Road trip reasoning

Of all the reasons to travel, tending to family matters is one of the most important. In my case, I'm headed back to New England for my son Colin's fifth birthday. The fact that my wife, Lisa, and I will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary on Monday helps, too.

I'll let you in on a little secret. With my work schedule, and the resulting sleep pattern, making it difficult to hound either the Ottawa Senators or the Tampa Bay Lightning, another reason, albeit a minor one, that I'll be boarding a jet in less than six hours is to take in tonight's AHL playoff contest between the Providence Bruins and Portland Pirates.

It shouldn't be too hard to guess that I'll be doing a little more than hoping the Pirates, with a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, close out their first-round matchup. Bobby Ryan, Anaheim's No. 1 pick and second overall last year, is playing for the Pirates. And while I like to get at least a dozen pucks signed in an outing, I'll be more than content to get a couple from him. (For the record, I scored a hat trick. Proof positive, I dare say, is shown above.)

After that, though, I'm not sure there will be any more trips this season.

I will say, though, that I've found out where MLB teams stay when they play the Tampa Bay Devils Rays. I'll likely restrict my trips to the Red Sox, mainly so Colin can meet his favorite player, Trot Nixon, and perhaps entertain him with a rousing rendition of the "Trot Nixon Song."