Nolan Long is eagerly anticipating baseball's opening day.

Whenever that ends up being.

A 26-year-old minor league pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers system, Long plans to kneel down and kiss the infield grass in his first game.

"First national anthem, there's going to be goosebumps," Long said. "I don't care if there's nobody in the stands. It's highly anticipated right now. I cannot wait."

A former Waterford High School standout, Long is spending the shutdown at home. He's established a workout routine so he'll be sharp when the Major League Baseball season starts.

Long's regular throwing partner is Michael Burrows, an all-state pitcher during his Waterford days about to enter his third season in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. They're taking safety precautions like washing hands and sanitizing equipment.

Catcher Chase Livingston, who played at East Lyme and Rhode Island, offered to "come out of retirement" to help out and Cadin Maynard, a catcher on Waterford's 2019 Class L state championship baseball team, also lends a hand at times.

'We've got a pretty well-oiled machine," Long said. "We're fortunate that we live close enough. ... Got to work together and figure a way through this thing. We've been throwing every day. We don't know how this is going to jump back in. I'm expecting like how they do it in minor league ball — expect to get on a plane the last second and be on the bump the next second.

"So, we're staying as fresh as possible. If it's April right now and I'm supposed to be throwing every day and facing batters, I'm going to keep ramping up my intensity and stay as ready as I would any other year in April."

Of course, it's far from any other year.

The sports world has stopped spinning.

The shutdown arrived with Long, a 6-foot-10 right-hander, coming off his best professional season and eager to prove that he's worthy of being promoted to Class AAA for the first time.

Long posted some impressive statistics as a reliever at Class AA Tulsa in Oklahoma. He went 5-1 with a 2.29 earned run average. In 40 appearances, he allowed 38 hits, struck out 81 and walked 39 in 63 innings while opponents batted .168. He also had six saves and participated in his first All-Star game.

"Last year was the first year I really thought I was on the verge of getting the call at some point," he said. "It wasn't at the point where I hoped, it was like when is this call coming? You can't get too upset because you can't play GM. All you can do is control what you can do on the bump.

"I was having a good year and I felt really good. I just had to let the chips fall where they may. It's just part of the business. I get to play baseball still and I'm healthy."

Before spring training in Arizona abruptly ended, Long was in the bullpen for most of the big league exhibition games just in case the Dodgers needed another pitcher. He saw limited action.

"It's always cool to get in games with those guys you watch on TV," Long said.

The date of MLB opening day remains uncertain. There's talk about possibly playing the entire season in the Phoenix area without any crowds, perhaps starting in May or June. Other options are being explored as well.

MLB agreed to pay minor leaguers $400 a week through the end of May. Long has no plans to take a job during the break.

"My job right now is to stay ready and stay as sharp as possible," Long said.

Once the season begins, Long could return to Tulsa to start the season or head to Class AAA Oklahoma City. He'll be beginning his sixth season as a pro.

"I feel everything is up in the air," Long said. "Wherever they stick me, I'm just going to perform. That's the only thing that you can do and then everything else is up to them."

Until that happens, Long will continue to try to get used to being home in Connecticut in the spring for the first time in awhile.

"It's so weird to be home and seeing flowers start to bloom because I don't see flowers and I don't see green grass here," Long said. "Every time I come home, it's like November and it's cold and there's no leaves on trees.

"I'm walking around outside in shorts and it's different and really weird. To be honest, I don't like it. I just feel like I'm not where I belong."

g.keefe@theday.com