The truth about spring training

Sporting News, The, March 22, 2004 by Todd Jones

With all the drama surrounding the sport, here's something new--a baseball column.

Spring training means a lot of things to a lot of people.

For the superstars, it's a time to enjoy their status in the game. They have it made. They arrive in their Learjet, and they go to their house in the team's spring training city. They take grounders or throw in the bullpen, then go golfing or fishing or take the kids to Disney World. Once the games begin, they start out playing four or five innings before No. 78 takes over. They get their running in, half-speed at that, then stretch and take in the rest of the game.

The truth is, they're special people with special talents, and they work just as hard as everyone else, only the fans don't see it. Players are at the park early working on a practice field, learning a new position or something like that. Then they take their swings in the batting cage. By game time, their work is almost done. They're getting ready for the season, but not too quickly, because once the season starts, the whole team and an entire city will be counting on them.

Next are the other regulars and the bench players. This is an uneasy time for them. General managers are always tinkering with the roster, and a lot of times they contemplate getting rid of these guys. G.M.s think the grass is greener just because someone else can throw harder or is cheaper or whatever.

The truth is, these players are the heart and soul of a team. There aren't enough superstars to go around, so every club other than the Yankees and Red Sox has just one or two. That means the majority of games will be won or lost by the middle-class guys, of which I'm glad to be a part.

Then there are the young players who come to camp feeling 10 feet tall and bulletproof. I've learned one thing in this game: If you play long enough, you will be humbled. These guys haven't been yet. They're the organization's super prospects, the future of the franchise. They're so green and so ready to take on the world that if they were told they could make the team by running five miles every day, eating nothing but salads and doing nothing but watching videotape, they would do it.

You know what I'd like to see in every clubhouse in baseball? Young guys paired up with older players during the day. That would help both sides tremendously. They could stand to learn something from each other. You talk to a young kid, and he knows nothing about steroids, collusion, options, trades, corked bats, Tommy John surgery, Learjets, arbitration, needing a day off, day games after night games or the media. They do know how much fun they think it is to be on a baseball card. They know that if given the chance, they'd be the next A-Rod. They know they would play for free.

The whole industry could use a big dose of that right now.

Todd Jones is a reliever for the Devil Rays. E-mail him at tjones@sportingnews.com.