The Vicious Fishes Tour November, 1996

by Kim Sproul

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Day one. Friday, November 15th. Depart from Tallahassee for our tri-state hockey tour. First stop- Mobile, Alabama.

The trip to Mobile was pretty uneventful aside from finding an exit with a Hardees sign directing us to the left when it was clearly visible on the right. Should you decide to go to Mobile make sure you stop at the Alabama Welcome Center. They will take care of your hotel reservations and everything.

The rest of the trip went something like this:

Arrive at the hotel and discover most of the team in the lobby (that welcome center is good!)

Point Trzcinski and Gruber in the direction of the "bubble."

Get the owner(?)/manager(?) of the Power Play Hockey Supply Shop to reopen so we can look around.

Try on some hockey gloves.

Leave for the arena and discover that "Mom" is wearing Mobile colors.

Make a mental note to check what she's wearing before the Mississippi game.

Discover we have two new players.

Figure out why they call their arena "the dungeon." Trust me it's, appropriate.

Find a sign that reads "Goat Check. You may not reclaim your goat without a ticket until the following day." When did they start allowing live stock to come to hockey games?

Wait for the Budweiser/Coca-Cola Cyberlight extravaganza. Wait some more. Wait until Biloxi to see any kind of light show.

Throw paper airplanes at the dancing Treasure Babes (some of whom are rhythmically challenged) in an attempt to win a car.

Don't win the car.

Win the game instead!

Go to The Port City Brewery "home of the Mysticks." They weren't in. I don't blame them. WARNING: Avoid pumpkin ale at all costs!

Day two:

Experience the breakfast buffet featuring gritless grits and one way too chipper waitress.

Play "confuse a clerk" as we shop our way to Biloxi. Example: go to a Marine supply store and explain why we need iliree mouth operated fog horns when we don't have a boat. Don't forget the shark bottle openers. You never know when you might need one.

Arrive at the Port of Gultport (isn't that redundant?) and check into our beach front room at the Grand Casino.

Explore the Casino. See Elvis. See MC Hammer. See a sighted Roy Orbison impersonator.

Discover Mississippi has really bad water. (Note-take your own with you).

Go to the arena and get FSU pompons. I don't think that's what they thought they were for!

Meet lots of nice fans. Visit with booster club. Meet Tiger Sharks fans that live in Biloxi (no joke).

Find out who the new players are.

Finally see a light show.

Find another unique sign. I don't think this one had anything to do with live stock, but it could have been referring to donkeys.

Almost catch Malgunas' broken stick. Kevin, one more seat to the left and a Fin-Atic would have had it.

Play "stump the hockey players" and win. You know who you are. It means "first goal."

Chew off all of my fingernails as we go into a shootout.

Witness our first entry in the SOL column.

Try to find the exit which has been obscured by smoke. Haven't they ever heard of the clean air act?

Wait in the parking lot for an hour while the fire trucks come. Hmmmmm, I wonder what set it off?

In all seriousness, you HAVE to make it to a game in Biloxi! The arena is great, the fans are nice and the Grand Casino is loads of fun even if you don't gamble. Go ahead and mark your calendars for February 8th. We're going!

Day three

GO HOME!!!! Watch the T-Sharks demolish the Birmingham Bulls.