Upon checking in after last evening's game, I made my way to the room and inserted the key. The door wouldn't open. So, I trekked back up to the office and got another key. Came back to the room and tried again ... still wouldn't open. At this time the frustration is setting in. I insert the key again, drop my shoulder, and give the door a block John Hannah would be proud to call his own. Open pops the door.

Of course, by this time in the evening it is completely dark in the room and there is no light switch. I stumble across the strange room and find a lamp, flick the knob and - you guessed it - nothing happens. So I try another. No luck. Then I see a cord laying on the floor - the lamps are not plugged in.

Now here I am, wandering in the dark with a lamp cord in my hand searching the walls for an outlet. I finally find one -- only it is behind the bed. After a stream of obscenities and a scrape down my arm, I got the lamp plugged in and some light on the subject.

I grab the tv remote and hit the power button. Nothing happens. I go over to the TV to turn it on but the knob is missing. It won't come on.

Well that's OK. It was just going to be background noise while I wrote a story for SEBaseball.com. So I sit down and begin writing. I get finished and try to connect to the wireless internet the hotel claimed they had when I booked the room.

Of course. No connection.

I call the front desk and the dude says, "The signal isn't strong enough to reach some of our rooms". Great, warning track power. I asked for another room closer to the signal but he didn't have one. I then asked if the signal worked in the hotel lobby. "Well, we are not supposed to let people in this late at night," he said. That was not the right thing to say after my last thirty minutes.

We'll just say he did, in fact, let me use the lobby after I showed up with my laptop and my pleasant personality.

I posted my story and went back to the room. The door wouldn't open. I'm beginning to get the hang of this now. I hit it hard with my shoulder - opening the door and sending a shooting pain through my shoulder and back. Note to self: pick up some of the clear and the cream on the way home.

When I checked out, I related my wonderful evening of experience to the Days Inn manager on duty. She made notes, then the phone rang and she answered it. No apology. No credit to the bill. Not even a have a nice day.

We'll see what their corporate office has to say tomorrow morning.

Let me give my hearty recommendation to stay anywhere except the Days Inn in Auburn, Alabama.