Rays’ Cuba trip gets attention
Tampa Bay’s planned March 22 exhibition in Cuba will provide the Rays with a remarkable opportunity. But the trip can also be a major hassle in terms of disruption to their training schedule.
PORT CHARLOTTE — Going to Cuba for a planned March 22 exhibition will provide the Rays with a remarkable opportunity.
They will be part of a historic moment in not only sports but world politics and international relations, given the tentative plans for President Obama to attend and possibly throw out the first pitch. Plus they will get the chance to sightsee, explore and experience the island, and its baseball-rich history, before tourism becomes mainstream.
But the trip can also be a major hassle in terms of disruption to schedule and routine less than two weeks before the start of the regular season. And it will surely cause some personal inconveniences, a few players already voicing their preference to not go.
Major League Baseball is doing what it can to make it worth the Rays’ while by paying each player who goes a stipend, said to be $10,000 a man.
And the players union is working diligently on the details, seeking to reduce the potential issues and concerns by dealing with issues such as field and stadium conditions, safety and transportation. Union chief Tony Clark said the goal is making the trip “as comfortable and as less invasive as possible.”
Just the schedule alone can cause problems, as the Rays have to decide which players may be better served by getting more work, or certainly any medical treatment, by staying home.
Under the latest plan, they would head out on two flights on March 20, one mid-day and another with most of the players after their game in Sarasota.
With the potential that last-minute field improvements will be needed at Havana’s Estadio Latinoamericano, they may not be able to work out Monday nor do too much before the Tuesday afternoon game. And they won’t get back to Port Charlotte (via a flight to Tampa) until late Tuesday night, with a game scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Fort Myers.
So among the scheduling questions are whether to take the pitchers who worked the Sunday game or those who are slated to throw Monday and Wednesday; and to make sure they have adequate backup along, especially if the field proves to still be a concern.
“I know full well what something like this does and the adjustment that it may force guys to make in their preparation for the season,” Clark said. “And I don’t take it lightly.”