day before for the week, but I ended up getting signed,” Holdgrafer remembers. “I couldn’t pitch anymore, but I stayed for the game that night and then drove to Knoxville. Then Saturday I made it the rest of the way and suited up in Columbia.” He made a trip out from San Diego to Evansville. He drove out with another friend who plays in the Frontier League to make the drive to the Midwest. On the way as the two caravanned, they stopped in Scottsdale, Dalllas and Nashville for the night to experience the night life.
“I’m not just flying across the country. I’m driving and experiencing it.” Holdgrafer tells. One of his goals when travelling across the country the last time he went was to stop at a few small towns and to try to sample restaurants that he’s never tried or heard of. One of those stops came after they played golf right outside of El Paso. “It was about an hour detour off the freeway, and it was unbelievable,” the pitcher tells. “It was cool because we were the only people in there except for a few locals and it felt very including. I got the pulled pork and some brisket and it was absolutely unbelievable.” The name of the restaurant was Hickory Pit Bar-B-Que. It has a small following. The page has less than 1,000 likes on Facebook, but they’ve been a mainstay in the area, serving up BBQ for 60 years. Delving through the comments people leave on social media, most point out that they have been eating at the restaurant for generations! Great food isn’t the only thing that Tim stopped for. He stopped at one of the most famous haunted houses in the country on his journey from coast-to-coast, visiting the Whaley house. “We went to the Whaley House. I had heard the stories, but figured, while we’re here, why not take a night-time tour,” Holdgrafer explains. “I was on-edge the whole time. It was during the night-time, you’re in this three-story house with an attic and you’re touring each room while the guide is showing and explaining all the different rooms that people did stuff, and it was super interesting.” Holdgrafer’s journey with the Fireflies was relatively short. The righty appeared in eight games, spinning a 5.82 ERA in 17 innings before the Royals released him. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of his journey though. The grey Jeep Grand Cherokee will hit the road again, aiming for the next destination with a couple of stops in between. Who said professional ball can’t have its own fair share of fun and games on the side?
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