A Day in the Minors (Late August)
A Day in the Minors
The alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. ARGGGHHH!! I slowly make my way to the bathroom to brush, shower, and shave. I get dressed and sit down to eat the yummy breakfast Sara has made me. I check my email, chat with Sara for a bit, hork my food, and then its time to get goin to catch the 7:01 Musashino line train out to Urawa (where our minor league complex is). I give Sara a kiss and leave the apartment at exactly 6:45 a.m., get on my bike, ride to the station, and step on the train a couple seconds before it leaves. I sit in the same seat every day. I either read or sleep (depending on how interesting the book I’m reading is). It’s a 59 minute ride out to Urawa. I guess I’m not the only one who likes to sit in the same seat, because I see the same exact people in the same exact seats every single day on the train. No one ever says a word. Hundreds of people, and all you can hear is the metal train wheels skidding over the tracks. I lookaround and wonder how many of these people have been doing this same routine and for how long. There are probably men who have ridden the same train together for 20 years, every day, and never said a single word to each other. (Btw…its an $18 train fare each day…luckily we get reimbursed.)I thought I was good at sleeping anywhere, well these people have me beat. I see people sleeping while standing up! The train gets gradually fuller until I have some guys crotch about a foot in front of my face. I’m just happy I get a seat. I cant stretch out my legs because of all the people, but at least I’m sitting down. Anyways, at 8:02a.m. we arrive at the Musashi Urawa station, I hop out and start walkin thru the station, dodging the hoards of people running for the trains. I make my way out to the street and keep walkin towards the complex. While walking I cant help but notice that I pass the same EXACT people at the same EXACT spot on the sidewalk every single day. Its quit entertaining. The only thing different from one day to the next is the clothes we are wearing. I keep walking for about 15 minutes along side the train tracks, eventually taking a right down a little narrow road that leads to our field. I call it a field andnot a stadium because that’s what it is. Its your average high school field, but with an all dirt infield. As with every other day , I pass the same ten or so super fans who are already loitering outside our clubhouse. I smile and say good morning, and they get excited…just like they did the day before, and the day before that. The really are dedicated. What fans arrive 3 hours before BP? The crazy thing is, these super fans go to the big league game after our game is over, which makes for 14 or 15 hours of baseball everyday. WOW. At 8:25 I walk into the clubhouse, take off my shoes, grab my clean laundry from the day before, say good morning to every person I see, put on my uniform, and head to the training room so they can take my temperature. (They insist on taking every players temperature EVERY DAY. I just say Ok and follow the rules.) I then grab my batting gloves and bat and head to our indoor facility. It sounds fancy, but trust me, its not. Picture a warehouse with a bunch of nets hanging from the ceiling. Anyways, I set up the tee and do my routine of hitting drills by myself to get my blood going and work on my swing. It is now 8:50 a.m. I then walk over to our weight room (picture a large closet with a couple multi-machines, and some physioballs). I do a 20 or 30 minute workout and head back inside to get the rest of my equipment I will be needing for BP. Stretch for BP stats at 9:30 a.m. (but you must be there 10 minutes early). We have a quick meeting and then start doing our stretching and active warm-up. We jog, stretch, twirl, skip, bounce, and sprint for the next 30 minutes. The stretch and warm up is exactly the same everyday, further blending one day to the next. I am thoroughly loose after the first 10 minutes, but I keep my mouth shut and follow the protocol. At 10:00 a.m. we change into our cleats, play catch, and break into our pre determined hitting groups that are posted on the dry erase board. I am usually in group two, which means I start out hitting soft toss behind the batting cage, and bunting off of the “Iron Mike” pitching machine. After I take 30 or 40 swings and bunt 15 or 20 balls, it is time to rotate. We then hit live on the field. Each round has a different purpose, whether it be hitting the ball the other way, up the middle, moving runners, getting runners infrom third, hit and runs, etc. After our time is up, you hustle over to first base to do your base running while group three hits. I do a couple breaks on the pitcher, a couple secondary leads, and then move to second and do the same thing. Then on to third base to work on my breaks off of third. After base running I grab my glove and head to the position I will be playing that day. If its second base, I take about 20 groundballs where I feed the SS for double plays, and then I take about 20 where I throw to first. After I’m done with my ground balls, I rake my position and head out to the outfield to shag some balls off the bat. After a couple minutes of this, BP ends and we all chip in to help pick up the balls and get the field ready for the other team to take BP. By now its 11:15. I change my shoes and head for the clubhouse, where I change shirts and go the food room. (A little free standing trailer that serves us our meals). The selection is pretty slim in the minors. Its usually a salad, a vegetable, and a some sort of pork, chicken, or beef dish that is served over rice. And noodles are always available…soba, udon, ramen, whatever you like. Sara usually packs a PB&J, to help get me some more food I like. I relax and eat my food, even though I’m usually still sweating from BP. I have about 30 minutes before I have to get back to the clubhouse to change into my uniform for infield. The visiting team ends there BP around noon, and we clear the field of all the nets, cages, balls, machines, etc. We play a quick catch and take the field for infield. (We take infield EVERY single day, as apposed to the states where we may take it 5 or 6 times the entire season!) I’ll save you the details of our infield, but its various cut-offs, throws to the plate, double plays, more throws, and LOTS of sweating, which is just what I wanna do after I’ve eatin a full meal. Infield ends around 12:20. I’m covered in sweat and head for the end of the bench where I grab a big sponge out of the ice water buckets we have set up in the dugout and squeeze the icy water over my head. I sit and relax and talk baseball with Lenny while the other guys go hang out in the clubhouse. We talk about his playing days, coaching, hitting, fielding, etc. Just when I’m about to stop sweating, its time for the pregame warm-up (12:50). I do a couple sprints,some stretches, some swings, and its time to rock. By now, there are about 72 people sitting in the make shift stands we have set up. (The field doesn’t charge admission. The atmosphere is about as electric as a game of Bingo.) First pitch is at 1:00 p.m., right at the hottest part of the day, and not a puff of a wind. Sweating becomes so normal, you feel uncomfortable dry. The game is pretty much the only part of the day that is different from the day before. The game usually consists of me getting gradually more and more frustrated and pissed, because I have a tough time hitting like I always have for some reason. But we win a lot, which makes my shortcoming easier to bear. My teammates are really cool, and play hard to win every day, which is refreshing. Our game lasts anywhere between 3 and 4 hours. After the game, it is time for conditioning! Yay! (Just what I wanna do after playing 9 innings on the surface of the sun…. runsprints.) I grit my teeth and run the sprints, squeezing out the last few drops of sweat I have left in my body. We finish the day around 4:30. After signing autographs for all 72 people in attendance, I head for the clubhouse to get undressed. I get out of my sweaty clothes and hit the showers. I get dressed, make a protein shake, and start making the 15 minute walk to the train station, I am instantly covered in sweat. As I’m leaving, I see all the guys heading for the indoor facility to get more work in!!! (Most of the younger guys live in a dorm down the street, they don’t have an hour and a half commute like me.) I usually catch either the 5:06 or 5:26 train back to Kahim-Makuhari. After sweating my butt off on the walk over, I settle into my seat and read, trying not to notice all the Marines fans heading to Marine stadium to watch the big league game. They tend to recognize me, and I can see there wheels turning trying to figure out why I’m on the train with them. I arrive at my station at around 6:30 p.m., walk to my bike, and pedal my ass home….still sweating by the way. I walk thru my front door at 6:45 and am greeted by the most wonderful aromas of food cooking. I give Sara a big hug and kiss and check out what smells so good. I plop down on the couch and try to stop sweating. I finally cool off just in time to set the table, turn off the TV, and sit down to an always delicious meal prepared by my wonderful wife. We eat and talk about our day. We finish up dinner, clean the table and dishes and get back on the couch to cuddle up and watch either the big league game or “Queer Eye for a Straight Guy.” (Queer Eye usually wins.) At around 9:00 p.m. I make coffee and dessert. We enjoy our treats, snuggle some more, and then its time for bed. I hit the sack around 10:15 or 10:30 p.m., dead tired.The next day, I repeat the SAME EXACT thing. It’s a grind, and makes for some long days, but there’s nothing I’d rather be doing (except maybe hunting). It’s “Ground Hogs Day“ everyday, and I love every minute of it.
See ya on down the road,Chase
The alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m. ARGGGHHH!! I slowly make my way to the bathroom to brush, shower, and shave. I get dressed and sit down to eat the yummy breakfast Sara has made me. I check my email, chat with Sara for a bit, hork my food, and then its time to get goin to catch the 7:01 Musashino line train out to Urawa (where our minor league complex is). I give Sara a kiss and leave the apartment at exactly 6:45 a.m., get on my bike, ride to the station, and step on the train a couple seconds before it leaves. I sit in the same seat every day. I either read or sleep (depending on how interesting the book I’m reading is). It’s a 59 minute ride out to Urawa. I guess I’m not the only one who likes to sit in the same seat, because I see the same exact people in the same exact seats every single day on the train. No one ever says a word. Hundreds of people, and all you can hear is the metal train wheels skidding over the tracks. I lookaround and wonder how many of these people have been doing this same routine and for how long. There are probably men who have ridden the same train together for 20 years, every day, and never said a single word to each other. (Btw…its an $18 train fare each day…luckily we get reimbursed.)I thought I was good at sleeping anywhere, well these people have me beat. I see people sleeping while standing up! The train gets gradually fuller until I have some guys crotch about a foot in front of my face. I’m just happy I get a seat. I cant stretch out my legs because of all the people, but at least I’m sitting down. Anyways, at 8:02a.m. we arrive at the Musashi Urawa station, I hop out and start walkin thru the station, dodging the hoards of people running for the trains. I make my way out to the street and keep walkin towards the complex. While walking I cant help but notice that I pass the same EXACT people at the same EXACT spot on the sidewalk every single day. Its quit entertaining. The only thing different from one day to the next is the clothes we are wearing. I keep walking for about 15 minutes along side the train tracks, eventually taking a right down a little narrow road that leads to our field. I call it a field andnot a stadium because that’s what it is. Its your average high school field, but with an all dirt infield. As with every other day , I pass the same ten or so super fans who are already loitering outside our clubhouse. I smile and say good morning, and they get excited…just like they did the day before, and the day before that. The really are dedicated. What fans arrive 3 hours before BP? The crazy thing is, these super fans go to the big league game after our game is over, which makes for 14 or 15 hours of baseball everyday. WOW. At 8:25 I walk into the clubhouse, take off my shoes, grab my clean laundry from the day before, say good morning to every person I see, put on my uniform, and head to the training room so they can take my temperature. (They insist on taking every players temperature EVERY DAY. I just say Ok and follow the rules.) I then grab my batting gloves and bat and head to our indoor facility. It sounds fancy, but trust me, its not. Picture a warehouse with a bunch of nets hanging from the ceiling. Anyways, I set up the tee and do my routine of hitting drills by myself to get my blood going and work on my swing. It is now 8:50 a.m. I then walk over to our weight room (picture a large closet with a couple multi-machines, and some physioballs). I do a 20 or 30 minute workout and head back inside to get the rest of my equipment I will be needing for BP. Stretch for BP stats at 9:30 a.m. (but you must be there 10 minutes early). We have a quick meeting and then start doing our stretching and active warm-up. We jog, stretch, twirl, skip, bounce, and sprint for the next 30 minutes. The stretch and warm up is exactly the same everyday, further blending one day to the next. I am thoroughly loose after the first 10 minutes, but I keep my mouth shut and follow the protocol. At 10:00 a.m. we change into our cleats, play catch, and break into our pre determined hitting groups that are posted on the dry erase board. I am usually in group two, which means I start out hitting soft toss behind the batting cage, and bunting off of the “Iron Mike” pitching machine. After I take 30 or 40 swings and bunt 15 or 20 balls, it is time to rotate. We then hit live on the field. Each round has a different purpose, whether it be hitting the ball the other way, up the middle, moving runners, getting runners infrom third, hit and runs, etc. After our time is up, you hustle over to first base to do your base running while group three hits. I do a couple breaks on the pitcher, a couple secondary leads, and then move to second and do the same thing. Then on to third base to work on my breaks off of third. After base running I grab my glove and head to the position I will be playing that day. If its second base, I take about 20 groundballs where I feed the SS for double plays, and then I take about 20 where I throw to first. After I’m done with my ground balls, I rake my position and head out to the outfield to shag some balls off the bat. After a couple minutes of this, BP ends and we all chip in to help pick up the balls and get the field ready for the other team to take BP. By now its 11:15. I change my shoes and head for the clubhouse, where I change shirts and go the food room. (A little free standing trailer that serves us our meals). The selection is pretty slim in the minors. Its usually a salad, a vegetable, and a some sort of pork, chicken, or beef dish that is served over rice. And noodles are always available…soba, udon, ramen, whatever you like. Sara usually packs a PB&J, to help get me some more food I like. I relax and eat my food, even though I’m usually still sweating from BP. I have about 30 minutes before I have to get back to the clubhouse to change into my uniform for infield. The visiting team ends there BP around noon, and we clear the field of all the nets, cages, balls, machines, etc. We play a quick catch and take the field for infield. (We take infield EVERY single day, as apposed to the states where we may take it 5 or 6 times the entire season!) I’ll save you the details of our infield, but its various cut-offs, throws to the plate, double plays, more throws, and LOTS of sweating, which is just what I wanna do after I’ve eatin a full meal. Infield ends around 12:20. I’m covered in sweat and head for the end of the bench where I grab a big sponge out of the ice water buckets we have set up in the dugout and squeeze the icy water over my head. I sit and relax and talk baseball with Lenny while the other guys go hang out in the clubhouse. We talk about his playing days, coaching, hitting, fielding, etc. Just when I’m about to stop sweating, its time for the pregame warm-up (12:50). I do a couple sprints,some stretches, some swings, and its time to rock. By now, there are about 72 people sitting in the make shift stands we have set up. (The field doesn’t charge admission. The atmosphere is about as electric as a game of Bingo.) First pitch is at 1:00 p.m., right at the hottest part of the day, and not a puff of a wind. Sweating becomes so normal, you feel uncomfortable dry. The game is pretty much the only part of the day that is different from the day before. The game usually consists of me getting gradually more and more frustrated and pissed, because I have a tough time hitting like I always have for some reason. But we win a lot, which makes my shortcoming easier to bear. My teammates are really cool, and play hard to win every day, which is refreshing. Our game lasts anywhere between 3 and 4 hours. After the game, it is time for conditioning! Yay! (Just what I wanna do after playing 9 innings on the surface of the sun…. runsprints.) I grit my teeth and run the sprints, squeezing out the last few drops of sweat I have left in my body. We finish the day around 4:30. After signing autographs for all 72 people in attendance, I head for the clubhouse to get undressed. I get out of my sweaty clothes and hit the showers. I get dressed, make a protein shake, and start making the 15 minute walk to the train station, I am instantly covered in sweat. As I’m leaving, I see all the guys heading for the indoor facility to get more work in!!! (Most of the younger guys live in a dorm down the street, they don’t have an hour and a half commute like me.) I usually catch either the 5:06 or 5:26 train back to Kahim-Makuhari. After sweating my butt off on the walk over, I settle into my seat and read, trying not to notice all the Marines fans heading to Marine stadium to watch the big league game. They tend to recognize me, and I can see there wheels turning trying to figure out why I’m on the train with them. I arrive at my station at around 6:30 p.m., walk to my bike, and pedal my ass home….still sweating by the way. I walk thru my front door at 6:45 and am greeted by the most wonderful aromas of food cooking. I give Sara a big hug and kiss and check out what smells so good. I plop down on the couch and try to stop sweating. I finally cool off just in time to set the table, turn off the TV, and sit down to an always delicious meal prepared by my wonderful wife. We eat and talk about our day. We finish up dinner, clean the table and dishes and get back on the couch to cuddle up and watch either the big league game or “Queer Eye for a Straight Guy.” (Queer Eye usually wins.) At around 9:00 p.m. I make coffee and dessert. We enjoy our treats, snuggle some more, and then its time for bed. I hit the sack around 10:15 or 10:30 p.m., dead tired.The next day, I repeat the SAME EXACT thing. It’s a grind, and makes for some long days, but there’s nothing I’d rather be doing (except maybe hunting). It’s “Ground Hogs Day“ everyday, and I love every minute of it.
See ya on down the road,Chase
posted by CHASE at
8:44 PM
1 Comments:
Hey was good to see that you and Gary made it to the stadium last night for the final home game. We were all wondering what was going on when they were playing your song while Ohmatsu was coming to the plate! Best of luck in whatever is next, Im sure you will look back fondly on at least parts of the whole experience later on in life.
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