Phil Nevin is doing a mea culpa, admitting he was a sourpuss last year after being traded to Texas, and supposedly re-dedicating himself to salvaging his career, as Evan Grant reports:
"I was embarrassed by my performance and by the way I carried myself. When I went home, I decided I did not want to leave any stone unturned when it came to trying to get myself ready for this season."
Thanks to a five-day-a-week workout plan with former teammate Brian Giles and former NFL player Mack Douglas, Nevin dropped 20 pounds, then put them back on as muscle. He is thinner, but he feels stronger.
Dropping 20 pounds, then adding them back on as muscle, over the four month offseason, seems rather...dramatic. I have to question the accuracy of Grant's reporting here, because I find it hard to believe that even a professional athlete could drop 20 pounds in such a short period of time, and then add 20 pounds of muscle...but in any case...
The S-T has a similar piece on Nevin today, as well, although there are no specific claims as to weight gain and weight loss, instead just saying he hired a personal trainer and improved his nutrition and weight-lifting.
If we have the Nevin of 2002-03, then the Rangers are going to be in very good shape at the DH position. I have my doubts, though, if he can do that now, at age 35.
Just an indicator of how slow a newsday it is, Rangers-wise, the big stories in both papers today are Nevin and his attempt to return to form, and Francisco Cordero being unsure of whether he'll pitch in the WBC, which is touched on in both the S-T and the DMN. Pretty "meh", to more.
Of more concern, though, is Juan Dominguez having his workout cut short because of elevated blood pressure. The team apparently wants to make sure that there isn't a bigger problem, but for a guy who already has gotten knocked for his conditioning and work ethic, a setback like this can't be good...
The S-T is also running something called The Buzz, which is just a collection of notes and anecdotes from Rangers camp. It does mention that John Hart is in Surprise...I wonder if he wore his golf shoes to the ballpark...