ST. LOUIS — Adam Wainwright is doing something that he hasn't been able to do since, well, maybe forever.
He's spending his entire mid-March through at least mid-May at home with his family.
With the MLB season on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wainwright is at home with his wife and kids, and has become a part-time chef and teacher.
"Right now I'm in the pantry, and I'm about to make my fourth daughter a peanut butter and honey sandwich," Wainwright said via FaceTime call with 5 On Your Side sports director Frank Cusumano.
Wainwright prefers the role of chef to that of teacher for his kids. His assessment of his teaching ability is blunt.
"Terrible," Wainwright said. "Patience is not my key apparently for teaching these youngins."
It's an unprecedented time around the world for more reason than one. And the coronavirus pandemic has cleared a lot of calendars.
"It's a strange feeling. The weirdest part about it isn't so much being home. It's not playing. And not able to go anywhere," Wainwright said. "I don't think anybody in the world has ever experienced any of this. There's no precedence. There's no way to know how to do any of this. We're just figuring it out as we go."
As we're all figuring it out as we go, Wainwright and other professional athletes are still finding a way to stay in shape while waiting for their seasons to resume.
"We turned kind of our toy area of our basement into a little gym. And so my wife and I are downstairs and we have our good routine going every couple days," Wainwright said. "The team is sending me workouts. We figured out some basic movements that I really needed to stay up on and not let lapse. So, we're trying to keep my arm going and body in good shape. And I was just starting to feel really good. This is giving me time to get an amount of long toss in that I've never had the ability to do before, so my arm is in probably tip top shape strength wise. But we'll have to take some time to get our feel back for pitches and stuff."
It's hard for pitchers especially to get adequate game scenario situations in while at home, but Wainwright has been able to work on that part of his game, too. Well, at least in some fashion.
"I bought a net to put on the side of my yard and back up 60 feet and throw it into the net. It's got a little strike zone. I told mad dog (Mike Maddux) after the first day of it, I broke the bottom left corner of the strike zone down and away to a righty. That's my bread and butter. So, that's a good sign. I'm breaking the target, so that's a good sign," Wainwright said.
Earlier this year, the 14-year Major League veteran signed another one-year deal with the only big league team he's ever played for, after an impressive 2019 campaign and some more memorable postseason moments.
He was set for possibly his last classic Cardinals opening day this season. Perhaps the last one before he dons the red jacket himself as a Cardinals hall of famer. Now, Wainwright, and the fans, are going to have to wait a bit longer for that special day.
"We're going to have opening day in St. Louis one of these days. It's gonna be great. Our fans will be ready for some baseball I know that. I think even more than we're ready to play, they're ready to watch some baseball," Wainwright said.
Until that day comes, Wainwright is enjoying his time at home with his family, and just hoping for the best. For everyone.
"We're going to slow down. We're going to take some time to hone in on some family time and do some things that we don't get a chance to do. And it'll work out in the end," Wainwright said.
"Stay safe and stay healthy and hopefully everybody is managing OK. I know these are tough times, but we're going to get through this as humanity. We're gonna get through this. We always do and we're gonna come out the other side much stronger for it," Wainwright said.