For a rental car this spring, I’ve been driving a green Toyota Prius hybrid, which has been a point of pride for me, especially with gas prices running about $3.30 per gallon down here.

Yesterday, the great Patrick Reusse rode with me on the two-hour ride to Tampa. He was skeptical when the drive started, asking if that little car “had any guts,” but the Prius handled itself just fine in the fast lane up I-75 North.

I was feeling pretty good all day, as we covered the Twins/Yankees game. Patrick can fill a car ride with stories — many hilarious — and I was looking forward to getting back to the Prius.

That is, until we got about 100 yards away from the car and noticed the lights were on.

There are things you don’t want to do as a Star Tribune sports writer. One of them is leave your car running all day, when you’re responsible for Reusse’s ride home.

I walked those last 100 yards to my car, imaging being stranded with Patrick in a deserted stadium parking lot.

Yes, I’d left the car on. I exited the Prius, just as I always do, with the electronic key in my pocket. For this car (and perhaps all hybrids, I’m not sure) you don’t put a key into the ignition. Once the electronic thingy is inside the car, you just push power. And when the car is idle, it sounds like it’s off — like an electric golf cart.

Staring at those lights over those last 100 yards, I must have kicked myself 100 times. Why the heck were my lights on in the first place?

I’m an optimist by nature, so I held out hope that the car would start. If the lights are on, it’s got to start, right? Patrick’s gravely voice muttered as he walked. He had his doubts.

Alas, the car started just fine. Eight hours at a ballpark, and the machine hadn’t used a drop of gas. The battery indicator light told us we were dangerously close to losing power, but I pulled right out of the parking lot, and by the time we got back to Fort Myers, the battery was fully charged.

I was plenty relieved. Patrick called his wife, telling her about the stupid thing that almost happened, and she said, “It sounds like a stupid car thing.” That made me feel better, but hybrid or Hummer, you’ve gotta be smarter than your automobile.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 9:25 am and is filed under Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.