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| 3 Generations of Donaldson baseball players from Los Angeles. Only the one on the right is a two-time All-Star! |
Today is an appropriate day to match back up to the 10-year anniversary of our cross-country road trip. I say this because tonight officially ends our Little League baseball season. And, at this same time 10-years ago we were about to get to Louisville, Kentucky...
Our 11U North Venice Little League All-Stars took 4th place in the district tournament. They're a great team. A really great team. But in baseball, despite winning every inning, except one, that's all it takes to lose the game. They're a really talented group of boys that will definitely be back again next year to take it all the way!
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| Besties since Kindergarten |
What was special about this All-Star team on a personal level is that my son and his best friend both made the team. They have been besties since Kindergarten, and have literally played every sport together since they were five. Baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and flag football. They have pushed, and encouraged each other since day one, so it's pretty great to see them both land together on the top of their division, representing their beloved league.
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| Encouraging words from All-Star manager, Tyrone |
And HUGE props to our coaches. As a seven-year veteran Little League Baseball coach myself, I really must say how very impressed I am with our All-Star coaches. Class acts. They are true leaders who have inspired these kids on, and off the field. I have never seen a foursome of Little League baseball coaches who were more professional and devoted to discovering, and bringing out the best in each and every player on the roster. I am truly grateful that my son had the opportunity to learn the many great life skills that baseball teaches kids from these four incredible men. Hats off, and let's go get 'em next year, gents!
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| Two-time All-Star Pitcher |
But lastly, I can't express how moved I am to see my mom and dad in the front row at these All-Star games. At 85, I think it brings more energy to my dad than I have seen in years. After all, we're three generations of Donaldson baseball players from Los Angeles, and he's getting to see the first in our family, two-time All-Star, pitch in every game. And, win or lose, if that doesn't make a grandpa proud, nothing else will!
So why all this baseball talk? Well, because on the 10-year anniversary of my left coast to right coast cross-country road trip, we are about to hit the sacred place where some of the greatest baseball bats were made, Louisville, Kentucky!
June 30, 2009
Today’s drive shouldn’t be too bad. In fact, it will be one of the shortest one day legs we’ll make. Ironically we will travel through four different states on our way to Louisville. We’re starting in Missouri and will drive through two small chunks of Illinois and Indiana to get to Kentucky.
The countryside is simply gorgeous. We’re starting to see more fields of green with farm houses and barns dotting the countryside. Trees line the acres of land and fences divide the plots where horses are grazing. Every so often you’ll see a farmer driving his tractor down a side road along the highway.
That’s right, highway. We’ve spent the last few days on two-lane roads going through the crop land. It really is a great way to see the country, as you get to pass through all the little towns along the way. But, now that we’ve passed the half-way point, I think we’re both ready to get back up to speed!
We rolled into Louisville around 3:30 pm and went straight to the Louisville Slugger museum. You can’t miss the museum. It has a huge five story baseball bat sitting out front that reaches for the sky.
We had a little time to kill before the tour started, so we hit a few balls in the indoor batting cages. There would be no big homeruns for either of us, but we did have a few base hits and foul tips! I used an A-Rod replica bat!
The tour was great. They use big precision lathes to do the work that was once done by hand. As a result, they can make bats quicker and more efficiently. In fact, every MLB player has their own personal specs that are loaded on the computer operated machines.
After the museum, we went downtown and found a hotel just off the main drag. It’s a Sunday, so the town feels quiet, that is, with the exception of the hundreds of women in town for a women’s volleyball tournament. Had we known this many women would be in town, we would have avoided Louisville. How inconvenient…
Apparently, this part of Kentucky is known for a dish called a Hot Brown. Now, I know what you’re thinking, because I thought the same thing, but it’s not that! It’s a chicken dish that originated at the Brown Hotel in, you guessed it, Louisville!
The Brown Hotel is a gorgeous colonial revival building built in 1923. Its interior is dressed nicely with an incredible ceiling. They carry 52 different bourbons, so we found a couple of spots at the oak bar and ordered away. Bourbon is Whiskey that comes, for the most part, from Bourbon County Kentucky. When in Rome, or in this case, Kentucky…
Anthony has had Hot Browns before, but this is the first time he’s had one at the place where it originated! A Hot Brown is a chicken breast on top of sliced bread, covered with bacon and a parmesan cream gravy. It’s the devil, but oh so good! For desert it’s all about the Derby Pie.
We enjoyed sampling a few different bourbons each, a few different conversations with a few different people and saw no reason to go anywhere else until they told us it was time to go home! So we did.
Oh, and about the volleyball tournament, it was a high school tourney. Bummer!
Day 8 – June 28, 2009
Start: St. Louis, MO
Destination: Louisville, KY
Mileage: 260 miles
Did we make it? Yes
The country side
Louisville Slugger museum
Baseball Walk of Fame
Painted horses are all over the city
Brown Hotel
Hot Brown
Anthony and I test out different bourbons
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