Business on the Beach

While we do like to focus on baseball on this blog, a trip to Myrtle Beach is a little more of an experience than a typical road trip.  There was plenty to do, and I thought a recap of the past three days was in order. It has been an eventful first trip to Myrtle Beach for the broadcasters. Brian and I are coming back a little more burnt than we left.

The visiting hotel is one of the nicest in the league. Our hotel is at a place called Broadway on the Beach. This massive entertainment area is about a mile away from the actual beach, but is a suitable alternative to the actual beach. I have a big sweet tooth and was pleased to discover two fudge shops, two massive candy stores and multiple ice cream parlors.

There were two things I wanted to do on the trip: go to the beach and play mini-golf. We accomplished the former on Tuesday afternoon when a 20-minute walk to the beach turned into a 90 minute excursion around the greater Myrtle Beach area (I’ll lend that to my keen sense of direction in trying to walk north to a beach that was south and east). Eventually, we did make it to the actual beach and enjoyed a few hours on the sand. At the time, there were a good number of dead jellyfish that had washed ashore, and the baseball team’s namesake (Pelicans) were out feasting. It would have been a good time for Spongebob and Patrick to go jellyfishing.

Earlier today, Brian and I did engage in an epic contest of wills on the mini-golf course. The first round saw a back nine surge that resembled Tiger in his heyday as I came back from seven strokes down on the final seven holes to win. Brian and I did both play extremely well, knocking two holes-in-one apiece the first round.

I was an extremely consistent 44-44 on the day, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough on the second course of the mini-golf complex. Brian played with an intensity not seen around those parts since the Professional Mini Golf Championships of 1996 (Note: said tournament may not have occurred). He shot a two-under par 41 in round two to split the day. We shook hands and all were winners.

The hotel also sits across the street from the ballpark, so we and many of the players would simply walk to and from the game each night. The newly-named TicketReturn.Com Field is a nice facility, built in 1999, but still with very good amenities. The crowds didn’t rival BB&T Ballpark when we were here, but a sizable contingent made themselves heard each night.

Those were the highlights of our Myrtle Beach trip. I’m currently sitting in the press box contentedly munching on a big bag of candy while preparing for tonight’s final game of the series. The Dash look to avoid being swept for the first time this season. The Pre-Game Dash starts at 6:50, so make sure you tune in on wsdash.com. We’ll see you tomorrow night at BB&T Ballpark for a season long eight-game homestand.

- Mike