SALT LAKE CITY -- The biggest, reddest bus you’ve ever seen pulls up outside the Fairfield Inn at 5:42 p.m., about the time the Alaska Goldpanners are rolling out of bed, grabbing their gloves and heading down the elevators.
Originally planning to just let the guys rest and maybe play some catch in the evening, general manager John Lohrke and field manager Mark Lindsay have secured not just “a field” for an hour of practice, but probably one of the nicest junior college baseball complexes in the nation.
Nestled on the Salt Lake City Community College campus, Cate Field, home of the Bruins, is a 100 percent FieldTurf facility surrounded by five rows of permanent seating and 3-foot concrete and brick walls. The mountains visible along the third-base line add to the beauty, and the thick clouds blocking the sun keep the temperature in the high 80s on this Monday evening.
“We’ve got an hour,” Lindsay says before the team departs the bus. “So that’s 15 or 20 minutes of stretching, then infielders take 20 minutes of batting practice and switch to fielding with the outfielders. Pitchers, let’s get stretched really well and throw. And Tate (Shimao), grab the bats for us.”
Being the youngest of the young sometimes comes with its drawbacks.
Assistant coach Ryan Hanson is soon in the batting cage, tossing balls to catcher Blake Hiraki.
“Get up, moving around, stretching, try to get rid of the jet lag and make sure your minds right and your body feels OK,” he explains.
To this point, the trip has gone as smoothly as possible. A brief 40-minute delay in Seattle was offset by the bonus of the departing gate being directly next to both the arrival gate and a store with breakfast items. The bus was ready to take the team straight from the Salt Lake City airport to a quick lunch at Zaxby’s and to the hotel for rest. And finally, the bus pulls back up to the hotel at 7:45 p.m. The players are on their own to walk to any of the two dozen or so restaurants within a half-mile or order to their rooms.
The last order of business:
“What color jerseys do you want to wear tomorrow?” Lindsay asks.
After a smattering of “blues” and “reds,” it’s conceded that an online poll has to be taken. Who would have known college-aged guys were so fashion conscientious?
Contact sports editor Jeff Olsen at 907-459-7530 or jolsen@newsminer.com.
