For the established players, spring training is a paid vacation, but for those who are trying to secure one of the last places on the roster, it's a time to do what you're told, and even then you have to pray a lot.
"Hey, you shaved it off," Montreal Expos outfielder Gary Carter, who was secure, said to Red Sox catcher Tim Blackwell, who wasn't, in reference to the disappearance of Blackwell's winter beard.
"Yeah, they said to," Blackwell replied.
A week later, 'they' said good-bye to Blackwell. He would not be spending the summer in Boston.
*****
An elderly gentleman sat on the top row of the Payne Field grandstand, soaking in the Sarasota sun and keeping tabs on a Chicago White Sox-Pittsubrgh Pirates doubleheader being played below.
"Excuse me, sir, but this is White Sox country, and you have a Red Sox hat on. You must be a Boston fan."
"Are you kidding me," he retorted. "I don't even know where Boston is. This hat was given to me by a friend."