17 hours and 40 minutes isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things.
But it's a long time to sit on a plane.
Travis decided to accept the Sydney Blue Sox offer. The manager was a 60-year-old Australian named Shane Barclay. Travis got a good feel off of him after talking to him on the phone, and it sold him on going to the "land down under." Barclay was transparent with him. He would come in and be on the reserve roster, but the Blue Sox roster had quite a bit of turnover, and if any of the outfielders struggle, opportunity would be quick to come by. There weren't any other professional leagues active during that time of the year, and if Travis took advantage of his opportunity, he could play in America again next season.
Fortunately, the flight had WiFi, and Travis used the time to study his new teammates.
The starting outfield looked like it would be Drew Avans, Braxton Lee, and Conrad Gregor. All three of them are Americans. Avans, 26, played in the Dodgers system for three years, never making it above High-A. He signed with the Blue Sox last season, but appeared in only two games. Lee is a 29-year-old from Mississippi. He got a cup of coffee in the bigs with the Marlins way back in 2018 and had bounced around the minors with a multitude of teams since then. This would be his first year in Australia. Gregor is a 30-year-old from Indiana. He had actually appeared in the bigs with the Washington Nationals the year before. He was a long time minor leaguer with the Houston Astros, then played indy ball in America for quite a few years before latching on with the Nats.
All three clearly had better track records than Travis, but Travis had something those guys didn't -- potential. He was determined to come in, work hard, and take a spot from one of those three. He just needed to get off of the plane first.
