May 4th:  40 games in 35 days! The last day of the trip and I celebrate by watching my hometown Ottawa Lynx hammer Toledo 9-2! I then head over to enjoy game 2 of the OHL Championship Series, won 4-3 by the Kitchener Rangers over the Ottawa 67's.

A.J. Hinch fouls one off

May 3rd:  I return home to see the Ottawa Senators defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 in game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Sharpy, Spartacat, Sean

May 2nd:  Cory Lidle tosses a 3-hitter as the Jays knock off the Anaheim Angels 3-1 in super-fast 2:07.

May 1st:  Back where I started. Andrew and Peter of the Ultimate Sports Road Trip join me for a game in Toronto and the Blue Jays win a nail-biter, 7-6 over the Texas Rangers.

April 30th:  Detroit blows out Orlando 98-67 in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series. Detroit avoids elimination but still trails 3 games to 2.

April 29th:  Unbelievable luck in Toledo. Once again, I watch the Columbus Clippers win, but I am treated to seeing Jose Contreras' first minor-league appearance. He is strong, striking out 8 through 5 scoreless innings as Columbus uses a 5-run ninth to win 7-1. I think the Clippers should hire me as their good luck charm - they are 4-8 on the road, and I have seen 3 of their wins - 1 each in Richmond, Indianapolis, and Toledo.

Contreras' first pitch - a strike

April 28th:  After a few hours at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend, I watch as first-place Fort Wayne beats last-place South Bend 5-2 in Indiana's Midwest League rivalry. 

April 27th:  The Columbus Clippers are 6-15 this year, but after today, I have seen 2 of their victories as they use 2 late-inning 2-run homers to defeat the Indianapolis Indians 4-1 at beautiful Victory Field.

Drew Henson singles while avoiding the NFL draft

April 26th:  Meg joins me again for a doubleheader in Cincinnati. First, the Reds use a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning to defeat the Padres 7-6. We then walk 10 seconds to US Bank Arena and watch the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies beat the Cyclones 3-1 in the ECHL playoffs.

Rounding third and heading for home...

April 25th:  San Diego beats Cincinnati 7-3 in a completely unremarkable game.

April 24th:  My first game at the new Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is also the first extra-inning game on the trip as the Reds beat the Dodgers 3-2 in 11 exciting innings.

Adam Dunn swings

April 23rd:  A day at Churchill Downs is followed by watching a relaxing game with Louisville boys Tim, Bob, and Mike. Louisville wins 3-2 over Indianapolis.

Brandon Larson grounds to third

April 22nd:  Driving between Memphis and Louisville, I pay a return visit to Nashville and watch the Sounds lose 5-3 to the Omaha Royals. 

April 21st:  I visit two American landmarks in Memphis: Graceland, home of Elvis Presley; and the Lorraine Hotel (now the National Civil Rights Museum), where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. In the evening, I watch as Colorado Springs holds off the Memphis Redbirds 9-8 in a thrilling contest.

So Taguchi swings

April 20th:  Plans change and I drive to St. Louis to catch my Vancouver Canucks in game 6 of the NHL playoffs. It was worth the trip as the Canucks stave off elimination with a tense 4-3 win. Also, I see Arizona beat St. Louis 1-0 in baseball. 

April 19th:  The Chattanooga Lookouts ride the superb pitching of John Koronka to a 1-0 win over the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx in Jackson, TN. 

April 18th:  Another great day. A tour of Nashville's capitol area is followed by seeing So Taguchi and the Memphis Redbirds lose to the Sounds 6-2. John Wasdin strikes out 10, and we all get free hamburgers! 

April 17th:  The longest drive of the trip is also the most interesting as US64 takes me through the Cherokee National Forest to Chattanooga, where I see the most interesting ballgame so far. The hometown Lookouts build an early 7-0 lead, but the visiting Carolina Mudcats chip away and score 5 in the 9th to win 10-7.

April 16th:  The halfway point on the trip and fellow roadtripper Meg joins me in Fort Mill, SC as Charlotte defeats Louisville 3-0 in the fastest game on the trip, only 2:20. 

April 15th:  My first Carolina League game was full of surprises. First, the Lynchburg City Stadium is still under renovations, and only 800 seats are available. Then the Lynchburg pitching staff issued 11 walks as they were defeated 13-5 in a long, boring game against Potomac. 

Ready by July?

April 14th:  The minor league portion of the trip begins as Adrian Hernandez pitches well as the Columbus Clippers defeat Richmond 6-2.

April 13th:  I leave Puerto Rico early in the morning, return to sunny New York to collect my stuff and head back to Philadelphia to watch a late-season NBA game, won by the New Orleans Hornets 94-89 over the Philadelphia 76ers. After the game, another 200 miles on the road. 

April 11th-12th:  Beautiful Puerto Rico! The Expos defeat the Mets 10-0 on Friday as Tomo Ohka goes 8 strong innings. On Saturday, a sloppy game, but the Expos prevail again 5-4. Wish I could stay here!

Hiram Bithorn Stadium

April 10th:  Two games in two cities. First, David Wells 3-hits the Twins and Matsui collects both RBI's as the Yanks win 2-0. Then, after a short drive to Philadelphia, the Braves knock off the Phillies 6-2 in a drawn-out game, as Atlanta used 6 pitchers.

April 9th:  Another freezing game, but very quick as the Yankees beat the Twins 2-1 in an exciting pitcher's duel. Hideki Matsui's hitting streak ends at 7 games.

April 8th:  Cold weather continues, but it doesn't matter to Hideki Matsui who hits his first major league home run, a grand slam to lead the Yankees to a 7-3 victory over the Twins. Unbelievable!

Matsui's grand slam swing

April 7th:  The snow returns and the Yankees postpone their home opener. Thanks to Gary and Mike for keeping me busy as we drive to Trenton to watch the Titans lose to the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies 7-3 in a first-round ECHL playoff game. The Titans were eliminated with the loss. 

April 6th:  Finally a sunny day! Scranton knocks off Ottawa 6-0 on a chilly but snowless Sunday afternoon. On to New York!

Lynx centerfielder Darnell McDonald flies out

April 5th:  The ice storm in Rochester forces the cancellation of the home opener, but I drive south to enjoy normal spring weather as well as another AHL game in Wilkes Barre, PA.

April 4th:  Can the weather get any worse? An ice storm hits upstate New York, canceling both weekend games that I was scheduled to see. But with the snow and ice comes hockey - I manage to see an AHL game in Rochester.

April 3rd:  Finally a home team wins as the Buffalo Bisons beat Pawtucket 10-8. However, game time temperatures were 29F (-2 C) and it was raining, which reduced the enjoyment in this one. I am dreaming of sunny baseball games, but will have to wait until Puerto Rico.

April 2nd:  The Yankees sweep the Jays with a 9-7 win. Ugh.

April 1st:  The Yankees humiliate the Jays 10-1 in an afternoon tilt. We then walk over to the ACC to see the Detroit Pistons handle the Raptors 92-85. Toronto is 0-3 so far on the trip.

March 31st:  An event-filled game to begin the season in Toronto. Hideki Matsui collects his first major league hit, Derek Jeter gets injured, and Alfonso Soriano hits a grand slam as the Yankees win over the Jays 8-4.

Matsui singles in the 1st inning

March 30th:  MLB Road Trip 2003 begins with a short drive between Ottawa and Toronto. Opening Day is tomorrow!

March 28th:  A long flight back from Tokyo, but the trip is now less than 2 days away. 

March 19th:  MLB cancels the season opening games in Tokyo due to worries about the impending war. So the tour begins on March 30th when I drive from my hometown of Ottawa. Too bad the Tokyo Dome will not be included on this year's tour, but MLB is already planning for Hideki Matsui and the Yankees to visit Japan in 2004, so let's hope that things in the world are more settled by then.