ST. LOUIS — It would be another few hours before the clubhouse closed, a few days before he closed up his spring rental, and another week before Florida closed all gyms. Still, as a few teammates got in their final throws before vamoosing home, Cardinals pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon stopped to consider how to maintain himself for the opportunities he forced open.
A strong spring had followed a winter in which he invested in a modern upgrade to his pitching, and now, as baseball abruptly stopped, he had to consider how to stay in shape, stay strong, stay sharp, and be ready to go — at some point. How will he do that?
“That is a fantastic question,” Ponce de Leon said. “Start climbing trees? Go old school.”
