Spring Training 2008 Part 1 Scottsdale, AZ It was something you didn’t see much of anymore, though the Albuquerque coaching staff was happy to see it. It was mid-February and, not only had pitchers and catchers reported for the start of training camp, but so had all of the teams position players. With the team being so young and in its first year of play, everyone was excited to get the spring season started. Albuquerque’s home for the spring was located in Scottsdale, AZ and they would be sharing the Salt River Fields with the Rockies and hometown Diamondbacks. Since the club didn’t have housing accommodations this season for its players and coaches, they had rented out almost an entire floor in a nearby hotel for the team to use while they were here in Arizona. The entire team, along with the coaching staff and ownership, were currently in the hotels banquet hall. They were all enjoying a buffet style dinner celebrating the team’s inaugural camp. There were trays of food sitting up against one of the side walls and carving stations, being tended to by the kitchen staff, had cuts of prime rib and roasted chicken. The team was spread out in the hall as they sat at round tables that sat about five people a piece. The coaching staff and ownership sat at a long banquet table at the front of the hall. There was music being played over the halls sound system, at reasonably soft levels, and the room was also a buzz with conversation as the players were taking this opportunity to get to know their new teammates, since this was the first time they had all been together at the same time. “I was watching your game on TV. You pitched a great game. I’m sorry you guys didn’t advance.” Sal was saying to Abbey Baker who was sitting at the table with him along with fellow pitchers Evan Andrews and Brad Lawson. “Yeah, me too. Especially losing to LA. I hate those guys.” Abbey said with a smile as she took a sip of water. “You’re going to have to find a new team to hate then I guess.” Evan said with a laugh. “I don’t know why but I can’t stand Colorado.” Abbey replied. “Must be a division thing since I grew up a D-Backs fan. How about you?” “Well we’re going to be in the AL West so I guess every other team in our division. How about you Brad?” Evan finished. “Any team from Chicago.” Brad replied as he swallowed his steak and looked at Abbey. “No offence.” “None taken.” She replied with a smile. “What about you, Sal?” “That’s easy. Boston. Can’t stand them.” He replied promptly. “Though you can put the Yankees on the list now too. I was super disappointed when they didn’t take me.” “Sounds like you don’t want to be here.” Abbey said curiously. “Nah, nothing like that.” Sal said with a smile. “If they don’t want me, I don’t want them. I’ve already got the dates we play them circled on the calendar. I’m going to be bugging Billy to let me make a start every time we see them.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- “Being out here in New Mexico is something I bet you weren’t expecting then right, Mike?” Kyle Garrett asked of his fellow expansion draftee Mike Bruner. Mike shrugged. “I figured I was going to be on the move once they signed Texiera, there was no room left for me at that point. Suits me just fine though. I’ll probably be starting here and, if I stayed in the Atlanta system, it would have been sent back to the minors. You could have started for Washington, though.” “They liked Kerns and Pena better I guess.” Garrett replied with a shrug of his own as he looked at Cody Zeller who was sitting to his left. He had his phone sitting out on the table and kept looking at it. “Are you expecting your phone to run away? You keep looking at it every ten seconds.” “I’m waiting for my boys to text me.” Cody replied as he picked up his phone again and shook his head before sending a text and putting it back down. “We’re supposed to be going out somewhere to party. If there are any around here to party.” “I don’t know if it’s the best idea to be going out and doing that with our first practice early tomorrow morning.” Kyle said with a frown. Cody laughed nonchalantly. “Man, do you have any idea how many games I played in college where I was hungover or still fried from the night before.” “Maybe if you had toned down the partying you wouldn’t have gotten yourself kicked out of Cal.” Mike said disapprovingly. Cody ignored him and smiled broadly as he got another text and stood from the table. “As much as I‘d like to stick around, that was my boys. You all have a good night and I’ll see you early in the morning.” He finished as he left the table and headed for the door.
Roadrunners first practice, the next morning. The sun had risen about an hour ago, but the morning air that hung over the desert town was still dry and cool. The Roadrunners found themselves on one of the fields on the northern end of the complex. The team was lined up in several lines in the outfield as the strength and conditioning coach was leading the team in warmups. The coaches weaved their way in-between the lines of stretching athletes as they would briefly stop to talk to their players. Billy was also walking among the players as he would stop randomly to speak to some of his players and try and school them a bit as they stretched. He left one of his players and was walking through a middle line when he stopped in his tracks, looked back over his shoulder and started slowly backtracking. He found the player he was looking for and had him stop stretching. Billy had a stern expression on his face as he quietly addressed his player. Once he got an answer from that player, he had that player follow him as he pulled him from the line and led him a short ways away. “What do you suppose that’s all about?” Sal asked as he continued to stretch. “No clue.” Said Jason Piersol who was standing next to him. “I may have an idea.” Kyle said softly from the row behind Sal. Sal peeked back when he didn’t get and explanation and saw that Kyle didn’t look happy and neither did Mike standing next to him. “I’m not a mind reader.” Sal said expectedly when Kyle didn’t answer him. Kyle inclined his head towards Billy and the player. “Cody said something last night at diner about meeting friends to go out partying.” “So. That’s no big deal. He showed up for practice, didn’t he?” Sean McMillan said as he continued to stretch next to Kyle. “It will be a big deal if he showed up hung over and still baked.” Mike answered abruptly. “What!? He went out and got high last night? What a dumb ass.” Sal said as he attempted to keep his voice down. “He’s going to get us all in trouble if that’s what he did.” Jason replied sounding a bit skittish. “Billy doesn’t play around with that stuff.” “What are you guys yelling about?” Abbey asked from the line in front of Sal and Jason. Sal was going to answer but saw that Billy was leading Cody over to where the strength coach was standing. “If you’re right, Jason, I got a bad feeling we’re about to find out.” Billy interrupted the coach and told him to stop before he addressed the team. “Alright. I need everyone’s attention please.” Billy said and the team could hear the seriousness in Billy’s voice. Cody, for his part, was adverting his eyes and was trying to look around Billy and out onto the road adjacent to the outfield. “We were going to do some baseball activities today, working on some basics. However those exercises for today are going to be cancelled.” Billy said loudly and severely as the remainder of the coaches joined him at the front of the line. “This is a team, gentleman. If someone makes a mistake on the field that costs us a game, it counts against the entire team and not just that player. Everyone feels the loss. And today we’ve suffered our first loss.” Billy paused and placed a hand on Cody’s shoulder and stared icily at him, causing Cody to drop his gaze. “Mr. Zeller here thought it would be ok to go out last night, party, and show up for practice still smelling like stale alcohol and weed. I don’t need to tell you all how unacceptable that is. Or at least I shouldn’t have to.” Billy stopped looking at Cody and addressed the team as a whole again. “So, since we’re a team, Mr. Zeller’s mistake is not only his own, but it belongs to every one of you here. As punishment we are going to be doing a lot of running and conditioning today starting with running laps around the field, suicide sprints and whatever else I can think of that will keep us moving.” “How many laps are we running, skip?” Mike asked bravely, voicing the same question everyone was asking. “Till I tell you to stop.” Billy snapped back. “I don’t tolerate blatant disregard for the rules. And, in this case, a total lack of respect for the uniform you’re all wearing. Hopefully this will be the first and last lesson you’ll all need regarding this matter.” Billy paused for a moment and inspected his squad. “The warning track runs around the entire field. If I catch anyone wandering off of it, I’ll be adding laps. Now, get moving.” The group begrudgingly headed off and started running. Sal slowed his pace just enough till Cody caught up with him. “Nice job there Cheech and Chong. Way to go and *(censored)* it up for the rest of us on the first day.” Sal shot sarcastically at Cody when he caught up. “Go away, Garlisi. I don’t want to hear your mouth.” Cody replied in kind. “Is that what you told mommy and daddy when you got kicked out of Cal? You seemed to have still not learned your lesson.” Sal said angrily. “You bring up my parents again, Sal, and I swear I’ll beat the shit out of you.” Cody said matching Sal’s temper. Sal laughed. “Now you’re the one that’s mad? Like you’re the victim here? You’re the dumb ass that went out last night, got high and showed up smelling like a drunk skunk.” “On my time, I can do whatever I want.” Cody replied back. “You keep lecturing me and I’ll knock you out right now.” Sal cut in front of Cody and stopped running, forcing Cody to stop as well, and the two of them came face to face. “Go ahead, take a swing, tough guy. I want to see you try and knock me out.” This time Cody laughed. “You really want to spend sixty-days on the DL for being a dumbass?” Before Sal could respond Abbey came up next to him and grabbed his arm to try and get him to leave it alone. “It’s not worth it. And if Billy sees us just standing here, he’ll start adding laps.” “What are you all standing around for!? Move you’re asses now!” Billy barked loudly right on cue. Sal threw Cody one last menacing glance as he and Abbey jogged away and Cody followed behind them. “He’s not wrong, you know.” Jason said as he ran up next to Cody. “Leave me alone, Jason. I don’t need a lecture form you either” Cody said as he slid his eyes forward. “Then I won’t give you one.” Jason replied. “But, just know this, your actions effect more than just you. You can’t do whatever you want if you’re going to be a part of this team. Sal may have been the one to say something to you but, I guarantee you, there isn’t one guy running around this field right now who likes you.” “I wasn’t trying to piss anyone off.” Cody said with a sigh. “Well you’ve got a lot of work to do to prove, not only to Billy and the rest of the coaches, but to the rest of us that you’re committed to playing the game and not just being a distraction.” Jason didn’t say more and ran ahead of Cody to leave him by himself.
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