For a game he played this offseason because it would help sharpen his instincts, Cardinals third baseman David Freese found himself stifling one instinct repeatedly on the court.
While mandatory at third, diving is a no-no in squash.
During one rally last week against outfielder Matt Holliday, Freese leaned forward and extended his racquet as if to dive after the ball. He caught himself, kept his balance, and surrendered the point.
"I don't get a half a point for staying on my feet?" he pleaded.
Looking for a competitive alternative to add to their offseason workouts this winter, Freese and Holliday found squash. A cousin of racquetball, the game features a smaller ball with less bounce and tends to have longer rallies and heightened strategy. The game scratched an itch that weightlifting, for example, did not.
They could keep score.
"It's fun," Holliday said. "It's better than running cones."
Freese, the World Series MVP, and Holliday, the team's probable No. 3 hitter, have spent the winter in St. Louis, often working out together at the ballpark or the Central Institute for Human Performance in Kirkwood.
While both have done the more-traditional offseason workouts — weightlifting, agility drills, aerobic training, batting practice — they sought a diversion, something to feed a competitive craving.
Squash satisfied.
"I think it is a lot of the lunging and the movements that are similar to baseball," Holliday said. "It's a good workout. For David, it's one step to the right and one step to the left like third base. For me, it's a focus on the first step. Some of that is pretty similar to the activities you do in baseball. It's good conditioning. David and I get to compete a little bit."
Holliday broke a two-year silence on his Twitter account to re-post a picture Freese had of the two Cardinals and their squash coach, Michael Puertas, on the court. Freese updated their ongoing series with results on Twitter: "The Big Guy @mattholliday7 tookme down in squash today. Not happy!! #backtodrawingboard #dontgetcomfortable."
As spring training approached, the squash workouts ended last week partially because of the team's concern about potential injury. Such a thing could have led to a contract question, as it did a year ago when Milwaukee pitcher Zack Greinke fractured a rib playing pickup basketball before the start of camp and he began the season on the disabled list. The Brewers said he did not violate his contract because it wasn't "competitive basketball." He did miss a month.
Caution was the rule throughout their dalliance with squash as Freese and Holliday had their time on the court limited and their play monitored by Puertas.
"Very controlled," Puertas said. "It had to be. … It's an alien space to them. They're used to an open field. It was like not (diving). Don't do it. Your day job isn't worth it."
Puertas, a teaching pro at The Racquet Club and former gold medalist in the Pan American Games, focused the two Cardinals' time on drills more than games. They played about twice a week and only the final minutes of their workouts were reserved for a shot full-court game.
During one drill, they split the court in half so that one had to use his backhand while the other had the advantage of forehand. Another drill encouraged the players to "boast" — in squash lexicon, that's banking shots off the side or back wall to reach the front wall.
Puertas encouraged both to recognize the best angle to reach a ball, pointing out each time they used 'several steps when only one was needed." It's that kind of awareness and instant adjustment that all parties said is a benefit of playing squash vs. another hour or two on the bike. Decisions have to be made at the same time as actions.
"It's reaction time, and it's control while you're doing that," Puertas said.
"I think it's about how to efficiently use your body," Holliday said.
"In baseball, any time you make a play your body has to recover in time for you to make the next movement," Freese added. "That helps in squash, too. If you go dig a ball out, your legs and your core have to recover to get ready for the next move."
For Freese, that not only meant staying on his feet, but how it felt to be on his feet. A year ago, Freese tiptoed toward spring training on two surgically rebuilt ankles. His running was limited, his playing time was set to be restrained, and the durability of his joints was uncertain. He said he had to move "gingerly."
There was nothing ginger about his moves on the squash court.
There was only what he called "confidence."
"At no point over the course of the season am I ever going to come close to the (work) we're doing here," Freese said. "If my feet can cover that, there's no question."
The lingering question then is the final record now that the series is over.
Holliday won the last game played, 11 points to 8. He suggested the win clinched a tie. Freese thought Holliday had the overall lead, 7-4 or 6-4.
"Wait," Puertas said. "We're counting?"
Always.
