Nats' equipment loaded on Truck Day

Clubhouse manager oversaw 30,000 pounds of gear that will make trip to Florida

February 8th, 2016

The Nationals loaded their equipment truck Monday and prepared to move their baseball equipment from Nationals Park to Space Coast Stadium, their Spring Training facility in Viera, Fla.
Victory Van Corporation, the official moving company of the Nationals, will move 30,000 pounds of equipment for the 865-mile trip.
As part of the annual MLB tradition known as Truck Day, Nats clubhouse manager Mike Wallace and his staff packed up and loaded a vast assortment of gear -- ranging from weight training equipment and medical supplies to player uniforms and apparel -- in preparation for the start of Spring Training. Washington's pitchers and catchers report Feb. 18.
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The moving process started at 7:30 a.m. ET, and the truck was packed and ready to depart for Florida by 1:15 p.m. The equipment is expected to arrive in Florida on Wednesday morning.

"[Monday] is the first day of the 2016 season," said Wallace, who is now in his 15th season as the team's clubhouse manager. "We had been in the process of getting everything ready early this morning. We moved all the stuff out of storage area and into the tunnel, so the truck people could load the stuff. They came into the clubhouse, video room, training room and the weight room and got all that stuff and put it in the truck. It's on its way to Florida, and we'll start to unload it Wednesday morning."
Since 2002, Wallace has worked with six managers, and he is looking forward to working with new manager Dusty Baker starting this year.
"I'm excited to be around Dusty and his staff, see all the new players, see some of the younger guys and see how they developed," Wallace said. "I'm ready to get started."