Wedge to young Mariners: Get in better shape next year, or else
Sunday, September 18, 2011 | 12:09 pm
Today’s pregame media gathering with Mariners manager Eric Wedge began with a quick injury report -- Chone Figgins won’t play again this year, Brendan Ryan still has pain in his neck, Justin Smoak isn’t starting again, Casper Wells still doesn’t feel well.
Then Wedge used the opportunity to spew a little – well, actually a lot – about the need for some players to get serious about their offseason conditioning in order to avoid the physical problems we’ve seen this season.
So, like Cousin Eddie’s dog Snots in the movie Christmas Vacation, when Wedge starts talking it’s best just to let him finish. Here we go:
• On third baseman Chone Figgins (out since Aug. 2 with a strained right hip flexor): “He won’t play again this year. He’s still feeling it a little bit. I just told him we’re going to shut it down. He won’t go on the road with us. We’re probably going to have some more tests this week and go from there.”
• On first baseman Justin Smoak (mild groin strain): “He’s going to do some running today. Hopefully he’ll be in there tomorrow and potentially pinch-hit for us today.”
• On shortstop Brendan Ryan (stiff neck/upper back): “It’ll probably be a couple of days. It’s his back into his neck. He was walking around here looking like a damned mummy. Mummies can walk.”
• Outfielder Casper Wells (sick): “Casper is not feeling well.”
• Is Brendan Ryan’s issue the same thing he dealt with earlier? (Wedge gets fired up over this one)
“Yeah, which is an issue,” Wedge said. “A lot of these guys are going to have to do a better job in the offseason. We’re going to have a lot of discussions with a lot of these guys about the work and the effort and the discipline that they’re going to have to commit to in the offseason to be able to come out here and play 150 games when we need them to play 150 games.
“It’s not just conditioning. It’s deeper than that. It’s whatever your body calls for, whatever your limitations are, that’s where you’ve got to go. Everybody’s got their own body composition and everything that goes along with that, and that’s what we’re going to address.”
How much of that is part of the process the young players are going through this year for the first time?
“Everybody can talk about it all they want, but until you go through it and live it and feel it mentally, physically, emotionally, fundamentally, everything, it’s hard to really understand and appreciate it,” Wedge said. “That’s why we’ve got to keep running these guys out there, so they can feel just how much harder it is today than yesterday or next week vs. today. These guys haven’t understood it yet because they haven’t done it. But now they’re doing it and they’ll be that much better for it next year.
“But, when they’re really getting after it this winter and doing whatever they need to do, whether it be from a conditioning or a strengthening or taking care of their bodies – whatever Brendan Ryan needs to do to shore up his back , whatever Smoak needs to do, on and on and on -- I’ve got a clear view of everybody in regard to what I want them to do this winter. I’ve not relayed it to them all in direct terms yet, but I will.
“Look at what Mike Carp did with his body this last offseason. You think that helped him this year? Are you kidding me (except he didn’t say “kidding”)? Those things don’t just happen by mistake.
“We’ll find out how bad they want it.”
And how are you feeling, Skip?
“I feel great,” Wedge said. “How do I look?”
Then Wedge used the opportunity to spew a little – well, actually a lot – about the need for some players to get serious about their offseason conditioning in order to avoid the physical problems we’ve seen this season.
So, like Cousin Eddie’s dog Snots in the movie Christmas Vacation, when Wedge starts talking it’s best just to let him finish. Here we go:
• On third baseman Chone Figgins (out since Aug. 2 with a strained right hip flexor): “He won’t play again this year. He’s still feeling it a little bit. I just told him we’re going to shut it down. He won’t go on the road with us. We’re probably going to have some more tests this week and go from there.”
• On first baseman Justin Smoak (mild groin strain): “He’s going to do some running today. Hopefully he’ll be in there tomorrow and potentially pinch-hit for us today.”
• On shortstop Brendan Ryan (stiff neck/upper back): “It’ll probably be a couple of days. It’s his back into his neck. He was walking around here looking like a damned mummy. Mummies can walk.”
• Outfielder Casper Wells (sick): “Casper is not feeling well.”
• Is Brendan Ryan’s issue the same thing he dealt with earlier? (Wedge gets fired up over this one)
“Yeah, which is an issue,” Wedge said. “A lot of these guys are going to have to do a better job in the offseason. We’re going to have a lot of discussions with a lot of these guys about the work and the effort and the discipline that they’re going to have to commit to in the offseason to be able to come out here and play 150 games when we need them to play 150 games.
“It’s not just conditioning. It’s deeper than that. It’s whatever your body calls for, whatever your limitations are, that’s where you’ve got to go. Everybody’s got their own body composition and everything that goes along with that, and that’s what we’re going to address.”
How much of that is part of the process the young players are going through this year for the first time?
“Everybody can talk about it all they want, but until you go through it and live it and feel it mentally, physically, emotionally, fundamentally, everything, it’s hard to really understand and appreciate it,” Wedge said. “That’s why we’ve got to keep running these guys out there, so they can feel just how much harder it is today than yesterday or next week vs. today. These guys haven’t understood it yet because they haven’t done it. But now they’re doing it and they’ll be that much better for it next year.
“But, when they’re really getting after it this winter and doing whatever they need to do, whether it be from a conditioning or a strengthening or taking care of their bodies – whatever Brendan Ryan needs to do to shore up his back , whatever Smoak needs to do, on and on and on -- I’ve got a clear view of everybody in regard to what I want them to do this winter. I’ve not relayed it to them all in direct terms yet, but I will.
“Look at what Mike Carp did with his body this last offseason. You think that helped him this year? Are you kidding me (except he didn’t say “kidding”)? Those things don’t just happen by mistake.
“We’ll find out how bad they want it.”
And how are you feeling, Skip?
“I feel great,” Wedge said. “How do I look?”
Most recent Mariners blog posts
Comments
(
