rockin500
03-10-2003, 02:36 PM
PHOENIX -- Sammy Sosa's swing feels just right these days. And he's only played three games.
The right fielder went 2-for-3 in the Chicago Cubs' 8-6 victory Sunday over the Oakland Athletics. After he left the game, he did some extra conditioning work in the clubhouse. It's part of the fitness regimen Sosa now follows.
"The more in shape that I am, the more I can help the ballclub and I can do something earlier in the year," Sosa said. "A lot of times when I was a little overweight, it took me probably a month, a month and a half to get in shape and my swing was all over the place."
And his swing after three games?
"It's perfect, beautiful," he said.
Sosa admits that two years ago, he was too heavy. He credits Mack Newton, a fitness specialist that former Cubs manager Don Baylor hired, with helping him get in shape. Newton still leaves positive messages on Sosa's cell phone.
"You never want to stop talking to a guy who gives you good advice," Sosa said. "He's not just a conditioning person, he's a psychological person."
If Sosa's mental state is anything like his swing, he's doing just fine. He's not over-swinging, but keeping his stroke short and quick.
"My swing is there. I feel much better than before," he said. "I feel I'm on top of everything now, running, throwing, defense. Everything is ready."
But are the Cubs? Sosa has seen a lot of positives in camp but also a few flashbacks to some of the disappointments of 2002.
The Cubs offense wasn't explosive last season; it sputtered to a .246 team average. This spring, the offense has looked sluggish but it's been tough for new manager Dusty Baker to have the lineup he's projecting for Opening Day.
Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox marked the closest to the likely regular eight with Bobby Hill leading off followed by Ramon Martinez, Sosa, Moises Alou, Hee Seop Choi, Corey Patterson, Mark Bellhorn and Paul Bako. And that was the Cubs' 10th game.
Shortstop Alex Gonzalez will replace Martinez in the No. 2 spot while Damian Miller will be the regular catcher, not Bako.
"What I'm concerned with is how we're playing," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said when asked about the lack of offense.
Sosa said he sees plenty of good signs, beginning with the manager's positive attitude.
"Everybody comes here and they know what you have to do," said Sosa, 3-for-5 in two games since being sidelined with a viral infection that invaded the clubhouse. "You come here to get your job done. That's it. What I like is that everybody is focused on that."
Secondly, Sosa's teammate and countryman Alou reported to Cubs camp anxious to erase last season's embarrassing .275 average.
"Having Moises the way he's swinging the bat now, and the way everybody sees that he's ready, is going to be a big help," Sosa said. "He's a big piece of our team. He knows that.
"This year he came really, really ready to play, to work hard. I'm very happy about it. I see we have a different Moises."
Alou's motivation? Pride.
"No question," Sosa said. "When you have pride and sometimes people say some things that you're not ready for, it probably wakes you up a little bit."
But the offense may depend on how youngsters Hill, Choi and Patterson fare. Sosa hopes the kids can focus on the right things.
"We have some young kids who can't be thinking about, 'If I don't hit they're going to send me down to Triple-A,'" Sosa said. "We have to make those kids feel very comfortable and very good around the team and let them play. That's how you get everything out of a young kid. If you start saying some things like you don't know if you're going to make the team, then you put pressure on the kids.
"Our manager knows how to deal with those type of players. He knows when the bell rings, who's going to be there."
So Sosa isn't worried?
"Spring Training is to get ready, to have everybody in shape and do your routine and work hard every day," he said. "I think a lot of people put pressure on Spring Training, which for a young kid, you have to be ready every day. For veterans, we know what we need to do and we know when it's time for us to get ready. Definitely, you have to be ready every day, every minute, every swing."
The Cubs have rebuilt the bullpen and the bench but didn't add a significant bat in the lineup as they did prior to last season with the addition of Alou.
"What I'm seeing right now is what we have, and if they go and get another bat, we'd appreciate it," Sosa said, although he wasn't making any demands.
"But if they feel like we don't need it, then we stay with what we have. (Cubs management) knows the team that we have. Whatever hole that they know we need to fix, then they're going to fix it."
Told that he looked leaner, Sosa admitted he hasn't tapped into a Fountain of Youth. He's just dedicated to staying fit.
"I'm 34 years old," he said. "What am I going to do -- come here at 300 pounds? When you're 34 years old, you can only carry so much weight on your body. You don't want to be overweight because it slows everything down.
"The weight I am now is 225, perfect. You want me to come like Hulk Hogan?"
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030309&content_id=215010&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp
The right fielder went 2-for-3 in the Chicago Cubs' 8-6 victory Sunday over the Oakland Athletics. After he left the game, he did some extra conditioning work in the clubhouse. It's part of the fitness regimen Sosa now follows.
"The more in shape that I am, the more I can help the ballclub and I can do something earlier in the year," Sosa said. "A lot of times when I was a little overweight, it took me probably a month, a month and a half to get in shape and my swing was all over the place."
And his swing after three games?
"It's perfect, beautiful," he said.
Sosa admits that two years ago, he was too heavy. He credits Mack Newton, a fitness specialist that former Cubs manager Don Baylor hired, with helping him get in shape. Newton still leaves positive messages on Sosa's cell phone.
"You never want to stop talking to a guy who gives you good advice," Sosa said. "He's not just a conditioning person, he's a psychological person."
If Sosa's mental state is anything like his swing, he's doing just fine. He's not over-swinging, but keeping his stroke short and quick.
"My swing is there. I feel much better than before," he said. "I feel I'm on top of everything now, running, throwing, defense. Everything is ready."
But are the Cubs? Sosa has seen a lot of positives in camp but also a few flashbacks to some of the disappointments of 2002.
The Cubs offense wasn't explosive last season; it sputtered to a .246 team average. This spring, the offense has looked sluggish but it's been tough for new manager Dusty Baker to have the lineup he's projecting for Opening Day.
Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox marked the closest to the likely regular eight with Bobby Hill leading off followed by Ramon Martinez, Sosa, Moises Alou, Hee Seop Choi, Corey Patterson, Mark Bellhorn and Paul Bako. And that was the Cubs' 10th game.
Shortstop Alex Gonzalez will replace Martinez in the No. 2 spot while Damian Miller will be the regular catcher, not Bako.
"What I'm concerned with is how we're playing," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said when asked about the lack of offense.
Sosa said he sees plenty of good signs, beginning with the manager's positive attitude.
"Everybody comes here and they know what you have to do," said Sosa, 3-for-5 in two games since being sidelined with a viral infection that invaded the clubhouse. "You come here to get your job done. That's it. What I like is that everybody is focused on that."
Secondly, Sosa's teammate and countryman Alou reported to Cubs camp anxious to erase last season's embarrassing .275 average.
"Having Moises the way he's swinging the bat now, and the way everybody sees that he's ready, is going to be a big help," Sosa said. "He's a big piece of our team. He knows that.
"This year he came really, really ready to play, to work hard. I'm very happy about it. I see we have a different Moises."
Alou's motivation? Pride.
"No question," Sosa said. "When you have pride and sometimes people say some things that you're not ready for, it probably wakes you up a little bit."
But the offense may depend on how youngsters Hill, Choi and Patterson fare. Sosa hopes the kids can focus on the right things.
"We have some young kids who can't be thinking about, 'If I don't hit they're going to send me down to Triple-A,'" Sosa said. "We have to make those kids feel very comfortable and very good around the team and let them play. That's how you get everything out of a young kid. If you start saying some things like you don't know if you're going to make the team, then you put pressure on the kids.
"Our manager knows how to deal with those type of players. He knows when the bell rings, who's going to be there."
So Sosa isn't worried?
"Spring Training is to get ready, to have everybody in shape and do your routine and work hard every day," he said. "I think a lot of people put pressure on Spring Training, which for a young kid, you have to be ready every day. For veterans, we know what we need to do and we know when it's time for us to get ready. Definitely, you have to be ready every day, every minute, every swing."
The Cubs have rebuilt the bullpen and the bench but didn't add a significant bat in the lineup as they did prior to last season with the addition of Alou.
"What I'm seeing right now is what we have, and if they go and get another bat, we'd appreciate it," Sosa said, although he wasn't making any demands.
"But if they feel like we don't need it, then we stay with what we have. (Cubs management) knows the team that we have. Whatever hole that they know we need to fix, then they're going to fix it."
Told that he looked leaner, Sosa admitted he hasn't tapped into a Fountain of Youth. He's just dedicated to staying fit.
"I'm 34 years old," he said. "What am I going to do -- come here at 300 pounds? When you're 34 years old, you can only carry so much weight on your body. You don't want to be overweight because it slows everything down.
"The weight I am now is 225, perfect. You want me to come like Hulk Hogan?"
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/news/chc_news.jsp?ymd=20030309&content_id=215010&vkey=spt2003news&fext=.jsp