Long trips can either be really fun or they can really suck, depending on the circumstances How would I necessarily rate this trip? The trip to Laconia wasn’t bad, the game, despite the fact that we lost, was enjoyable, not as enjoyable, say as the pre game, but still great, it was the trip home that really wasn’t great, but then again, when you have to drive home at 2:00 in the morning, you’re going to feel awful.

Complaints aside, from a day standpoint, it was probably one of the more fun days I’ve had in this internship.

I felt that after the doubleheader, we needed to keep the momentum up, so I brought a movie that I thought would pump the team up: Mr. 3000.

Probably the best film I’ve brought on a trip, as I soon saw a tweet quoting one of the best lines from the movie.

What's my name?! Stan Rossss — Joey Arena (@JoeyBats31) June 23, 2014

Moving back to the pre game, one of the first things we noticed was the replica Green Monster at Robbie Mills Field. While obviously not as impressive as its Bostonian counterpart, props to the Muskrats for trying to give their park a personality.

Now, as far as the Laconia Pressbox, I honestly think it’s one of the best. Sure, we shared it with a lot of unsold merchandise, equipment, and even the costume for Marco the Muskrat (For any child who reads this, I’m sorry to ruin your childhood. Also, Santa isn’t real.) but compared to most press boxes in the league, this thing is a mansion.

As somebody who has a responsibility to look over rosters, there were some notable names that jumped out, namely two big ones on the Laconia roster: The first was Iona pitcher Mariano Rivera Jr. And no, that isn’t a coincidence or a typo, Mariano Rivera’s son does play for the Muskrats. Unfortunately for the Yankee fans on the team, Mariano was not there.

The other big name was Jordan Sheffield, a pitcher from Vanderbilt. Now, for those who aren’t familiar with what happened in the 2013 and 2014 draft, both he and his brother were draft picks. Jordan, who was supposed to be a first round pick, saw his draft stock tumble after injuring his pitching shoulder and having Tommy John Surgery. Jordan redshirted at Vandy, who by coincidence, had advanced to the College World Series final against Virginia the previous night.

I actually chatted with Jordan, congratulating him on his brother Justus being a first round draft pick (Indians, to be precise) and told him I would be rooting for Vandy in the College World Series.

While I was down there, I also snapped a picture of Max Knutson and his Nebraska teammate, Ben Miller. That’s the real beauty of college summer ball, the friendship across enemy lines dynamic.

Going back to the press box I lent my phone to Maggie, I can’t recall why. Next thing I knew, she handed it back to me literally a second later, and this image graced my photo stream.

Short note: She’s not allowed to use my phone anymore unless she’s properly supervised.

Max started the game for us, and while he wasn’t as bright as he was the previous game, he still was decent.

Probably the best contribution for the team was Zach Lavy, who managed to keep the game close by hitting his first home run. Given the sudden release of our (then) best batter, Tyler Homer, the post shock apparently was not as severe as we expected.

Throughout the game, the PA announcer, scorekeeper and I kept tabs on the USA-Portugal World Cup match, and the score was announced at the end of separate innings.

Possibly one of the best things to do when you’re traveling is to sample the local fare, and one of the big things up in Laconia is kettle corn. After sampling some, courtesy of the scorekeeper, I ended up running down to the vendor and picking up a bag to take home.

If you are ever up in Laconia, do yourself a favor and pick up a bag. Seriously, this stuff is like crack, it’s so addictive, so much so that I had to fend off Maggie and three Westerners from the stuff.