Running on empty

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2004-03-11

Running on empty
Mangin makes a 'rookie move' on his way to Spring Training in Arizona

By Brad Mangin, SportsShooter.com

Photo by Brad Mangin

Brad Mangin enjoys some bottled water in the desert while he waits to be rescued after running out of gas.

It was a lovely morning in beautiful Santa Barbara, California.

I was well-rested and ready for the 480-mile drive through the desert to Scottsdale, Arizona - the epicenter of what's known as the "Cactus League." (The twelve Major League Baseball teams currently doing their Spring Training rituals in Arizona.)

I've been lucky enough to cover Spring Training in Arizona before - about ten times so far - but making the trip by car, instead of by plane, was a first for me.

I didn't want to be late for what promised to be a very special gathering of friends at famed steakhouse "Don and Charlie's" where a dinner to honor V.J. Lovero was planned later that evening.

Driving always seemed so popular. Oakland A's team photographer Michael Zagaris does it every year, as does AP staffer Eric Risberg. Even Future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson made this drive every year. And hey, I enjoy driving, so why not me?

I split the drive into two parts.

Part One: Starting at my home in the San Francisco Bay Area and ending in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 9, where I would visit SportsShooter.com Store Manager Joe Gosen for a nice dinner, and then some aggressive use of his wireless network.

Part Two: Hit the road early Wednesday morning, giving myself approximately 7 desert-crossing hours to arrive in Scottsdale.

Before my little journey, I got some advice from a veteran of the drive itself: Trusted friend Rob Leiter, who is on assignment in Arizona covering spring training for Fleer trading cards.

Rob gave me tips on what highways to take, complete with a list of "must-see" sites along the way.

Photo by Brad Mangin

Johnny from Blythe Freeway Towing, Inc. & Auto Repair fills up Mangin's tank with gas on the side of Interstate 10 in the middle of the desert.

One big, very important point in the journey, Rob said, was the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum, located off Interstate 10, about 30 miles east of Indio at Chiriaco Summit. It was also a perfect place to fill up with gas because you could also admire all the weapons of war at the on display at the museum.

Tanks and guns? Fun! I was fired up.

I was on my cell phone (as usual), talking to legendary Upper Deck photographer Bob Binder. He was on his way to shoot the Padres in Peoria, Arizona, and I was doing a play-by-play for him as I happily described my surroundings.

Tanks and guns! Fun!

But then, well, it sorta stopped being fun. The perfect place to get gas is only perfect if it's open for business, and this one just-so-happened to be closed.

It seems they were doing some maintenance work and the entire station is shut down from March 8-11. My lucky day. I started to panic. Bob started to laugh. I was screwed.

I went into a nearby diner to ask for the location of the nearest gas station. Hoping for a favorable answer, the waitress told me the next available station was seventeen miles east.

My tank was near empty, but I jumped back onto Interstate 10 and watched in horror as gas gague set an all-time low record. And I continued to watch as it continued its downward trend until something happened that I've never before seen: My "low fuel" warning light came on.

After 20 miles or so at about 90mph, anxiously racing toward that gas station which should have already been there, it finally happened.

I had run out of gas in the middle of the desert.

Photo by Brad Mangin

Rod Carew, Bob Binder and Michael Zagaris gather in the bar at Don & Charlie's.

I was able to make a call to the California Highway Patrol, and they, in turn, contacted AAA. A tow truck from the nearest gas station would bring me a can of gas in a little over an hour.

Turns out the nearest gas station was in a little town called Blythe, Calif., a mere 40 miles away.

It's funny, but I was actually looking forward to seeing Blythe all morning. It sounds kind of silly, but it's true.

When I was a kid, I was a fan of the San Francisco Giants. I actually memorized the home towns of all my favorite players. One of the guys on the scrappy 1978 Giants squad was a left-handed hitting outfielder with a funny stance named Terry Whitfield.

I loved Terry Whitfield. Whitfield had four hits in the famous Mike Ivie grand slam game against the Dodgers at Candlestick on May 28, 1978. I was there with my dad. It was jacket day.

Whitfield grew up in Blythe, which seemed like such a faraway place when I was 13 years-old.

I waited to be rescued in style. Lounging in the desert on a camping chair that I kept stashed in my car, drinking bottled water and talking on my cell phone to a few friends ended up turning this nightmare into a funny adventure.

Boy am I stupid. How the hell can I run out of gas?

Photo by Brad Mangin

Bob Binder shows off his 2002 World Series ring while putting salt on his baby back ribs.

One of the calls I got was from Leiter, calling from a ballpark, wondering how my drive was going. I told him how I enjoyed the tanks and guns and weapons of death... but, uh, well - the gas station was closed.

He thought that was pretty funny, and by that time, so did I.

Binder, fearful that vultures may have consumed most of my body, called me back to check on how I was doing. But when I answered the phone, boy did he give me shit.

"Rookie move," he told me.

"No kidding," I replied.

"V.J. and I would always fill up in Indio. That's what you gotta do," Binder lectured me.

I told him I would make sure and remember that the next time I drove across the desert.

After a little more than an hour, Johnny from Blythe Freeway Towing, Inc. & Auto Repair showed up and saved the day with 5 gallons of gas (at three bucks a gallon!)

I was back on the road.

Thirty minutes later I was thrilled to see Whitfield's home town and its many open-for-business gas stations.

Photo by Brad Mangin

Jason Wise, left, and Lennny Ignelzi, right, look on as Eric Risberg shows off his veal chop at Don & Charlie's.

As I was filling up my car with 13.5 gallons of gas my cell phone rang again.

This time it was Scott Clarke, calling from the Grapefruit League in Florida.

"How's your trip going?" he asked.

I told him it was going well, with one minor exception of me running out of gas. He thought it was pretty funny also. (Isn't it amazing that it's always funny when *someone else* runs out of gas?)

Upon arrival at my hotel I barely had enough time to get settled and prepare for the event of the evening: a dinner to honor V.J. Lovero. Rich Pilling from Major League Baseball Photos had arranged this event at one of our favorite spring training restaurants in Scottsdale. What started as a reservation for 10 people grew to one of 30 as word spread amongst the many 'Friends of V.J.' who were in town covering the ballgames.

V.J.'s widow, Trish Lovero, decided she wanted to come and make the trek from Orange County just for the dinner, and Rod Carew changed his schedule so he could attend.

There were photographers from all over the country who made this night a top priority during their stay in Arizona. The list of photographers included SportsShooter.com members Ron Vesely, Eric Risberg, Chris Covatta, Keith Birmingham, John Cordes and Don Smith. Other attendees included John and Vernon Biever, Ron Modra, Michael Zagaris, Bob Binder, Phil Velasquez, Jason Wise, Stephen Green, Lenny Ignelzi and Rob Leiter.

Photo by Mark W. Wildhagen

The 'Friends of V.J.' gather for a group shot after their dinner at Don & Charlies.

Sports Illustrated picture editors Maureen Grise and Nate Gordon bought a round of drinks for us.

Restaurant owner Don Carson picked up a round of desserts for everyone to cap off a wonderful meal.

V.J. would have loved it.

Thanks to Rich Pilling for organizing this great evening and thanks to everyone who went out of their way to be a part of this dinner.

Trish Lovero later told me that she had a great time she would like too do it again next year.

So, here I am, safely out of the desert, in my hotel room, about to push a button that will share the story of my day with the readers of SportsShooter.com.

Tomorrow morning I'll be at the ballpark in Surprise, AZ where I'll get to see my first Cactus League action as the Giants visit the Rangers.

My gas tank is filled and I can't wait to get started!