People joke all the time about how relievers sleep on the job, dick around when they aren't pitching, etc. Well, they're able to get away with it in large part because they aren't in the dugout with everyone else. Modern-day ballparks aren't structured like the old Tiger Stadium or Wrigley Field, where the bullpen is still a part of the action. Players can basically go into hiding these days when they're not warming up.
I feel like a lot of the struggles you see are because guys aren't connected to the game at all, then all of a sudden, their number is called and they need to get focused. Can you imagine NFL reserves sitting off in a tunnel somewhere? Or NBA bench players having their own private box that they come from when they check into a game? I realize relievers need an area to warm up before they come in, but does that mean they have to be housed in a location that is so disconnected from the game itself?
I feel like a lot of the struggles you see are because guys aren't connected to the game at all, then all of a sudden, their number is called and they need to get focused. Can you imagine NFL reserves sitting off in a tunnel somewhere? Or NBA bench players having their own private box that they come from when they check into a game? I realize relievers need an area to warm up before they come in, but does that mean they have to be housed in a location that is so disconnected from the game itself?
