Notes: Twins ready for heavy lifting
02/19/2006
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It was a pretty quiet scene inside the Twins clubhouse on Sunday as players arrived on the official reporting day for pitchers and catchers, but after a walk across the parking lot, the atmosphere changed drastically.
Loud music could be heard thumping throughout the club's new weight room at the back of the Twins' Minor League facility located at the Lee County Sports Complex. For most of the week leading up to Sunday's report date, the facility was packed with players doing squats and pulldowns.
Many of the players, such as shortstop Jason Bartlett, had arrived early to the area to take full advantage of the new weight room. Bartlett has been in Fort Myers for a little over two weeks and has spent a lot of time working out at the new facility.
"It's awesome," Bartlett said. "I knew they were going to have it, but I wish I would have known how nice it was. I would have come down here to train all offseason."
The weight room itself was finished last year, but some of the new equipment wasn't in place until this past summer. Over $100,000 was put into equipment for the facility. It was an addition that many felt was a necessary component that had been missing. When the team moved into its training complex in 1991, weightlifting and strength training weren't a big part of a baseball player's workout regimen. Now, though, it is a crucial aspect.
"Working out has become a huge part of training, and it's nice to have this be so convenient for us to use," Bartlett said.
Convenience is a huge factor. Players have spent a lot of time in previous years shuffling between a gym and the team's practice complex, so to have all of their training facilities in one place is a big bonus for most guys. It's something that Bartlett believes has had an immediate effect.
"I haven't seen this many people down here this early before," Bartlett said. "I think a lot of it has to do with this new room. [The players] know they have a facility down here that is just going to be us, and they know Perry [Castellano], the Twins' Minor League strength and condition coordinator, is here working with them. I don't see why anyone would not want to come down early now."
Number switcharoo: The sight of Justin Morneau sitting by his locker and unloading his bag on Sunday almost caused a double take.
It wasn't the fact that Morneau was one of the many position players to report early that surprised, but rather the new number emblazoned on the back of the jersey hanging in his locker, No. 33.
Stating that the number is a favorite of Morneau's would be an understatement. The Twins first baseman has a tattoo with the number, and he has a silver charm in that shape on a necklace that he wears. It was his number in hockey from the time he was little, and, when he got into baseball, he always picked it as well.
Though the No. 27 didn't have the same sentimental attachment for Morneau (he picked it for his birthdate), he hadn't thought about changing numbers until 33 became available upon the departure of J.C. Romero.
"If I'd had a good year last year, I might have stuck with (27)," Morneau said. "But with the year I had and knowing that 33 has always been my number, I thought this season would be a good time to go back to what has always been good luck for me."
The number switch was revealed at TwinsFest, and Morneau said that he has heard his fair share of criticism from fans about changing the number. It's something that the 24-year-old feels bad about, knowing that so many people own Morneau jerseys with the number 27 on them.
"I apologize to any fans that have my jersey with the old number on it," Morneau said. "[No. 33] wasn't available when I got here, and now that it was, I just felt like I had to take it."
No rest for the weary: Many players took Sunday as a chance to take a breather from practicing before the squad's first workout on Monday, but not everyone did.
Some players took advantage of their first day in the beautiful Florida sun to go out and throw the ball around a little. Joe Nathan arrived in Fort Myers on Saturday night and arrived early to the field on Sunday morning to do some throwing.
But Nathan kept his workout brief, so as not to interrupt the big plans of the day: A round of golf. The Twins closer was planning to use his last day off before official workouts start by playing 18 holes with a group that included Kyle Lohse and Nick Punto. The three players all got in a bit of exercise before heading off to a tee time somewhere near Naples.
Lohse and Punto find plenty of time to get golf in near their offseason homes in Scottsdale, Ariz., but despite living very close to his two teammates in Chandler, Ariz., Nathan isn't so fortunate. A once-a-week golfer at best, Nathan was just hoping to have a chance of being competitive with his teammates on Sunday afternoon.
"I'm going to try to keep up with Punto and Lohse," Nathan said. "I usually get to play once a week, but those guys play every day in the offseason. Every time I call them, they are out on the golf course."
Quotable: "It's exciting to see all of the guys ready to go already. You can see the excitement on many of their faces. Lohse is just absolutely beaming -- and it's not only from winning his money -- but really that he seems ready to get a great start to the year." -- Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It was a pretty quiet scene inside the Twins clubhouse on Sunday as players arrived on the official reporting day for pitchers and catchers, but after a walk across the parking lot, the atmosphere changed drastically.
Loud music could be heard thumping throughout the club's new weight room at the back of the Twins' Minor League facility located at the Lee County Sports Complex. For most of the week leading up to Sunday's report date, the facility was packed with players doing squats and pulldowns.
Many of the players, such as shortstop Jason Bartlett, had arrived early to the area to take full advantage of the new weight room. Bartlett has been in Fort Myers for a little over two weeks and has spent a lot of time working out at the new facility.
"It's awesome," Bartlett said. "I knew they were going to have it, but I wish I would have known how nice it was. I would have come down here to train all offseason."
The weight room itself was finished last year, but some of the new equipment wasn't in place until this past summer. Over $100,000 was put into equipment for the facility. It was an addition that many felt was a necessary component that had been missing. When the team moved into its training complex in 1991, weightlifting and strength training weren't a big part of a baseball player's workout regimen. Now, though, it is a crucial aspect.
"Working out has become a huge part of training, and it's nice to have this be so convenient for us to use," Bartlett said.
Convenience is a huge factor. Players have spent a lot of time in previous years shuffling between a gym and the team's practice complex, so to have all of their training facilities in one place is a big bonus for most guys. It's something that Bartlett believes has had an immediate effect.
"I haven't seen this many people down here this early before," Bartlett said. "I think a lot of it has to do with this new room. [The players] know they have a facility down here that is just going to be us, and they know Perry [Castellano], the Twins' Minor League strength and condition coordinator, is here working with them. I don't see why anyone would not want to come down early now."
Number switcharoo: The sight of Justin Morneau sitting by his locker and unloading his bag on Sunday almost caused a double take.
It wasn't the fact that Morneau was one of the many position players to report early that surprised, but rather the new number emblazoned on the back of the jersey hanging in his locker, No. 33.
Stating that the number is a favorite of Morneau's would be an understatement. The Twins first baseman has a tattoo with the number, and he has a silver charm in that shape on a necklace that he wears. It was his number in hockey from the time he was little, and, when he got into baseball, he always picked it as well.
Though the No. 27 didn't have the same sentimental attachment for Morneau (he picked it for his birthdate), he hadn't thought about changing numbers until 33 became available upon the departure of J.C. Romero.
"If I'd had a good year last year, I might have stuck with (27)," Morneau said. "But with the year I had and knowing that 33 has always been my number, I thought this season would be a good time to go back to what has always been good luck for me."
The number switch was revealed at TwinsFest, and Morneau said that he has heard his fair share of criticism from fans about changing the number. It's something that the 24-year-old feels bad about, knowing that so many people own Morneau jerseys with the number 27 on them.
"I apologize to any fans that have my jersey with the old number on it," Morneau said. "[No. 33] wasn't available when I got here, and now that it was, I just felt like I had to take it."
No rest for the weary: Many players took Sunday as a chance to take a breather from practicing before the squad's first workout on Monday, but not everyone did.
Some players took advantage of their first day in the beautiful Florida sun to go out and throw the ball around a little. Joe Nathan arrived in Fort Myers on Saturday night and arrived early to the field on Sunday morning to do some throwing.
But Nathan kept his workout brief, so as not to interrupt the big plans of the day: A round of golf. The Twins closer was planning to use his last day off before official workouts start by playing 18 holes with a group that included Kyle Lohse and Nick Punto. The three players all got in a bit of exercise before heading off to a tee time somewhere near Naples.
Lohse and Punto find plenty of time to get golf in near their offseason homes in Scottsdale, Ariz., but despite living very close to his two teammates in Chandler, Ariz., Nathan isn't so fortunate. A once-a-week golfer at best, Nathan was just hoping to have a chance of being competitive with his teammates on Sunday afternoon.
"I'm going to try to keep up with Punto and Lohse," Nathan said. "I usually get to play once a week, but those guys play every day in the offseason. Every time I call them, they are out on the golf course."
Quotable: "It's exciting to see all of the guys ready to go already. You can see the excitement on many of their faces. Lohse is just absolutely beaming -- and it's not only from winning his money -- but really that he seems ready to get a great start to the year." -- Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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