A Tampa Treat
Heading into Tampa, the B4B team thought that this might be their first city that they would have to post up in a hotel for their stay. After sending out feelers with our families and friends, Adam found that he had a cousin who lived in Tampa and was willing to host the team during their time in Tampa! High-five!
The Michaels [Jason, Nicole, Ryan and Megan] were unbelievable hosts before we even arrived. Due to connections with the Rays, the Michaels helped the B4B team connect with the Rays front office. Starting the connection with the Rays front office before we even arrived, they helped us connect with Todd Kalis for an in-game interview later in the week!
Instantly, we were greeted with open arms from the whole family. A lovely pool enclosed in the back yard to keep away bugs, critters and alligators attracted our initial attention. After 1,100 miles and 10 days on the road, we were ready for some relaxation by the pool and catching up with the family.
Jason and Nicole’s two kids, Ryan and Megan, were big followers of the B4B team as we cycled our way from Houston to Tampa. As soon as they got wind that we would be staying with the family for a couple days, they got pretty excited! Following our GPS tracking they anxiously watched our path as we neared their house in Tampa. We had no idea until we arrived, but were flattered and excited that they were so excited to have us!
Ryan is a baseball star. The kid just started playing baseball two years ago and he moves around the infield like he’s Sean Rodriguez. He’s got a great arm and understands the game of baseball like he’s been playing it all his life. He’s a HUGE Rays fan that will carry on a baseball conversation with any fan of any team, so long as it’s baseball related. To hear his take on Game 162, as they call it in Tampa, that ended the Red Sox season and propelled the Rays into the playoffs, was really cool. Every baseball fan across America, except probably Red Sox fans, was pulling for Longo to hit that home run. I remember feeling all giddy and jumping around in my house as I watched the night’s events unfold from Denver; I can’t imagine the elation how a Rays fan felt. Someday for my Royals… someday.
Megan is one of the smiliest (made up a word, but she’s deserving) kids we’ve ever met that was very inquisitive of Biking for Baseball right from the start. She had been a huge follower of our progress over the past week. She knew our site inside and out. As we sat down for our first dinner with the family, Megan provided us with great critiques on our website and questions like “Why is Adam the Breadbasket?” We took her advice, and have now done some subtle redesign. Thanks Megan! She’s a great gymnast (watch those trees!) and just starting to get into the game of softball. Each time we played catch she was eager to join up with the boys. She’s got a great drive to try and beat her brother at nearly everything. It reminded me of myself with with my 3 little brothers growing up. Except, older brother ALWAYS wins, right Ryan?
Jason and Nicole provided a home away from home for the B4B team. They filled us up with amazing food for three days, we even got to taste the local flavor at Surf Shack. They came out to support B4B by coming to our clinic Thursday with BBBS and the Rays game Friday night (Jason got Heath Bell’s attention in LF during BP and told him about the organization. Heath listened and was impressed!). Most importantly, they dealt with four smelly dudes with smiles on their faces the whole time. You can’t do that without being genuinely caring people.
Needless to say, this was my favorite stop. It felt good to be a part of the family, so to speak. We played catch in the back yard, grilled burgers by the pool, stayed up late catching up on what’s been going on, watched and talked Rays baseball, and they helped us as we struggled with parking in the Tampa area.
Thank you VERY much Jason, Nicole, Ryan and Megan family. You have a great family and the whole Biking for Baseball team was blessed for you to welcome us into your home for a few days, feed us, provide us with warm beds and showers and be so generous to us. Hope to see you again soon! Hi-5 to Sam too!