Off Days

I've had quite a few of my own the past few days. I apologize to my readers- for all of you who actually visit this page, there should definitely be something up more often than I've been doing.

Truth is, things have been pretty annoying. I've had 6 straight games rained out, and if rain actually leads to depression, I don't want to know what not playing baseball does to me.

So I figured a word about off days would be appropriate, something to get back on track with. I've spoken about the physical toll playing everyday takes on players' bodies. Its probably something you really have to try for yourself because you can't really know what it's like.

So lets say a player is struggling, or he just "needs a day off", something to break up a small rhythm and get back on track. My first guess is that the day off barely matters. Most of the time, they have to be loose the whole game just in case they need to pinch hit or run. This means they have to warm up, get stretched out before the game like everyone else. They aren't actually resting that much. I guess they aren't on there feet as much throughout the night.

Some may recall the story in Moneyball when Scott Hatteburg was given the night off and he thought he wouldn't play, so over the course of the game, he was downing huge amounts of coffee and then later he was told he may pinch hit in a few innings. Well, he was wired out of his mind, but he went to hit for a long time in the underground cage and finally when it came his turn to bat, he actually had a walk off home run to win the game. (I believe the A's were up 10-0 and then blew the lead, but Hatteburg ended up winning it for them anyway.)

When I was at baseball camp, back when I was an older teen, first learning baseball, the catching coach was saying how sometimes coaches will give the catcher a day off- and he'll send the backstop to the bullpen for the day. Well, that ain't no day of rest. Thet's even worse. You are catching just as many pitches in the pen and doing it for longer intervals. "You want to give me a day off, make me the DH." I won't forget that line.

Now free on Hulu, there is a documentary on high school Japanese baseball. I won't spoil it for you as I highly recommend the film, but here is a list of a few amazing things said or done by either a player or coach:

• Player said they practice from when school is out (2pm) until 9pm. Then he goes home and practices some more.
• The day after a team loses in their summer tournament, they begin practicing the following day for next year.
• One player remarked how he doesn't remember not playing fatigued. He just wishes he can get rid of the tiredness.
• One coach said how losing is always the coach's fault. You can never blame the players. If they lose, he didn't manage their skills well.

Everything is unbelievable about their ethic, but you have to question the fact that players are clearly not playing to their capability if they are that fatigued all the time. Regardless, there are plenty of things to gain from the film. Of course, now I bow before I step onto the field.