Heat of the Moment
WITH TEMPERATURES reaching 100° in St. Louis last month, closer Jason Isringhausen paid $500 for two large fans, which he set up in the Cards' bullpen, and umpire Ed Montague (below, right) tried to prep for a stint behind the plate by running a mile two straight days in the afternoon heat. "It could have been worse," said Montague, 56. "One game [about 15 years ago] the temperature on the ground was 152 degrees. [Catcher] Tony Pe√±a brought me iced cabbage, and I put it in my hat. It was great for two innings."... Giants ace Jason Schmidt came out after seven innings at Wrigley Field on July 25, despite yielding just one run. "I was gassed warming up," he said. "Between innings I went into the tunnel, where there was a fan. When you're on the mound under those conditions, you look for shadows."... In addition to drinking fluids and covering his head with a towel soaked in ammonia water, Pirates leftfielder Jason Bay jumps into an icy whirlpool after games. "It regenerates your legs," he says.... In the NFL the Jaguars practiced in the morning and evening and set up an air-conditioned Chill Zone equipped with a shoulder-pad cooling system for players during breaks. Trainers also monitor body temperatures through a pill a player swallows. The pill transmits a signal--the higher the frequency, the higher the temperature--picked up by handheld devices.... At Saratoga, meanwhile, "the jockeys huddled under trees before each race," said Richard Migliore. "We had sponges full of ice water to squeeze over the horses' heads. I'd give the horse a squeeze and then take my helmet off and take a squeeze for myself. You try to drink between races, but you can't fill up too much--you still have to make weight."
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VINCE CALIGIURI/REUTERS (HORSE)
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BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES (THERMOMETER)
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PHIL COALE/AP (JACKSONVILLE JAGUAR)
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SCOTT ROVAK/US PRESSWIRE (UMPIRE ED MONTAGUE)