Over the last few years, I’ve experienced many small towns along the east coast.  I’ve played as far north as Burlington, VT (Vermont Lake Monsters), as far south as Augusta, GA (Augusta GreenJackets), and as far west as Niles, OH (Mahoning Valley Scrappers).  From April 1^st to September 1^st, we’ll play just as many games as our Major League Team.  While they have the luxury of flying to their away game the following day, we may have to board a bus right after the game and drive 12 hours through the night.

With a roster and staff of 30+ members, and let me remind you that professional athletes aren’t small people, it’s a tight fit on a coach bus.  If you are lucky enough to get two seats to yourself, it’s because you’ve earned a veteran status, having playing longer or having played at a higher level than others, or because you are the starting pitcher that day.  Due to the limited leg room and the abnormally large teammate sitting next to you, it’s very difficult to get comfortable.  It’s almost a guarantee that you will be stiff and sore for the first game of the series.  On top of that, if you want to have any energy for that first game, you have to quickly learn to sleep in a seated position.  In the attempt to sleep, some players will even lie on the floor of the bus in the middle of the aisle. 

In the South Atlantic League, the road trips were so long that we were occasionally blessed with a Sleeper Bus.  The bus fit 23 beds and a few captain seats.  In place of the captain seats, the bus was lined with “couches” that were also used as beds, and under each couch was a bed on the floor of the bus.  Lastly, in place of the overhead compartments, there were even more beds.  While sleeping in these beds was like sleeping in coffins, it was still an improvement from the captain chairs.

A minor league bus is also the place to be if you want to see the latest advancements in technology.  To keep ourselves entertained, players will have video ipods, portable dvd players, psp’s, noise cancellation head phones, and lap tops with the extended batteries.  If we are fortunate enough to have a sleeper bus, we will also have satellite tv and outlets to plug in xbox 360’s and other gaming systems.  Some more traditional forms of entertainment include books, crossword puzzles, Sudoku’s, and card games.

-Winterling