Basketball Betting

Garciaparra healthy, ready to go for Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

02/26/2007 -

VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Nomar Garciaparra couldn't help but smile when asked about the apparent power shortage in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup.

The question was reasonable, since the Dodgers ranked next-to-last in the NL with 153 homers last season and didn't add the big bat they were seeking over the winter.

``How did we finish in run production?'' Garciaparra asked. Fourth, he was told, with 820 runs generated through a league-leading .275 batting average.

``Isn't the name of the game scoring runs?'' Garciaparra asked. ``Can we improve? Sure. We want to be first. You're never satisfied. I don't think pitchers going against us are wondering how we were scoring those runs.''

After a brief pause, Garciaparra smiled again before saying: ``The game everyone remembers involved power.''

Garciaparra played a key role in one of last season's most memorable games, hitting a two-run homer to give Los Angeles an improbable 11-10, 10-inning victory over the San Diego Padres on Sept. 18 to put those teams in a tie atop the NL West.

The Dodgers forged a tie with four consecutive homers to open the ninth - only the fourth time that's happened in an inning in major league history.

``You're just grateful to be a part of a game like that,'' Garciaparra said.

Garciaparra had several memorable moments in his first season with the Dodgers, hitting .303 with a team-leading 20 homers and 93 RBIs. After playing only 143 games the previous two years combined, he was named the NL comeback player of the year.

``I had a wonderful time,'' he said.

No surprise there, considering he was a fan favorite, which made sense since he grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier.

Garciaparra had signed a one-year contract, so he became a free agent again after last season, and quickly agreed to terms of an $18.5 million, two-year deal.

``I had other teams calling making offers - some amazing teams,'' he said. ``I told them out of fairness to them and myself, I wanted to exhaust my options with the Dodgers first. I told them, `This is where I want to be.' The Dodgers said they wanted me back. It was very easy.''

Garciaparra wasn't the same after straining his left quadriceps Sept. 15, and he finally tore it in Game 2 of the division series against the New York Mets.

``It took about two or three weeks to heal,'' he said. ``Right when I usually start to get ready, I started. I usually take two or three weeks off. After Thanksgiving, it's every day in the gym. I accomplished everything I wanted to in the offseason. I feel great now.

``There's stuff you can't control. You go out, you come back, you just deal with it. It's easier to give up. Injuries happen.''

The 33-year-old two-time AL batting champion has had his share, causing him to shake his head when asked about Cal Ripken Jr.'s record streak of playing in 2,632 straight games.

``The grind of every day - wow! It's unbelievable,'' Garciaparra said. ``That's the most amazing thing in any sport.''

After playing mostly shortstop in his previous 10 big league seasons, Garciaparra made a smooth switch to first base last year, committing only four errors in 1,124 chances for a .996 fielding percentage, the NL's second-highest for a first baseman.

``It shows you the kind of athlete he is,'' Dodgers manager Grady Little said. ``And it shows the kind of hard work he put in. He had a great season - offensively and defensively.''

Shortstop Rafael Furcal said he believes Garciaparra has what it takes to earn a Gold Glove at his new position.

``For me, he was a Gold Glove,'' Furcal said. ``It's tough to move to first base, but when you're an athlete like him, you can play anywhere. For him to do as well as he did in his first year, it was very surprising to me.''

Garciaparra's wife, former soccer star Mia Hamm, is expecting twins in the next month or two - the couple's first children.

``We're excited. We're thrilled about how lucky we've been and what we've been blessed with,'' he said. ``This adds to it. You go in with your arms wide open.''

He plans to be at his wife's side for the births, meaning it's possible he'll miss a game or two.

``You've got to make it,'' he said.

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