ANGELS NOTEBOOK: A WEIGHTY ISSUE WITH BENGIE.Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer ARLINGTON, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas (USA) within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area. According to a U.S Census Bureau release, as of July 1, 2006 Arlington has an estimated population of 367,197. - There is no weight clause in the contract of Bartolo Colon, the starting pitcher Noun 1. starting pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; for the Angels today. Despite his 260-pound frame, the Angels know Colon can achieve the necessary results with his current physical makeup. The team also doesn't exactly care about Bengie Molina's weight, so long as he can stay healthy enough to catch at least 130 games per season. But he has not yet played this year because of a strained left hamstring, and manager Mike Scioscia ``He battles his weight,'' Scioscia said. ``He does. The bottom line is his performance. We talked about keeping his body where it needs to be for long-term health, and Bengie takes that to heart. But he needs to be in tune with that as he gets older.'' Today, Molina hopes to run the bases aggressively for the first time and be ready to play Monday. It's more likely that he will have to sit out the first road trip altogether. He is not talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to the media for the time being. Scioscia can empathize em·pa·thize v. To feel empathy in relation to another person. with Molina to some degree, because he, too, was a catcher who had to watch his waistline. An old urban legend Myths about anything and everything that barely have a shred of truth in them, yet seem to take on a persistent life of their own. Before the Internet, such urban folklore as "alligators in New York City sewers" was carried in magazines and newspapers. has it that Scioscia, ordered by Dodgers general manager Al Campanis Alexander Sebastian Campanis (November 2, 1916 - June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball. He had a brief Major League career as a second baseman, playing in seven games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. to ride an exercise bike during winter ball in the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic (dəmĭn`ĭkən), republic (2005 est. pop. 8,950,000), 18,700 sq mi (48,442 sq km), West Indies, on the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The capital and largest city is Santo Domingo. , hired a gaunt local to ride the bike so the odometer odometer (ōdŏm`ĭtər), instrument provided in an automotive vehicle to indicate the total number of miles that have been traveled. reading would satisfy club officials while Scioscia dined on pizza. In reality, Scioscia did work hard to produce a 15-year career behind the plate. Molina, 29, is barely one-third of the way there and struggling to stay healthy. ``I worked out all winter to keep in condition,'' Scioscia said. ``Some guys have to work extremely hard to keep it. Bengie's in that same boat. He knows he's in that same boat and he works hard. Bengie's starting to understand the long-term benefits of keeping your body in shape. ``Bengie's had a tremendous career so far. We hope it's a lot longer. He's always going to be a big guy and he's shown he can perform well no matter the weight. But the extra wear and tear can affect the length of your career.'' --Relief needed: When John Lackey exited Saturday night's 12-6 loss to Texas in the fourth inning, relievers Ben Weber and Scot Shields were forced to absorb the next 4 1/3 innings. It was Shields' third outing in just five games, and he yielded four runs to bump his ERA to 12.71. No Angels starter has pitched into the seventh inning yet, and the Angels don't have an off day until April 19, 13 games into the season. Scioscia is not yet concerned his bullpen will be overtaxed, but that time could come soon. ``We've got a pretty packed schedule,'' he said. ``You would be concerned if we weren't able to get time off. If a starter struggles, we might look at getting an extra arm up here, but five days in, it's not a problem.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: ANGELS AT TEXAS |
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