Baseball union to open free agent camp in Bradenton The Hockey Monologues to return

Tongue-in-cheek skits do a take on minor hockey that is part-humorous, part-serious

The baseball players’ union will open its own spring training camp for the first time since the end of the 1994-95 strike, inviting free agents to work out at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Union head Tony Clark said Thursday the camp will open Tuesday and workouts will start the following day under Bo Porter, the Houston Astros’ manager in 2013-14. The camp is scheduled to run through March 4, and the union has the option to extend the camp through the end of the month.

More than 100 players who exercised their right to become free agents last November are without final agreements. Teams start spring training workouts next Wednesday.

Agent Scott Boras represents 15 free agents seeking jobs, a group that includes J.D. Martinez, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Jake Arrieta. His company has its own training facilities in North Miami, Florida, and Newport Beach, California, and he is not sure whether his clients will work out at his facilities or IMG.

Although young hockey players and their families come from many backgrounds, there are some universal truths about the hockey life. There are some hockey experiences everyone has had, or at least witnessed.

The Hockey Monologues, the Second Period hopes to – once again – capture those moments and experiences in a lighthearted setting, and maybe poke a bit of fun at them too.

The Curtain Call Players will be hosting the Hockey Monologues, Second Period, in the hopes of giving some laughs – and maybe a few nods of recognition from guests, on behalf of the Pictou County Weeks Major Midgets.

“It’s a satire on what the life of a minor hockey family is like. They take the different views,” said Anthony Conway, president of the Pictou County Weeks Major Midgets. “It’s got everything, from the kid who always gets sent to the penalty box, to that one hockey parent who can be a bit too boisterous. It’s those types of things.”

Just like last year’s Hockey

Monologues, every scenario from scenes on the ice to locker room hijinks will be part of the production. The performance is the work of local hockey parent Colleen Hawley, who worked in a lot of her own experiences, as a parent whose kids have all played hockey.

“I definitely want it to be relatable. We’ve had a lot of experiences in the rink, and with a monologue format, you only have a few minutes to get the point across. You’ve also got to make things a caricature of what happens, and a bit exaggerated,” said Hawley. “We definitely poke fun – it’s tongue-in-cheek.”

One skit features some of the stereotypes associated with hockey players, offering a glimpse into the life of a mother and daughter shopping for a prom dress, when the daughter tell the mother she’s going to prom with a hockey player.

The Second Period is a continuation of last year’s Period One. This year, Hawley noted, the Hockey Monologues will be relatable because there will be some seriousness mixed in with some of the funnier, more mischievous monologues.

“I had some strong ideas, and brainstormed with some friends about funny ideas, but we have some serious monologues, too,” said Hawley.

The heavier topics to be touched upon in the Hockey Monologues, The Second Period, include concussions and the consequences for those who inflict them and are affected by them, and parents who push their children too hard to excel in the sport, instead of encouraging them to play for genuine enjoyment of the game.

The Hockey Monologues, The Second Period will be performed on March 1 and 2, at the North Nova Education Centre Auditorium, and will serve as a fundraiser for the team.

“There are a lot of brand new actors and returning actors from last year. It’s a 19-person cast, and there’s a lot of talent from the community there,” Hawley added.