Forget Punxsutawney Phil.
Forget the calendar.
Spring is around the corner.
How do I know that. No, it's not because snow has been for the most part a rumor this winter, and we have consistently flirted with the 50-degree mark much of the time since the holidays.
I know spring is here when I start thinking about one word: Clearwater.
The Phillies caravan will pull out of Citizens Bank Park this morning, headed south to sunny Florida.
I can admit it's on my bucket list. A trip to spring training - maybe with some golf squeezed in along the way - is something I have always wanted to do.
Maybe that's why I'm so damn jealous this morning of Jim Salisbury and Ricky Bottalico.
Salisbury is the longtime baseball sage and Phillies Insider reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia. Bottalico, the former Phillies' closer, is a crack baseball analyst.
To celebrate the arrival of spring training, they've decided to take a page out of "Animal House."
In other words - Road Trip.
The duo are planning to drive to Florida and report along the way.
And you can get in on the party - because they are kicking off their trek this morning at a Delco Wawa. Gottahavva coffee before they hit the road.
Phillies fans are invited to send them at the Wawa in Folsom, Ridley Township, at 1730 MacDade Blvd. this morning at 7 a.m., for a hometown pep rally with local friends and neighbors, including Wawa’s own mascot Wally Goose. They will have giveaways, and special liberty latte beverage samples to toast the duo’s departure.
Here's what their itinerary looks like and the places they plan to hit along the way:
* Nationals Park – home of the World Series Champion Washington Nationals..
* (Jim) Salisbury, North Carolina.
* Spartanburg, South Carolina – Duncan Park – Where Bottalico made his minor league debut.
* Dallas, Georgia – Zack Wheeler’s hometown.
* Atlanta, Georgia – former home of Fulton County Stadium, where Bottalico made his Major League debut.
* Clearwater, Florida – Arrive Sunday.
Highlights from Making The Trip will be available as a digital series on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com starting Monday, Feb. 10.
I have just one question: Do you have room for one more?
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