PEORIA, Ariz. -- Most people don't need encouragement to sleep in a little longer, but baseball players have been conditioned for years to arrive bright and early every morning for Spring Training workouts.
So it is that Mariners manager Scott Servais has found himself actually needing to convince some of his players that, indeed, you don't need to troop into the clubhouse at 6 a.m. anymore and head immediately for the coffee maker.
The Mariners are one of eight teams adopting a growing trend in Major League Baseball, pushing spring workouts later in the day after sleep studies indicated players would be more productive if they were getting extra rest and should stay healthier for the long run if they stay closer to the same routine that teams adopt during the regular season when night games are the norm.