The Starting Lineup- 02/14/2026

There is no greater holiday than Opening Day in College Baseball.  Not even the early Valentine’s Day experience I received while checking in to the DoubleTree in Arlington last night could top it.  

For some important context, this story begins on the evening of February 12th.  At my home in Omaha, the late-night hour brought the discovery of my home’s furnace going out alongside a cracked pipe that was spewing water.  This meant turning the water off until the fine people at McCarthy’s Heating and Cooling could make it out until after I would already be in Arlington.  

So, when I woke up at 2:45 AM for my flight on Friday, the lack of running water meant I would be unable to shower prior to my arrival at Globe Life.  I don’t enjoy having dirty hair, especially in the press box of Globe Life that’s just a few ticks too warm.  Keeping your temperature set at 73 is not a flex, Rangers.  

When my feet touched the ground in DFW, I immediately ubered to my hotel to leave my bag at the front desk.  I was impressed by the DoubleTree I had selected for my two night stay, noting Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma team had made the same decision. 

After midnight, I returned to the DoubleTree, rapidly approaching 24 straight hours of being awake and looking forward to the opportunity to shower and sleep off a day of travel and baseball.  My level of awareness was already pretty low when I met the gentleman I would be working with for the next 90 minutes or so.

At first, he handed me my room key and informed me of my room number, something on the third floor.  After I provided my ID and credit card, he asked for the room key back before clicking around on his computer.  I suspected something was afoot when he made a phone call and mumbled through the speaker phone interaction. Apparently my room was “dirty” at 12:30 AM and the woman on the phone urged the man behind the desk to apologize to me. We didn’t get around to the apology, though he told me he was going to have to “audit” his system before we could proceed.  Apparently I was supposed to know what that meant, but he eventually told me it would be a 30 minute wait.  

While I didn’t ask how 30 minutes of restarting his computer would clean my room or get me in a different one, I waited my 30 minutes while pleading Matt Grissom to deliver me the phone charger I had left in his vehicle.  It was clear Grissom wasn’t getting out of his bed as my desire to get in one multiplied.  

Finally, I was met by the guy who held my fate.  He handed me a room key and advised me I would be in room 531, a stark contrast from the 300 number I had been given earlier.  Still, I happily walked to the room I was instructed to, not even balking at the circumstance of it being the farthest room from the lobby.  I did balk, however, when my room key did not open the door that also donned a “do not disturb” placard.  

I trotted back down to the lobby with my backpack and suitcase.  Without hesitation, the gentleman gave me another key card, urging me no one was in the room.  So, I walked the path again, this time with slightly less confidence in being able to sleep in the short term.  My lack of confidence was vindicated when the newly minted card did not work, yielding me the same red light and locked door.  I took my bags and trekked to the lobby again.

Surprised, the front desk official took some time before whipping me up a new key card.  Simultaneously, a doordash from the beloved Grissom arrived with a phone charger and a surprise delicacy- green grapes.

This time, I was advised to go to room 341.  It’s a room I will never forget, not because it gave me salvation in my hunt for a place to sleep with my reservation, but instead because of what I saw when I arrived to “my room”.  To my chagrin, the card worked, opening the door to the dark room that I aimed to flick the light on in as I shimmied inside.  Instead of a light, I was met with the shriek of “hello?” from a 30-something year old male.  I quickly explained to the guest who had just been awoken by me breaking in to his room that I was being “jerked around” by the hotel and they had given me a key to his room.  I apologized and left as he continued to stutter in disbelief of my ease of access to he and his belongings. 

When I arrived at the front desk, again, this time with a doordash bag and my belongings, I gave my new friend the good news first.  The key card worked… but the sleeping man inside wasn’t as excited about that prospect.  Mr. Front Desk urged me, there was no one in that room.  My eyes could have fooled me.  

This revelation prompted the employee to check on room 531, which had been a brick wall for me.  After several minutes, he returned to inform me of 531 was occupied as well.  Shocker.  At this point in time, he began throwing around the word “refund” and for the first time, “sorry”.  

I then tapped into Jerry Seinfeld, reminding the front desk of the definition of reservation.  Anyone can take a reservation, but the key is to hold the reservation.  He expressed an understanding, but it was clear he wasn’t grasping as he avoided accountability with “this isn’t my fault”.  Well, you’re the only one here buddy.  I am far from a “Karen”, so even as I threw darts of verbal disdain through my struggle of staying awake, I was still laughing with the gentleman who appeared intent on throwing me out on the street at 2 AM.  Just then, I was reminded of the ordeal that started this mess.  “What about that dirty room you spoke about?”.  This seemed to click with him, as he clicked on his desktop again.  Eventually, the guy who was as sick of me as I was him, found his way to the room he had identified as dirty.  Soon after, he informed me it was open and could be my place to stay.  At that point, I was prepared to frantically call Grissom and invite myself to sleep on his floor, so who was I to be persnickety about a dirty room.  He even offered me a fresh pair of sheets and towels.  

Together we walked to my room on the first floor, ending my tour of the building.  When he opened the door, we found a room with every single light on, the tv blaring a children’s show and two unkept beds.  I was just excited to see an empty room, though remained worried of the people who last occupied this one stumbling in at any moment.  I’m not sure how confident I am in my belongings being in my room when I return from Globe Life on Saturday.  Will I have a new roommate? Can’t wait to find out.

The hotel is pretty nice, though, which is my version of “Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?.”

I can’t wait for night #2 at the DoubleTree, this whole thing feels like a situation where I get overcharged or thrown out of my room early.

But college baseball is back so it all washes out.