The Oakland Athletics are gearing up for what they hope can be a resurgent 2012. They've signed Manny Ramirez and Yoenis Cespedes, they've picked up a healthy batch of prospects via trade and they help kick off the season with a series in Japan against the Seattle Mariners. But they're not so busy that they don't want everyone to get plenty of sleep.
Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group reported on Wednesday that the A's have consulted sleep specialists on hoe to combat jet lag during their upcoming trip to Japan. Apparently the team wants to make sure that their players want to get 6-7 hours of sleep on the 12-hour overseas flight.
I'm not sure that "sleeping on a plane" is really the antidote to jet lag, but I can help them save some money with a few suggestions.
- Drink some Sleepytime Tea. (It's right in the title, you guys!)
- Watch 2005 Terrence Malick film The New World. (It's like nine hours long and has about six lines of dialogue. And it's about Pocahontas.)
- Try reading any book about a non-mainstream or college sport that is authored by a local beat writer. (The similes will have you nodding off faster than a guy in a saying-yes competition!)
- Any Jay Leno monologue. (Note: this may backfire and keep you up out of seething anger.)
- Listen to Coldplay. (The band was created by British scientists as the ultimate cure for insomnia. Those boys are doing the Lord's work.)
For all news and information regarding the Oakland A's or how to best get some shut-eye, please visit Athletics Nation.