By Matt Hicks

STANTON, Texas – The county seat of Martin County has a population of about 2,500.  That’s what Fred tells us.

For the first three hours and 25 minutes of the month of May, Stanton’s population swelled to 2,532, thanks to a nutty air compressor that decided it had had enough at the stroke of midnight.  The resulting explosion sprayed chunks of the bus’s engine and all its fluids all over Interstate 20, about 30 miles east northeast of Midland.

The unexpected visitors were the 31 members of the Corpus Christi Hooks traveling party and Frank, the team’s trusty and well-liked bus driver.

The Hooks wrapped up the month of April with an uplifting 12-8 win over Midland in a game that featured a franchise record-tying six home runs and a 5-for-5 performance by Drew Locke.  The post-game barbecue spread was tasty and satisfying and the mood on the bus was most definitely upbeat as we pulled out of Citibank Ballpark.

It was loosely decided (as it always is) that the movie on this evening would be ‘The Punisher,’ but before said disc was inserted, Frank inexplicably played a three-minute bus safety video.  None of us had ever seen such a video.  Bus safety?

It was, to a bus full of gregarious and upbeat males, comical, since it seemed to be a cheesy, out-of-date spoof of the safety videos you see when your plane is about to taxi to the runway.  But it was not a spoof.  It was a polite but serious treatment of the vehicle’s safety features and details on seemingly simple procedures for exiting the bus in case of an emergency. 

The movie never got off the ground, locking up numerous times before the opening credits had finished.  It was decided (again loosely), to forego the movie for the time being.

Parked on the shoulder of I-20, those of us sitting near the front of the bus knew that our usual five-and-half-hour trip from Midland to Frisco was in serious jeopardy for two reasons.  One, it didn’t smell so good.  And two, we could overhear Frank on his cell phone tell his company’s mechanic back in the Dallas area that parts of the engine had been blown out of the back of the bus.

“Sit tight boys…we’re gonna be here for a while.”

Calls were made, texts were sent and options were being weighed.  The bus was dead.

Shortly after the bus broke down, a law enforcement officer pulled up on a parallel service road to investigate what was going on.  He left after a few minutes.

Not long after that Stanton’s welcoming committee arrived.  Fred, a member of the Stanton Police Department, pulled his sedan behind the bus and kept his lights flashing so that truck drivers and motorists could see the ailing vehicle from far away. 

Visibility, by the way, on this Thursday evening into Friday morning, was crystal clear.  In fact, as Fred was quick to point out, you could look east on the interstate and see the lights of Big Spring – the next town over – about 18 to 20 miles away.

Since there aren’t many lights in Stanton and there were no clouds in the sky, the stars could be clearly viewed, and they sparkled brightly on a refreshingly cool night with almost no wind.  It didn’t take long for some of the guys to spill out onto the grassy bank next to the shoulder and make the most of a bad situation by enjoying the evening air.  The Big Dipper, as it turned out, was almost directly above the bus.

Fred quickly assessed the situation and determined that a special kind of tow truck would be needed to get this bus off the highway.  That’s because Fred, when he’s not wearing his Stanton Police badge, is also a part-time tow truck driver (of course).

“Our company could tow it but it would be difficult ’cause the frame ain’t right.  But there’s a company in Odessa that has the flatbed truck and that would be your best bet.”

Fred got on the phone with the Dallas-area mechanic and relayed the news so that he (the mechanic) could contact the folks in Odessa to take care of the bus.

Fred is not only a police officer and tow truck driver, but he also happens to be on the Board of Directors of the Stanton Little League.  Big time baseball fan.  Likes the RockHounds and goes to a game every now and then.  Thinks Citibank Ballpark is a beautiful facility but preferred the ‘charm’ of the old Christensen Stadium.

“Did you guys win tonight?” he asks.

“Yes” comes the reply.

Fred hops on the bus and informs the bulk of the team that we may be here for a very long time.  Fred does not moonlight as a stand-up comic.

More calls are made, and at Fred’s suggestion it’s decided that Frank’s company would contact the company that handles bus travel for the RockHounds.  They can get a bus to Stanton within the hour that can take the team to Frisco.  Frank’s company, located just minutes from the team hotel in Plano, will have another bus waiting at the hotel by the time the team arrives.  The rescue plan is in motion.

With no place to go and nothing to do, most of the guys engage in conversation outside the bus.  Some remain in the bus. 

Drew Meyer, resourceful enough to have brought a video camera on the trip, starts to document the occurrence.  Rob Semerano launches into his impersonation of legendary New York Yankee public address announcer Bob Sheppard, as if Sheppard had a message for the stranded Hooks.  His impersonation, by the way, is very good.

One or two guys manage to sleep, but most feel safer on the grassy bank or on the service road nearby.

Stories start to flow.  It helps to pass the time and entertain all at once.  And there’s plenty of laughter.

One such story that can be relayed here is about a situation in a game at Whataburger Field during the 2007 season.  The opponent could not be remembered, but the situation could. 

The Hooks were in a spot where a dangerous hitter needed to be pitched around.  Manager Dave Clark decided an intentional walk was in order, but pitching coach Stan Boroski counseled that the battery in the game at the time – pitcher Troy Patton and catcher Jeff Mackor – might not be the best combination for such an act. 

At the time Patton, having a very good season, simply couldn’t play catch.  He could pitch in a game situation, but he couldn’t just play catch with someone else.  Mackor, likewise, was solid behind the plate in normal play, but occasionally had trouble tossing the ball back to the pitcher.

Clark went to the mound for the conference with Patton and Mackor.

“Jeff, we’re going to walk this guy, but I want you to set up far from the hitter.  In fact, set up behind the other batter’s box.  Troy, just pitch your normal fastball to Jeff’s mitt.  Don’t try to play catch, just pitch to Jeff.”

Mackor did as instructed.  But Patton’s first pitch sped over the outside corner for strike one. 

Patton’s second pitch was again close, and this time the batter swung, fouling it off for strike two.  In the Hooks dugout, puzzled looks were all around.

“What the heck are we trying to do?!”

Even with the count at 0-2, Patton and Mackor were still determined to execute the plan.  The third pitch was outside.  Ball one.

The fourth pitch was close enough that the batter swung again, and fouled it off again.  The count remained 1-2.  Disbelief permeated the dugout.

Patton’s fifth offering had late action, enough to make the unsuspecting dangerous hitter swing and miss.  Strike three.  Threat averted, inning over.

“Here we are trying to walk the guy,” says the storyteller, “and we strike him out!”

One story after another gets told while we’re waiting for the Midland rescue bus.  And right on schedule, about an hour after the plan went into effect, a bus slows down and pulls onto the shoulder just ahead of our bus.

Team trainer Jamey Snodgrass takes charge and helps direct the driver of the rescue bus as he backs up close to our bus.  Jamey had already informed the team that everyone’s help would be needed to get all the luggage and team equipment off the dead bus and into the rescue bus.

Jamey and hitting coach Keith Bodie open the luggage bay doors on the right side of the rescue bus and are immediately shocked to discover that the bays are full.  Hmmm.  They look at each other and wonder out loud how any of our stuff is going to fit.

Eager to get back on the road, Hooks players and staff spring into action and start grabbing bags and travel chests and hauling them quickly to the new bus.

Bodie decides to investigate.  The passenger door opens and Bodie jumps on board, stunned to see that just about every seat on the rescue bus is occupied.  Equally stunned passengers look back at Bodie, he glances quickly at the driver, then jumps off the bus.  The bay doors are closed, and the driver pulls away much faster than he stopped.

As the bus speeds away, guys drop bags and cases right there on the shoulder.

“What just happened here?  What in the world (or something to that effect) just happened?!”

“If that wasn’t the bus sent to pick us up, then why did that driver pull over?  He had to see all of us.  What did he think was going to happen?!”

Now everyone was outside.  And no one understood what had just happened.  But we were all laughing, but also left wondering ‘where’s our bus?’ 

More calls were made.  The driver of the rescue bus had to be awakened and obviously needed time to get ready, drive to the bus yard, then drive the 30 miles or so east on I-20 to get to us. 

“She should be there within the hour.”

She?  Female bus drivers are rare, especially in the world of minor league baseball.  But “she” apparently drives the RockHounds from time to time. 

More stories and more laughter.  More minor league baseball camaraderie. 

No one knows how much longer we’re going to have to wait.  But we all now have another story to tell for another time.

“She” is Tamara, and she arrives with an empty bus at about 3:15.  With a false-alarm luggage transfer drill under our belts, the real job is a snap.  The Midland rescue bus is loaded and ready to go within 10 minutes.

Goodbyes are said to Fred, whose help and brief friendship were greatly appreciated.  He gives a business card to manager Luis Pujols, who tells him he’ll be our guest the next time he wants to come out to Citibank Ballpark to watch the Hooks and RockHounds.

Frank, the Hooks’ primary bus driver since 2005, becomes a passenger for the first time.

“Sit down next to me, Frank,” says Pujols, “and enjoy the movie.”

Tamara pulls out onto the highway at 3:25 a.m., and it’s loosely decided that the movie will be ‘Michael Clayton’ starring George Clooney.  The Hooks are back on the road again, headed to Frisco.

As Frank settles into his seat next to Pujols in the front, someone a few rows back blurts out “Hey Frank, no more bus safety videos, okay?!”