Clearwater left-hander Joe Savery is 2-2 with a 4.54 ERA in six road starts this season. (Jerry Hale/MLB.com) MiLB Headlines Javs edge Dogs, win AFL title LA's Mitchell wins Stenson Award Desme named AFL MVP Path of the Pros: Ian Kinsler No surgery needed for Strasburg New BayBears logo reflects past Promo Preview: Charitable deeds Leake ends whirlwind year strong Double-A All-Stars named Rickwood Classic marks milestone AFL Championship preview D-backs get Heilman from Cubs ADVERTISEMENT

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Hello everyone!

In this week's journal, I want to take a few moments to talk about a very important, yet comical part of the Minor League lifestyle that most people may not know much about. I'm not sure if "important" is necessarily the best word to describe this activity, but it is certainly significant.

What I'm talking about is the bus ride. Lucky for me, playing in the Florida State League has limited the number -- and length -- of bus rides compared to past seasons. The bus trip is an event for all players, no matter what league you may be playing in. Why? Because there are so many unknowns, and you have to prepare yourself to adjust on the fly.

Players have to consider first: What time do I have to wake up, and where am I going to get breakfast? Waking up early and eating breakfast are two parts of life that most Minor League ballplayers miss out on during the season. So, from the get-go, we are out of our element. Then, when you get breakfast, you have to decide on coffee or no coffee -- because you have to figure whether or not you want to try and sleep during the ride.

Do I bring a pillow or not? BIG decision!

Once you have figured out breakfast, you have to ponder what the temperature of this bus is going to be like. It's summer time and air conditioning is going to be needed, but having a working AC on the bus is not a guarantee. So players ask themselves, do I wear jeans or shorts? Long sleeves or short sleeves? I usually go for the jeans, but I have been known to toss a pair of shorts in my backpack.

Once you get to the field and put your bags on the bus, you start to get an anxiety of sorts about what the seating arrangements are going to be like -- especially for a guy like me. Anyone who is 5-foot-10 or taller, which covers most players, just isn't going to be comfortable in those seats. It is much more tolerable if you can manage to get two seats to yourself, but that is difficult to do. The players who have played the longest get priority seating, so I end up sharing a row most of the time.

The next question players have to ask themselves is: How am I going to entertain myself on this long bus ride?

This is where your packing skills are really going to come in handy. We already have our cell phones for texting, phone calls, e-mail -- and most now have Internet. So that is good for taking up some time. Once the bus ride starts, one of the coaches will put on a movie. This is a toss-up. Maybe you have seen the movie, maybe you don't care to watch it, maybe it's just not very good, but maybe it's great. You also have to hope the sound and picture are working properly. Also not a guarantee! Because of this, you have several back-up plans. Crosswords, iPods (music), books and computers are the most popular choices.

So as you can see, there is much more to these bus rides than meets the eye. While it's not as dramatic as I may have made it seem, it's a big part of this lifestyle.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my journal, and please feel free to email me with your questions.

In closing, I would like to wish my sister, Casey, a happy birthday, and I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!

Joe Savery is a pitching prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies organization and a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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