Big Boy Pants
Monday, February 20, 2017
Spring Training Workouts – Ft. Myers
Going in to the JetBlue Park/Fenway South complex for the first time each year is like New Year’s Day for me. It’s finally a chance to see the boys of summer, and in a whole lot warmer setting than the actual Opening Day game at Fenway will be. So today I was happy to see them put on their big boy pants and work out.
No, really. As we waited for the players to come out and stretch, I wondered why there was a basket of uniform pants and a row of sneakers set up on the agility field. After the usual stretching exercises, the major league position players stayed on that field to practice sliding. In the past, we’ve seen them do this drill on strips of black plastic that look like Slip ‘N Slides. This time they slid on the grass, wearing sneakers instead of cleats, and with the option of putting a second pair of pants on over their uniform pants, as one coach explained, “so you won’t mess up your game pants.”
To see the wardrobe change and the drill in all its glorious splendor, see the video below.
After that, it was a typical Spring Training workout. There was some throwing and infield practice, followed by live B.P. where pitchers throw to their teammates, then regular batting practice to round out the day. Following are some of my favorite pictures from the day.
At the end of practice I got autographs from Blake Swihart, Deven Marrero, Sam Travis, Dan Butler, Steve Selsky, Jordan Procyshen, and hitting coach Chili Davis as they came off the field. After leaving, we stopped for a treat at Norman Love Artisan Gelato just down the street from the ballpark, and then spent the afternoon at Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota.