Every young player knows its important to have an offseason routine with scheduled workouts to prepare for the upcoming season. It doesnt matter if hes a first-round pick or a 41st-round pick. Theres always someone hoping to take his job.
While players take some requisite downtime after a season to rest and recover from the long grind, its necessary at a certain point to get back onto a schedule. But, when a storm of historic proportions nearly wipes out all that is familiar, any sense of routine or normalcy is gone.
Pat Light was the Red Sox third pick in the first round (37th overall) this year out of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. His hometown of Colts Neck, NJ, was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. But he knows it wasn't hit as hard as some areas were hit. He considers himself fortunate that his house survived the storm. His mother is from Staten Island, one of the areas most devastated by the storm. Light got power back in his home Tuesday night, nine days after Sandy knocked it out.
Id go to bed and wake up in the morning freezing because it was about 32 degrees in the house. Its been tough, Light said.
The last nine days I couldnt do anything, unfortunately, because no one had power, electricity, heat. So its kind of hindered my workout program a little bit.
Traffic lights are still out. Itll take a little bit, but its been nice to see people helping from all over. It was nice to see power companies coming from Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, Wisconsin. Its nice to see people helping out. Well get back to normal eventually. Itll just take some time.
It also puts life into perspective.
Well, yeah, absolutely, said Jayson Hernandez, the Red Sox 41st-round pick in 2010 out of Rutgers and a native of Jackson, NJ. Wednesday is the first time Im getting into the weight room since Oct. 27. There was no power. The gym that I work out at, the power just came back yesterday. its been really tough.
I also give lessons at Frozen Ropes baseball clinic in Tinton Falls, NJ, and I work there in the offseason. We havent had work for a week now. But theyre doing something pretty cool as well. The town of Tinton Falls still doesnt have power but Frozen Ropes does. So what theyre doing every day is running camps from 103 for the kids so the kids can kind of get away from the stresses of this storm and just go out there and have fun. I think thats very important.
Mike Augliera was taken by the Sox in the fifth round this year out of SUNY-Binghamton. The right-hander lives in Old Bridge, NJ. He was just starting his offseason program when Sandy hit.
It was pretty rough last week, Augliera. Luckily my family, we had power within two days. So we were very lucky. But I know some of my friends in town still dont have power. In our town, were lucky that were inland. Were not near water. But I have friends who live in those towns and their cars were washed away. Some of their houses were flooded. So its amazing that the worst our town had was no power. But even just 15 minutes away people lost their homes.
With the storm, I had to put my offseason workout on hold, which isnt a terrible thing when all this stuff is going on.
New Jersey was getting hit again by a noreaster on Wednesday.
Hopefully, when this storm passes and the state gets back up and running, Ill continue working out, Augliera. Ill get on my offseason program and begin throwing. And when that time comes, Ill come back for spring training in good shape and ready to go wherever they assign me.