The large screen was up behind the mound protecting pitching coach Larry Rothschild. The stands were empty. The weather warm. A simulated game ongoing.
This is early morning at Steinbrenner Field. Late February. A full season ahead. Low stress.
Except these are the 2019 Yankees, kings of baseball chaos theory. The tryout camp is ongoing because the injuries are never ending. So it is October. The weather unseasonably hot in The Bronx. The next game isn’t No. 1 of 162. It is No. 1 of the Division Series against the Twins. Friday night. And the Yankees are still seeing who is in and who is out, deciding how to configure a roster as the hours click closer.