This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Life on a 12-game road trip for Salt Lake — its longest since 2005 — had its share of difficulties, some small and some, well, not so small.
"We all ran out of underwear," said first baseman Paul McAnulty. He left midway through the trip to attend his grandmother's funeral.
It was a tiring sojourn to Tucson, Ariz., Sacramento, Calif., and Reno, Nev. It included several layovers in Las Vegas and the 21/2 hour bus ride from Sacramento to Reno.
The lack of energy was evident during Thursday's home-opening loss to Fresno. But Salt Lake (27-35) rebounded Friday, rebounding from an early five-run deficit to rally for a 6-5 victory in front of 7,542 spectators at Spring Mobile Ballpark.
"It was pretty much the same thing that happened last night," S.L. manager Keith Johnson said.
Even though many of the Bees share apartments or essentially live on the run during the long 144-game Pacific Coast League season, it is home. That's where they keep all of the things that ground them while in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area.
Even the $25 a day meal money doesn't quite stretch far enough. Eventually, players have to dip into their own pockets.
"Your stuff is there," first baseman Gil Velazquez said of not being home for nearly two weeks. "It was long, especially for me. This is a new league for me. I don't know where all the good places [to eat] are."
The trip was also rough on Salt Lake's win-loss record. After starting with three wins in five games, the Bees lost six of the next seven.
This included a painful 8-7 loss at Reno on getaway day. Salt Lake let a 7-0 lead slip away and faced a quick but quiet flight back to Salt Lake City. That one included a 3:15 a.m. wake-up call for the trip home.
"It was just the grind," Johnson said. "Then everybody started getting healthy at the of the trip and we started playing better. We weren't quite good enough to get the 'W.' We were tonight."
Twitter: @tribmarty.com —
Highlights
R Salt Lake scores three in the seventh inning, two on a single by Jeff Baisley.