GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Life for a coach in spring training can feel like an endless loop of batting practice, fungoes, games and postgame foot spreads, capped off by a return trip to the condo in the evening to collapse on the sofa and watch college hoops.

For three former MLB pitchers in the coaching/consulting realm, the World Baseball Classic has provided a whole new motivation and a reprieve from baseball's version of Groundhog Day. Eric Gagne, 41; Bruce Chen, 39; and Ryan Dempster, also 39, are back livin' the dream on the mound -- even as they navigate some bumps along the way.

Chen, the Cleveland Indians' director of cultural development, received definitive evidence that he was back in the fray during his first bullpen session in preparation for a WBC stint with Team China. Chen spent several anxious moments trying to get a feel for his fastball while throwing to Indians' catching prospect Francisco Mejia.

"I went to 16 or 17 spring trainings, but when I got over there to the [back] mounds, I started feeling a little nervous,'' Chen said. "I'm like, 'Why am I feeling nervous?' But it's our competitive nature. You know you're around the best players in the world, and you don't want to look like you don't belong there. Once I threw about five or six pitches, it all came back to me.''

Gagne, a guest instructor in Los Angeles Dodgers camp, hopes MLB scouts will take him seriously when he returns to compete for Team Canada. Gagne threw his last big league pitch with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, but he's convinced he has enough zip left in his right arm to make for a legitimate comeback. His biggest challenge right now is keeping the bright red glow of a sunburn under control.

"I've got to go inside now,'' Gagne said recently after talking outside the Dodgers' clubhouse for 10 minutes. "I'm very Canadian.''

Dempster, who'll play with Gagne for Team Canada, is taking a break from his dual roles as a Cubs special assistant and MLB Network commentator to participate in the WBC. This week, he rolled into Cubs camp and threw batting practice to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein in an encounter that went viral and generated some yuks from both parties.

Amid the grind of getting his body back in shape, Dempster is gaining an appreciation for everything he missed about baseball in the four years since his retirement.

"You go from this job that's very elite, and it's an adrenaline rush every time you do it,'' Dempster said. "And all of a sudden, that's just gone. You try to funnel it through other avenues in life, but it's a hard thing to do. So it's fun to get out there and feel that adrenaline rush of facing hitters again.''

The WBC is about patriotic fervor and spreading the gospel of baseball around the world in conjunction with commissioner Rob Manfred's global agenda. But for these three former big leaguers, it's about returning to the field and doing what they once did best -- if only for a while.

The finesse pitcher

Chen has never been to China, but the country is part of his family heritage. His grandparents moved from China to Panama before 1950, and Chen signed with the Atlanta Braves as a 16-year-old international amateur in 1993. He pitched for 10 teams over parts of 17 seasons, and his 82 career victories tie him with Mariano Rivera for the most among native Panamanians.

Panama was eliminated by Colombia in a WBC qualifying round last spring, so Chen opted for Plan B. He received a lobbying push from a Team China representative followed by a call from team manager John McLaren, and he decided to accept the invitation after talking with his wife and his parents and getting their full-fledged support.

Chen started out playing catch with former Kansas City Royals teammate Joakim Soria in Arizona and received the blessing of his employers, the Indians, who provided him with all the resources he needed to enhance his WBC experience. Assistant strength and conditioning coach Nelson Perez mapped out a workout program, and pitching guru Ken Knutson devised a regimen to help boost velocity for Chen, who threw his fastball at 83.9 mph in his final big league season. Before flying to Japan for Pool B this past Tuesday, Chen received nothing but encouragement from the Indians.

Bruce Chen brings 17 seasons of major league experience to a Team China roster otherwise devoid of MLB players. Jason Miller/Getty Images

"Whether he's throwing a bullpen or sitting in the coaches' room in the morning telling a joke, everybody feels the same way about him,'' Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "We're just so glad he's with us, because he brings so much to everybody. He crosses every culture there is. He can bond with anybody in that room, and it's really fun to watch.''

Chen was waived by Cleveland in May 2015 and out of baseball within days, so baseball withdrawal symptoms were thrust upon him. He didn't have the luxury of a season-long farewell tour like Rivera, his fellow Panamanian and the greatest reliever in MLB history.

Initially, Chen planned to have his entire family accompany him to Tokyo to watch him pitch. But his wife, Mary, is pregnant with their fourth daughter and not quite up to the 16-hour flight, so she'll stay home in Arizona with Alessandra, the 2-year-old. Chen has a sneaking suspicion that Alessandra will not be glued to the tube.

"Unless it's 'Bubble Guppies,' I don't think she'll be watching,'' Chen said.

The closer returns

Since his retirement in 2008, Gagne has had little trouble keeping busy. He owns the B45 bat company in Quebec City, served as pitching coach for France in the 2013 WBC, and cultivated a 2-handicap golf game that made him a staple in celebrity tournaments. In addition, he has four kids from his first marriage and two stepchildren from his second.

Gagne entered a new realm last year when he provided some financing for "Spaceman,'' an independent film about the life and times of pitcher Bill Lee starring Josh Duhamel. Gagne had a cameo role in the film as a bartender -- complete with five lines.

Amid his entrepreneurial endeavors, Gagne never quite purged the baseball bug from his system. He spent summers working with young minor leaguers in Arizona and kept his body and his arm in shape. He says he's still throwing his fastball in the 90-93 mph range.

"I can throw pretty much every day,'' Gagne said. "The bounce back is great, so it's just a matter of finding the right place and the right spot. I can help with teaching the kids because I've been through a lot. I can still contribute on the field, I think. Am I going to get a chance? I don't know.''

A guest instructor at Dodgers camp during spring training, Eric Gagne is hoping that his stint in the WBC can help him make a comeback as a pitcher. Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

In August, Gagne threw six innings for the Ottawa Champions in the Can-Am League and felt spry enough to chase the dream. He's likely to serve as a setup man to John Axford for Team Canada, which is grouped with the United States, the Dominican Republic and Colombia in Pool C starting Thursday in Miami.

In keeping with tradition, Team Canada will have no shortage of fun-loving personalities. Larry Walker and Paul Quantrill are on the coaching staff, and former Blue Jays catcher Ernie Whitt is the manager. If history is a guide, Justin Morneau will keep things loose by organizing a spirited floor hockey game or two amid the baseball.

"We're like a bunch of misfits, beer drinkers and fighters,'' Gagne said. "We've got some good pitchers, some good young guys and some old guys that retired and just want to play. Maybe we'll go out and shock the world.''

The entertainer

Dempster's eureka moment came during a vacation to California last summer with Cubs executive Ted Lilly and the team's former bullpen catcher, Corey Miller.

Always the entertainer, Ryan Dempster has been spotted dressed as Harry Caray at Wrigley Field more recently than he has thrown a major league pitch. Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire

Dempster got the itch and began throwing to Miller amid 105-degree heat in the town of Three Rivers, at the entrance to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. When he awoke the next day and his arm wasn't throbbing, he began to think he might have one more baseball fling in him. So he placed a call to Greg Hamilton, national director for Baseball Canada, and signed up for the cause.

The WBC will mark a reunion for Dempster and Gagne, who were teammates and roommates for Canada in the World Junior Championships in the early 1990s. As Dempster recalls, they nearly got into a "dustup'' over a juvenile prank gone awry.

Females weren't allowed in the team's dormitory, but Gagne sneaked his girlfriend onto the premises and locked the door to the room. Dempster, enraged, retaliated by going to a Mac's Convenience Store with a friend and buying multiple cans of shaving cream.

"His girlfriend's car was down in the parking lot, and we shaving-creamed her entire car,'' Dempster said. "It just looked like one giant gob of shaving cream. It was really funny. Eric wasn't happy, and she wasn't happy. I think early on he learned what my personality was like.''

More than 20 years later, the old teammates will share a clubhouse and a mutual goal of winning. While Gagne views the WBC as a possible route back to the big leagues, Dempster is focused strictly on his scheduled start against the Dominican Republic on Thursday. The Dominican batting order features Manny Machado, Nelson Cruz, Jose Bautista, Carlos Santana and Robinson Cano, so he can't afford to let his mind wander.

Regardless of what transpires, Dempster said he might haul out his beloved Harry Caray impression on the bus to keep the boys loose. It's little wonder the Cubs are rooting for him like crazy in his comeback.

"All kidding aside, I'm really proud of Demp and admire what he is doing,'' Epstein said. "It is easy to say 'I'll play in the WBC,' but it's another thing to take it seriously and train as hard as he has. He looks great and is ready to represent Canada against one of the best lineups in the world -- the DR -- after three years off. It's a real accomplishment and shows his love for the game and for his country. We'll be pulling for him.''