Hanging with Mr. Hoover

by Barca Blog

The Commodores arrived at the luxurious Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham last night, two days prior to the start of the 2010 SEC Baseball Tournament.

The 15-floor hotel, which is only minutes away from Regions Park in Hoover, will once again accommodate the eight teams in the tournament for the rest of the week. The Compound (as I like to call it) is the perfect lodging choice with everything you need inside the venue. One of the best features is the Riverchase Galleria Mall, which is connected to the main lobby. Also, Shula's Steak House is located at the front of the building... it will serve as my eating establishment twice per day (Thanks, Vanderbilt).

The only downside to previous trips? The hotel didn't have the cable channel that carried the tournament games. With four games on Wednesday and Thursday, it would be nice to watch the action without having to go to the park to see every pitch. Keeping my fingers crossed this year.

A couple of other notes... SID, Travis and I journeyed down I-65 in a separate vehicle last night while listening to the tunes of A R Rahman.

I packed for five people to account for each personality. My excess luggage earned me the nickname Princess Vespa, a character from the movie Spaceballs. Hey, you never know what the weather will be like in Hoover (blistering hot 99% of the time).

By the way, this is my seventh year at the tournament, so I decided to bring extra snacks for the week to maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road. Well, Intern Travis ate two of my granola bars (box of five) during the three-hour trip, so our rations are depleted already. I guess I need to pack more items next time.

Finally, Travis took one for the team when he nominated himself to be the hall monitor. With every team in the same hotel, extra security is a must. Instead of resting in his comfortable queen-sized bed, Travis set up camp in the hall with his lantern, sleeping bag and issue of Highlights magazine. He spent the night pacing up and down the floor in camouflage to keep spies from infiltrating the barracks. Only two housekeepers got past the first line of defense. These are the things you don't see in the box scores.

Stay with us during the week for blog updates from the road. Fans are invited to Regions Park today to watch the Commodores' practice session from 5-6 p.m. CT.