No. 160: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED & DREW ORTIZ, SALT LAKE CITY & MEDICINE HAT III / The boys in the back seats (and even up in the luggage racks), the manager looking to get out of the bus leagues

The bus in Bull Durham was the setting for laughter-filled interludes, good times & camaraderie. Ours was a rolling dormitory. The stop in Butte reminded them just how far they were from the majors.

THE story of my big break going all wrong began on Monday with this entry about the struggles and failures of my favourite magazine growing up and my many attempts to get a story in it: No. 158: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED & DREW ORTIZ, SALT LAKE CITY & MEDICINE HAT I / The industry standard has crashed down like my dream freelance assignment years ago.

Yesterday’s missive detailed the story idea that seemed like a winner to the assigning editor at SI. No. 158: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED & DREW ORTIZ, SALT LAKE CITY & MEDICINE HAT II / After years of longing, the dream story was assigned. A single phone set the nightmare in motion. Today’s entry picks up when I arrived in Utah.