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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit State says 90 percent of tax returns filed electronically this year Emergency services, April 11 Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek Evans Creek dams on track for removal this summer Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, April 11 Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked Alleged subscription scammers may be violating state restraining order Central Point police pull attempted theft suspect from prickly hiding spot Emergency services Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Arthur I. 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Environment Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek Evans Creek dams on track for removal this summer Nearly 400 steelhead die in Applegate fish-trap failure Forum looks at Crater Lake wilderness proposal A place to play State News Forest Grove spelling bee celebrates bilingual students Oregon lawmakers, counties spar over public safety spending Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Wyden lobbies for Pendleton research center funding Ex-Nike worker sentenced to probation in sneaker plot Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Paul Inserra James Raymond (“Jimy”) Angel Peggy Gene Ritchie-Potter Anthony (Tony) Ray Hansen Ian Witter Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Johnson gets fifth Sprint Cup win at Texas Moore, Newman power Panthers to sweep Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Record Run Spieth sets another record Varsity 541 College Sports UO’s Lockie sharp in spring practice Ducks top OSU on bases-loaded walk in 9th Strong pitching gives SOU pivotal sweep Inspirational Hilll dies from tumor Ashland's Norvell first SOU women's wrestler Pro Sports Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Record Run Spieth sets another record No verdict reached in Hernandez trial Duncan keys 10th straight win for Spurs Community Sports Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories New bosses take charge at Harry & David Erickson shores up business with three contracts Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Blog: Erickson signs construction, firefighting and logging deals, but investors remain a tough sell Dancin Vineyards covers up Real Estate News Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Road to health: Bike and pedestrian paths play greater role in transportation project funding Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Agriculture New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Other Views: Keep Klamath water plan moving in Congress Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Matthew T. Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Letters to the Editor, April 10 Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Editorials Other Views: Keep Klamath water plan moving in Congress Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Our View: All ethics reform bills should get a hearing Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: No easy answers to Mexican refugee influx Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 10 Letters to the Editor, April 9 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Letters to the Editor, April 6 Columns Matthew T. Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Kent Bush: Facebook isn’t going anywhere George Will: When everything is a crime Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Guest Opinion: Marijuana offers Oregon benefits, drawbacks Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Better Living By Design: A Symposium You Must Not Miss Steelheaders use social media to auction off a driftboat Hanging out at Hanging Rock Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Food Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Season Stepp: Try farmer’s market sunchoke in a creamy potato soup Page H. Onorato: Bringing spring to the dinner table Tammy Kelly: Asparagus is in season Power of 5 Home and Garden Garden Cameos: Good soil foundation of fabulous garden Ceramic tile: How it’s made and what’s new Dear Monty: How real estate relocation companies work Paul Rogers: Yard damage may not be as bad as it looks Home Help: 3 things to avoid when renovating your kitchen Health Community blog: Better Living By Design: A Symposium You Must Not Miss Health Watch: Combat common running and walking ailments Dr. Jeff Hersh: Distracted driving Dr. Murray Feingold: Keep laundry detergent packets away from kids Community blog: Fire Safety Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Milestones and Achievements Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Haga-Parks Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Five picks for entertainment this week The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Live Music in Local Clubs Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Theater Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland OCT stages 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Music The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Gene Burnett tonight at Liquid Assets in Ashland The Farr Side: No Zayn Malik? One Direction stays the course Community Events Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival MailTribune.com rolls out new calendar Dining La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Standing Stone owners to open Medford brewpub and restaurant Restaurant Inspections: March 29 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Forest Grove spelling bee celebrates bilingual students ... Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit ... Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title ... Forest Grove spelling bee celebrates bilingual students ... Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit ... Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title ... Team hits road — for 55 games Brewers' AA team won't have new stadium for two months Comment By David Brandt The Associated Press MailTribune.com By David Brandt The Associated Press Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 8:43 PM By David Brandt The Associated Press Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 8:43 PM » Social News PENSACOLA, Fla. — Pitcher Brooks Hall won't get on the bus without his noise-canceling headphones. First baseman Nick Ramirez needs his PlayStation 4 and he makes sure there's plenty of caffeine on hand. Most players making a living in minor league baseball like Hall and Ramirez have a secret remedy or two for dealing with life on the road. The Biloxi Shuckers are about to put those remedies to the test. Over the next two months, Hall, Ramirez and the rest of the Milwaukee Brewers' Double-A affiliate will embark on a scheduled 55-game road trip, one of the longest in recent memory. The team is piling on a bus for a mammoth road swing through the Southeast: Pensacola-Mobile-Jacksonville-Pensacola-Huntsville-Jackson, Mississippi-Jackson, Tennessee-Huntsville-Chattanooga-Birmingham. "By the end of this thing," Ramirez said with a grin, "we might need a little break from each other." Welcome to the current life of the Shuckers, who play in the Southern League. The franchise moved from Huntsville to Biloxi in the offseason, lured partly by the promise of a $36 million stadium. It is expected to a beautiful facility — eventually. Due to various issues, including construction delays, it probably won't be ready for two more months. In the meantime, there will be a lot of bus rides, hotels and trips to Applebee's. The expected toll: 60 straight nights in a hotel, 55 games, nine different cities and some frayed nerves. The journey begins Thursday night when the Shuckers play the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. "It's a unique experience and we've just got to adjust as we go along," Biloxi manager Carlos Subero said. "It's a lot of games, so managing fatigue is going to be a feel thing for the coaching staff. "Honestly, the thing I'm most concerned about is the lack of privacy. Sometimes you need it. You might see a few guys walking around the local mall trying to find a little alone time." The extended road trip is a rare situation in professional baseball, though not entirely unprecedented. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees — the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees — played their entire 144-game schedule away from home in 2012 because of stadium renovations. But the Yankees at least had a semi-permanent base in Rochester, New York, where they played 37 "home" games that season. The Shuckers won't have that luxury. They do, however, have Buck Rogers. No, not the fictional astronaut traveling through space in the late 1970s, but the team's general manager who is in his 19th season working in minor league baseball. "What we're trying to do is make sure all these guys have to do is concentrate on baseball," Rogers said. "It's not an ideal situation, but we want to make the best of it." The Shuckers' trip will be all road games from Thursday until June 6, when the home opener in downtown Biloxi is tentatively scheduled. Even that date isn't etched in stone. Video updates on the team's website show a stadium that's far from completed. A rainy spring could delay construction even further. Nobody wants to think about that. "Believe me, we want to be in our stadium as soon as possible," Rogers said. There have been a few long Major League Baseball road trips, though nothing this extreme. Of course, MLB players get a big-league salary to deal with road life. The lowest-paid Shuckers are subsisting on $1,500 a month and $25 per day in meal money while on road trips. By contrast, major leaguers get $100.50 daily per diem and their minimum salary is $507,500 this season. Rogers flew to Arizona to the Brewers' spring training facility last week to try and answer questions from players, who were understandably anxious about the unique situation. The GM said the Southern League's leadership, along with other general managers across the league, have been gracious about helping the Shuckers when possible. The team has arranged to have players' personal laundry done once in each city and Rogers has secured parking at a local hotel in Biloxi so that players can store their cars. The team is also paying for players who are bringing families to have their own hotel room instead of the usual arrangement of two players to a room. Subero said the most important thing is that the players don't allow the nuisance of a long road trip interfere with their development as baseball players. "If for some reason we lose 10 straight games, it's because we're playing bad baseball, not because we've been on the road," Subero said. If it's any consolation, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre actually won its division during its nomadic 2012 season, finishing with an 84-60 record. Shuckers pitcher Austin Ross, who is in his fifth season in the Brewers' organization, said he doesn't expect the trip to be that bad. His secret on the road: A few books to take his mind off the day-to-day grind. "You get used to packing light after a few years playing minor league ball," Ross said. "The good thing is we're able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and we know the new stadium is going to be great." Until then, there are always those noise-canceling headphones. "I'm telling you, that's the secret," the 24-year-old Hall said laughing. "Those things are legit." By David Brandt The Associated Press MailTribune.com By David Brandt The Associated Press Posted Apr. 9, 2015 at 8:43 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Biggest Fantasy Winners, Losers in Free Agency Apr. 8, 2015 at 2:45 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Bears Stars Apr. 7, 2015 at 1:09 am RBs Ready to Break Out on New Teams Apr. 2, 2015 at 10:21 am Who Will Be QB1s with New Teams in 2015? 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