The journey to Cooperstown(by way of Steamboat Springs, Colorado) began on July 16th for the Servens.  For your enjoyment, education or just entertainment the Servens(Jim and Jonathan, mainly)will chronicle our trip across the USA...

 

Sunday, July 16th:  We left L.A. at 8:00 am and enjoyed NO traffic through Barstow and Las Vegas(3 hours and 15 min.).  I finally figured out a way to not lose money in Vegas--Don't Stop!!!  Of course we played Viva Las Vegas by Elvis as we passed through Sin City.  We drove through lots of desert and made our next stop in beautiful St. George, Utah.  After a quick stop we travelled on to Richfield, Utah, where we spent the night.  The hotel had a nice indoor pool(and, in case Taylor is wondering, had a pond outside, which was nice). The weather has been great.  It's been hot but we heard that Indio was 122, so everything is relative.  Speaking of relatives, we are staying in Utah. End of day!

Monday, July 17th:  We headed out of Richfield early and got to Grand Junction, Colorado, by noon.  The drive from Richfield to Grand Junction was one of the most scenic routes ever.  After a nice lunch at a French restaurant, Jacque in de Bochs, we headed on to our resort and tournament destination, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The drive from Richfield to Steamboat took 6 hours.  It seemed like a drive to Huntington Beach which sometimes takes that long(that darn 91 freeway).  After arriving in S.S. the Toros had a little practice until it got way too windy.  The daytime temps. in S.S. have been in the high 80's to mid 90's.  But the nights are in the 50's.  End of day!

 

Tuesday, July 18th:  The Toros had Skills Competitions today.  Unfortunately no one placed.  The Opening Ceremonies were on tap inside a Rodeo.  It was great.  After O.C. we went shopping at their local mom and pop general store....they call them WALMART here in Colorado!  We went fishing at the local pond and Jonathan caught a cold...no fish. Just kidding...End of day!

 

Wednesday, July 19th:  Finally some BASEBALL!  The Toros had to travel 45 minutes away to play in Craig.  We already passed through Craig on the way to Steamboat on Monday.  The drive was beautiful on Monday, a little less exciting on the way to our game on Wed. and even less enthralling on the way home from the games.  First we played the Murrieta..er..Longmott Hawks from Colo.:  Toros  23  Hawks  1.  Then we played the Temecula..er..Chatfield Chargers:  Toros  12  Chargers  2.  On the way home we saw hundreds of cows--that's no bull---and almost got pulled over while looking at the cattle on the side of the road.  Jonathan saved us by telling me to pay attention-so I wouldn't get a moooving violation.  We spent another afternoon of fishing(Kristina did the best with her "Finding Nemo" fishing pole). Although one fish was caught(and for you Salton Sea fans--it only had ONE head)the lightning, thunder, wind and rain are pretty much keeping us in. What luck, "Sandlot 2" is on TV!  We will find out around 10:00 PM who, when and where we play tomorrow.  That's 9:00 PM in California, so if you find out before us give me a call!

 

Thursday, July 20th(I think):  The Toros ended up as the 5th seed(out of 57 teams-not bad).  They got a bye the 1st round of the playoffs and ended up playing the Temec...aaaa...Des Moines(remember, you don't pronounce the s--there's the educational part) Mariners.  We played at a beautiful field called Strawberry Park (Forever) and won 7-0 behind two monster blasts from Brian Serven and Steven Cuevas. The fences were about 190 ft.  Brian's was about 240 ft.! The boys play tomorrow back in Craig.  I can make the drive with my eyes closed. We do go through Hayden, which truly is a one stoplight town.  We'll tell Opie and Gomer hey. Thunderstorms and rain are on the horizon again.  Actually two people in Colorado Springs were hit by lightning on Wednesday.  It's hard to keep track of what's going on in the world when you are on trips like this.  Someone just told me that Hawaii is now a state?

 

Friday, July 21st:  TOROS WIN, TOROS WIN!!!!  The Toros reach the Final Four by defeating a very good team from Murr--er--Long Beach: the Ferocious Squad, 8-4.  By virtue of the win the boys get to attend "Media Day" so they can give all their personal info in case they reach the Finals. The drive to Craig was great(once again).  Unfortunately, Opie and Gomer were out of town in Hayden.  But, incredibly, we did see Barney, Floyd, Otis(my man), Earnest T. Bass(anyone?)Goober, Oliver Wendall Douglass, his wife Lisa, Arnold Ziffel, Mr. Haney, Eb, Hank Kimble(he said it was a good game, well maybe not a good one...), the Monroe Brothers and Sam Drucker(guess what was on TV Land when I woke up?).   They all say hey!  The weather is incredible today.  This morning I awoke early so, I went on a leisurely jog along one of the many trails.  It was a transcendental and self-actualizing run(refer to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and/or John Wooden's Pyramid of Success).  Running through the woods, next to a river, seeing birds, squirrels, hawks, dogs swimming in the river, clouds in the sky, cool and clean air, bike riders and the mountains nearby(in 65 degree weather) truly was surreal.  But, to top it off, the local radio station played a block of music by John Denver, including Annie's Song, Calypso and ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!!!  Now, for the most incredible story(parents this may get graphic):  As I completed my run into a scenic park I realized I needed to use the facilities.  Fortunately, just as I entered the park there was a restroom.  But as I walked to the restroom I couldn't escape a very odiferous smell encompassing me.  Oh no!  At my advanced age I thought I may have had an unfortunate accident.  As I turned around to check out where the smell was coming from, I thankfully saw the sign for the natural mineral spring directly behind me:  Sulphur Springs!!!  What a relief!!!  Tomorrow we are going white water tubing, with our experienced guide, Clark W. Griswold.

 

PS:  Media Day was great.  Just the coaches, players and family were invited.  The Triple Crown Directors made a big deal about the boys from Palm Desert being in the final four.  I was trying to think of the last team from the Desert to be in the final four at a prestigious national tournament....mmmm.....oh, yeah, the Palm Desert Titans in Cooperstown...this year represented and reconfigured by, who else...THE DESERT STORM!!!  By the way, check our brackets on the menu!

 

Saturday, July 22:  Toros face off against the Santa Clarita Spartans in a battle of 2 of the 4 unbeaten teams left, at noon.  The Spartans go ahead 1-0 early until Brian Serven blasts a two run home run.  Spartans go back ahead 4-2 entering the bottom of the 5th.  Brian once again goes yard to put the Toros up, 5-4.  The Spartans load the bases with no outs, but that same kid, Brian, strikes out the next two and DJ Hernandez tags out the runner trying to score from third on a passed ball.  Onto the 6:00 battle vs. the Long Beach Dirtbags, the only other team that is 5-0 out of 57 teams!  We did watch a game yesterday where the home team really was the Murrieta Heat.  In between games, Jonathan, his Dad, Andrew Alvarez(on the So Cal Magic 13's) and 3 year old Kristina went white water tubing down the Yampa River.  What an experience!  Dealing with a 3 year old white water tubing for a couple of miles was an experience in and of itself.  It's 80ish degrees here.  We heard it's real nice back home? 
     Toros lose to the Dirtbags.  We play the SC Spartans again at 8:00 am to get the chance to play the Dirtbags in the Championship at 11:00.  Bye.

 

Sunday, July 23:  The Toros' impressive run in the Triple Crown World Series came to an end today as the Toros lost to the SC Spartans, 11-6, in a game where a number of valiant comebacks came up short.  The game ended with one of the Toros best hitters up and the bases loaded.  Steven Cuevas hit it hard but right at the 3rd baseman, who just tagged his base to wrap up the win.  The Toros(and the rest of the Desert) should be proud of their accomplishments at the T.C. World Series, by finishing in 3rd Place.  Lets see...now all we have to do is relax in the 80 degree sunshine or go white water tubing again.  Tonight the top 4 teams are invited to an awards ceremony at the top of the mountain at "The Lodge".  We have to take a gondola of the side of the mountain.  I just want to know how a boat can get all the way up the mountain.....Tomorrow morning our journey continues as we head on to Denver to meet up with the Rieks as we continue "On the Road to Cooperstown"...... 

 

Monday, July 24:  I apologize for not updating today.  We were driving a lot and couldn't access the high speed internet at our hotel in Denver.  I tried to install the software but I couldn't find where to put the installation CD.  All I found was a cup holder.  Then, I could not, for the life of me, find the "ANY" key.  What are they talking about?  Finally on Tuesday I figured out how to access high speed internet!  Well, we checked out of Steamboat Springs after visiting with our old friend, Tom Callahan, from the SGV Cobras, who were in S.S. for the 12's World Series.  Good luck to them...We made the drive to Denver from S.S., going from 6000 ft. to almost 10,000 ft. and then back down to 6,000 ft. again.  At one point we drove THROUGH a mountain in a tunnel which lasted for about a mile!!  As Jonathan said, AAAAAAAHHHH!

After driving alongside a river for most of the drive and enjoying the scenic route, we checked in and tried to find a field to hit and throw a little.  The thunderstorms put a damper on the baseball practice but after visiting WalMart we decided to go the the Colorado Rockies game.  At the game we saw a guy who looked just like David Kato of the Toros.  Wow! It was him!  The pitcher for the Rockies had a perfect game for 6 innings but ended up with a 2 hitter.  The field was incredible(Coors Field).  I suggested they rename it Keystone Light Field!  There is no difference(ask Ben and Tony).

 

Tuesday, July 25th:  We left Denver(the Servens and the Rieks in a caravan) and drove ALL the way to Omaha, Neb.  Yes, all the way!!!  The weather was great the entire way.  We went through so many cities that I can't list them here.  We did stop in Julesburg and ate at "THE" most popular restaurant in Colorado and Nebraska, "Subway".  After that, we stopped in Gothenburg, which is the home to a genuine Pony Express Station.  While there, we found some local fields to hit and throw.  A local, who was working on the fields, said he had heard of Palm Desert.  He said he had read that Palm Desert is the town where some 6th graders played with the high school team in a summer league, and, actually, had one kid throw out a runner at first base from the outfield.  Jonathan loved his bag with all the goodies that Carol and Tommi filled it up with.  Our pins will be the most sought after pins(maybe, ever!)  They are AWESOME!!!!  One aspect of our trip that cannot be ignored is how much CORN there is in Nebraska.  I swear that there are HUNDREDS of SQUARE MILES of corn in Nebraska.. I was able to explain to my boys why Nebraska Univ. is the Cornhuskers and why they call Latrell Sprewell's hairdo, "Cornrows".   The boys(Trae, Jordan, Jonathan and Brian) wanted to let everyone know how many animals we saw on the side of the road.  The biggest was a doe, a deer, a female deer right bye a ray, a drop of golden

sun, me a name I call myself, far a long ways still to drive.....We got to our hotel in Omaha and went swimming(kind of late).  I jumped in and yelled, "it's COLD".  I disturbed the swimming waitress who was taking my order for our dinner.  End of day!

 

Wednesday, July 26:  Driving a lot today.  We left a very nice part of Omaha, Nebraska, headed to Chicago.  We stopped at the Bob Feller Museum near Des Moines, Iowa(don't say the s's).  There was just as much corn in Iowa as Nebraska.  IT's AMAZING!!!  We drove past the College World Series site.  We entered Illinois(don't say the s) at the Mississippi River(the Ole Miss, the Old Man....Deep River...I digress).  It was awesome.  Coach Brian only swerved one time while driving and he happened to do it into a state trooper.  I think it said Buford T. Justice on the side of the car.  No ticket, though.  We headed into Chicago after taking a look at all the corn.  We got into O'Hare Marriot and ate at Gino's, an Authentic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Restaurant! Did I tell you we saw lots of corn?  End of day.

Thursday, July 27th:  Incredibly, we slept in and the boys(Servens and Rieks) enjoyed the pool in the morning. We drove in to downtown Chicago and stopped at Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Lake Michigan , and saw lots of big buildings and something we haven't seen in a while:  TRAFFIC!!!  After driving past White Sox Stadium we headed to Erie, Pennsylvania, by way of, Indiana and Ohio.  Actually, the Servens ended up staying in Cleveland and the Rieks went on to Erie.  Brian is an ironman on the road...On the road we talked to Coach Lennon who said he was stuck in Las Vegas.  If you are going to be stuck somewhere that would be the place.  Our question is, do they have slot machines at the airport?  End of day.

 

Friday, July 28th:  We finished driving through Ohio and Pennsylvania(we went through some Amish areas-Al Yankovic says hello-he's living in an Amish Paradise...)  We arrived in Cooperstown at around 6:00 pm, checked in, bought some fans for the barracks and then the frenzy began...The Desert Storm pin was(and is)in such demand that we will have a new direction in fundraising for the future.  The boys hung in the town of Cooperstown and settled down for a restful night of sleep--yeah right.  End of day.

 

 
The Storm end up as the #4 seed out of 96 teams.  The boys go 7-0 in pool play. 

Wednesday, August 2nd: 
Storm  17   Team Connecticut Baseball  2
Highlights:  Back to back to back Home runs by Joseph, Ryan and Jonathan.  Jordan also hit one and then Joseph unloaded and hit a 2nd homer, a Grand Slam



08/03/06
Desert Sorm wins their first playoff game, 10-1, over our buddies the Carolina Penguins, who were 5-2.
Highlights:  Excellent pitching from Joseph, Jonathan, Connor and Joey!  The boys started with a knockout punch in the bottom of the 1st.  Joey, Joseph, Ryan all HAMMERED the ball for hits and then Jonathan went BOOM again with a monster 3 run Homerun.  Then Jose jacked another HR.  Then, Jordan got another basehit.  Before it was over the Storm put up a 5 spot and cruised to the victory over a very good team.

August 4th:
2nd Playoff Game @ 8:30 am vs. the powerful Greensboro Batting Center team out of North Carolina.

More Highlights and Memories:
(as our sleep deprivation and deleriousness is lessened more things will be added)
Joey making play after play at all his positions: pitcher, catcher, 2nd Base, Shortstop and Third Base.  Talk about versatile...He was one of the top leadoff hitters at CDP always causing trouble at the top of the order.
Ryan hitting the ball as hard as humanly possible almost EVERY at bat.  He made great defensive plays and even pitched and played the outfield.  Ryan hit 2 HR's and had many, many others hits.
Zack making diving catches, throwing out runners and hammering the ball.  Zack had to play numerous positions, too: right field, 1st base and pitcher.  Great baserunning and being a true team player.
Jordan being solid behind the plate.  In 10 games there couldn't have been more than 4 stolen bases!  Jordan was solid on the mound, at 3rd Base and hit the ball consistently hard while clubbing two HomeRuns!
Connor was his usual slick self at SS.  He flawlessly made play after play while starting numerous double plays.  He showed why he is so vital to our success.  He pitched well, too.  He hit the ball time and time again, spraying the ball all over the field.  Picking off two runners in the same inning was spectacular.
Joseph was phenominal...He pitched incredibly while hitting the ball as well as anyone.  He hit 3 Home Runs, including a Grand Slam.  He had 6 RBI's in one game!  His defense was solid while playing pitcher, 2nd Base, 3rd Base, 1st Base and the outfield.
Mikey was his normal pesky self to the opponents.  If he wasn't dropping down great bunts, spraying the ball all over or making diving catches he was stealing base after base and creating havoc on the basepaths.  Mikey played left field, right field, center field and 2nd Base.
Jose was one of the hitters the other teams feared.  Any time teams saw Jose take batting Practice they stood there in awe!  He played a brilliant center field and jacked two Home Runs and came up with numerous other big plays.  He also played some 1st base.  Thank goodness the pitcher was alright, as Jose hit a bullet up the middle and knocked the pitcher out of the game.  After his Home Run in the playoffs, he ran around the bases at a blistering pace.  He just wanted to get back with his teammates!
Jonathan pitched very, very well.  He shut down EVERYONE we faced.  He struck out the toughest hitter in the tourney by mixing pitches and then after shaking off four or five pitches, (causing the batter to call time), he made him fall over with a splitter that fell off the table--which ended the game vs. the tough Batting Center team. Also, picking off the tying run in the same game was huge(as was the runner-which meant he wasn't stealing anyway). He played pitcher, 2nd Base, 1st base and some outfield while clubbing a team leading 4 HR's, including a monster blast in our 1st playoff game.
Casey came up huge.  In our 1st Game against one of the early favorites, Team Worth, Casey jacked a Home Run to pretty much put the game away. Then he threw out their fastest runner at 2nd who was trying to turn a single into a double, which thwarted their rally. He played great defense while having to play 3rd Base, catcher, Left field, Right Field and even pitched.  He hit the ball hard all tourney and gave his usual 110% effort. 
Jacob was our ace in the whole.  Brought along for insurance, how great was it to get a fantastic attitude, speed, talent and versatility in one package.  Jacob scored lots of runs, including some game winners, played all over, including 3rd Base, Catcher and all the outfields.  He got a couple of at bats and fit in nicely with the rest of the boys.

*Thank you to the greatest group of Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, husbands, wives, friends and supporters who were there every morning, afternoon, evening for games, meetings, parties, dinners, trips into town for supplies(we went through approx. 20 CASES of water), trips into town for sightseeing(don't ever forget the train ride-and Coach Novis hitchhiking his way into town).

Don't ever forget:
****The Connecticut Cut-through:  We are still trying to verify a baserunning move that Team Connecticut did where a runner on 1st base cut through the infield right behind the pitcher and went towards 3rd base.  We were informed it is a move legal in Connecticut since 1984.......Jason was trying to get some info.....
-Back to Back to Back Jacks
-Joey and Ryan giving up their at bats to let another teammate get a plate appearance
-Zack and Joey falling asleep on the train
-The bus ride after the train(it holds 43 but we had 70 on the bus)
-Jose saying, "I'm just Thirsty"
-Surviving thunder storms and tornado watches while families huddled in restrooms
-ipod music in dorms
-Ryan hanging out with Lou the owner and having a lively little give and take
-Joey saying, "I could have dove and maybe fielded the ball going up the middle but I knew Jose was going to throw him out at first" and really meaning it(and, it was a good decision)
-Movie night in the dorm, "we got sharks..."
-PIN Frenzy: nobody can really understand, but we had 30 kids outside our dorm at all times waiting for the hope that we may have a pin to trade.(or auction off, hey Zack?)
-Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the "Tent"
-Speaking of dorm food, dropping off the kids at the lake
-The boys showing up to watch a game, not for the teams, but to cheer on OUR umpire, Jason Beck!  The fans on that side could not believe we were there to support our Umpire.  All of the moms gave out a collective, "ahhhh"  Great job Jason!!!
-Just FYI, as the Serven's were buying pizza in NYC, a boy who was at CDP, after finding out which team we were with, said, "Oh, do you have any pins?"
-Players(who will remain anonymous)getting top dollar for our pins.
-Zack(in some irony) trading BACK for a Desert Storm pin!
-Joseph standing at the update board hearing some kids talk about how awesome the pitcher was who beat their team and realizing they were talking about HIM!
-Jordan, Joseph, Jonathan, Mikey, Joey, Casey, Connor, Ryan, Jacob playing around the horn in front of the dorms with a suction cup ball.
-Joey and Jordan falling asleep in the dorms in record time
-Gold Bond all around
-Coach Novis' regular Doeppler reports(he said he was a cosmetologist)
-Having Coach Tony and Coach Ben with us again
-Coach TD Lorenger being prepared with an Umbrella at the Championship Game(at least he didn't have a poncho on)
-Game reconoitering (look it up)with Coach Taylor, Coach Jim and Coach Bryan 
-Cheering on the Red River Raiders--those rascals
-Wishing the Mudville coaches good luck--and, then... asking if they were done with their roll...
-Batting practice as teams stood and just stared and other coaches telling their players to watch us.
-Vitamin C(nothing else needs to be said)
-baby's arm:  ask Jason
-Dave Clark trying to figure out a way to level the Abner House(he has the ultimate set of tools)
-Coach Ben trying to figure out a way to put in an outlet in the dugout so we could plug in a fan
-Coach Tony singing "Christopher Robin"one more time

*****Never forget the emotions we all shared, especially at our final team meeting after our loss to the OTown boys...Remember, those were not tears of sadness because we lost a baseball game, those were tears of gladness, respect, love, caring, understanding, friendship, bonding, togetherness and most of all they were tears of knowing that a Great, Great chapter in our lives was coming to a close....We hope that a new Chapter as 13's is just starting...But as many teams imploded in front of our eyes(disgruntled fans, players, and parents)we came closer and closer together and truly embodied a "family" and "team".  As we look back at the baseball part of this year: 64-13-3, numerous Championships, learning, improving, growing, and solid baseball all around it will be all of the other intangibles which we will all remember.

The Servens and Reik's journey back to the Desert from Cooperstown continues....

Friday, July 5th and Saturday, July 6th::  After checking out at the park the families headed in to New York City!
In ONE day the families experienced:
-cab rides, pedicab rides, catamaran rides, subway rides(no driving--yeah!)
-We saw:  Ground Zero(World Trade Center), the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, The New York Library, Grand Central Station, Trump Tower, Central Park, ESPN Zone in Times Square, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building(yes, it's the one King Kong climbed) and many other historical landmarks.  Did you know N.Y. City was our Capital once?
We headed on to New Jersey and Pennsylvania with plans to stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OHIO, on our way to our next destination, Columbus, Ohio.  Now why isn't America called Columbus or Columbia or something like that since Columbus founded this land?  Because...the mapmaker he asked to draw the picture named it after himself, AMERIGO VESPUCCI.  This is the truth!  End of Saturday.

***Oh, yeah...On the way to Ohio the Servens stopped in Williamsport, Penn, "The Home of the Little League World Series".  What an incredible baseball complex it is!

Sunday, August 6th:  The Servens headed into Columbus, Ohio, after staying the night in DuBois.  The Reiks ended up in Pittsburgh and headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.  After a nice stay at the Renaissance Hotel in Columbus, we will both be headed into St. Louis on Monday.  If we get lost we can just pull over in a neighborhood and ask for directions.  What it is...We don't want to drive too fast because as I told my boys, "you see kids, a car..."

Monday, August 7th:  Unbelievably as we came across the bridge into St. Louis, we missed the correct turn and ended up in an unusual neighborhood.  Luckily, I knew a guy who was walking down the street, Steven Holmes, so I said, "excuse me, Holmes, do you know how to get back on the interstate?".  Thankfully, he hooked me up with his cousin down the street who gave us good directions(for only $20.00).  We saw all of the sights:  Busch Stadium, Ram Stadium(?) and the St. Louis Arch.  We ended up staying in a nice suburb and ate at Ozzie Smith's Restaurant.  As you walked in he had ALL of his REAL GOLD GLOVES on display!

Tuesday, August 8th:  We made our way into Tulsa, Oklahoma, and thought about visiting the Oklahoma City Bombing site.  We decided against it, reasoning that there could not possibly be any more terrorist acts in the U..S(oops, maybe we were a bit premature).  We stayed in a nice part of Tulsa and had a nice dinner with the Reiks, celebrating Terry's Birthday.

Wednesday, August 9th:  We stayed in Amarillo(you pronounce the L's), Texas.  Both of our families went to a fun pizza place, Mr. Gatti's(not Gotti).  That's all!

Thursday, August 10th:  We drove A LOT today.  We both decided to bypass Albuquerque.  No one will believe this, but we saw David Cassidy(Keith Partridge) hitchhiking!  We asked him where he wanted to go and he said,(predictably), "Point me, in the direction of Albuquerque, I want to go home".  We went from Native American Trading Post to trading post...We went from Texas to New Mexico and into Arizona, ending up in Flagstaff(very Steamboat Springsish).  The Reiks ended up in Phoenix.  Tomorrow the Servens will visit the Grand Canyon, especially on the lookout for Bobby and Cindy(who are with the little Indian boy).  When we find them, they will be with the Boy and his Grandfather( Jay Silverheels---who played whom on TV?).  No mule rides(on advice from Alice).

Friday, August 11th:  We headed into Phoenix, by way of a beautiful drive through Flagstaff.  As we saw the signs that showed a "Deer" or "Elk" Crossing we were still amazed that these animals continue to cross highways and were somewhat of a concern to drivers.  Then, I thought, what do drivers from areas out of California think when they drive to San Diego(on the 5 Freeway) and see a sign that has a man, a woman and a child in the air!  We stayed at an incredible resort.,The Hilton Pointe, and had a great time.  We decided to drive home Saturday(the boys said the resort was just like being home, how nice).  The resort had a pool, a basketball court, and ping pong.  The only thing we don't have at home is a water slide, in a tube, through the rocks....But, we do have friends named the Sperbers...As we pulled into the desert the song on the radio was, "I Hope You Had The Time of Your Life", by Green Day(Jonathan told me the real name is, "Good Riddance", but that doesn't help the story...)  Our trip came to an end, but what a trip it was.  My family will always remember how friendly, polite and helpful everyone across the country was.  The USA is the greatest country in the world and, we were told, that after 9/11, people have pulled together and realized we are all on the same team.  I can't imagine a better vacation, sharing time with my family, and seeing 16 states(all the while playing baseball---don't forget the PALM DESERT TOROS came in 3rd out of 57 teams and the DESERT STORM came in 5th out of 96 teams).  Good luck to ALL the teams from the Desert in all their upcoming tournaments!!!!