Less Pudgy Rodriguez arrives
Catcher reports to Spring Training 20 pounds lighter
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Ivan Rodriguez has just about shed his nickname. Literally.
On Ivan Rodriguez's first day at Spring Training, the big question was
whether the Tigers' All-Star catcher would address Jose Canseco's accusations
from his new book and multiple television interviews. By the time Rodriguez
finished talking with reporters, that was back-page news to the fact that
there was a lot less Pudge to go around.
He's lost more than a few vanity pounds. Through what Rodriguez called a
change in his offseason workout routine crafted by personal trainer Steve
Odgers, Pudge reported to camp barely fitting that moniker. He said he now
weighs around 193 pounds, more than 20 pounds under his playing weight last
season and matching his weight when he broke into the Majors at age 19 in
1990. He wants to start the season between 195 and 200 pounds.
By all appearances, he isn't exaggerating. He looked more like a third
baseman than a catcher as he took batting practice swings off pitchers Friday
afternoon on practice fields. More importantly, he doesn't feel like an aging
catcher.
"I've got a new program," Rodriguez said. "I'm running a lot of sprints on
the track and changed my program a little bit. I'm watching my eating a
little bit. I feel in great shape.
"I feel better like that. I just want to feel lighter. I know I've been in
baseball a long time and catching a lot of years, so the more I take care of
myself now, the better."
The new figure got a big reaction around the clubhouse, especially from
former Tigers catcher and still strong bullpen coach Lance Parrish. "I told
him speed is my game," Parrish joked. "Maybe he'll catch up to me."
The surprise over how much trimmer Rodriguez looked actually overshadowed the
questions about his past bulk. Basically repeating what he told a Puerto
Rican newspaper last week, Pudge dismissed comments from ex-teammate Jose
Canseco that Rodriguez used steroids during their time together in Texas.
"There's some very serious comments he said. This is not true," Rodriguez
said. "I just say what I feel. I have no need to use any of that stuff. I
don't need it. I've been in baseball for 14 years not using that. I don't
need it. The comments he said are not true. I'm just going to move on and
concentrate on this coming season."
He wouldn't cite anything specific from last season that he wanted to
concentrate on improving as motivation for his change, but it isn't difficult
to see where less Pudge would help Rodriguez. Though he won his 11th Gold
Glove last season, he admitted he wasn't happy with his defensive
performance, especially in terms of blocking balls in the dirt. His
performance both at and behind the plate also declined from the first half to
the second, and he missed short stints of games with various injuries.
Combined with a similar fade in Florida in 2003, he's gained the reputation
for tiring down the stretch.
"It's just time for me to take care of myself," Rodriguez said. "I'm not 25
years old anymore. As long as I feel like this and I weigh this weight, I can
play a lot of years."
He could also end up playing a lot more this year than many expected. As last
season drew to a close, manager Alan Trammell repeatedly said he planned on
resting Rodriguez more often in 2005. It ended up being part of the
motivation behind Detroit's trade for veteran backup Vance Wilson over the
winter, freeing up Brandon Inge to play every day at third.
"Everybody has good months and bad months," Pudge said. "Everybody's talking
about August or whatever. That's baseball. Baseball is like that. It's
impossible to hit .500 every month."
Now, Trammell believes he could play Pudge as often as last season, when he
totaled 124 games at catcher and 135 games total. He learned about the
workouts in January after Rodriguez called him for an update on the club's
player movement.
"That's his call," Trammell said. "He knows his body. I just think [he did
it] for agility. He's a guy who's been doing this kind of training for
years."
Pudge won't give a target for games played, but his reluctance to sit out
games was well-known last season. That likely hasn't changed. "If I'm
healthy," he said, "I'm going to play every day."
If he stays at this weight, though, he's still going to answer to Pudge.
"Whatever you want to call me," he smiled. "Whatever you call me, I'll
answer."
--
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--
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