Pirates' Staff Packing Up For Spring Training
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It is still about a week and half until Spring Training workouts begin for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but don't tell the team's equipment staff.
Monday morning, they were already hard at work moving the team's gear to the Bucco's location in Florida.
"This is the official start, I believe. We start gathering it up and heading down south," Clubhouse Manager Scott Bonnett said. "About a week after the season is over with you start getting orders going for spring. It starts picking up in December right after the winter meetings when you see all the vendors."
The Pirates' clubhouse staff is packing everything they need for Spring Training and beyond.
"Bats, balls, helmets, golf clubs. We got uniforms. We have rosin bags. We have bats. We've got TV equipment. We have photography equipment. We have front office stuff. We have luggage," Bonnett said.
It's not just all the baseball gear, but personal luggage for players, front office personnel, and the team's training staff. It includes everything they need to do their jobs from now until the season starts in April.
The best news for Bonnett and his staff comes after packing all the stuff.
"We get on a plane and fly down tomorrow and kind of get prepared for Thursday when the truck pulls up," he said.
That's when the big job begins -- finding places to store it all in the cramped quarters at Bradenton and Pirate City.
"Unloading it is a little bit difficult because now you have to put it in spots where it goes. You know, it's just part of the process," he said.
Just in case you need another reason to love Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 is the day Pirates pitchers and catchers report to camp to start the season.
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