Pirates Packing Up For Spring Training
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In one week, Pirates pitchers and catchers will report to Pirate City in Florida to begin Spring Training. The first full team workouts begin Feb. 24.
Today, the Pirates' equipment managers packed an 18-wheeler and have already started heading south.
If the Pirates players, coaches, trainers, equipment managers and staff are going to need it in the next couple months at Spring Training, it better be on the truck.
"We are taking our clubhouse from up north and will be shipping it down south," equipment manager Scott Bonnett said.
So, what exactly does that entail?
"Uniforms. We've got bats, we've got balls. We've got all the equipment from the training room, the equipment room. We've got personal luggage," Bonnett said.
There are a lot of things that you might not have on your packing list.
"We've got sunflower seeds. We've got Gatorade. Anything you can possibly think. The kitchen sink. We've got Neil Walker's ping pong table," Bonnett said.
Bikes, golf clubs and fishing rods are pretty typical items to stash away in your luggage for days off, but leave it to the Pittsburgh kid to throw them a curve ball.
"Neil Walker always comes through with a good surprise. This year it's the ping pong table," Bonnett said.
While Bonnett's specialty is packing it up and having it ready in Bradenton when the players arrive, he's also been around the game long enough to know that the Pirates have the makings of another playoff run.
"The players that we have signed, I think it's going to be a really good mix. I'm loving A.J. Burnett coming back. He's a lot of fun, and the excitement with Andrew McCutchen seeing what he can do again," Bonnett said.
The truck left town this morning, they'll have it all unloaded in Bradenton by Saturday. As far as Bonnett is concerned, they are leaving just in time.
"I actually saw the forecast last night where it is dropping into the single digits, so this is going to be a nice surprise to beat that and get the heck out of here," Bonnett said.
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