Mixing Business & Pleasure

Saturday was another successful outing for the Road Trip, as we saw and catered to an even larger crowd at Wide World of Sports, which is soon to be renamed with ESPN somewhere in the mix.

The extraordinary humidity did not slow the spirit of the kids and their families as all three area of Baseball Youth village were heavily populated throughout our visit. It was interesting listening to and observing interactions between the boys and their parents at the bat rental station, as the words "that's WAY too heavy for you" were often muttered, much to the disappointment of a 10-year-old who thinks he can "easily" swing a 29-ounce bat.

One of the highlights of the day for me was the selflessness and pure generosity from an 11-year old from Texas, named Jake. After receiving a couple of free packs of Upper Deck baseball cards from Clinkenbeard at the MLB booth, Jake came over by the Louisville Slugger tent to have some privacy while he hysterically ripped open each pack. After asking him which ones were his favorite and who his favorite team was (which was Ryan Howard and the Phillies), he made the assumption that I rooted for the Indians based on the hat I was wearing. I confirmed and he left for his game.

About two hours later while I was checking a bat back in at the table, I felt a tap on my back....it was Jake. When I turned around, he was holding out what was obviously a baseball card. I asked him if it was for me, and he nodded yes. I took the card and noticed that it was a Jason Michaels Indians card. "I figured you would really like this," is what he said. I thanked him and gave him a high-five, and he ran off probably not thinking twice about it. But that moment was really neat, and I felt accomplished that I had connected with Jake and that he thought enough of me to not only remember the team I liked, but to bring me one of his cards as well.

Toward the end of our shift, the forecasted thunderstorm cell made its way to WWOS, and we hustled to pack up and escape before getting blasted with rain. We narrowly escaped and headed back to the hotel. After waiting it out for about an hour, the three of us made our way to Disney's Epcot Center, where we enjoyed free admission to the park thanks to our new friend Scott St. George.

Once inside, Nate-squared was eager to introduce me to a couple of their favorite attractions - Mission Space and Test Track. Both were pretty awesome indeed. We laughed in line at Mission Space, as one of the guys in charge of monitoring the line and keeping order as patrons entered the ride seemed to truly believe that he worked at a space station. Since the attraction acted as if all of its riders were astronauts in training and flying to Mars, we contemplated asking him if we would be back in time for work tomorrow. We declined. Funny nonetheless.

After a couple of rides and some park walking, we visited Club Cool where you can sample all of the world's versions of "Coca Cola" fountain style, for free. It's an exceptional concept and was fun trying all the different country's authentic beverage.....that's until Clink & Kohrs told me that I HAD to try the drink of choice from Italy, "Beverly." And let's just say that this stuff was NOT the refreshing drink I was looking for. On the description above the dispenser, Beverly is described as "A strong, bitter beverage, which is said to be popular in Italy to wet one’s appetite before a meal." After tasting this disgusting drink, we all agreed that the reason for this description is because ANYTHING would taste better after consuming it. Yuck.

After our "date" with Beverly, we did the slow-paced, but informative Spaceship Earth ride inside the Epcot globe, and made our way to Global Village where all the of the countries are represented with their respective cuisine, drink and culture. We decided to dine in the beautiful country of Japan, and oh what a treat it was. We chose Tabban Edo, where the chefs cook in front of you on a grill at the table, and proceeded to have a great time.

Right off the bat, the waitress offered to make the eight-year-old girl at our table "special" chopsticks by rubber-banding them together for easier use. And since Kohrs is apparently a chopstick wizard, Clink and I asked if we could ALSO have the special sticks. We got laughed at, but she obliged. The meal also included the chef dropping the shrimp tail aimed for her big hat on the floor, Kohrs being asked to have a fake conversation into a pepper shaker phone, Clink giggling and clapping over a steaming pile of onions on the grill and the whole table doing the chicken dance. The meal itself, which also included Kirin drafts, was incredible and will definitely be tough to top as we continue along our journey.

During our exit from the park, the rain began again, and of COURSE we couldn't run through the rain....we had to wait it out by enjoying a Spaten beer at the Germany portion of the United Nations of alcohol. It was equally delicious. Once we finished them, we decided to not wait for the fireworks display and finally made our way back home.

It was an excellent day on all counts and our trip continues to pick up steam on all levels. Tomorrow, I will be taking a short break from the trip, as I fly to Charlotte, North Carolina (and then drive to Asheville) to attend the wedding of my oldest friend, Phil Jones. Monday is our last day in Orlando, and then it's off to Missouri. As usual, enjoy some photos below from today's activities.

Thanks for reading,
Chris