February 27, 2004
Phoenix Rising
It's amazing how a big cut in pay can get the competitive jucies flowing again:
Roberto Alomar spent more time than usual getting in shape over the winter, and arrived at spring training intent on a big comeback season with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It will be his 17th season in the majors.
"I think I put on seven or eight pounds. I feel in much better shape," Alomar said as he and the other Diamondbacks' position players reported to spring training Thursday.
"The last few years I didn't do what I needed to do to stay in shape," he said. "I think at my age now, 36, you have to work more than you used to work before so you can stay in shape. This game is not as easy as people think it is."
That last paragraph can't make Mets fans too happy. Alomar denies it's the money, but you I believe not being wanted by other teams hurt his pride. If he is back in shape, I suspect he'll have a good year for the Diamondbacks, and be one of the steals of 2004.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:01 AM
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Ahh...the spring features that I love most. The player who's "back in shape". Every spring, every team has one to three players who are in "the best shape of their life". Funny thing is, 9 out of 10 of these guys don't do anything different than the year before. I'm surprised you made the comment that the Mets might pay, at first I thought you were just going to comment on the cliche.
Speaking as a Mets partial-season holder, I'm not surprised, but not outraged. The outrage has passed.
My feeling is that it doesn't really matter to me what Alomar does somewhere else; I'm only interested in the performance(s) of who we got for him.
Plus, we've got Reyes; I'm looking forward to his play this year.
After the Brewers signed (ugh) Royce Clayton, he reported to spring saying he was "back in shape" and all that crap because he'd been working out with his wife, an Olympic sprinter. Then he went out and stunk it up.
