Wednesday, February 7, 2007
THE LONG JOURNEY
TODAY: Pirates at Hershey, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY: Pirates at Wilkes-Barre, 7:05 p.m.
SATURDAY: Pirates at Norfolk, 7:15 p.m.
FEB. 14: Pirates at Norfolk, 7:15 p.m.
FEB. 16: Pirates at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.
Before they rolled out of Portland on a bus early Tuesday, each of the Pirates had to pack more than a toothbrush.
A lot of thought had to go into what each player took before the Pirates embarked on their longest trip of the season, an 11-day journey to play some of the league's top teams in Hershey, Wilkes-Barre, Norfolk and Philadelphia.
"It's a nightmare trying to figure what your wardrobe is going to be on a trip like this," center Tim Brent said. "You never know what it's going to be like in Norfolk. It's all over the map, weather-wise, there. You just try to grab a little bit of everything and throw it in a bag."
Up to now the Pirates only have had to spend one night this season in a motel. On this trip they will live out of a suitcase for 10 days.
Here's what Brent packed for the five-game trip: "A suit and tie, for sure. Jeans and some golf shirts. A blazer. Lots of underwear and socks and maybe some sandals."
Sandals?
"Depending what the weather is like in Norfolk. I'm sure a lot of these guys would like to give their feet a break," Brent said. "Their feet can get sore wearing skates so much. To get a few days in with the flip-flops on I'm sure would be nice."
It's important the players pack enough of the right pieces of clothing in their suitcases. During the trip, none of them intend to do laundry. "You roll with what you've got," Brent said.
The players will dine out more than usual. On the trip, each player receives $45 per diem.
"Usually you get a real nice dinner," Brent said. "The guys don't mind spending the money on the road trying new restaurants. Most of the guys (on the team) consider themselves connoisseurs when it comes to food and wine. We don't mind spending a little money to have a good dinner."
The lengthy trip presented Doug "Sluggo" Shearer, the equipment manager, with some extra headaches.
"Being out for five games, we're taking extra sticks for each guy," he said. Normally players travel with a game stick and two or three extras. On this trip, Shearer had to pack about 10 sticks for each player. "We're traveling with about 220 sticks."
Most of the team's equipment will be stowed in a trailer pulled by the sleeper bus, on loan from the Norfolk Admirals.
"Basically we're taking our home show on the road," Shearer said. "We've restocked all the trunks and made sure we have a little bit more of everything, tapes and different things that we use. We'll travel with the sewing machine."
Sewing machine?
"Socks get torn. Jerseys get ripped," Shearer said. "There's a lot of little things we have to stay on top of, looking neat and keeping clean as best we can."
When the team arrives, Shearer and his assistant, Corey Morong of South Portland, won't have to lug the gear themselves.
"The players are great," Shearer said. "Everybody pitches in. The players help move stuff in and out and set it up. It's a team effort."
That's what trips are. A team effort.
SYRACUSE GOALIE Dan LaCosta has been named AHL player of the week after posting shutouts in each of his two starts to help the Crunch extend their winning streak to four games.
Portland forward Matt Keith, who had a goal and two assists to help the Pirates snap a seven-game losing streak, also was nominated.
POINTS TO PONDER: The Pirates are in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, their lowest spot since they became affiliated with Anaheim last season. When scoring five or more goals this season, the Pirates are 7-0. After 47 games the Pirates are the second-most penalized team in the Atlantic Division with 1,003 minutes. The Pirates are 12th among the AHL's 27 teams in attendance, averaging 5,176 fans per game.
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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Although for some reason our farthest west team seems to usually be Hamilton while Manchester picked up San Antonio this year.
Have fun, good luck, and hopefully the rejuvenated Pirates can take the sweetness out of the Hershey Bears.
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