Thursday, 07 February 2013 23:59

Written by Michael Sanserino

For a second consecutive year, Bill and I are driving (via our trusty Post-Gazette Dodge Stratus) from Pittsburgh to Bradenton, Fla., for Spring Training. You might remember our journey last year, when Bill said no to ice cream -- which set off quite the feud between these two writers. 

Our plan is to drive to Athens, Ga., today and finish the drive tomorrow. Last year, we stopped in Columbia, S.C., and caught a college basketball game. We have no such sporting plans tonight, but it will be a nice chance to spend some time in a city neither of us have visited. If you have any recommendations, please let us know.

In the coming days, we will publish our Spring Training previews, which include a look at all 40-man roster players, the non-roster invitees, position battles and five burning questions for the season.

Bill also has a series that's going to run early next week that takes a look at some of the bigger issues facing the club. 

This is the start of an important season for the franchise -- a make or break year for the front office. 

In the meantime, feel free to follow our journey on Twitter. We're actively seeking # suggestions for this trip (rejected titles: #SouthwardBound #BradentonOrBust). 

(Image credit: Google Maps)