New York – In the interest of doing things differently last October, Evading Make a hidden, but deep change in their travel plans.
In the previous Posteseasons-many of which ended with early disappointing cancellation-Dodgers will use a single plane widely for shutdown players, coaches, executives, employees, broadcasters and other members at the enlarged travel party from one city to another.
Last year, they chose a different flight pattern.
The players took one plane, as part of a larger effort Promote the group’s feeling In the pursuit of achieving World series address.
Everyone, at the same time, flew on a separate secondary commercial plane.
“I think it is just [a way for us to make sure] More time we spend together, “the first rule man Freddy Freeman He said during the post last year. “Ensure that we stay together as a group.”
Looking at the resultsThe evaders decided to keep the change in this season.
What started as an experiment for one month, then it became a permanent routine for the heroes who are now defending.
This year, in a major shift to the way they travel, evaders use two planes on a full -time basis for their regular roads: one for players, just as they did last October; The other for everyone, from director Dave Roberts and the rest of the training employees to dozens of other team members who make up each trip.
“He was driven by them,” Roberts said of the players. “We facilitated it.”
“He is re -imagining the travel team,” added Scott Akasaki, who supervised the move. “It will be interesting to see the positive things that come out of it.”
In fact, when club officials looked to defend the title of 2025 this winter, he soon prepared them for the idea of making the aircraft system permanent.
Indeed, they bought the positive effects that they had on the chemistry of the team during the qualifiers, believing that it is a contributor to the increasing level of friendship players who were martyred as a driving force behind the 2024 Championship.
But as they set ways to alleviate the burdens of the 162 -game season, they realized other logistical advantages that might result from the additional travel investment.
“Our property was incredibly supportive of the idea,” the general manager Brandon Gomez He said. “And yes, it seems that he went well so far.”
For beginners, the players now have more comfortable sitting arrangements on flights, able to deploy on a plane that includes only a few of the club’s additional support staff.
“It provides an environment in which our players are more willing to get comfort and recovery, with fewer people on the plane and a larger space for transportation,” Akasaki said.
After the team suffered from many prolonged delay on the day of travel last year due to mechanical problems with their charter, they now have a “safe” emergency plan, as Gomez described it; A second plane is always available to transport team members to their next city as specific.
“In theory, players and cash staff can jump on the work plane and go,” Akasaki, “while the remaining people remain behind until the mechanical problem is solved.”
However, four land trips have not been praised this year, as it has not been praised as much as the changes made by the evaders on the actual travel schedule.
On traditional travel days, the evaders were usually awaiting out of Los Angeles if they had a day outside the end of a house and the beginning of a wild trip. This meant an additional night at home, but later reaching the cities on the eve of a chain outside.
“When you spend your day on the plane,” the third veteran base man Max Monsey He said: “You never feel ready.”
(Gina Verizy / Los Angeles Times)
With the use of the second plane, the smugglers can do things differently now.
Although each of the first four homes of the team this year was followed by an open date, the players’ plane left immediately after all the four -day matches in the road cities on the same night (or, in the case of Wednesday’s flight to New York this week, early in the next morning) before the rest of the travel ceremony arrived the next afternoon.
“I think it’s better,” said Freeman. “It gives us a full day.”
“It is good to have a day outside [without having to fly]”You are tired on the day of the holiday, but then you can get a full sleep at night to rest and recover. I felt good. “
Sometimes, the additional day allows players with a rare additional personal time-to give a person like Muncy, a citizen from the Dallas region, on the afternoon of the full day to see the family before the Easter series last month in Texas.
But even for other players, Monti added, “It was so, let me go to the blessing, or allow me to have some lunch somewhere, and then we will get a nice dinner. It gives you the entire day to recover. I think it will be a better change for us.”
The account of a second plane, of course, adds complications to the layout of each wild flight. The truck load should be sorted from the equipment that he travels specifically and loaded on the right trip. The team must coordinate between two partners from airlines, and they rented Boeing 757 from Delta and Boeing 737-800 from United, to deal with travel parties that sometimes increase more than 100 per all. Akasaki now has a larger team of people who also help in the planning process.
From Andrew [Friedman, president of baseball operations] Below, it was, “hey, this is a big thing, and it is much to deal with one person,” so [they asked]”What do you need to keep all this organized?” This was very useful. “
The team also had to calculate other potential negatives. There were considerations about the environmental impact of the use of a second plane, according to one person involved in this process but not authorized to speak publicly. There were simplified changes daily to the team’s season as well.
“Like, you cannot do this organic conversation at the back of the plane between an employee and a player like you,” Aquassaki pointed out.
However, in the end, professionals outperformed the negatives.
“You can still get it [conversation] In the club, note Akasaki.
In addition, for the institution that has long tried to increase its brutal financial resources to become a major destination for stars in the baseball game, the ability to put the potential free agents on the luxury of using two “definitely” does not hurt, and Gomez shook.
With the new Dodgers travel system, which is believed to be unique among MLB clubs, Roberts indicated that “there are many other teams that are already asking about the two planes.”
To this point, the players said, the reviews were positive.
“It is still early,” Monti noted. “I only did it in one way since I was here, so I don’t know how it is” over the full season.
However, Freeman joked with a smile, “I haven’t heard a single complaint about this topic.”
