Exciting Tampa nightlife story (not really)
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc, Podcast on Feb 28, 2007 
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Ok, then there was this.
I did some work in my hotel room last night and jogged a few miles on the treadmill. I’m trying to be at least somewhat healthy this spring. Around 8 p.m., I wanted something light for dinner but had run out of food.
My hotel has a little store in the lobby, so I checked it out. Picked out a Power Bar and a single serving of pasta I could heat up in the microwave. Go to the desk and it was $7.89.
“Um, $7.89. Really?” I asked.
“Yes, $7.89,” the now-annoyed clerk said.
“Can I put it back?” I asked.
“I already rang it up,” she said.
“I have to put it back,” I said before sneaking out like Charlie Cheapskate. I had two granola bars and an apple for dinner and called it a night. Better than the pasta anyway.
The paper pays for my food and I could have easily expensed the $7.89. But at some point you can’t let hotels put that much of a beating on you.
Reminds me of those bottled waters they have in hotel rooms (like you would see in Vegas or Hawaii)… $5 (or more) if you even think about drinking one.
Screw them, Pete!
This is what happens in Florida when you miss the early bird.
Too many late night carbs from non whole grain sources, my man.
I ate a whole grain once
Fight the Power!
You would have been a Renaissance Man back in the day. I’ve never known a reporter who would go anywhere near a treadmill. It’s a whole new ballgame these days.
What, no minibar?
We went to a hotel once that had some minibar items in a basket out on the bureau. With a compulsive younger daughter in tow, we quickly realized we had to hide the goodies. We were NOT EVER gonna pay $5.00 for a candy bar! Good for you, Pete. The apple makes it a good meal
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Peter, I don’t think that was unreasonable. Last week I was at Vail and a hamburger, chicken sandwhich and medium soda cost $24. Now that’s rip off city.
Is eight bucks for a power bar and a frozen pasta dinner expensive? I must be shopping in the wrong places because that seems normal or even a little on the cheap side.
I went to Italy with a friend of mine, and his luggage never made it. He needed underwear for the next day. He bought one pair and it cost him 32 euro’s. That’s about $40 american. They can get you good sometimes.
Pete
Any word on Humberto Sanchez?
Here, here. But what about the prices at Legends field?
Personally, I think they should sell water at or slighty above cost, especially since folks sit in the sun for so long. But why do right when you can make $5 for something that costs maybe 20-30 cents to produce?
Apparently this store adopts Yankee Stadium pricing.
You want hotel horror stories, I’ve got loads of them. I went to Virginia a couple of years ago and stayed in what was supposedly a good hotel. I was laying in the bed while on the phone with my manager, and I told him the day had been incredibly boring. As soon as I said that, I rolled over, and the headboard from the bed fell on my head. No joke – I swear this is true. Luckily, I had my arm over my head, so that took the brunt of it, otherwise I probably would not be here to tell this story. My entire arm swelled up like a balloon to the point where I could not even lift my laptop. They upgraded me to an executive suite.
Hmmmm…I feel the same way when I go to the Stadium. So we bring a sandwich and a large bag of peanuts now. Sill have to buy the $8 beer though.
But hey, if that what it takes to help with the 200 mil payroll, so be it.
try working in the city. where i go it costs me 7.50 for a salad!! a salad!! or if i want a sandwich and chips it can cost 8.00 for lunch!!!
hey pete, as a ny college student studying in london for the semester, I take umbridge to that
“try working in the city. where i go it costs me 7.50 for a salad!! a salad!! or if i want a sandwich and chips it can cost 8.00 for lunch!!!”
I pay $9-$10 for my salads! Where are you eating!?
Pete, an idea that I use when I travel on business is to head to a supermarket as soon as I arrive in town, and buy some stuff that I can fix up in my hotel room so I don’t have to get gouged by anyone, and I can also eat a somewhat healthy meal. (I, too, could expense a dinner but frequently I’m too fried to leave the hotel). There are tons of things you can make in the microwave these days. Uncle Ben’s makes a microwavable bag o’ rice that you cook up in 90 seconds–and it’s really good. And it goes with anything, even that leftover Cuban sandwich from Legends Field
But really, microwavable pasta from a hotel gift shop? Big Stein needs to take all of the ink-stained wretches out to one of those famous Tampa steakhouses.
Hunter S. Thompson would be very disappointed in you, Pete.
I pay $9-$10 for my salads! Where are you eating!?
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Pret, everything is premade you don’t get to pick and choose ingredients. but they are fresh and very good.
“Pret, everything is premade you don’t get to pick and choose ingredients. but they are fresh and very good.”
Yeah I go to Tossed. So I pick and choose everything. Heh. I love Pret’s sandwiches.
Seriously… in Rock Center, a good pasta dish for dinner was $10 bucks.
Then again… it is Rock Center lol…
Yeah I go to Tossed. So I pick and choose everything. Heh. I love Pret’s sandwiches.
______
yeah they are very good, best of all you know they are fresh because they donate left over food to the citys food bank.
Matt has the right idea. Buy the stuff you like at the market and keep it in your room (assuming you have a small refrigerator or something). If you don’t have a refrigerator ask the front desk to have one sent up.
I was in San Juan once, at the hotel and a bit far from any store. The hotel had sunscreen for about $14 dollars (this was about 10 years ago), easily double the price I’d pay in the continental US. I figured that while it was a rip off, sun burn or increased risk of skin cancer was the worse option.
Hee hee, in Toledo the beer for the Mudhens’ games is $6 for the 32 oz cups — or $5 for a twelve ounce bottle.
Expense it Pete, a man’s gotta eat…
Anyone see the article on Yankees.com about Andy Phillips and his wife’s cancer battle last year? They kept it quiet during the season, I’m sure the weight of that had an effect on his play when he cooled off. I give him credit for handling it the way he did and personally, I’m pulling for him to win that spot over Phelps and I am also expecting him to do so and show more numbers like or at least close to his May and June last year.
By the sounds of it, Phillips is a better 1st baseman, while Phelps may be a better batter. I don’t really care who wins the battle, though I think it would be funny if Miranda came out of no where and beat them both out.
Hey! There’s actual baseball being played. Shef’s Tigers are up 2-0 over the Mets, top of the second.
Ahh the glamorous life of the baseball beat reporter.
Where are scribe groupies?
Phillips’ wife’s sitaution may have had some bearing on his performance, but no more than any other professional. People go to work every day with serious struggles in their personal lives and they manage on their jobs just fine. What would it be any different for a baseball player? I think the real reason Phillips struggled is he did not have enought ABs.
I think he struggled because he’s not a good batter. Once pitchers figured out that he can turn on any fastball, but can’t touch a breaking ball his average dropped.
the difference is you get to visit your loved one everyday. he could only go home on off days.
There was a story about it last year.
The Sunday Star Ledger ran the story on Phillips’ wife. To me, it said a lot. I think his performance suffered from the combination of things, but personally, I don’t know how these guys can handle being away from home during times of crisis. That’s one of the reasons I hate to get too down on some players, because you really just never know what they’re dealing with. Yes, we all have things to deal with, but as Jennifer said, most of us get to be home with loved ones; and most of our jobs are not in the public eye. But Phillips himself never used his situation as an excuse, and I don’t recall that the article said any different.
Sorry, but if you want to be able to see your loved one every day, maybe you should not pick baseball as a career. If this sounds insensitive, I am sorry. I am not a mean person. These guys live lives of luxury. You can’t have it all.
the difference is also that most of us don’t have our performance measured and talked about by the media….
I’m not making excuses for the guy, but I would certainly not refer to Cancer by saying “People go to work every day with serious struggles in their personal lives and they manage on their jobs just fine.” Not many people deal with Cancer “just fine…”
I think his AB’s may have played a part, as well as an injury at some point (don’t remember exactly when), and quite possibly Fernando’s assessment.
My point is simply, that I like the guy and I know Giambi pulls for him and he hussles, so I’d like to see him be the “better hitter than we saw last year” that Torre thinks he is.
I did not say people deal with cancer just fine. I said they deal with their jobs just fine, despite serious struggles in their personal lives. I like Phillips also and wish he had been given more ABs last year.
But going to work and getting things done does not mean your work performance is unaffected, that’s all I meant…
There isn’t a convience store near the hotel?
8 bucks for microwaved pasta? In Florida??
Pete, please just treat yourself and go out for food. Experience the city. Live a little. You dont get to expense food that often. Use it. Plus its healthier than eating microwaved pasta.
Gross
Well, I usually get bottled waters from the local food stores before I get to the hotel room. In a pinch at night, I’ll call the pizza delivery people, and some of them deliver salads too.
Chris, I agree with you. I guess I simply give more weight to the lack of ABs than to personal issues. Cheers.
Last hotel I was in charged me $15 for a diet coke, 6″ turkey sandwich and a bag of pretzels. I was absolutely starving with no other options so I paid it. But jeez, theyre nearly as bad as the movies.
By the time Andy Phillips’ wife was told she was cancer free. Early this year before spring trainning he was on the arms of a beautiful Mexican girl that he always promised to come back and marry her. Obviously he never told her he was married. Hard to believe but that’s the true. I dont think this guy is as religious and honest as he pretend he is.