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Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
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Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
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Stallworth's contract terminated
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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
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KSU Notes – February 9
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Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
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Garfield at Buchtel basketball
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Palin At The Tea Party Convention
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Republican Pre-Conditions
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Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
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Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
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Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
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Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
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Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Tom Withers
Associated Press
POSTED: 02:40 p.m. EST, Feb 23, 2009
GOODYEAR, ARIZ.: At times last year Travis Hafner's right shoulder hurt when he lifted a fork. On Sunday, he raised a bat and swung it with all his might.
When he connected, the baseball soared into the Arizona sky.
''I was happy with the flight of the ball,'' he said. ''It was a good first day.''
Working his way back after a disastrous 2008 ended with offseason shoulder surgery, Hafner took part in batting practice with his teammates for the first time this spring Sunday. With General Manager Mark Shapiro and Assistant GM Chris Antonetti watching from behind the backstop, Hafner completed three rounds of BP as important as any in his career.
''It feels good to get back on the field and hang out with your teammates,'' Hafner said. ''It was fun. Everything feels good. There will be a little soreness in there for a little while, but everything feels close to normal.''
The Indians are hoping Hafner returns to normal. They need the Pronk — his nickname — with pop.
The Tribe's powerful designated hitter was reduced to the club's highest-paid designated sitter last season. Hafner's weak shoulder limited him to 57 games, and he batted just .197 with five homers and 24 RBI. Months of rehab failed to strengthen his shoulder and the 31-year-old remembers dinner being a painful chore.
''You'd go out to have a meal and your shoulder would burn just from eating,'' he said. ''If you'd do it a few times, it would wear your shoulder out. Some days it would feel better than others.''
Eventually, Hafner needed famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to clean out his shoulder joint. Then came more rehab, the loneliest time for any ballplayer. Hafner lives in Cleveland year-round, and as any Northeast Ohio resident can attest, the winters can be long and dreary.
But Hafner made the most of his offseason. Along with lifting weights and conditioning, he worked on improving his diet. He stayed away from fatty foods, cut down on the occasional cold beers and hired a personal chef. Hafner had his meals delivered to his home, and ended up dropping 10 pounds — he's listed at 240 — before coming to camp looking trim.
''More ripped,'' he said with a laugh.
So can the Indians count on him for 30 steals?
''I don't want to set a limit or a bar,'' he cracked. ''But I'd say 30, minimum.''
While he might have lost his power stroke last season, Hafner never misplaced his sense of humor. The North Dakota native is as good-natured as they come. And as dark as things got for him last season, and there were some difficult moments, Hafner remained upbeat that better days were ahead.
''You're going to face adversity throughout your life,'' Hafner said. ''You've got to stay the same person and remain positive. Just because you're hurt doesn't mean you're not the same guy. You've still got to keep a presence in the clubhouse and be a guy that's fun to be around. You can't just sit around and mope all the time because nobody wants to hear it.''
Indians manager Eric Wedge hopes Hafner can maintain that carefree attitude. While it would great for Hafner to get back to his 30-homer, 100-RBI form, it's not imperative for the Indians to contend this season.
''The last thing we want, and the last thing he should even think about, is feeling the pressure of the world. That's just silly,'' Wedge said. ''We don't need him to be great. We just need him to have a nice, solid year for us. If everybody does their part, we don't need to rely on any one person.
''We're adding him to the mix. He's not filling a void. He needs to understand that, too.''
Hafner also knows there have been whispers about him using steroids.
Because of his size, his injury, his sudden drop in production and the fact that he played for the Texas Rangers in 2002 — with Alex Rodriguez — some suspect him of using performance enhancers before baseball began testing.
Hafner insists he never did steroids, and that he was never tempted to experiment with them.
''I know what they do to your body down the road, all the health concerns,'' he said. ''I didn't want to deal with that, and my dad probably would have beaten the crap out of me if he had ever found out about it. There's also the moral issues, right and wrong and respecting the game. I was always a pretty big guy, so I didn't want to tie myself up as well.''
The Indians are being extra cautious with Hafner. He's on his own program and probably won't begin playing in Cactus League games for several more weeks. It's a slow and steady approach, but just getting back into the outdoor batting cage was a nice first step for Hafner, who can't imagine going through another season like 2008.
''You miss the competition,'' he said. ''That's the big thing. I felt like I rehabbed all summer. You don't feel like a baseball player. It's definitely exciting to get back at things here.''
GOODYEAR, ARIZ.: At times last year Travis Hafner's right shoulder hurt when he lifted a fork. On Sunday, he raised a bat and swung it with all his might.
When he connected, the baseball soared into the Arizona sky.
''I was happy with the flight of the ball,'' he said. ''It was a good first day.''
Working his way back after a disastrous 2008 ended with offseason shoulder surgery, Hafner took part in batting practice with his teammates for the first time this spring Sunday. With General Manager Mark Shapiro and Assistant GM Chris Antonetti watching from behind the backstop, Hafner completed three rounds of BP as important as any in his career.
''It feels good to get back on the field and hang out with your teammates,'' Hafner said. ''It was fun. Everything feels good. There will be a little soreness in there for a little while, but everything feels close to normal.''
The Indians are hoping Hafner returns to normal. They need the Pronk — his nickname — with pop.
The Tribe's powerful designated hitter was reduced to the club's highest-paid designated sitter last season. Hafner's weak shoulder limited him to 57 games, and he batted just .197 with five homers and 24 RBI. Months of rehab failed to strengthen his shoulder and the 31-year-old remembers dinner being a painful chore.
''You'd go out to have a meal and your shoulder would burn just from eating,'' he said. ''If you'd do it a few times, it would wear your shoulder out. Some days it would feel better than others.''
Eventually, Hafner needed famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews to clean out his shoulder joint. Then came more rehab, the loneliest time for any ballplayer. Hafner lives in Cleveland year-round, and as any Northeast Ohio resident can attest, the winters can be long and dreary.
But Hafner made the most of his offseason. Along with lifting weights and conditioning, he worked on improving his diet. He stayed away from fatty foods, cut down on the occasional cold beers and hired a personal chef. Hafner had his meals delivered to his home, and ended up dropping 10 pounds — he's listed at 240 — before coming to camp looking trim.
''More ripped,'' he said with a laugh.
So can the Indians count on him for 30 steals?
''I don't want to set a limit or a bar,'' he cracked. ''But I'd say 30, minimum.''
While he might have lost his power stroke last season, Hafner never misplaced his sense of humor. The North Dakota native is as good-natured as they come. And as dark as things got for him last season, and there were some difficult moments, Hafner remained upbeat that better days were ahead.
''You're going to face adversity throughout your life,'' Hafner said. ''You've got to stay the same person and remain positive. Just because you're hurt doesn't mean you're not the same guy. You've still got to keep a presence in the clubhouse and be a guy that's fun to be around. You can't just sit around and mope all the time because nobody wants to hear it.''
Indians manager Eric Wedge hopes Hafner can maintain that carefree attitude. While it would great for Hafner to get back to his 30-homer, 100-RBI form, it's not imperative for the Indians to contend this season.
''The last thing we want, and the last thing he should even think about, is feeling the pressure of the world. That's just silly,'' Wedge said. ''We don't need him to be great. We just need him to have a nice, solid year for us. If everybody does their part, we don't need to rely on any one person.
''We're adding him to the mix. He's not filling a void. He needs to understand that, too.''
Hafner also knows there have been whispers about him using steroids.
Because of his size, his injury, his sudden drop in production and the fact that he played for the Texas Rangers in 2002 — with Alex Rodriguez — some suspect him of using performance enhancers before baseball began testing.
Hafner insists he never did steroids, and that he was never tempted to experiment with them.
''I know what they do to your body down the road, all the health concerns,'' he said. ''I didn't want to deal with that, and my dad probably would have beaten the crap out of me if he had ever found out about it. There's also the moral issues, right and wrong and respecting the game. I was always a pretty big guy, so I didn't want to tie myself up as well.''
The Indians are being extra cautious with Hafner. He's on his own program and probably won't begin playing in Cactus League games for several more weeks. It's a slow and steady approach, but just getting back into the outdoor batting cage was a nice first step for Hafner, who can't imagine going through another season like 2008.
''You miss the competition,'' he said. ''That's the big thing. I felt like I rehabbed all summer. You don't feel like a baseball player. It's definitely exciting to get back at things here.''
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Akron, Oh
Posted 04:21 PM, 02/23/2009
Hafner is a beast!
Posted 04:50 PM, 02/23/2009
Keep your fingers crossed.No matter how Wedge spins it we need Hafner to fill the "void" in the 4th hole in the line-up.He doesnt have to set the single season H.R or RBI record but just being healthy and somewhat productive (.285 avg. 25 H.R. 90 RBI would do) will affect the whole batting order.
Stow, OH
Posted 06:31 PM, 02/23/2009
The Indians really handcuffed themselves by signing him to such an outrageous contract. Facts are :if Hafner doesn't produce in the no. 4 spot they have very few options to remedy it ,plus will be paying out ten's of millions for a guy that can't play a position batting in the 7 or 8 hole.The Indians do not have the deep pockets to make these dumb mistakes .
Old Faithful, WY
Posted 06:45 PM, 02/23/2009
let's all pretend travis didn't do roids!
Posted 03:03 AM, 02/24/2009
preparation H?
Posted 05:37 AM, 02/24/2009
Isn't it odd that Hafner played great UNTIL he was given the $57 million contract? Once he had it in hand, he figured he could be hurt, sit out all the games, and still draw the big paycheck. I say tell him to hit the road if he doesn't produce this year ... the Indians did just fine last year without him.
Naples, FL
Posted 06:29 AM, 02/24/2009
Steve...you probably drool over those magazines at the grocery checkout counter like The Star and The Globe with the "woman has alien baby" headlines.
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:31 AM, 02/24/2009
This guy is a poster child for the "steroid era".
Old Faithful, WY
Posted 11:10 AM, 02/24/2009
cleverox-"woman has alien baby", "cleveland has faith in sports idols"
both headlines appear ridiculous to me.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 12:30 PM, 02/24/2009
Whether or not you believe Hafner's answer, I'm glad Withers included the question about steroids. My buddies and I have speculated, as I'm sure many others have done.
