Nothing like a good road trip

I like road trips.

Pack a cooler with sandwiches, juices, water and assorted goodies — a can of mixed nuts, too; it’s a rule — and I’ll drive anywhere. Almost always the road trips have a sports connection and so does this one.

Middletown to Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Monday last, Fayetteville to Orlando on Tuesday, City Walk at Universal at the cocktail hour. Oh, did I say it was 82 degrees when I arrived?

It was 82.

My new(ish) Hyundai Accent averaged 43 miles per gallon. Aside from spending 90 minutes to go seven miles in da Bronx and the usual nightmare that is I-4 in Orlando, the trip was a breeze. I-95 was so wide open a B-52 could have landed in most places and not hit a thing.

I did the, ahem, speed limit from the George Washington Bridge to Daytona Beach, before hanging a right on I-4 to the City Beautiful, which is what the locals shyly call Orlando.

See, I’m not like so many Americans who have to get there yesterday. I like the countryside. The view of the Manhattan skyline from the GWB always gives me a kick, I enjoy the vistas from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and I enjoy seeing Camden Yards and M and T Stadium in Baltimore.

I still sneak a look at the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and when I take that left onto I-95 in Northern Virginia is when I really feel like I have left the snow and cold behind.

The interstate approaches the coast near the Golden Isles of Georgia and off to my left one can see the suspension bridge that is the gateway to Jekyll Island, one of the most beautiful places on the East Coast.

Jacksonville is a pretty city at the mouth of the St. Johns River and when I clear J’ville, I know I’m almost there.

Construction is a given on I-4 in Orlando and hard by the highway, opposite International Drive, Universal is building a water park about the size of Lake Superior. In the middle is a faux mountain that must be the highest point in

Florida.

Did I mention it was 82?

It was 82. I still can’t bring myself to visit the Pulse Night club, which still draws mourners.

Too painful.

Oh, the sports. Nearly forgot.

I took in two Braves games at Champion Stadium in the middle of ESPN’s — or Disney’s — Wide World of Sports. The Braves won the first game on a walkoff, but the Tigers’ Justin Verlander was in midseason from, going six terrific innings.

The park is a double deck, 10,000 seat beauty, but the Braves are heading south next year. Starting next year, there will be no teams in Central Florida as the Astros abandoned Kissimmee this year.

Too bad, but not that the area needed the traffic.

I saw the Mets take on the Braves Saturday. Twothirds of the crowd were Mets’ fans. Chants of ‘Let’s Go Mets’ echoed in the park, even though it was only a meaningless spring training game When Michael Conforto hit a home run, the joint erupted.

The Braves sell beer in a novel way. For a mere $14 (premium brew) you get a souvenir cup about the size of Baltimore. Then, bargain of bargains, you can get refills for only $8. I’m not good at math, but that’s $22 for two beers. Yankee Stadium has nothing on the Braves.

Tuesday I will see the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa and Thursday I will see the Bombers at the Phillies in Clearwater. I should tell you it’s supposed to be 88.

So I will tell you: it’s supposed to be 88.

MHS award winners

Middletown High held its winter sports award dinner last week. Here are the winners.

Wrestling: Most Consistent, Noah Sylvester; Jason Varrato Memorial Award, Ryan Williamson. Girls indoor track: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Alexa Gonzalez; Most Consistent, Syleena Daniels. Boys indoor track: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Jalen Coleman; Most Consistent, Laurenzo Thompkins.

Girls basketball: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Mackenzie Dunn; Most Consistent, Brielle Wilborn and Jen Barbour. Boys basketball, Most Consistent, DeAaron Lawrence; Most Improved, Charles Sprowl; Heart and Desire Award, Ahmod Privott,

Dance team: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Quiara Jackson; Most Improved, Sabrina Corsino. Unified basketball: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Nico Diguidig; Most Consistent, Cassandra Heidecker. Boys swimming: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Michael Ahern; Robert Parmelee Outstanding Performer, Jacob Forrester; Ron Seria Most Improved, Jayson DeFrance; Jackie “Mama” Harris Award, Tahj Mitchell-Westberry.

Cheerleading: Outstanding Sportsmanship, Alyssa Salafia; Most Versatile, Kristy Kiniry.

Some 48 winter athletes received CCC All-Academic Awards (87 GPA or higher).

Xavier will hold its awards program soon. We will bring you all the recipients.

Enrollments have meaning

Here’s a piece of evidence that, a. enrollments have significance in high school sports and, b. Middletown was the state’s best Class L public high school team.

Against Class M schools (Plainville, Rocky Hill, Bloomfield) MHS was 5-0. Against Class L schools, MHS was 16-0 vs. public schools and 0-1 to Class L champion Sacred Heart, a school without borders. The Blue Dragons were 2-4 vs. LL schools, one of which — East Catholic — is a school without borders.

That’s why enrollment — for public schools anyway — has meaning.

Here and there

The Wide World of Sports at Disney World is gigantic ... there is the baseball stadium where the Braves play, a field house that had eight AAU volleyball games in progress Saturday, and 30 outdoor fields ... of course, there is a bar and grill and WDW is in the process of building another huge arena for multiple sports.

The Mouse people also sell shirts that list all the schools that played at WDW this year in a myriad of sports ... the Magic of Disney: makes your money disappear.

Got on email from Paul Lanza, a Middletown resident: “Middletown boys basketball made Middletown proud,” he wrote. “Coach [Rick] Privott is a great coach, but even a better person. He is a great role model for those student athletes.

“Thanks to the team for a great season and bringing excitement to Middletown for the past three years.” Amen. Mr. Lanza. I have had a lot of fun covering area teams over the years, but I can’t remember covering a team that has been so exciting, so classy and so much fun as Privott’s Blue Dragons the past three years ... my quick math tells me his record over that time is 69-13.

I watched ESPN’s 30 for 30 show on the 1983 North Carolina State’s basketball team’s improbable run to the NCAA championship yet again the other night ... if watching that and Jim Valvano’s amazing speech at the ESPY Awards when he was dying of cancer doesn’t bring you to tears, you have no soul.

Congrats to the Middletown High Booster Club for being named one of the four finalists for Booster Club on the Year in the United States ... the people who run it are amazing ... Middletown kids are lucky in lots of ways ... this club is one of them.

Watch out for the MHS boys track team ... ought to make a run at a state title ... also look for both Xavier’s and MHS’ baseball teams to be better ... if Mercy can find pitching, its softball team will be solid ... MHS’ Sal Morello makes his softball coaching debut this spring ... the Dragons ought to be pretty good.

Yankees open Sunday ... I figure them to be in the wild card hunt ... and yeah, the Sawks will win the AL East ... Mets to win a NL wild card with the Nationals winning the NL East. Don’t bet the farm. Oh, Gonzaga will win the NCAA title and UConn will win the women’s title. There, now you can relax.