Editor’s note: U-T San Diego videographer Sharon Annie Heilbrunn spent some of this road trip following the Padres. See her videos at UTSanDiego.com For more updates, follow her on Twitter: @annieheilbrunn
Ahh, home. I finally flew to San Diego on Wednesday morning after a week on the road, and I can’t tell you how good it felt to unlock my door and see my bed.
I missed the St. Louis portion of this Padres’ 10-day road trip, and I can’t even imagine how I’d be feeling if I had made that part. Because right now, I’m exhausted. Pooped. Spent.
That’s one of the misconceptions about being on the road: People think you have all the time in the world to sightsee, lounge and relax, but on the road, I work even harder than I do at home.
Logistically, there’s more to take care of and handle. I spent five days in New York and three in Chicago and I can tell you right now that I saw my hotel room, the baseball field and the inside of taxi cabs. And that’s it. I never even ate outside the hotel. Never took a walk through Central Park or stopped in a shop on Michigan Avenue. Life on the road, while it’s fun and I absolutely love it, is far from a luxury. Hate to burst that bubble.
My point for telling you all of that is this: If that’s how I feel, imagine how the players feel. Not only are they dealing with hotel beds, cafeteria food and time changes, but their bodies are physically taxed every single day. Their minds and emotions are drained after only winning one game during this stretch. (Yes, they are professionals, and this is what they signed up to do, but it doesn’t make it any easier. They’re human, and believe me when I tell you that they care.)
Being on the road — and having to adapt their routines, which players will tell you is the most important thing to do because consistency is the key to success — is tough. There’s no way around it.
What surprised me is how little time players really have. They get out of the ballpark at 11 p.m. or so most games, and by the time they unwind and get their adrenaline down enough to fall asleep, it’s past midnight. That’s if they can get themselves to fall asleep, which many players tell me they can’t. At the very least, they don’t sleep well. They wake up, have maybe an hour or two to relax, and then they head to the ballpark.
I had a great time on this road trip and got to do some really fun stuff — went to the MLB Fan Cave with Cameron Maybin, Yonder Alonso and Andy Parrino; took the subway to Citi Field with Nick Hundley and Chase Headley; listened to Anthony Bass play the guitar; saw Wrigleyville; caught up with players’ wives and girlfriends and hung out with Luke Gregerson and his family at his Chicago home. Those videos are up on the U-T San Diego website (or will be very soon).
Thanks for coming on this adventure with me and I hope to continue bringing you much more “behind-the-scenes” action. For now, though, my bed is calling my name. Loudly.
