Down The Home Stretch

Published on August 31, 2004 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Brevard County Manatees News Release


Down to less than a week, John Van Vleet, the self-appointed-and single resident-of Van Vleetville (a.k.a the outfield berm), is beginning to get fidgety.

John accepted a challenge last April to spend 152 nights on the berm. That's the amount of nights from the night before the start of the Minor League Baseball season through the final out of the final game this Sunday.

John has 'weathered' the heat, humidity, armadillos, fire ants, stadium clean up crews, induction into the early morning tarp crew, the daily afternoon storms, Hurricane Charley, three previous tents, countless spiders, boredom, lightning, and one garter snake.

But now he faces his final challenge: Hurricane Frances.

Because John has thumbed his nose at Mother Nature all season long in his daily ramblings on www.manateesbaseball.com, she has affectionately saved Game Seven of this season's Weather Channel World Series for Saturday at 2:00 pm (expected time of Frances making groundfall).

John is more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and by Friday he'll be hopping more than a one-legging man in an butt-kicking contest, but he says, "This time it's personal!"

John still receives calls from media outlets across the country almost every day and has a weekly radio show where callers can yank his chain. For those who wish to get inside his head as D-Day approaches, log onto www.manateesbaseball.com and read the panic between the lines of his musings or email the fine young lad at johncvanvleet@yahoo.com.

John's t-shirts, by the way, have been doing a brisk business at the stadium (see attached artwork). We don't know if it's because of his notoriety or of fans wanting a souvenir because of Mother Nature's chances of turning him into a table-top paper football and giving him the long field goal attempt on Saturday, but hey, who are we not to cash in on his tough luck?

For those who would like to purchase a t-shirt, they're only 12 bones plus a couple buck S&H, call (321) 633-9200 and we'll package it up and send it out 'air' mail with Frances on Saturday.

I think a penny or something like that from every t-shirt sold will be donated to John's tent restoration project.

As usual....Rock On!

Buck Rogers

Director of Sales, Marketing and Promotions

Montreal Expos, Brevard Operations

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Florida State League Stories from August 31, 2004


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