PEORIA, Ariz. -- The temperature at the Peoria Sports Complex rose above 100 degrees on Thursday afternoon.
So the Padres beat the heat the old-fashioned way: ice cream.
More specifically, an “Old School Ice Cream Bus” parked just outside the team’s Spring Training clubhouse and dining area. Before players retreated to the backfields for a lighter-than-usual workout, they were treated to a choice of several classic frozen treats.
One by one, Padres players cycled through the bus -- a classic small yellow school bus with an open window serving ice cream. Generally speaking, their eyes lit up. Naturally, there was plenty of debate over the order choices.
For Fernando Tatis Jr., that choice was an orange cream bar. Having just returned from the World Baseball Classic, Tatis did multiple interviews with the media while downing his ice cream.
“I was not happy with how hot it was,” said Tatis. “And then I saw the ice cream truck, and I was like, ‘Oh hell yeah.’ Vibes straight through the roof. We’re just going to keep it that way.”
The idea was hatched by Padres field coordinator Vinny Lopez, then executed by performance dietician Jaime Wolters. Ice cream, of course, isn’t your standard food of choice for a professional athlete. But, well, professional athletes aren’t usually tasked with 104-degree heat.
For the most part, the Padres took it easy during the day, with primarily indoor batting practice. By the time their game against the White Sox got underway, the temperature had cooled to 97 degrees.
“It was,” said manager Craig Stammen, “a great day for some ice cream.”