McCall – Baseballs zip around a dew covered infield on a chilly Wednesday morning in McCall. I arrive at 8:00… The Mudhens daily regiment began an hour earlier.
With his freshly shaven crew cut gleaming in the morning sun, Whitey Herzog, the Hen’s manager for the last 4 years, stands at the right field foul pole pounding cloud-scraping fly balls to Hank Aaron and Joe DiMaggio. “GET IT! GO! GO! GO!,” he screams after each swing.
Herzog and the Mudhens, after a long 4 week layoff, are putting in the extra work to come prepared to play Wednesday night as they take on a Merrimack Owls team that has beaten them 4 times out of 6 this season. The soft spoken and media shy Herzog’s best quote of the day comes in the form of a grumble. “We gotta get some work done. Tighten up on defense. That’s why we are out here.”
With little to worry about offensively, the Hens have taken the long layoff to focus on defense and pitching. They have used the time to study the Merrimack Owls and have watched all six head-to-head games from the season together as a team. Complete with pencils and note pads, the Hen’s pitchers have broken down every at-bat from Owl players and most notably focused on the combination of Dan Brouthers and Mickey Cochrane.
With the Owls arriving in town this afternoon, if the Hen’s aren’t ready, they might never be.
