TSN: Jones: Clubhouse life is different than it used to be

Yeah...and it was a much better world without those Jade Esteban Estrada’s CD’s!

Guys nowadays show up earlier than we used to and leave way earlier than we used to. I can remember when guys would hang around until 2 or 3 in the morning after every game. An older player would call a team meeting, so to speak, and guys would grab a garbage can full of whatever guys drink, sit down and figure out whatever was going on that particular night. If it was 2 a.m. when everything was figured out, then everybody would shower and leave. If it was 4 a.m., then it was 4 a.m. The best times in my career have been with teammates figuring it out. Now, any figuring out that needs to be done is taken care of before the game.

These days, if you get to the park at 3 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game, you’re late. Even though most clubs don’t require their players to be at the park before 4 at the earliest, guys arrive way before 3. Perhaps we like that lunch spread the clubbies lay out as much as we like the dinner spreads.

Another difference in clubhouses today: Most of them have a bunch of TVs. If there are 10 TVs, five are showing that night’s opposing pitcher so hitters can see what they’ll be dealing with. They watch for tendencies of the opposing pitcher, such as what he throws when he’s ahead or behind in the count. They also look for arm angles and release points.