For the record, Lastings Milledge did show up early -- position players were only required to let the Mets know they were in the neighborhood yesterday -- and he did more than drop off equipment. Milledge worked out with the handful of players already in camp, including David Wright and Jose Reyes, and displayed some impressive opposite-field power during batting practice on the stadium field.
Milledge said he improved his diet during the winter -- cutting down on red meat, burgers in particular -- and put on an additional 13 pounds of muscle through a new weightlifting regimen. But the biggest change may be his attitude. Milledge deftly handled two rounds with the media yesterday, first TV cameras and then print reporters, and said all the right things.As for the run-ins he had with teammates last year, Milledge believes that's all in the past and he's eager to move on.
"Everything’s clean," MIlledge said. "Everything’s fine. Everybody’s all right. I’m fine with everybody. Everything’s OK. I don’t have any problems with anybody."
Even Billy Wagner, who hung a sign over Milledge's locker in DC that read, "Know Your Place Rook!" admitted that no one is holding a grudge. "He wasn’t bad," Wagner said. "It’s sort of that grooming. We all went through it and hopefully he’s learned and matured."
Comments (7)
Hey. Just a note to say this is a great blog and very appreciated by a Mets fan in the ATL. Needless to say, there ain't much about the Mets in the local newspapers or on TV! Keep up the great work.
Lastings Milledge says he's put on 13 pounds of muscle in four months?
Yeah, right.
I'm VERY skeptical and VERY disappointed Ken Davidoff, as a reporter isn't more skeptical. I'm a professor of journalism and I'd NEVER accept such a claim like this from one of my writers without independent confirmation, or investigation.
It's insulting readers' intelligence to ask them to blindly accept such claims.
I've also worked with a personal trainer for eight years who specializes in nutrition and weight training and says it's nearly impossible for any human to put on that amount of lean muscle mass in such a short time, without the help of anabolic steroids.
I've never met Milledge and have no proof on any wrongdoing and I believe someone is innocent until proven guilty. In fact, I've defended Milledge in blogs against those who've said his attitude is cancerous.
But just as aggressively as I questioned Susan Slusser of the SF Chronicle, who reported that A's outfielder Nick Swisher put on 20 to 25 pounds of muscle this offseason by working on a dairy farm - a far more outlandish claim than Millegde's - I question Ken Davidoff and also challenge him to be more skeptical and investigative.
Is this a "here we go again," with naive reporters blindly accepting ballplayers' claims of legitimate weight gain, or looking the other way? With everything that happened as a result of the BALCO indictment and the Jason Giambi admission of illegal steroid use, I certainly hope not.
They make it sound like Lastings is aiming to stick around. Could he have a breakout year on the big club?
I can't wait for the season to start!
Great article! Newsday always comes strong with the best news and opinions about all the Mets Happenings.
As an apsiring blogger, I'd like you to read my article this week about how the Mets position players stack up against the best of the rest in the NL East. Leave a comment if you can. I think you'll enjoy it!
www.metsmerizedonline.com
NYsportsGUY
Gil –
You’re forgetting that Milledge, at just 22 years old, is still a “growing boy”. The addition of 13 pounds may very well come from a healthy diet, hitting the weight room, and continued natural growth.
I'm going to have to disagree with Metsfaninatlanta's suspicion of Milledge's weight gain.
For a fully grown, mature man to put on 10-15 pounds of true, solid muscle in 3-4 months, yes, it might be difficult without the aid of steroids.
However, for a young, growing man --- such as a 21-year-old --- weight and muscle gain over the short term is completely plausible. Anyone who went off to college as an 18 or 19-year-old and put on the "freshman 20" knows what I'm talking about.
Swisher's 25 pounds is suspicious, but Milledge's 10-15 isn't so out of the ordinary. Plus, I highly doubt that it's really all muscle weight that was put on. He probably put on 7-10 pounds of muscle and the rest a mixture of water, fat, and bone density --- remember the kid is still growing.
Perhaps Milledge's age played a part in his weight gain. It could be just a natural filling out of his body, and he would have put on some of this weight despite a new weight lifting program.
MFiA- You're a journalism professor AND work with a personal trainer?!?!?! Holy Moley where do you find the time!??!