The Whiplash of a Suspended Spring Training
By Kumar Nambiar, minor leaguer in the Oakland Athletics organization,@kumar4123
The excitement leading up to my first Spring Training was unparalleled. So many people from my town, my school, my family had reached out to wish me good luck. It had been what I had devoted my last five months to: intense strength training, a personalized throwing program, the healthiest diet possible, and with the full support of my family and friends. Spring Training was all I could think about during the off season, going back to Mesa, Arizona to show the Athletic’s coaching staff how hard I had worked to improve my pitching.
This was my life now. My job was to pitch for the Athletics and I was ready to do anything to put myself in the best position for success. I was stoked to be going back to Arizona and was prepared for my first full season of professional baseball.
I decided to head down a week early. One of my old coaches recommended I go early before the other pitchers and catchers showed up on the regular report date. The first night I got to Mesa, the big-league club was playing the Cubs at Hohokam Stadium, the A’s Spring Training stadium. I walked in as the stadium erupted. The A’s had just scored their first run to break a 0-0 tie. I was astonished by how many fans had come out on a chilly Monday night with rain in the forecast. It got me fired up to play baseball for the A’s again.
My first week was productive. The weather was beautiful every day, around 70 degrees and sunny without a cloud in the sky. During the offseason, I trained in the Northeast where snow and rain was typical. This made it hard to do anything outside consistently. I was forced to sprint on treadmills and throw into nets. To be able to practice outside in the sun for a week before official workouts began was a huge advantage. By the time the rest of the pitchers and catcher reported, I was comfortable and I had gotten the butterflies out of my system.
On March 8th, we had our first official workouts. Seeing my teammates from last year reminded me how fun last summer was and how excited I was to be back. I missed all of my A’s teammates. It had been a while; we had about six months’ worth of catching up to do. I was most curious to find out who had really improved and who hadn’t.
The first few days of official workouts went smoothly. I had felt good with my pitching and was excited to start scrimmaging soon. Each day would begin around 7 AM and end around 2 PM. The days started early but we had free time later in the day to relax and catch up on sleep. Afternoons were usually spent between the hot tub and video games.The biggest problem of my day: hotel Wi-Fi.Not a real issue; you could say I was enjoying my first Spring Training.
I don’t think anyone expected what was coming next. The next day, the NBA suspended their season.
Prior to this, I never thought that all sports could come to a halt like they did. That Wednesday when the NBA made their decision to stop playing, everyone started to realize the potential impact of Covid-19 on sports. Over the next couple of days, everything happened in the blink of an eye. First, the weekend schedule changed. After, the weekend schedule was cancelled. Then, we cleaned out our lockers. Finally, they gave us our flight information home. It all happened so fast.
We were told that Minor League Spring Training was suspended indefinitely. Some of my teammates had nowhere to return; they had been planning to be gone for six months. I am thankful that the A’s worked so swiftly to get their players and staff out of Arizona safely. On Wednesday, everything seemed normal. By Friday, I was on a redeye flight back to New York.
We have been given updates regularly about the situation. Nothing has really changed. The virus is spreading and not slowing down. Yes, it’s tough for me. After working so hard, my first Spring Training cut short. But it’s tough for everyone. I understand that this is bigger than baseball. So, let’s do our part and stay home.