With fatigue replacing thrill of Japan trip, team gets help from MLB's schedulemakers.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published April 2, 2004
[Times photos: Toni Sandys]
Rays pitcher Victor Zambrano conks out minues after boarding the return flight from Tokyo.
Jose Cruz can't wait to chow down on some American snacks - fudge-striped cookies from a vending machine - after landing at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport.
ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays were a bit disoriented, a little sore and a lot tired when they got home from Tokyo late Wednesday night.
But the one thing that should make them feel better is that the Yankees should feel the same way.
It won't be easy for the Rays and Yankees to get back on east coast time, to get back into a daily baseball routine and then to get back to business Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
But it will be easier thanks to a concerted effort by Major League Baseball to smooth the transition by giving the teams five days off until resuming the season, and by having them play each other in St. Petersburg when they do.
"It worked out so the teams have equal footing and so they have an equal amount of rest," MLB president and COO Bob DuPuy said. "We think it's going to be okay. It should not be an issue."
There were significant issues when the Mets and Cubs returned from their 2000 season-opening series in Japan, specifically that both teams struggled for a while. The Cubs lost their first three, five of their first six and 14 of 20; the Mets lost five of their first seven, and both wins were by 2-1.
"We got our a-- kicked," said Mark Guthrie, a Cubs reliever at the time. "I think if you look back for the first month of the season, neither team hit .200. I think it messes with the hitters a lot more than it does the pitchers.
"You've got to take care of yourself, you've got to try to find a way to get your rest. I don't know if there's a way to beat it or not. We tried everything. It definitely takes its toll."
The effects, though, didn't last too long: The Mets recovered and went on to the World Series in 2000.
"We gave these teams a little more time off when they came back, and they'll play each other," said Jim Small, executive director of MLB's Japan office. "That should help alleviate some of the concerns. But if you ask the Mets, it was fine. Mike Piazza has been quoted as saying the trip was a bonding experience for the Mets. The Cubs just had a bad year. Maybe it had more to do with their pitching staff."
Experienced travelers say that the trip home, especially after a short stay, is a more difficult re-entry, that the adjustments are harder to make and the aftereffects of the extensive travel last longer.
"Coming back is what killed me," then-Cubs infielder Jeff Huson said.
Since both the Rays and Yankees will be in the same situation, neither team should be at a disadvantage for the two-game series at the Trop. If anything, the Rays might have an advantage, as their key players are younger and they'll be in their own beds while the Yankees will be living out of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort.
The Rays plan to combat the effects of jet lag by getting back on the field. They had a day off Thursday - "a well-deserved day off," manager Lou Piniella said - and will shift back into spring training mode for a few days, with a light workout today, an exhibition game in Dunedin on Saturday, a scrimmage against Triple-A Durham on Sunday and another workout Monday.
"We've got to get back to playing," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "This is still spring training. We've missed some time and some repetitions. We need at-bats and we need innings."
The time they lost from a baseball standpoint was well worth it in terms of the overall experience in Japan, exposure for the franchise and postseason-type experience for the players.
"Our task was to come here and play good baseball and introduce ourselves to the people of Japan, and I think we did that," Piniella said. "Hopefully we left some good impressions."
The Rays left Tokyo after Wednesday night's game, with more than a dozen photo crews documenting their departure from Haneda airport around 1 a.m.
Their Japan Air Lines chartered 747 took them over the northern Pacific Ocean, Alaska (which was blanketed with snow) and western Canada, then down the middle of the United States, arriving at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport around 11:40 p.m. They flew from the dark to the light to the dark, ate dinner early and breakfast late and were relatively quiet on the 121/2-hour nonstop flight, most sleeping during the first few hours, then watching movies or playing cards and dominoes the rest of the way.
It was obvious the players were happy to be home. Jose Cruz and Joey Gathright headed straight to the airport vending machines to buy familiar snacks. Danys Baez and others excitedly turned on their cell phones to get voice-mail messages for the first time in a week. Some planned to hit fast-food drive-throughs on their way home. Lance Carter was thinking about jumping in his pool.
In general, they were happy to have gone, and happy to be back.
"It was," managing general partner Vince Naimoli said, "quite a trip."
- Times photographer Toni L. Sandys contributed to this report.
