Once Major League Baseball resumes, players will have to refrain from a number of activities including hi-fives, fist bumps and even spitting on the field.
That last part might not be so easy, atleast according to Gabe Kapler.
The San Francisco Giants manager is very particular about his chewing routines on game days. And he detailed how the new rules would impact his and other players’ habits during an appearance Monday on KNBR.
“When the game begins, I start with some coffee, it’s part of my routine,” Kapler said. “I quickly transition to gum — lots of gum, not just a couple pieces, a lot of gum. I don’t like the sweetness, but I like the size of the gum. My normal behavior is I spit a lot of the gum juice out.
“From there I transition to seeds. Sunflower seeds in the middle of the game. As much as you can fit in your mouth — you’re just spitting the seeds on the ground. I’m not alone. So many players, staff have routines like the one I just described. Different, but similar. They’re all going to have to stop those routines. That is going to be a tremendous challenge.”
That said, Kapler knows all this is for the greater good.
“Everybody’s going to be committed to doing it because it’s so worth it,” Kapler said. “The trade-off between giving up that habit and getting to play baseball, we’ll play baseball all day long.”
Now that’s the spirit.
