It was the end of the 2013 season and the Red Sox were on the brink of entering the postseason.
There was an off day in St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Sept. 9 to be exact -- and the players were going to make the most of it.
An afternoon of fishing and other activities led some of them back to the hotel pool, where unsanctioned cannonballs off a way-too-short waterfall were part of the kind of party that wasn't all that out of the ordinary for a tight-knit team feeling good about themselves and their lot in life.
That was then, this is now.
The Red Sox find themselves in St. Petersburg for another off-day Monday, leading into a two-game series at Tropicana Field against the Rays. The challenges of getting on track for the 2020 season after a 3-7 start is one thing. Staying safe in one of the country's biggest COVID-19 hotspots, Florida, is another.
"I'm fine with the travel there. I think we're doing the right things as far as the flight. But it is concerning going there and getting in the hotel, and concerning with the off-day because you want guys to be able to go out and relax and do some things they enjoy," said Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke. "And we know that's probably not a good idea. We've talked to all of them. Some of them have talked to us and asked us our opinion on doing some things. We give them what we think but you hate to restrict them and just say, 'Hey, you have to spend the whole day in your room for 24 hours.' But the pool is probably not a good idea. It's tough. Because you know if they stay in and do nothing, it's better for them. But you also want them to relax and it is a day off to enjoy yourself and have fun. So, those two don't always mix. Hopefully, we'll continue to do the things that keep us safer. We know it still can happen. Then we'll see how it goes in the two games and we'll see how the other teams are doing in the next few days."
'The pool is probably not a good idea' https://t.co/RyWSapEjQb pic.twitter.com/aLl2Okzl71
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) August 3, 2020It's no secret that Major League Baseball is already teetering on the edge of an acceptable work environment, as has been evident with the Miami Marlins' outbreak and the subsequent rash of game cancellations. And now, as the Herald's Jason Mastrodonato points out, MLB will be playing in six cities Tuesday -- Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Phoenix, Oakland, San Diego and Chicago -- that are considered high-risk by the CDC (more than 10,000 cases over the last seven days.)
Other than the on-field results, the Red Sox have been seemingly on-point when it comes to protocols. They have appointed team trainer Nick Kuchwara their own COVID-19 compliance officer while limiting their four positive tests so far to only players who arrived back in camp with the virus.
"We're not operating in a bubble environment," Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy told the Herald. "But it doesn't mean people are fully out in bars in restaurants or nightclubs. We have a chart of all the lower-risk activities up to the higher-risk activities. To the extent people are leaving the hotel, we ask they stay outside and wear their masks and just go for walks."
He added, "We have everything we need at each of the hotels, which have been great. We're asking our guys not to go to any public places other than the hotel and immediate surrounding area, ballpark and back. We understand it's a burden but what we need to do to get through this."
Kennedy also went out his way to praise Roenicke, whose first year as Red Sox manager has been obviously saddled with a whole new wave of responsibilities.
"(Roenicke) has been incredible," Kennedy also told Mastrodonato. "He's taking this as seriously as anyone in baseball. I can tell you he's very focused on following the protocols. I'm a little old-school, but to me, the manager is the most important person. He's our leader, he sets the tone for personal responsibility and personal behavior. Ron is incredibly diligent."
Now comes the biggest challenge for the Red Sox: Staying away from perhaps the best pool in the American League (and everything else between the hotel and the two-mile-or-so trip to the home of the Rays).
