Fatigue, both mental and physical, takes its toll
Off days are a rarity in the ACBL
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They all say they love to play baseball, but many feel a growing eagerness to get some time off.
The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League regular-season schedule ends today, and the four-team playoffs begin Saturday. Sure, the teams are aiming to win a title, but many players look forward to getting a rest and returning home to see family and friends.
Jason Rago, a starting outfielder for the North Fork Ospreys, said players are feeling "moderate fatigue."
Outfielder Cass Hargis, who played every inning in the Riverhead Tomcats' first 37 games, said "everyone is feeling a little tired, but you have to play through it."
Ever since the season began on June 4, the players, coaches and support staffs have been busy, often adjusting to rainouts and unplayable fields. The Ospreys played 20 games in the first 25 days of July. The Tomcats, starting this past Friday, were scheduled to play seven games in a six-day span. Riverhead, however, got an unexpected day off on Monday when the Sag Harbor Whalers decided not to play.
"Because of all the rainouts in June, we have had to stack so may of our games and we lost a bunch of off days," Rago said after North Fork beat the Tomcats on Saturday night. "It's tough on us. I know a bunch of position players on my team and around the league are starting to get tired arms and tired legs."
"It's more mental fatigue than anything else," Rago said. "Kids are tired. They are looking to get a break and to start school [again]."
Tomcats Manager Ron Davies said "a ton of rain" made an impact.
"This is probably one of the heaviest summers of rain we have had in the last 20 years," said Davis, who has coached college baseball on Long Island for more than 40 years. "It squeezed these games into a shorter period. When you do that it puts a lot of pressure on the players, the coaches, the maintenance people. You can't do anything about Mother Nature."
While some Riverhead games were switched to a different site because the Tomcats' home field on Pulaski Street was unplayable due to rain, the summer heat has not been oppressive. The Tomcats typically start their games at 5 p.m., so they miss the hottest part of the day.
The Tomcats started with 23 players and still have 19 of the originals. The team has had two players miss action with injuries, and two players went home. Two newcomers joined the team last week.
With eight pitchers, Davies has a thin bench and his top hitter, Pete Greskoff, continues to compete despite a sore knee and bruised heel. North Fork has not reported any injuries.
Organizers arranged a 40-game regular season for the six teams in the ACBL's Kaiser Division. Most players had three weeks or more off after their last college games before reporting to their ACBL teams.
"They are trying to make it as much as they can like a pro game," North Fork Manager Shawn Epidendio said. "If these guys get drafted, they will go to the minors and play six days a week, with 13-hour bus rides. That's what they are going to have to do if they want to play at the next level. So, this [schedule] prepares them for that situation."
The schedule resembles that of the Cap Cod League, which is the oldest, best-known and highest-quality summer collegiate league in the country. The Cape Cod League season started June 11 and its regular season ends on Aug. 5. Davies said the ACBL might want to expand the time frame, but he thinks that is unlikely.
"If [the Cape Cod League] gets it in, we should be able to," Davies said.
Hargis, who leads the league in at-bats, said he is sleeping more and making fewer visits to the gym to work out. He said players will cope with the ups and downs of their common experience because most have a common goal.
"I am still fine; just a couple of bumps and bruises, but nothing I can't play through," Hargis said. "Everybody here wants to play pro ball. You might as well get used to [a weekly grind] now. Physically, it is not like football. You are not getting beat up, but mentally it takes a toll because no matter what you did, good or bad, the next day you have to come ready to play."
After the Tomcats play their last game, Hargis will have a 1,300-mile drive to southern Louisiana.
"I can't wait to get home and have two weeks to do nothing," he said.
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