Paul Molitor places restrictions on mobile devices in Twins clubhouse
Baseball clubhouses are no different than the local coffee shop, an airport lobby or the subway train. Wherever large groups of people gather, you’re bound to see a high percentage of them messing around on their phones, laptops or other electronic and mobile devices while blocking out all of the commotion that exists around them.
However, there’s supposed to be one major difference between a baseball clubhouse and those public places, and that’s the atmosphere. While it may be acceptable to tune others out in public, where you’re most likely surrounded by strangers, in the clubhouse you’re supposed to be teammates with common interests, collective goals and countless reasons to be engaged with one another.
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According to new Minnesota Twins bullpen coach Eddie Guardado, that necessary communication has been missing from the Twins clubhouse. It’s something he noticed on the first day of spring training last season when he was hanging around camp, and it’s something he was concerned would carry over if the Twins didn’t actively make changes.
“I’m sitting there the first day, having a cup of coffee at the big table in the middle of the clubhouse,” said Guardado. “I’m looking at all the pitchers. There’s eight pitchers. I go, ‘What’s wrong with this picture right now?’ “
Now the bullpen coach on manager Paul Molitor’s staff, Guardado recalls posing that question to longtime equipment manager Rod McCormick. As Guardado gestured down the long row of pitchers lockers, he saw eight heads buried in their smart phones.
Some were even wearing noise-canceling headphones.
“I said, ‘Hot Rod, look at this,’ ” Guardado recalled. ” ‘Nobody’s talking to anybody.’ “
As Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press report, Guardado took his concerns to Paul Molitor, and on Friday parameters to limit the usage of such devices were put in place during a meeting with all 61 players invited to major league camp. Per those rules, all devices must be shut off 30 minutes before first pitch, and they must remain until the game concludes. That applies to relief pitchers who hang back in the clubhouse in the early innings and players who have already been removed from the game. No exceptions. When it’s game time, it’s business time.
Berardino adds that former manager Ron Gardenhire attempted to make similar changes late last season, but didn’t fully commit to enforcing the rules. Clubhouse attendants were often tasked with keeping an eye on those matters, which we’d guess makes for an uncomfortable dynamic. Who would want to be the middle man calling out a player or reporting back to management? No thanks.
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In that regard, it seems like Molitor is going to take this more seriously as he’s placing it in his own hands and the hands of his veteran players to police it. In fact, Joe Mauer has already stepped forward as a supporter of this decision, which should only help it gain traction.
“It’s baseball time,” Guardado said. “If your wife or kids or somebody needs to get hold of you for something important, they’ll do that. I know times have changed. Technology is just crazy, but the game of baseball hasn’t changed.”
Simply put, when you come to work, it’s time to get focused on work.
That’s not just baseball. That’s life.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
