of the best I have been to because we got a nice surprise visit from Kathy Griffin.  I was able to make my VIP photo a memorable one for many birthday's to come.  And the show itself....well, when you are right up against the stage there are so many memorable moments to be had (especially since it was the only full show I saw for this particular tour - more on that later).  Finally, being sung "Happy Birthday" by my best friends that I only get to see a few times a year pretty much gets the icing on the cake...or in our case, the icing on the cupcakes.

5.  'Cause a Backstreet party don't stop (coming soon!)   - Before spending my birthday in Vegas, a few of us decided to head to California for more Backstreet fun.  Arriving with the intention of buying VIPs at the show can always be a gamble.  Luckily, Justin took care of us (he got rewarded with some cupcakes in Vegas for that...which I found out during the Holiday Show, he had forgotten on the table and never ate).  It was SO HOT as we were waiting for soundcheck.  However, Justin chose me to ask a question during soundcheck (my first ever) and Kevin once again acknowledged my UK gear.  We had the fan pit for the show, which was being recorded for the documentary (crosses fingers we make it into that), so being that close is always an amazing experience...even if you get their backs (okay their backs also mean their rear ends) in your face.  However, the most memorable moment of this trip was the after party!  We left the show a song early (now my second time of not seeing the full show...the first comes later) to get a good spot for the after party....we got front row, which also means being VERY close to Nick, Howie, and Kev.  The bruises on my legs from being pushed into the stage the whole night were totally worth it after being pulled up on stage by Kev and having all of Nick Carter dancing right in front of your face.  I still blush sometimes thinking about this event and how a friend and I were caught by Nick taking some interesting photos.

4.  Cruisin' with BSB (coming soon!) - Like many of you, I really thought BSB Cruise 2013 was going to be higher than this on my list because, well, it was freaking AMAZING!  I mean we had BSB in Captain's uniforms (more than once), Brian and I had a small photo shoot on the first day, I was in the Wylee fashion show, I got a photo with Howie on the beach,  we had some very personal moments with Kev in the atrium during his solo event, Brian looked way hot in his way tight pants for his cop costume on Halloween night, and some of the Boys were just out of control on Bachelorette night.  Now, just reading what I wrote makes me wonder if this should, in fact, be higher on my list...

3.  My Boyband Bonanza Weekend  - This event is exactly what it sounds like...a weekend of boy bands!  Really I think that posting this video I made right afterwards explains this weekend well...

2.  The Windy City Blows It (coming soon!) - I'm not going to lie, I'm giggling at what I think was a very clever title to this event.  Just nod your head and smile, I easily amuse myself.  As seen in my number three event of the year, my Boyband Bonanza weekend started with a BSB concert in Chicago.  This is a day that I will always remember, for the good and the bad.  It started off with a morning standing in the pouring rain to see the guys perform at a free event for the local television station, where I actually made it on TV with AJ and got some acknowledgement from Brian and Kevin.  Then, I got some more Brian love during soundcheck with an acknowledgement of my UK shirt (have you noticed a trend yet of my concert going attire?).  During the show, I missed Baylee perform while I went to go check in for the after party.  I had stayed away from spoilers from the show and I was glad I did because the show was amazing...until the city of Chicago shut it down with five songs still left to go due to a noise ordinance. The Boys and the fans were not very happy.  Brian and I mouthed a little conversation with one another about what bullshit (his words, not mine) it was.  It was nice to get more interaction with him even though I was all the way back in the fourth row.  Then, I had a very nice UK football conversation with Kev at the after party before getting my photo with him.  So, even though the concert ended on a bad note, it was a day full of Backstreet (6am to about 2am the next morning) with many interactions.  I think this is why it ranks so high on this list.  Oh, and I got interviewed by the newspaper the next day about the early shut down.

1.  My other favorite Littrell - Okay, you may all want to sit down with what I am about to announce.....my number one event of 2013 is not a BSB event.  WHAT?!?!?!?!  I'm sure that is what you are all thinking right now.  Yep, my top event of 2013 is what I like to term my 2013 Baseball Bonanza.  I went to six minor league baseball games in six days, where I saw four former Kentucky Wildcats (Brian Adams, Trevor Gott, Corey Littrell, and Tim Peterson) at four different ball parks (South Bend, Troy, Brooklyn, Ft. Wayne) in two different states (Indiana, New York and also drove through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey).  I travelled a total of 1,800 miles for this trip and was on the road for a total of 30 hours.  Most importantly, and the reason I believe this made number one on my list, was the fact that I got to see my favorite Bat Cat, Corey Littrell, make his pro pitching debut.  He will only have one debut like this in his entire career and I was able to be there to witness it. It was a pretty successful debut, too.  What might have made it even better was the fact that I was able to share the experience with his family, friends, and fellow fans through my photos and videos of this very memorable moment for him.  The whole weekend, I felt as if all of the guys were showing me how truly thankful they were for my dedication as a fan.  From the tickets that were left for me by the players, to the time they spent talking with me after the games, I truly felt their love for their fans.  I don't think there is much else a fan needs than to just feel appreciated.

So there it is!  I have to smile knowing that I took a few other trips this year that didn't quite make the list (Wisconsin and Ohio with my husband for some racing, Lexington for a UK football game, and nine different trips to South Bend to see former Wildcats play in the minor leagues) because I realize just how lucky I was this year.  I told you when I started that I knew it was going to be a good year because I brought it in with the Backstreet Boys!

If i were to post my year with celebrities as photo collage, here is what it would look like:

My approximate mileage travelled in 2013 was 15, 229 miles to 16 cities in 10 states (CA, NV, IL, IN, MI, KY, NY, CT, NJ, FL) and two countries (U.S. and The Bahamas)!  Of course, this doesn't include those miles on the cruise from Miami to Half Moon Cay.

**Title Credit - "Feels Like Home" - Backstreet Boys - In A World Like This

But I still need you in my life this time...

*BSB Cruise 2013 Updates**

So the BSB Cruise 2013 is just a little over a month away and I realize I haven't really mentioned anything about it other than the fact that I am going.  My travels have been crazy this year and I have so much catching up to do!  But, I guess a few words about the cruise is needed first.

First, I do not like the fact that I feel totally in the dark about this cruise compared to the first two.  It wasn't until recently that the themes were announced and there is still no word on a pre-cruise event.  Furthermore, we have no idea about any of the activities that might be happening this year, other than the Q&A that was announced.  Lastly, all we really know is that we are going to the Bahamas but it has never been displayed as to where we will be docking in the Bahamas.  I'm guessing that since it says a "private island beach party," we will be docking in Half Moon Cay since this island is owned by Carnival.  This is also where we were originally supposed to dock last cruise until it was changed to Nassau so that Kevin could join in the fun.  Still, this has not been announced.

I guess I should talk about what we do know.  First, the themes.  I know that some people voted on the themes based on the guys and what activities they could do and what they would be wearing.  I was not one of those people.  I voted based on what I wanted to wear.  I know I am going to be happy just being there with the guys, despite what they are doing or wearing.  Plus,  I HATE dressing up.  Give me t-shirts and jeans any day of the week.  Second, I wanted themes that would be easy for me to find outfits and accessories for because I may be in the process of moving between now and then (my husband and I have just put in an offer on a house that has been accepted and are now just waiting on the inspection and appraisal).  I knew for a fact that I wanted the Glow Night because this seemed like it would be the easiest theme with which to work.  None of the other themes really stuck out at me as a second choice.  If we were going to have a formal night I tended to see the Platinum theme as an option.  The more specific, the better for me.  At least the Platinum theme narrowed down which colors  for which I had to look.  So I voted for that one a couple of times.  I also voted for Drowning a couple of times because one of my friends seemed to really like that one.  I didn't see how it was going to be much different from the Beach Party and didn't want to have to be stuck in beach wear for longer than necessary.  As far as the Halloween theme that they announced when we were doing our voting, I could take or leave that one.  Halloween has always been my least favorite holiday because I don't really do costumes.

What were my initial thoughts on the announced themes?

Glow Night - I was extremely happy about this one since it was my first choice.  I've already done my accessory shopping and my group is working on a little something as far as the clothes.  It is going to be simple and I am going to be comfortable.

Halloween Night - The last two cruises, I have been able to incorporate the University of Kentucky into one of the themes (2010 - Black and Blue Night, 2011 - Pajama Night) so I am taking the opportunity to do the same on this cruise.  I ordered my costume last night and it came very close to $100.  This is one of the reasons I hate Halloween...you spend money on something you will only, more than likely, wear once.  Could I have gone a different route and done something much cheaper?  Yes, but when this idea came into my head, I knew I wanted to do it.  Plus, I can wear it for an actual Halloween costume, as well.  I like my idea because I incorporate something else I love and I won't be wearing next to nothing like I think many others will - yet, another reason I dislike Halloween.  I do need to work on losing a few pounds though with this costume I think though.

Bachelorette Party - I have only ever been to one Bachelorette Party in my life and that was my own (and it was absolutely awesome I must say).  I was NOT happy at all about this theme, especially when they specifically mention to think about club attire.  I hate even dressing in business casual wear for work...what makes you think I will want to wear club attire?  This is especially true since I have gained some weight since the last cruise and am right at the point that I just don't feel comfortable in everything (trust me, I'm trying to work on it).  My friends and I have decided to go another route with the attire we will be wearing so I feel a little more comfortable with it now.  I am interested to see what types of activities they will be doing for this deck party though.

I am extremely happy that they are bringing back the Q&A this year, as that was one of my favorite events on the first cruise.  I love the fact that they are also doing it like on the first cruise, where you submit your question beforehand so that they can be reviewed.  I think this prevents some of the not so great questions that you get during sound checks from happening.  However, I do not like the fact that you can only submit one question.

I hope the fact that they haven't asked for Karaoke submissions means that they will not be having Karaoke on this cruise.  I really enjoyed it the first cruise but not so much on the second.

My guess is that the onboard concert will be a recreation of the In A World Like This show, rather than the fan voted songs of the 2011 cruise since they didn't have a tour that they had done that year (at least not one that they had done on their own since they toured with NKOTBSB).  I'm okay with this because it is such an awesome show!

I like the fact that they have said the beach party will be a private beach party.  We had to deal with non-BSB people during 2011 because it was at a resort in Nassau but I also think those people did a pretty good job of staying out of our way.  I do not like the fact that some of those people got to play volleyball with Brian, Howie, and Kev though.  Seriously, my ultimate goal for one of these cruises is to get on one of those volleyball teams.  I'm not too bad of a player...just sayin'.

The fact that they have not announced a pre-cruise event scares me because I really want there to be something.  I would prefer a concert like the acoustic show from the 2010 cruise over the pre-cruise party at the dance club from 2011.  Seeing them sing is much more enjoyable than just watching them stand there, DJ, and dance with other fans.  That is just my opinion.

A few members of our group are actually going down two days early this year so that we have some time to explore Miami, which we haven't really gotten to do the last two trips because of the pre-cruise events.  Our hotel is booked (Holiday Inn Port of Miami) and it is where we have stayed the last two cruises.  We've been pleased with it so we figured we'd stick with it, although we debated on staying at the recommended hotel.

We also decided to extend our trip this year.  Let's face it, the Backstreet Boys Cruise is far from a relaxing vacation.  The amount of standing, dancing, screaming, and just pure lack of sleep put you in a pure state of exhaustion by the time you debark.  We figured we would take some time to recuperate for a few days after the cruise in Ft. Lauderdale, staying at the Pelican Grand.  I'm not sure how many activities we will be doing, as I think most of us really just plan on laying out by the pool/on the beach and catching up on some needed rest.  We figured if we were going to rest, why not do it in the Florida sunshine?

I am very eager to see Kevin and how he handles this cruise.  He got a small taste of the cruise life on the last one.  From the way he has handled the after parties this year after the concerts, I think he will be able to do just fine.  It will be interesting to see for sure.

It's amazing to think about how this will be BSB's third cruise and each of them will be different in so many ways.  The first was just a half charter and four days long, while the second was a full charter and only three days long.  Unlike the second cruise, this will be a sold-out full charter, at a different time of the year, with all five guys present the whole time.  So once again, no one knows what to expect on this one as it will compare to the last two.  There is one thing that I do know though...not to go in with any expectations.  By doing so, you are setting yourself up with disappointment if it does not live up to those expectations.  Yes, I look forward to this cruise because it is the Backstreet Boys.  However, one of the other things I look forward to is just to be there to have a good time with my friends.  If I do that and just get to see the Boys, I am a happy girl!


**Title Credit - "I Need You Tonight" - Millennium - Backstreet Boys**

You're going the distance...

** 2013 Baseball Bonanza **

July 3, 2013 - July 8, 2013

South Bend, IN - Troy, NY - Brooklyn, NY - Ft. Wayne, IN

6 days - 6 MiLB baseball games - 4 former Wildcats playing in the minor leagues - 4 ballparks - 2 states - 1800 total miles travelled - 30 hours of travel time.....That is the gist of this year's 2013 Baseball Bonanza.

Michigan City, IN -> South Bend, IN -> Troy, NY -> Woodbridge, NJ ->
Brooklyn, NY -> Ft. Wayne, IN -> Michigan City, IN

2012 New York Baseball Bonanza - Michael Williams,
Tim Peterson, Luke Maile

After last year's 2012 New York Baseball Bonanza (Troy, NY to see Michael Williams and Luke Maile and Brooklyn, NY to see Tim Peterson), I knew that going to New York once a year to see a former University of Kentucky Wildcat play was going to be a very strong possibility (note - I live in Northwest Indiana) with a friend working for the Tri-City ValleyCats in the New York-Penn League.  I'd have a free place to stay and access to the ballpark all day since she had to be there.  All I had to do was wait patiently to hear news of a UK Baseball player getting drafted and assigned to a team in the New York-Penn League.  Last year that had been four out of the nine players drafted that played in this same league.  Surely, someone would be in the same boat this year.  

After a disappointing end to what had been suspected to be a very promising season for the Kentucky Wildcats, only four Wildcats were drafted (compared to the nine of 2012).  Three were juniors that could potentially return to Kentucky if they so wished, one was a senior who had not signed when drafted the year before.  Research was started right away to see which minor league teams were affiliated with the teams in which these Bat Cats had been drafted and I liked what I saw.  Two of the four could potentially end up in the NYP league as their first assignment.  The even better news to me was that my favorite player of the four, Corey Littrell, was one of these two.  

I'm not going to lie, in 2011 when Corey was just a freshman at UK, it was the last name that caught my eye first.  Why wouldn't it?  It was the same last name as my all time favorite singer, Brian Litrell (for those of you who may be reading this article because its a post regarding UK Baseball need to know that I might be a tad bit fanatic about Brian and the Backstreet Boys).  Then I found out Corey was also from Kentucky (Louisville whereas Brian is from Lexington) and my intrigue began to grow.  As the season continued, I saw the talent that Corey displayed and suspected that it would only progress throughout his college career.  The thing about being a fan of college athletics is that as the players graduate or leave for the pros, a new favorite player is usually chosen.  Corey quickly became my favorite Bat Cat.  It wasn't until I became active on Twitter that I really began to discover who all of the Wildcats really were.  By following them, you get a glimpse into who they all are off the field and I liked what I saw.  Every single one of the baseball players that I followed seemed like genuinely good guys and it made me love the team even more.  I was proud to support a team that had it together both on and off the field.

Usually, I tend to move away from pitchers as my favorite players because they don't play every game like those who play in other positions.  I knew that if I were to try to go see Corey's team, there was going to be a chance that he might not pitch any of the games that I would attend.  However, I was going to look at the schedule anyway because I love watching baseball period.  If he didn't pitch, I would still get to see a game played that I love to watch.  When I saw that Corey's team, the Lowell Spinners would be playing the Tri-City ValleyCats (located in Troy, NY) during the Fourth of July holiday, I could not have been much happier.  It meant I would only have to take one day off of work (Friday the 5th) since I would already be off for the holiday.

Last year when I went to Troy for my baseball games, I took a Greyhound so that I could use that time to study for my GREs.  This year I was not going to have that commitment and all public transportation options were more expensive than driving due to the holiday.  It looked like I was going to be taking a road trip!

After writing about my 2012 New York Baseball Bonanza, I had received a great thank you message from Tim Peterson and his family.  As a fan, it made me feel good to know that my dedication was appreciated by the players and their families.  It is something like that that keeps someone a fan for a long time.  As much as I would love to travel the United States to see every single player that has ever put on that University of Kentucky baseball uniform, time and money prevent that from happening.  So, when I received the message from Tim, I knew that if time and money did allow it, I was going to like to see him play again this year - I say that in the loosest sense since even though I went to one of his games last year, he did not happen to pitch that game.

At the beginning of the regular MiLB season in April, Tim had been moved from the Brooklyn Cyclones to the Savannah Sand Gnats.  Savannah, GA was going to be a long way for me to travel without having the same connections like I do in New York.  When I saw that Savannah played against the Lexington Legends, I knew that was going to be my way of seeing Tim and his team play....that was until he started to get moved around.  One day he was on the roster, the next day he was moved back to Brooklyn (even though the short season had yet to start), then he was back with Savannah, and so on and so forth.  I know I was frustrated not knowing if I would be making the trip down to Lexington or not so I can imagine that Tim was even more frustrated since he was the one who wouldn't know if he was on the roster from one day to the next.  Needless to say, the Lexington trip I had been looking so forward to (since Lexington is only my favorite city ever), never happened and I was going to have to find another way to go watch Tim.  My original plan was to go to New York in September when the Cyclones played against the ValleyCats but that trip would have happened right before a trip I will be taking to Vegas for a Backstreet Boys concert - to the point that I would have had to fly directly from New York straight to Vegas.  I was willing to do it, but it was just going to make things more difficult.  Note - all of this planning had happened before the 2013 draft and the placement of Corey into the same league.

After deciding that I would go see Corey in Troy from July 4th - 6th, I saw that the Cyclones were home on Sunday, July 7th.  Brooklyn was just a short 3 hours from Troy and, by going, it would eliminate the trip in September I had been contemplating.  The idea became an even better one when I realized who Brooklyn would be playing - the Spinners.  I would be seeing former Wildcat versus former Wildcat, as Corey and Tim would be playing one another.  It did mean taking an additional day off on Monday for travel purposes....but it's easy to do that when you only work part time and can make up that missed time on another day of the week.  My trip was now planned and finalized...or so I thought.

Brian Adams (Fort Wayne Tin Caps), a former Wildcat drafted to the Padres in 2012 was going to be playing in South Bend (just 45 minutes away) the days before I was scheduled to leave for New York.  My original plan was to attend the Tuesday, July 2nd game and then head out to New York the next day right after I got off of work at 6pm.  On Monday, I decided that I had way too much to get done before I left for New York and made the decision that I would attend the South Bend game on Wednesday after work and then leave from there to go to New York.  It would still give me plenty of time for the 12+ hour drive and some time to sleep on the way before I had to be there for the first game.  What made me even more excited about going to this South Bend game was the fact that Trevor Gott, one of the four 2013 draftees, had just been moved up from the Eugene Emeralds (located in Oregon) to the Fort Wayne Tin Caps the previous week.  Brian and Trevor would be playing together once again and I was going to get to see another former Bat Cat in the MiLB that I had not originally thought I was going to get to see.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013 - Fort Wayne TinCaps at South Bend Silverhawks - South Bend, IN
After what seemed like the longest day of work ever, I was able to leave to begin my 2013 Baseball Bonanza!  I had packed my car up during my lunch hour so that I could go straight to South Bend after work to see Brian and Trevor play.  I had not gotten tickets yet and I somewhat regretted that decision when I saw just how busy the park was that day.  Only general admission seats were remaining and I did not like the idea of not being able to sit right along the field like I am so used to doing.  Luckily for me, there were some seats empty thanks to season ticket holders that chose not to use their tickets for that evening.  I made my way to a seat and sat back to enjoy the game.  I wasn't sure if I would get the chance to see Trevor pitch or not, but I was still look forward to meeting him after the game for the first time.

Brian had an 0-4 night but did get on base with an uncaught third strike.  Then with a throwing error, Brian found himself on second base.  Sometimes I forget just how fast Brian is!  Then I remember that he was a dual athlete at Kentucky that was also a wide receiver on the football team.  So, of course he is fast!  He eventually made it to third when a teammate ground out, but was left in scoring position.  The last time I had been to South Bend to watch Brian, he had played centerfield, this time he was playing right field.  Two batters flew out to Brian and one singled to him.

I was very excited when I saw Trevor Gott start to warm up in the bullpen because I had not been sure if I was going to get to see him pitch or not.  Trevor came in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth, just after the Silverhawks scored two runs, with two outs, and an inherited runner at second.  Trevor then did what Trevor does best....take care of business on the mound.  The TinCaps got out of the inning after a ground out.  Trevor then came out in the seventh to strike out two and throw a batter out at first.

The outlook for this game looked promising when the TinCaps tied the game at 2 in the fourth and then scored a go ahead run in the fifth.  Two runs in the sixth by the Silverhawks that went unanswered the rest of the game, led to a 3-4 loss by the TinCaps.  It was the first loss I would experience in my six day trip.

I had, however, received some awesome news through a text from a fellow Corey Littrell fan that Corey would actually be making his debut on Sunday in Brooklyn.  Man, was I happy I had decided to add the trip to Brooklyn after all!

Trevor Gott - UK v. Kent State - Gary
Regional - June 1, 2012

I made my way out to the bus while most fans stayed to watch the fireworks.  It was dark thanks to the lights being off for the fireworks and I was going to have to do my best to find Trevor when he came out.  Just like most other ball players, trying to recognize them out of uniform is difficult.  It actually didn't take long for him to come out and I actually was able to recognize him out of uniform, although I was hesitant at first.  Like any other Wildcat I have met, he was more than willing to give me a hug and thanked me for coming.  He was more than happy to sign a photo I had taken of him during the 21 inning regional game and agreed to take a photo with both him and Brian once they both got out there, as he was headed back to the locker room.

Left: Brian Adams - Fort Wayne TinCaps - April 17, 2013
Right - Brian Adams - UK v. Kent State - Gary Regional -
June 1, 2012

Brian came out but had a few other people he was talking to first.  The last time I had gone to see him, his agent had been there.  I honestly couldn't remember if this is who he had been talking to or not.  I waited patiently for Brian to finish...even though I really had to get on the road.  I really was not in any hurry and interrupting conversations with other people is just rude.  He eventually made his way over and expressed how nice it was to see me again.  The last time I had been to South Bend to see him, I had not had time to print out a photo of him playing at UK to sign, like I do all the former Wildcats I see in the minors.  This time, I was prepared as his photo was also from the 21 inning regional game.  I also came prepared with the photo we had taken together at the last game and he made a comment about just how different the weather was (it was cold and rainy last time).  It wasn't until the next day when I really looked at the two photos that I realized what he had written in addition to his name and number...the name and number of a bible verse.  On the photo us together it was Romans 12:2, and on his UK photo is was John 3:16.  Like Michael Williams, who I had travelled to New York to see the year before, this was another Kentucky ball player who's faith was strong and that I could be inspired by in my own journey to grow as a new Christian.

I will have to say that Brian is extremely good at paying attention to details that show he truly is interested and thankful for his fans, as he asked about my upcoming trip.  I explained that I was actually leaving as soon as I was done talking to them to head to New York that evening to see Corey and Tim.  I got my photo with the two of them and then with just Trevor since I already had a photo with Brian from earlier in the season.

With Trevor Gott (RHP) and Brian Adams (Outfield) -
Fort Wayne TinCaps - July 3, 2013

With Trevor Gott (RHP) - Fort Wayne TinCaps - July 3, 2013

At just after 11pm on Wednesday night, it was finally time for me to start my journey to New York.  I hopped on the toll road and headed east.  The GPS said I would be reaching my target at 11am the next morning...but I knew it would be later than that with a stop to sleep.  My goal was to get through Indiana and Ohio, leaving just a very small portion of Pennsylvania and New York for the morning.  If I could get at least half way that evening I would be happy....but that would still put me at taking a break at about 4am to sleep.  I have done plenty of road trip where I have been driving that late so I knew it would not be an issue.  The key to late night road tripping is to take frequent breaks (I drink a lot of water to always ensure this).

After two hours on the road, I made my first stop.  Because I have no access to data or internet on my phone, I always try to stop where I will have WiFi available to update all of my Facebook and Twitter followers about my progress.  When I checked my iPod, I noticed a Twitter notification right away and what I saw put the biggest smile on my face...

As I had left the ball park, Brian had thanked me again for coming and wished me safe travels.  That would have been sufficient for me.  Yet, here he was again publicly thanking me for my support and telling me to drive safe.  Why did it make me so happy?  I was being appreciated and who doesn't want to feel that?  When I go to these games and follow these players, all I ever want is to see some good ball being played and to be appreciated.  That is exactly what this tweet did for me on that evening.  I will tell you that as long as he continues to show this appreciation to his fans, Brian will never lack a fan base.

I always get mixed reactions when I take these long trip by myself.  Some people are amazed that I'm willing to drive 12+ hours to go somewhere by myself.  Others think I'm just flat out crazy.  Some wonder why my husband doesn't ever go with me (he doesn't care for traveling or baseball).  Most ask me what my husband thinks of me taking trips like this.  Few truly understand why I do it.  However, those few know that the experiences I am able to come away with are why I will travel by myself for hours.  I'm in a car and it is just me and my mind.  There is no one or nothing that serves as a distraction.  There are no bosses to answer to, no family to please, no friends to assist, and no strangers to drive you crazy for various reasons.  I get to just think about life....where I've come from, what I've done, what I'm doing, and where I'm going.  I get to think about how life might be different if I had made some different decisions and how I'm glad I do have the life that I do because of the decisions I have made.  Sometimes my mind goes to the most mundane thoughts, such as how happy I was that I got that EZ Pass for the toll roads or that I can't believe I had more than sixteen hours worth of Backstreet Boys music to listen to.  Other times, I don't think at all as I just have my own singing and dancing party to the music playing in the car.  These trips are my "me" time - a way for me to get rid of stress and manage my anxiety.  As I drive, I know that I will have some great experiences coming my way - I will meet new people and make new friends, see new places, catch up with old friends,  and have story upon story to tell those that are willing to listen.  While I don't necessarily love the area in which I live, I DO NOT take these trips to try to get away from my husband.  Many times, I wish he were there in the seat next to me.  However, he has his special interests and I have mine.  While a married couple is a team, it is still so important to maintain that individuality that made each person fall in love with the other in the first place.  Forcing a significant other to do something they do not want to do is not the way to maintain a healthy relationship.  At the same time, trusting and allowing a significant other to maintain that individual freedom is important.  In the end, if the right balance is attained, the relationship will grow and prosper.  I'm not saying that my husband doesn't get frustrated at times because I know I do go on a lot of trips, but we're still going strong after six years so we must be doing something right!

The drive to New York was pretty uneventful.  One of the things that I love about traveling at night is the fact that I just don't have much traffic with which to deal.  I was making great time and after about six hours of driving, at 4:30am, I decided that I was good to go for at least a few more hours.  I had made it about half way, which had been my goal.  Just to be safe, I was going to use one of my five hour energy shots but did not want to take it on an empty stomach.  All I needed to do was find a McDonald's with a 24 hour drive-thru.  You wouldn't believe how difficult it actually was.  I finally found a truck stop with a 24 hour Subway.  Yeah, who knew I could eat Subway at 4:30am but not find a McDonald's???

Thursday, July 4, 2013 - Lowell Spinners at Tri-City ValleyCats - Troy, NY
As the day began to dawn, I took in the gorgeous scenery around me in the state of New York.  The fog covered the surrounding hills and if I wouldn't have been driving I would have been more than happy to snap some photos.  At noon, I pulled into the parking lot of Joseph Bruno Stadium, home of the Tri-City ValleyCats.  No, I didn't forget to write the part about me stopping to sleep because I didn't.  Thirteen hours after talking with Brian Adams and Trevor Gott in South Bend, Indiana, I had arrived in Troy, New York.  That is thirteen hours of straight through the night travel.  My friend gladly offered to give me her apartment key so that I could go take a nap before the game that evening.  I knew that if I slept, I was not going to wake up easily to get back to the ballpark.  I freshened up at the park but I really needed to find something to eat and some place with WiFi to update everyone that I had made it!  I knew Corey Littrell wasn't going to be playing any of the three nights I was there but I was still looking forward to seeing the games and talking with him afterwards.

I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to wait until Lowell got to the park, but when I returned I found the place under the picnic pavilion at the park that I had spent so many hours studying last year and began to read one of the books I had brought to pass the time.  When I had made the trip last year, I had been studying for my GREs to get into grad school. This year, I was going to have to keep myself occupied with other things since I did not have this same commitment to make.  Luckily, I'm not a stranger to starting and finishing a book in one day because I absolutely love to read so I was content sitting under that pavilion that overlooked the ball field.  To tell you the truth, I could spend all day out at a ball park with nothing to watch.  I just find it incredibly peaceful.

By having a friend that worked at the ball park, I consider myself very lucky to be able to spend the entire day in the park because I get to see things that most people do not, such as warm-ups, workouts, batting practice, fielding practice, bullpen warm up, and so much more.  Sure, when you call out to your favorite player as he walks by, he gives you the strangest look like "what is that crazy girl doing in here already?"  It is just a small price to pay for being able to witness the behind the scenes of game day at the ball park.

Corey Littrell - Lowell Spinners - Pre-games - July 4-6, 2013

All week, I had been watching what the weather was going to be like during my trip.  While it had been calling for a 30% of scattered or isolated thunderstorms all week, the sun stayed out and the rain stayed away....and it was really warm.  But, what better place is there to be on the 4th of July than at a baseball park watching a great American past time?  I couldn't think of anywhere I would rather have been than at that park.  My favorite player wasn't going to be playing (sometimes I really wish he wasn't a pitcher) but I was going to enjoy every minute of that game regardless.  My friend had done a brilliant job of getting me seats right behind the dugout which is my favorite place to sit.

Corey Littrell - Lowell Spinners - July 4, 2013

The fact that the Spinners won 4-2 made it more than enjoyable.  They had come out strong in the 4th inning with three runs and the ValleyCats had only been able to answer with one.  When the ValleyCats scored again in the 5th, the Spinners were only up by one and needed some insurance runs. One would come in the top of the 8th.  The ValleyCats were not able to answer in either that inning or the ninth.  The final score of this game by no means reflects the high number of hits by each team - 11 for the Spinners and 9 for the ValleyCats.  This meant that both teams were hitting the ball, but defense was also taking care of business because the score could have been so much higher.

Like most games I go to with post-game fireworks, I watched them from outside the ballpark as I waited by the bus for Corey.  After a nice hug, he asked about my trip.  By that point I had been awake for about 36 hours and had been sitting out in the sun all day...I was flat out exhausted!  It was also worth every single mile driven.  We chatted about how excited he was to be making his pro debut on Sunday in Brooklyn, even though he was only going to be limited to two innings.  He hadn't pitched in a game since the University of Kentucky baseball season had ended and he was pumped to be able to get back out there again.  I also made sure I explained to him why I had been in the park so early.  The last thing I needed was for him to think I was some kind of crazy stalker lady - I did have a reason to be in that ballpark so early.  Unlike my typical after game conversations with the players, there was no photo signing or picture taking.  I just used that time to have a nice friendly conversation with a nice guy that just happens to be my favorite baseball player.

That night when my friend and I made it back to her apartment and went to bed, I had been up for 40 straight hours.  This was actually nothing new to me, as last year when I had made this trip, I had gone to sleep after 39 hours of being awake.  I totally blame my anxiety on this...I get so excited about these trips, about going to these games, and about seeing and talking to these players that there is no way I can sleep.  Most people don't get so excited about going to baseball games....what can I say, I love the game.

Friday, July 5, 2013 - Lowell Spinners at Tri-City ValleyCats - Troy, NY
Because I had actually driven to New York this year instead of taking the Greyhound, I didn't have to actually ride to the ballpark with my friend in the morning and had planned to sleep in.  I still woke up when she was headed to the park that morning but decided to use the time at the apartment to catch everyone up on my trip thus far through e-mail and Facebook.  I noticed that even though it was only 9am, it was already 81 degrees (whereas it was only 59 back home).  It was going to be another incredibly hot day.  I headed to the ballpark so that I could eat lunch with the staff at about 1pm and upon reaching my car, I realized that the city of Troy had welcomed me graciously with a parking ticket (my friend had instructed me where to park).  That was great and I realized this friend might just be bad luck, as I once got a speeding ticket when traveling down to Memphis with her and some other sorority sisters of mine (we were running late for a tour of St. Jude Children' Research Hospital thanks to some car problems the previous evening).

On this day, I was wearing the Lowell Spinners shirt I had gotten personalized with Corey's name and number (I had gotten one done for both Corey and Tim for this trip) because even though I knew he wouldn't be pitching, I wanted to get a photo with him afterwards with me in the shirt.  I got a lot of teasing from the ValleyCats staff, but most of them remembered me from last year when I had worn my Hudson Valley Renegades shirts (Michael Williams and Luke Maile) around the park all day.  I told them that when the Astros draft a Wildcat (they actually did have one last year, Neiko Johnson, but I didn't really know him like I did Michael and Luke), I will be more than happy to be there to cheer for them.  I even named some current Wildcats that they would be very lucky to get next year.

The weather was kind of weird on this day.  Most of the day, it was nice and sunny.  Every now and then, a single large rain cloud would come by and drop some rain for very short periods of time.  Once it made the grounds crew put the tarp on the field, but it never lasted long enough or was hard enough to impact whether or not the game would be played that evening.

I wasn't able to get my seat in the row behind the dugout, but I was right next to the dugout in the first row right next to the field.  I was sitting next to and in front of some people that started asking me if I was from Massachusetts since I was the only one in the area cheering for the Spinners (even though the guy behind me had on a Red Sox shirt).  Like usual, I got a weird look and more questions when I told them I was from Indiana.  When I told them I was there to see Corey because he had been my favorite college player, the next logical question for them to ask was whether I had been a student at UK.  More questions followed when I mentioned that I had not been a student there.  I had to explain that I had become a Kentucky fan in 1996 when "The Untouchables" won the NCAA Basketball Championship.  I had been raised an Indiana University fan but there was something about that team that just made me fall in love with the University of Kentucky.  Because the school was out of state, attending there was out of the question and I had to settle for a school in Indiana (Ball State University).  Trust me, there is not a day that goes by that I wish I could have worn that blue and white and been a Wildcat myself.  The conversations I have with people when I travel like this is one of my favorite parts.  The fact that I can so easily confuse them and appear to be so complicated to them makes me chuckle.

The starting pitcher for the ValleyCats that evening was the 2013 number one overall draft pick, Mark Appel.  The hype surrounding this player from the staff, media, and fans was kind of crazy.  When I got to the park, there was already a group of autograph seekers stationed outside and waiting for him to arrive.  Everyone told me how lucky I was that he happened to be making his pro debut while I was there so I could see it...I just sat quietly in my Corey Littrell shirt thinking that my lucky day was actually going to be on Sunday when I saw his debut.  I could honestly have cared less about seeing Mark Appel.  I'm sure if I would have been a ValleyCat fan, I would have been a little more excited.  However, he wasn't a Wildcat...it is the Bat Cats that get all of my support.  I kind of chuckled on the inside when Appel was hit off of on the very first pitch of his pro career.  And it wasn't just  a single...no, the batter got a triple!  That was then followed by two more singles in the inning.  Everyone around me talked about how he just had to get the nerves out and he did pitch much better in the second.  But the fact of the matter is that he pitched just two innings, getting hit off three times, having two runners score, and only having one strike out.  His 9.0 ERA for the game made me hope that Corey had a much better debut than this number one draft pick.

I got some extra baseball with this particular game, as it went into extra innings.  The Spinners had been leading by one going into the bottom of the seventh, but then the ValleyCats tied it.  Lowell scored nothing in the 10th and all they had to do was hold Tri-City to force another inning.  I almost don't want to discuss how this game ended because it was so bad.  I've never quite seen a game end like this. Two singles put a man on 1st and 3rd for the ValleyCats.  With just one more out needed to get out of the inning, the last batter struck out swinging....but the ball got by the catcher.  The runner at third made it safely home on the uncaught third strike and the ValleyCats won the game.  I seriously just sat there for a few minutes as the ValleyCats rushed the field.  Had I really just witnessed an ending that badly to a game?  The Spinners had lost 3-4 and once again there had been an extraordinary amount of hits for both teams (11 hits each).  Shaking my head, I left the park to wait for Corey.  As I was waiting, the bus driver recognized me from the night before and we started chatting.  He was very interested in my story and it was nice to kill some time while I waited for Corey to come out.

The first thing Corey and I discussed was how neither of us had seen a game end like that.  I've seen a lot of baseball in my time and he's played a lot of baseball, it was just totally unbelievable to the two of us.  Anytime a game goes into extra innings, I think back to the 21 inning regional game in Gary from 2012 so we chatted about that game and how the Wildcats had also had an 18 inning game this year.  I had been glued to the computer listening to that game.  Sure this game result had been disappointing, but it led to some more great conversation with Corey.  Unfortunately, I didn't get my photo that night with Corey like I had wanted to because there had been no one else out by the bus that evening.  He promised me a photo the next night though.

Saturday, July 7, 2013 - Lowell Spinners at Tri-City ValleyCats - Troy, NY
I had to get up early to go to the park with my friend the next morning.  We had decided that after getting my parking ticket the day before, it would be smarter to leave my car at the ballpark and just ride with her.

It was another exciting day at the park because Tommy John was going to be there doing a fundraiser for ALS (amyotropic lateral sclerosis - AKA Lou Gehrig's Disease).  My guess is that for most of you reading this, you are probably baseball fans and know who Tommy John is.  For those of you who have no idea who I am talking about, Tommy John was a major league pitcher (Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels, and Athletics) that ranks seventh highest in career victories amongst left handers.  A revolutionary surgery later named after him (Tommy John surgery) was performed on a ligament in his pitching arm and well over half of his career wins came after this surgery.  I also have to note, that Tommy John is a fellow Hoosier from Terre Haute, IN.  My friend was supposed to get me the tickets to this fundraiser but in the hype of Appel being there the day before and of Tommy being there that day, she forgot.  Honestly, at the time that the fundraiser was going on, I was watching Corey throw some pitches in the bullpen and had forgotten all about it.  I later saw a text from my dad letting me know that Tommy John actually knew my uncle (he served as the president of the Eastern League from 1993-1997).  Now, I wish I would have been able to meet him because that would have been a story!

Corey Littrell - Lowell Spinners - July 6, 2013

When the game started, I was back in my seat right behind the dugout and little did I know that there would be another interesting ending to this ball game.  While the ValleyCats had been able to score a run in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th, the Spinners were scoreless going into the top of the 9th (yes, read that as they were down 3-0).  ValleyCats fans were leaving the park and the only thought going through my mind was, "you shouldn't be doing that."  Sure, I had my doubts about this game but one thing I've learned is that ANYTHING can happen in baseball.  The Spinners opened the inning with a single.  The next batter caused a force out at second but was safe himself at first.  One out and a pitching change occurs.  The next batter singles and the runner that had been at first makes it to third on a throwing error.  The next batter walks.  The bases are now loaded, there is one out, and another pitching change takes place.  What happens with the next batter?  GRAND SLAM, putting the Spinners up 4-3!  The next two batters strike out swinging but now all the Spinners have to do is get a quick three outs to end the game.  They had me a little nervous when with one out, there was a runner on first and second.  All the ValleyCats needed was one or two good hits and the game would be over.  The pitcher pulled through in the end, striking out two batters to end the game at 4-3.  The ending to this game had been the complete opposite of the game the night before.  Whereas that game had ended on a  lucky run caused by an error, this game had ended with the talent of a team that had pulled together to come out as the victors.

Lowell Spinners - July 6, 2013 - Win over Tri-City 4-3

During the game there had been a family next to me that had been cheering for Lowell and that had two small boys who had been thrown game balls during the game.  I saw that they were waiting out by the bus afterwards with their baseballs but had nothing with which the players could sign their souvenirs.  Luckily, I come prepared in cases like this!  I let them borrow my Sharpie and the joy on their faces with each signature made my heart grown with happiness.  There had also been a boy out there with a bat that had no marker to get signatures.  When I told him I had one he could also borrow, he stated the fact that the bat was black so a regular marker would not show up.  His smile when I pulled out my silver Sharpie was priceless.  I had just made the nights of three boys and it made me thankful to be able to experience that happiness.  Sometimes, nothing is more precious in the world than a child's smile.

Corey asked if I would be headed to Brooklyn that evening.  I had plans to leave the next morning, as I was going to stop and have some lunch with some friends in New Jersey.  He mentioned that they would be leaving that evening.  I asked if he was getting nervous about the next day and he confidently stated that he was not at all.  I think I might have had enough for the both of us.  Our conversation wasn't very long this evening but I did finally get my photo!

With Corey Littrell - Lowell Spinners - July 6, 2013

There is one thing I noticed during my time in Troy.  Corey appears to be one of those teammates that, as a former athlete, I would be grateful to have.  I had noticed that before every single game he had approached every single one of his teammates to give them a high five, do a handshake, and all of those other things that athletes do to wish one another a good game.  He knew he wasn't going to be out there on that field but he was showing his support for each one of his teammates.  He did not wait for them to come to him, he went to them.  As a former athlete I know that not all teammates get along, sometimes personalities just don't mix well.  I also know that as a good teammate you forget about those differences during game time so that the team work can get you through.  Whether Corey gets along with all of his teammates or not, he showed his loyalty to them on those days as he wished them good luck.  It was just one more factor that made me a proud fan.

Sunday, July 7, 2013 - Lowell Spinners at Brooklyn Cyclones - Brooklyn, NY
I woke extrememly excited on this morning.  I was going to get to see some friends for lunch that I hadn't seen since January, I was going to get to see Corey make his pro debut, and I was going to get to see Tim Peterson, as well.  Unfortunately, I had seen that Tim had pitched on Friday, which meant that, more than likely, he was not going to pitch on this day.  I was kind of bummed about that but I knew at least I would still get to chat with him after the game.

After picking up my car from the ValleyCats ballpark, I started the 2.5 hour journey to have lunch with two of my Jersey girls.  I was ecstatic to be able to see them again after seven months and was even more excited that I would actually be seeing them just two weeks later for a concert I was going to be  going to in Connecticut.  Because of the distance between us, two times a year is usually the most I ever get to see them.  I was going to get to see them twice in the same month and it just made an already great day even greater.

When I had planned to make the trip to Brooklyn, I had been warned by two different people to factor in an extra two hours for the holiday traffic I would hit.  I was nervous about driving into Brooklyn...after all, I'm just an Indiana girl that would take the train into Chicago to avoid the traffic.  I only got honked at once so I thought it was quite a success.  I'm sure it is quite a site seeing a car with an Indiana plate and University of Kentucky plate holder in a city like Brooklyn.  I got to the park much earlier than I had planned because it had taken me just the hour that the directions had said it would.  Two hours for traffic, my butt.  It was another hot day (94 degrees at the start of the game) but I decided to walk around Coney Island anyway.  Last year, I at least had my friend to enjoy the boardwalk with but it isn't quite the same when you are by yourself.  It was the one time during the trip that I wish I had just one friend that loved baseball as much as me and was able to do the same traveling I was able.

I did see the Spinners bus and when the bus driver saw me walking toward it, he got off to chat with me for some time.  He was happy to see that I had made it and it was nice to have someone to talk to while I waited for the gates to open to the ball park.

I would have loved to have gotten into the park early on this day to see those moments before Corey made his pro debut.  I had no way of knowing what was going through his head but I was nervous for him.  I wanted him to be able to show everyone there what I knew he was able to accomplish on that mound.  He already had a fan there in me, I wanted him to be able to use the two innings I knew he was going to pitch to gain even more because I believe he deserves it.

As soon as the gates opened I entered the park and found my seats.  Neither team was out yet so I decided to head to the Cyclones bullpen area to see if I could see Tim like I had last year.  When I saw some Spinners headed to the bullpen I gave up on that and headed to the other side of the stadium to catch Corey's warm-up.

Corey Littrell - Pre-game warm up - Brooklyn, NY - July 7, 2013

During this time, they announced the starting lineup for the Spinners and I smiled when I saw this come on the board for the starting pitcher, even though they did pronounce his last name wrong...

July 7, 2013 - MCU Park - Brooklyn, NY

I then headed to one of the four seats I had...yes, I had four seats for just one of me.  Let's just say that I'm a person that doesn't like to be surprised and I wanted to make sure that if certain people didn't pull through for me on their promise, I was going to have back up.  In the end, both people that had made their promise pulled through and for that I am truly grateful.  On may way to my seat, I found the starting lineup board.  They had mispronounced his last name when calling out the starting lineup, now his last name was misspelled.  Couldn't these people do anything right?

Starting lineup - July 7, 2013

I was very happy with the set of seats that my friend had acquired for me, as I had specifically requested the first base side as close to the field as possible.  Even though I was going to be sitting behind the Cyclones dugout, I wanted Corey to be facing me when he pitched (he's a lefty) for my photos.  I was only three rows behind the dugout so it was plenty close to make sure I got some decent ones.   My other two tickets had been on the third base side (in the very last row) and all I would have gotten was his back.  If I hadn't been so concerned about getting some great photos because it was his debut, I would not have cared either way.

Tim Peterson - Brooklyn Cyclones - July 7, 2013

I noticed that Tim was right in front of me in the Cyclones dugout and tried to get his attention to say hi before the game started but his attention was elsewhere.  I knew that with him being in the dugout and not in the bullpen, he was not going to be pitching that evening.  That would make me 0-2 in going to see Tim and him not pitching.  I also knew that with me just going to one game at a time, there was going to be less of a chance to see him pitch.  I really need to make it to an entire series to have a greater chance to see it.

I had decided that I was going to get photos of Corey's warm-up pitches and then get all of his actual pitching on video.  Sometimes there are just moments you can't get with a photo.  Taking both would provide him and his family, friends, and fans that could not be there with something that could be looked back upon and cherished.

The nerves that had been eating away at me subsided as Corey pitched to his first batter.  He had told me the previous evening that he wasn't nervous at all, so why should I be?  Here is breakdown of the seven batters that Corey faced:

First Inning:
-  Ground out to first baseman.
-  Single on line drive to center field.
-  After a throwing error on a pick off attempt by Corey, runner reaches 2nd.  Batter flies out to center field.  Runner to 3rd.
-  Called out on strikes.

2nd Inning:
-  Grounds out to short stop.
-  Flies out to center field.
-  Grounds out to short stop.

So, at the end of the day, Corey had what I believe to be a very successful debut, with 2 innings pitched, 1 hit, 1 strike out, and no runs scored.  He would end his debut with a 0.00 ERA.  Man, I would have loved to have seen more pitching by him but I know that teams can be very strict with the number of pitches and innings their pitchers can have.  The following is the video I put together of Corey's debut:

Unfortunately, the Spinners lost this game 0-3.  However, with there being a Kentucky player on each team, I wasn't really rooting for one team over the other.  Brooklyn had scored their first two runs in the 4th and another in the 8th.  There was not a repeat of the night before with the grand slam win.  Even though Lowell got shut out, I was glad that none of the Brooklyn runs had come under the pitching of Corey.  I later found out that Corey had been named the Lowell Spinners player of the game.

Signed ticket stub from Corey's debut - July 7, 2013 (one of
my two Player Pass List tickets)

There were way more people waiting outside after this game than I had seen in the last four days combined.  I think because both the Cyclones and the visiting team come out the same door, there is always a much larger crowd there because it was the same story last year.  When Corey came out, he seemed incredibly happy with his outing on the mound, as he should have.  I knew he was also excited to get to see Tim again after such a long time.  I had him sign my ticket stub as I think having that piece of memorabilia from his debut is great to add to my collection.  When some kids saw me getting this autograph, they came over to do the same, even though they were Cyclones fans and had NO idea who Corey was.

Tim Petereson - Brooklyn Cyclones -
September 2, 2012

Tim eventually came out and I didn't want to keep the two of them too long because I knew they had some catching up to do.  So I didn't get to talk to Tim for as long as I maybe wanted.  I learned that it is maybe not the most ideal thing to attend a game where there are two Wildcats playing one another, especially if they had been such close friends while playing together at school.  They still both took their time for a fan, but I knew I didn't want to keep them too long.

Tim and I did talk about the frustration of when he was with Savannah and them taking him off and putting him on the roster.  In the end, he had just not been getting enough innings with Savannah and was placed back with Brooklyn for good when their season had started.  Hopefully, a trip to Lexington when they play Savannah will be in the cards for both of us next year!  Tim also signed my photo of us from last year.

Both Corey and Tim then graciously took a photo with me together.  I'm not going to lie, I absolutely adore this photo.

Tim Peterson (RHP - Brooklyn Cyclones) and Corey Littrell (LHP - Lowell Spinners)
July 7, 2013 - Brooklyn, NY

And because I had already gotten Corey's photo on the trip, I got one with just Tim.

Tim Peterson - RHP - Brooklyn Cyclones - July 7, 2013

By this point, I was very much considering staying an extra day.  I didn't have to be back at work until Wednesday and the dentist appointment I had on Tuesday could have easily been changed.  I knew that even if I stayed, neither player would be pitching the next day but I honestly just was not ready to go home.  I knew that if I found a hotel for the evening, it was probably going to be more expensive than I really wanted.  So I finally made the decision that I was, in fact, going to start the long drive back to Indiana.  I should have had something to eat before I left...after all, Nathan's hot dogs was right there, but I decided to hit the road and then stop after awhile.

The first four or five hours of my trip back home were the worst hours of a road trip I have ever taken!  First, almost as soon as I left, it started to storm....hard rain, lightening, strong wind...the works.  It was the type of weather that no matter how hard your windshield wipers are going, you still can't see.  That wasn't even the worst of it.  It would rain like that for fifteen or twenty minutes and then just stop.  Just when I thought I was in the clear, it would come pouring down again.  This lasted the good part of the first hour and a half or so.  When it finally did stop, I decided it was time for me to grab a bite to eat.  It was about 10:30 so there wasn't going to be much on a Sunday night that was open this late.  I was probably going to have to just find a 24 hour fast food joint.  At three different exits I saw a sign for a McDonald's.  When I got off on the exit, there was no McDonald's to be found!  At one of the exits I decided to drive down a bit to see if it was just further down.  After a mile or two when I didn't see one, I decided I needed to turn around.  There was a problem with this.  I was in New Jersey and they have some crazy rules against U-turns and left turns.  They have what they call "jughandles" to use if you need to make a left turn.

It appeared that I was going to be dealing with the Type A.  When I took the first one and came upon the light to then turn left, the traffic light was out and flairs set up in the intersection prevented me from taking the left turn I needed.  Apparently, the storm I had driven through had knocked the power out on this stretch of road.  So, I had to turn right and continue down the road.  I noticed that all of the lights were out and each intersection had flairs set up.  I finally came to a portion that the traffic light was working and was able to head back to the highway.  By the time I had made it back, I had spent about 45 minutes just trying to get back to the highway.  I was so angry by this point.  I was hungry and all I wanted was food.  I didn't want to be going back home.  I wanted to be in Brooklyn to see another baseball game the next day.

I did eventually find an Arby's at a truck stop but by that point I was so frustrated I hardly touched what I had ordered.  I thought it might be best to just call it a night and catch some sleep.  Maybe the drive would be better in the morning.  At 1am, I finally called it quits about half way through Pennsylvania and fell asleep about 2am.

Monday, July 8, 2013 - Fort Wayne TinCaps v. Great Lakes Loons - Fort Wayne, IN
I had not set an alarm the previous night.  I figured I would wake up when I was ready to wake up...I just didn't think it was going to be at 6am!  I had gotten four short hours of sleep and just hoped that the rest of my trip was going to be decent.  I seriously thought that maybe my drive the night before had been so awful as a way to tell me that I should have stayed back in Brooklyn for some reason.  Was I going to be mad when I got home and found out that maybe Tim had pitched on this day (he didn't).

I did run into a few storms but because I was in no hurry to get home, I would usually stop at a service station (I was back on the toll road in Ohio) and try to wait out the worst of it.  As I got closer to the Indiana border my mind began to turn.  I would practically be driving through Fort Wayne on the way home (or at least I thought and later found out it was about 30 minutes off the highway) so I wondered if  the TinCaps were playing at home on this day.  During one of my many stops to delay me returning home, I looked up the schedule.  It looked like I was going to be stopping in Fort Wayne for some more baseball and to see Brian and Trevor again!

I hoped the weather would hold off for the game and I got there just before the gates were opened.  I had been meaning to pick up two TinCaps shirts to get personalized with Brian and Trevor's names and knew this would be the perfect time to do it so that I would have them the next time they came to South Bend.  When I saw the merchandise store was offering $1.00 personalization, I decided just to get it all done there.  They were going to be a nice addition to my collection.

I saw Brian on the field signing some autographs almost right away (he's so tall, it is not hard to miss him).  I made my way down to the field and he asked how my trip was.  I didn't keep him long but then I saw him talking with someone else.  I recognized her because she had contacted me back in November to see about getting the original copies of some of my photos from the 21 inning regional game for a Christmas present she was working on for him - it was his girlfriend.  I introduced myself and we chatted for a bit, she was so friendly.

Brian had the best game of the three I had seen of his, going 1-4.  His one hit was a double on a pop up right behind second base.  It was definitely his speed that got him to second base because for anyone else it would have just been a single.  Seriously, the guy is FAST!  On his fourth at bat, Brian struck out swinging on a wild pitch, which allowed him to make it to first on the uncaught third strike.  Brian then stole his 11th base of the season to get onto second and scored off of a single by a teammate.  So, a double, a run, a stolen base....not too bad at all.  Defensively, he had two batters fly out to him.

To make things even better, I got to see Trevor pitch again when he came in as relief in the top of the 5th with two outs and men on first and third.  Once again, Trevor took care of business and got the third out with a strike out.  In the 6th, Trevor had two batters ground out (one to him) and one batter fly out.  He had a successful 1.1 innings pitched, with one strikeout, and no runs scored (another 0.00 ERA day).

This was actually another very good game.  The TinCaps were down by one run in the first but tied the game in the fourth.  Once again in the fifth, the Loons were able to score one more run than the TinCaps had been able to, putting Fort Wayne down by one once again.  In the seventh, Fort Wayne was able to get ahead by scoring two runs (one of those being Brian).  The rest of the game was scoreless and Fort Wayne came out on top with a 6-5 win.

Trevor Gott - RHP - Fort Wayne TinCaps -
July 3, 2013

My conversation with Brian after the game was short because his girlfriend had an early flight the next morning.  While Trevor had been one of the first out on Wednesday in South Bend, it took him quite awhile this evening.  I realized why when I saw him exiting with some large suitcases.  Trevor had actually not yet had the chance to move in since being moved to the TinCaps roster.  He asked how Corey's debut had gone and I was able to have him sign the photo we had taken together in South Bend.

I realized during the last two and a half hours of my drive back home that if I would not have stopped to sleep when I had, I would not have had the chance to go to this last ball game.  So maybe the awful start of the trip wasn't because I was meant to stay in Brooklyn for another game, maybe it was so I could attend another game at another park in another city.  After this game, I was satisfied and was finally ready to go home.  The dread I had felt when leaving Brooklyn was no more.  Granted, going back home meant getting back to work and the grind of daily life.  I was satisfied with the trip and what I had been able to experience while I was gone.

Over the last two years, I have seen six former Wildcats at the minor league level (two of which I have seen both this year and last - Tim and Luke Maile).  There is one thing I would like to make perfectly clear though...I am NOT a "cleat chaser."  Before meeting my husband, I dated a share of baseball players (there were some basketball players and a hockey player in there, as well).  More importantly, some of my best guy friends growing up were baseball players, they were like brothers to me.  I have always enjoyed the game of baseball, going into Chicago quite often to see White Sox games.  I practiced baseball with my brother and his teams when I wasn't at my own softball practices and games.  The truth of the matter is that I love the game of baseball.  It is one of the only games that a player probably fails more than he succeeds.  Yet, these players continue to stay with it because they love the game.  This is what entices me to travel for these players and to show them my support by waiting for them after the games.  It is the conversations with these players that I cherish the most.  The photos and autographs are secondary - just momentos for experiences that I want to always remember.  I can also say that I have been thanked by family members on numerous occasions for the photos and videos that I share.  I don't just do it for me, I do it for all of the family and friends that aren't blessed enough to be able to be there to support their loved one.   Whether these players make it all the way to the major leagues or play in the minors for the rest of their careers, I will be there to support them as fan, as long as they continue to show me respect as a fan.

Unfortunately, I think my strong personality makes some believe that I'm a little too....well, crazy or over the top.  Trust me, this is the last thing I want to come across as and it is by no means my intention.  If a player cannot accept someone like me as a fan, they need to very much think about what they are getting themselves into as a pro athlete because I've seen how bad some fans can actually get.  A player can easily lose the respect of a fan by doing things that they may not see as a big deal but can mean the world to that fan - a few days blocked on Twitter, once friends on Facebook but not any longer.  To some, it may seem silly.  To me, it is even the littlest things that can bring a smile and joy to a person.  By having access to a fan, a player is showing him or her that what that fan does matters, that the athlete cares enough to show interest.  When a fan doesn't feel appreciated, their dedication begins to waver.  The athlete may have plenty of other fans and just not care.  If so, that is sad they must think that way.  Please realize that I am talking in generalities based on experiences I have had in the past.  All four of the players that I have written about in this post were friendly and cordial to me when I was with them after the games, but a recent event has put these thoughts into my head and I just needed to get them out.

Please feel free to check out all of my photos from this trip in my Former Wildcats in the Minor Leagues - 2013 album.  The album also includes photos from the previous times I have seen both Brian Adams and Luke Maile play in South Bend this year.


Title Credit:  "One in a Million" - Backstreet Boys - Unbreakable