Phillies' truck ready to roll (and rock)
Driven by FM radio, equipment makes its way from Philly to Clearwater
PHILADELPHIA -- The balls, bats, caps, jerseys and more have been carefully packed and loaded for their 1,055-mile trek to Clearwater, Fla.
The Phillies' equipment truck left Citizens Bank Park on Thursday morning with everything the team needs for six weeks of Spring Training, which begins Feb. 13. The trip will be completed Saturday when the truck unloads at Bright House Field.
Items in the truck include:
• 2,400 baseballs
• 1,200 bats
• 600 batting practice caps
• 10,000 POWERADE cups
• 2,000 short- and long-sleeve shirts
• 600 pairs of pants
• 450 pairs of socks
• 350 pair of shorts
• 250 batting practice tops
• 200 fleeces
• 200 light jackets
• 150 pairs of batting gloves
• 140 batting helmets
"We've never run out of anything," Phils manager of equipment and umpire services Dan O'Rourke said.
Of course, there are some more relatively random items on the truck, including 25 sets of golf clubs, six bikes and the Phanatic's hot dog launcher. The Phanatic helped load the launcher on the truck.
Marty Garland from Havertown, Pa., is driving the truck to Florida. He said this is the sixth time he has made the trip. Garland is allowed to drive only 14 hours per day, so he will spend Thursday night somewhere in North Carolina.
Asked how he kills time during the drive, Garland said he just drives. He has no satellite radio or CDs, which means he is constantly flipping through the FM dial to find music he wants to hear.
"It's hard to find a rock station in the South," Garland joked.
Garland said he is looking forward to the trip.
"It's a nice little run," Garland said. "In the wintertime, it's nice and warm down there."