Notes: Berkman to ease into games
02/23/2006
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Lance Berkman reported to the Kissimmee clubhouse on Thursday looking more fit than usual at this time of the year.
But that's to be expected, considering he spent the offseason working to strengthen his right knee, one that was surgically repaired the previous offseason when he tore his ACL playing flag football.
Berkman isn't what you'd call a gym rat by any stretch of the imagination, and it's fairly safe to say that during offseasons where he's perfectly healthy, it's unlikely he's spending half his day in the weight room.
But Berkman hasn't been perfectly healthy in quite some time. He's only a month removed from undergoing an arthroscopic procedure to clean out scar tissue in his right knee, which means just like last year, he'll be working under the watchful eyes of the club's athletic trainers this spring.
When the Grapefruit League games begin, it's likely Berkman won't play much -- if at all -- for the first week.
"I haven't really run on (the knee) very much," he said. "I need to get my legs back under me, first of all. Then, when you get to swinging, that's a different deal because you have to turn ... there are some things that I want to make sure that I'm solid on in my own mind before I go out there in a game situation."
The running joke is that Berkman, with his laid back approach to conditioning, purposely staged this latest surgical procedure in order to get out of spring workouts.
"I'm probably going to have to miss the first two weeks of games," Berkman deadpanned. "There's no sense in pushing it, you know what I mean? That's what got me in trouble last year."
Manager Phil Garner feigned incredulousness with that statement.
"Heck no, he won't be taking it easy," he said. "He's going to have to go from Day 1. He thinks this is a country club. Put a wrap on that knee, and let's go."
Lidge, the starter: Brad Lidge will likely start the first Grapefruit League game on March 2 against the Indians, throwing one inning. Dan Wheeler will follow with one inning, and soon after the two will depart for Arizona to join their Team USA mates for World Baseball Classic training camp.
"They need to pitch, they need to throw," Garner said of the two bullpenners opening the Astros exhibition season. "If they are going to pitch in this thing, they need to get ready. So they're going to throw."
The thinking game: For a brief time every day, Garner gathers his pitchers and catchers for "skull sessions," to go over the nuances of baseball from the mental standpoint.
"Not only are we trying to (get ready) physically, we want them to know exactly what to expect, so they know what to do," Garner said.
This includes, among other things, the importance of pitching aggressively.
"The whole tone of the game is set by the pitcher in our game," Garner said. "It's interesting, because in most sports, it's offense that sets the tone. In baseball, it's defense that sets the tone.
"If you throw strikes, if you're aggressive, if you take it to the other team, you put them on the defensive. I stress that every spring. It's as basic as you can get. We've got to see strikes, and we've got to see two strikes in the first three pitches."
First workout: On Friday during the first full-squad workout, hitters will take batting practice against their pitching teammates.
"This is the most fun part of Spring Training camp," Garner said. "This is where all the position players complain for the next four days, having to face these young kids who are throwing about 99 miles an hour, with the ball moving all over the place. So it's back to business as usual."
Odds and ends: Roy Oswalt left camp early on Thursday, due to flu-like symptoms. ... Russ Springer hasn't thrown off the mound since the second day of Spring Training, due to soreness in the rib area of his middle back. He'll likely be examined by team medical director David Lintner in the near future. ... Preston Wilson is wearing uniform No. 4, Eric Bruntlett's old number. "My full name is Preston James Richard Wilson the fourth, so it seemed like a good number," Wilson said. In past years, Wilson has worn No. 44, Oswalt's number. ... Pitchers and catchers worked on baserunning fundamentals and bunt defense plays on Thursday, so they did not have time to continue their bunting tournament. That contest is likely to resume on Friday.
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Lance Berkman reported to the Kissimmee clubhouse on Thursday looking more fit than usual at this time of the year.
But that's to be expected, considering he spent the offseason working to strengthen his right knee, one that was surgically repaired the previous offseason when he tore his ACL playing flag football.
Berkman isn't what you'd call a gym rat by any stretch of the imagination, and it's fairly safe to say that during offseasons where he's perfectly healthy, it's unlikely he's spending half his day in the weight room.
But Berkman hasn't been perfectly healthy in quite some time. He's only a month removed from undergoing an arthroscopic procedure to clean out scar tissue in his right knee, which means just like last year, he'll be working under the watchful eyes of the club's athletic trainers this spring.
When the Grapefruit League games begin, it's likely Berkman won't play much -- if at all -- for the first week.
"I haven't really run on (the knee) very much," he said. "I need to get my legs back under me, first of all. Then, when you get to swinging, that's a different deal because you have to turn ... there are some things that I want to make sure that I'm solid on in my own mind before I go out there in a game situation."
The running joke is that Berkman, with his laid back approach to conditioning, purposely staged this latest surgical procedure in order to get out of spring workouts.
"I'm probably going to have to miss the first two weeks of games," Berkman deadpanned. "There's no sense in pushing it, you know what I mean? That's what got me in trouble last year."
Manager Phil Garner feigned incredulousness with that statement.
"Heck no, he won't be taking it easy," he said. "He's going to have to go from Day 1. He thinks this is a country club. Put a wrap on that knee, and let's go."
Lidge, the starter: Brad Lidge will likely start the first Grapefruit League game on March 2 against the Indians, throwing one inning. Dan Wheeler will follow with one inning, and soon after the two will depart for Arizona to join their Team USA mates for World Baseball Classic training camp.
"They need to pitch, they need to throw," Garner said of the two bullpenners opening the Astros exhibition season. "If they are going to pitch in this thing, they need to get ready. So they're going to throw."
The thinking game: For a brief time every day, Garner gathers his pitchers and catchers for "skull sessions," to go over the nuances of baseball from the mental standpoint.
"Not only are we trying to (get ready) physically, we want them to know exactly what to expect, so they know what to do," Garner said.
This includes, among other things, the importance of pitching aggressively.
"The whole tone of the game is set by the pitcher in our game," Garner said. "It's interesting, because in most sports, it's offense that sets the tone. In baseball, it's defense that sets the tone.
"If you throw strikes, if you're aggressive, if you take it to the other team, you put them on the defensive. I stress that every spring. It's as basic as you can get. We've got to see strikes, and we've got to see two strikes in the first three pitches."
First workout: On Friday during the first full-squad workout, hitters will take batting practice against their pitching teammates.
"This is the most fun part of Spring Training camp," Garner said. "This is where all the position players complain for the next four days, having to face these young kids who are throwing about 99 miles an hour, with the ball moving all over the place. So it's back to business as usual."
Odds and ends: Roy Oswalt left camp early on Thursday, due to flu-like symptoms. ... Russ Springer hasn't thrown off the mound since the second day of Spring Training, due to soreness in the rib area of his middle back. He'll likely be examined by team medical director David Lintner in the near future. ... Preston Wilson is wearing uniform No. 4, Eric Bruntlett's old number. "My full name is Preston James Richard Wilson the fourth, so it seemed like a good number," Wilson said. In past years, Wilson has worn No. 44, Oswalt's number. ... Pitchers and catchers worked on baserunning fundamentals and bunt defense plays on Thursday, so they did not have time to continue their bunting tournament. That contest is likely to resume on Friday.
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home