Day 39

Looeyville

I woke up today with a 39 minute run around the neighborhood next to our hotel. I felt great - it was hot but I managed to get out at 9:00 and stay in the shade for most of the way.

I then got ready, had a quick breakie and we drove into town to see the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.



Outside the front doors is the world's biggest bat - 120 feet tall.





And next door (ironically) is the Kentucky Mirror & Plate Glass.



And of course inside is the factory where the baseball bats preferred by most professionals have been made since 1884. And a museum with lots of different exhibits. You can read about the origins and history of the game, see all the stars and their accomplishments through the years and take part in some activities. You can select a pitcher and then stand behind home plate while he throws at a make believe catcher. It's quite cool because you are watching a projection of the pitcher and when the ball reaches the release point a machine shoots a ball out of the wall at 90 miles per hour. You are behind plexiglass which is good because some of the pitchers have control problems. You only have about .4 of a second to realise what is happening. By the time your brain catches up the ball has already either hit the catcher or (in the case of a ball) the glass in front of you. In between pitchers, is a recording of Ted Williams explaining why he thought that hitting a baseball is the hardest skill to learn in all of sports.









We also took a tour of how the bats are made but were not allowed to take any pictures inside the factory. All of the bats come from either Maple trees or Ash trees that grow in northern Pennsylvania and across the border in southern New York. A company cuts the trees down and uses a lathe to create billets. A billet is a block of wood that is about two feet in length and weighs about two pounds. The billets are shipped to Louisville (and arrive every Monday morning) to be made into bats. The billets are sent through another lathe that creates a bat in about 45 seconds. Different lathes are used for commercial, amateur and professional bats. Each pro is allowed to order their own bats and based on their contracts can get between 8 and 13 dozen bats each season. The lathe that cuts the pros' bats has a hard drive with over 1000 variables that can be applied to create a custom made bat for each player. After the bat has been formed, it is checked for quality control and then the Louisville logo and player's signature are burned into the bat. The bats are then heated to bring out the wood's natural color and finally dipped into a clear or colored lacquer to provide a finish. Only nine different colors are available and it is one of the variables each player must choose.

When the tour ended, we watched a short film about the game that featured interviews and footage of some of the greats through the years. It was interesting to hear the players explain how they prepare for an at bat and what methods they employ to actually hit the ball.

We collected our miniature Slugger souvenir bats and where out the doors in search of some rub a dub. We came across a place called Bristol Bar & Grill. I had a posh Johnny and a double espresso to fuel me for the rest of the day.Leaving the restaurant, we walked up to view the Ohio River.





We then made our way to the Muhammad Ali Center for a quick look around.



There is a fee to see the exhibits but we managed to wander around the gimp shop and then upstairs without being noticed.

There is a gallery of paintings by LeRoy Neiman done throughout Ali's entire career. If you look closely at the bottom of the second picture you can see the sign saying Ali Neiman in the reflection of the frame.





We also checked out another photo exhibit by Ali's best friend Howard Birmingham and went up to another floor where you could watch any of Ali's fights on TV screens around the room.







Running a few minutes behind schedule, we got the flock out of Looeyville and onto 71N to Cincinnati. In a mad rush, we found a hotel off 71N in Kentucky, checked in, got back on to 71 into Cincinnati, parked up, bought tickets in the 500 level for only fifteen bucks and ate some pizza all before 7:00!

We took our seats and settled in for the game. The Reds took the lead, lost the lead and came back in the 8th to win 5-4. It was a good game but the atmosphere was a bit stale. But that is probably because the Reds suck. That's not what I think but that is what the media think and by the sounds of it most people in the ball park as well. They have inconsistent hitting, fielding and pitching. They fired their manager earlier this year and have the worst record in baseball. Still, they won and nothing beats hanging in the ball park on a hot summer evening.



The shadows were tall.







The mascots were out in full force.





A guy called Homer was the starting pitcher for the Reds.



Ken Griffey Jr didn't pass Frank Robinson in the all time home run list.



The sunset was great.



There were lots of pitching changes.



The guy next to us was Statsie O'Loughlin.



And of course, there was the traffic on the way home.

Day 38

Grand Ol' Opry

They say that any classic story song you can think of that either makes you laugh out loud or cry in your beer, probably came from Nashville. And although the city has probably spawned almost every major Country star that ever lived, it isn't all about Country music. Well, it actually is but there is a tiny bit of room left over for some other singers and songwriters.

After a very much needed kip, I woke up early and went for a 39-I-feel-like-I'm-going-to-fall-over-from-the-heat run. It was great. I felt lousy. Oh, the joys of long distance running...

We checked out of Best Western and drove north to see The Grand Old Opry.





I had phoned ahead and been told that we could do a tour at either 12:00 or 2:00. Now, I am not a very big fan of Country music but the place blew me away. It is impossible to not feel chills when you walk inside and see the stage that has hosted musicians and celebrities from every single corner of the world.

We arrived early, only to find that the 12:00 tour was already sold out. Bitter! We bought tickets for the 2:00 tour and then had a gander around the museum next door.

The Grand Ole Opry started as a radio program in the National Life & Accident Insurance Company on October 18, 1925. For over two years, the show featured string quartets, fiddlers and other old-time musicians. In 1927, the program director, George Hay, remarked that the music one night was taken from the Grand Opera after several hours of 'realistic' music. He dubbed the program as the Grand Ole Opry and the name stuck. For the next 15 years, audiences increased and public interest grew. During this time the venue for the show moved several times before settling in the Ryman Auditorium in 1943.

The Ryman was the home to the Grand Ole Opry until 1974, when it moved to the Opry House and still broadcasts from there today. In the last 33 years everyone from Garth Brooks to the Smashing Pumpkins have played there. In addition numerous sports, television and film stars have appeared on stage as well. Over the years, many stars have said that the biggest thrill in playing The Opry is knowing that the same stage they are standing on has seen legend after legend on it since the first show there in 1974.

The museum contained numerous exhibits of all the regulars and members of the Opry. There was a section containing all of the advertising posters and flyers. There were several sections set up as replicas of sitting rooms or offices of several of the members. It was all very interesting.















Feeling pecky, we walked across the street to The Opry Mills. Yes, there is a mall there called The Mills. We had a long gander around and then had a sambo from Subway.

Finally, 2:00 rolled around and we were allowed into The Opry. The tour was really good - it explained the history of the Opry and was conducted by a mighty good guide! She was fully kitted out in a Loretta Lynn tin of fruit and was extremely enthusiastic.

We watched a video, went through the main entrance into the offices, saw behind the scenes in a studio and wandered past all of the dressing rooms. We were then allowed on stage to take pictures and the whole group (except me and Paulo) sang 'You Are My Sunshine'. They wouldn't let us sing 'Break On Through' so we both opted to hang back on stage and not participate.













Of course when you are in Nashville and you are at The Grand Ole Opry, there is one more place you have to stop and see.



"Gou... Gou... Gou..."

This place was great! It was apparently set up by the actor who played Cooter and it must contain every single piece of merchandising ever made for the show. It has all the vehicles used in the show, endless pictures, toys, records, posters and even Daisy Duke's hotter-than-hot hot pants.









When we left, we were going to venture into Hazard County but decided it was just a little too far out of our way.



So, instead we got on to 65N instead and drove into Kentucky. The usual stop at the visitor center provided us with a coupon for a room in a Days Inn that was advertised as only ten minutes from the city. In actual fact, it was about ten miles (and 25 minutes).

We checked in and drove into town for a bite. I had seen Bluegrass Brewing Company advertised somewhere, so we went there. There seemed to be a really good buzz in the city and the bar was pretty cool. I ordered some chili as a starter and it was fantastic! I also sampled some of the local amber ale - very tasty.

We were both shattered, so we drove back to the hotel and went to sleep. The piles of miles really wore us out today.

More Americana

Day 37

The Day After The 4th Of July

OK, I probably drank a bit too much yesterday. But it was a national holiday, it's kind of expected isn't it? I did NOT get up for a run this morning. In fact I did not even get up in the morning. We slept it out until the early afternoon.

When we finally rose we had to rush to get out because we were so hungry. But this time we drove and found a great spot called Noshville. It's a proper, old school New York deli. Their catch phrase is 'Make your mother happy. Eat lots.' So we did. Both things.





I ordered a club sandwich but as a curve ball replaced the bacon with corned beef. The thing was so big that I had to split each half into another half. In the end I couldn't get my gob around it and had to settle for a bow wow.

Feeling adequately full, we decided to do our favourite hung-over, feeling-low thing. Check out a few record shops. We lucked out because The Great Escape was right across the street from Noshville. We had a sniff around but didn't buy anything. Actually, Paulo bought one disc. It's just rude to go into a good shop and not buy anything.

Next we made our way to Grimey's, which by most accounts (including ours) is Nashville's best record shop.



When we got there they were playing Interpol's new album 'Our Love To Admire' even though it isn't being released until the tenth. When Paulo asked your man at the counter, he replied by saying that he had a "cheeky" copy. Paulo's response was, "oh man, you are killing me!" The guy responded by giving him a free copy of 'The Heinrich Maneuver' on vinyl. Fair play. we had a good look around and each of us bought some preloved CDs and a T-shirt. More stuff for our respective 'bags 'o trash".

We then drove back to the hotel and crashed for the night as we were both knackered.