Nederlands win in extra innings!!!!

DATELINE SAN JUAN, PR. 10 MAR 2009

Holland came back from the brink tonight against the Dominican Republic tonight to win a thrilling, 11 inning barnburner. Eugene Kingsale scored the winning run, two batters after tying it with a single, scoring Sidney De Jong. Kingsale's heroics made up for a fielding error in the top of the 11th that allowed Jose Reyes to score, giving the DR a 1-0 lead.

Wow! What a fun game to watch. Kari and I were the only one rooting for Holland in our section down the left field line. We were miles away from the Dutch contingent behind home plate. We felt like our own little Dutch West Indies colony out there amongst the DR fans. By the end, we had some of the local PR fans sitting around us pulling for the Nederlanders. Now it's on to the final game. I have a feeling those PR fans will be back rooting for the home team.

One Happy Island

Bon Bini to Aruba! As all of the license plates proclaim, it is "One Happy Island." It has been a comfortable 85 degrees with scattered clouds and a persistent wind since we arrived. The clouds and wind make it perfect weather for lounging at the beach and getting a wicked sunburn if you're not careful.

We started our trip with a taxi ride from Eugene Kingsale's brother, Hubert Kingsale. The guy was stoked that we'd heard of his brother and we promised to cheer extra loud for Eugene at the WBC in San Juan. If you ever need a ride in Aruba, give him a call at 297.593.7241, or drop Hubert a note at huberttaxi83 at hotmail dot com.

The Amsterdam Manor Inn is not quite what we were expecting, but after exploring downtown Oranjestead and the "High Rise" section of hotel row, we've decided we like it just fine. It's one of the last family owned resorts on the island and the staff have been great.

Tomorrow we're heading out on a snorkeling tour with the Jolly Pirates. Snorkeling, sun, BBQ, all you can drink, and a rope swing too! We have not seen a single fish along our beach so it will be cool to finally see what makes Aruba such a great diving destination.

Update:

Snorkeling was a blast and Tim got to fly off the ship's rope swing several times. The fish were a little sparse and disappointing, but it's hard to live up to Bora Bora and Hawaii.

The rain has set in today just in time for us to head out to San Juan. We get in around 11 PM tonight and then out to the ball park by noon for two games tomorrow. We have games every day through Wednesday and then four days to explore San Juan.