Yes, last night the Hawks lost…yes, last night the Hawks blew a 5-1 lead for the second straight night…yes, the Hawks had just one hit after the fifth inning and the bullpen allowed six more runs…however –

Tri-City is gone and the Hawks are 420 miles down the road.

Instead of dwelling on the completion of a three-game sweep by the Tri-City Dust Devils (wasting another solid start, this time a four inning, two-hit stint by 19-year-old Su-Min Jung), we focus on the all-night drive West.

And yes, the Eagle has landed in Salem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSq5YVbHxY0)

It was a pretty typical bus ride – a two movie trip (Taken and Fired Up were the two movies – and kudos to Dan Golden the trainer for stepping up to the plate and going to a Redbox and getting new movies instead of Joe Dirt or Anchorman for the umteenth straight year).  Skipper Franklin Font really liked Taken – which had some good action moments, while most of the team missed Fired Up (typical high school movie with football players trying to “mingle” with girls at a cheerleader camp).

Once again at 5:30 a.m. I stepped up to the plate and helped Hal our bus driver find the Comfort Suites here in Salem – since there are two hotels of the same name within a mile and a half.

Tonight will be a big night for me, as it is my 300th Northwest League broadcast – not a bad milestone and ranks third all-time in Hawks history behind Rob Simpson and Dave Hahn.

We’ll have more later today from Volcanoes Stadium as you get a few of what I see from the booth (that is, if my photos will load).