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It's September.

The familiar sound of the crack of the ball off the bat and the roar of the crowd won't be around much longer, as baseball makes its final push for the end of the season.

But for the baseball fans of Springfield, that closure has already come.

The Springfield Cardinals of Hammons Field fell just shy of a post-season dream, and the players have hung up their hats for another season.

Now that the season is over, players are stepping into their off-season shoes.

The Springfield Cardinals general manager, Matt Gifford, says his players have a variety of off-season plans, some of which involve just plain resting.

He says they don't take up much time, but after a long season, their bodies need to rest up.

Gifford says, however, some players just can't get enough of the sweet summer game, and they continue to play elsewhere.

He says six or seven Cardinals are in organizations in the Arizona Fall league, and some play winter baseball in South and Central America.

The general manager, who himself is an avid hockey fan and father of two, also said some of the athletes relax by playing a round of 18 holes on the green. Some focus on family time, and others help out with their friends' pizza parlors.

Whether Springfield Cardinals are resting at home, or training for next season, the team wants its fans to know that they are looking ahead.

The Springfield Cardinals' record for this season was 70-40.

For KSMU News, I'm Ryan Farmer.

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