At Red Sox camp, spring training pingpong games end with painful ritual
Major League Baseball outlawed the longstanding ritual of rookie dress-up day, ruling in the off-season that teams could not engage in activities "requiring, coercing or encouraging players" to dress up as women or in costume.
That doesn't mean major leaguers don't occasionally find the means to mess with one another, especially in the long days of spring training.
The Boston Red Sox invested in a pingpong table for their clubhouse in Fort Myers, and according to MassLive.com, it's been a big hit for players left behind after much of the squad went on a three-day road trip to Florida's east coast.
The table was purchased by Dustin Pedroia, and it sparked a round of intense competition Tuesday morning - perhaps in part to avoid the loser's punishment.
Per MassLive.com's Jen McCaffrey:
In an odd form of punishment for losing the match, the defeated player had to stand with his back to the end of the table while the winner slapped a high-speed ping pong ball at his bare back.
This, along with the games themselves, elicited enthusiastic squeals for the tension-filled, high-stakes game.
Ouch.
Pingpong tables - and the occasional high-stakes tournament - are prevalent throughout major league clubhouses, perhaps no moreso than at the Dodgers' Camelback Ranch complex. In Boston's camp, it soon may be hard to tell whether red welts on a player's back came from a tough beat at the table or a mere cupping session.