BOSTON (AP) Day-night doubleheaders. Cross-country travel. Rain delays and extra innings.
A baseball schedule can play havoc with sleep, but some major league teams are trying to combat the grind of the long season by giving their players a place to catch some shut-eye at the ballpark, away from their noisier teammates or their rambunctious kids. Sometimes called ”recovery rooms,” the areas near the clubhouse are just quiet, dark rooms with beds, but players and team officials hope they can reduce the fatigue caused by the long and often irregular hours of the season.
”Everybody in professional sports – especially baseball, with the travel requirements of the sport – feels like sleep is something that can be a competitive advantage,” Boston Red Sox athletic trainer Brad Pearson said.