BASEBALL'S WANDERER; ZEILE WANTS TO TAKE TEXAS TEAM TO THE TOP.Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer Todd Zeile Zeile, a 1983 graduate of Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
The All-Star catcher was picked up by the New York Mets
n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker . Despite the upheaval, Zeile finished the 1998 season with respectable statistics: a .271 batting average, 19 home runs, 94 runs batted in and 155 hits. Bounced between three teams, he nonetheless missed only four games. At least his uniform number - 27 - stayed the same. ``I'm in a very good situation here in Texas, with a good chance to win,'' Zeile, 33, said from Arlington last week before a Ranger home game with the Detroit Tigers. Last year's trade came as the third baseman and his family - wife Julianne McNamara, son Garrett and daughter Hannah - were on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of moving into a new house in Westlake Village. Zeile was dispatched out of state, but his wife and kids stayed behind because the boy was about to begin kindergarten. ``Going to Florida obviously was a disappointment (because it meant) leaving L.A.,'' Zeile said. ``It was tough to stay focused and concentrate. After the initial adjustment and personal issues that come with being traded, I got my concentration back and I went to work.'' This weekend, the Rangers are hosting the Anaheim Angels for a four-game series. In Friday's opener, Zeile smacked a solo homer as the Rangers fell to the Halos. He is off to a good start in the week-old season. Although seventh in the batting order, Zeile has collected three doubles and two RBIs for a .467 average. The two teams battled for the American League's Western Division title last season, and to Zeile's good fortune, the Rangers advanced to the playoffs. ``It was kind of a silver lining on what was a rocky year,'' he said. The flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). of that luck, though, was that the Rangers were pitted against the New York Yankees  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , the pinstriped pin·stripe also pin stripe n. 1. A very thin stripe, especially on a fabric. 2. a. A fabric with very thin stripes, often used for suits. b. A suit made of such fabric. Often used in the plural. juggernaut that steamrolled over Texas, Cleveland and San Diego en route to the 1998 World Series championship. ``Three (games) against New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and they were on their way,'' Zeile mused. His post-season may have been brief, but it was some consolation for Zeile's abrupt departure from the Dodgers, the team he had rooted for as a kid and always wanted to join as an adult. After the 1996 season, Zeile turned down overtures from other ballclubs to sign a three-year contract with the Blue Crew - only to see it limited to the 1997 season and the first part of 1998. When he joined the Dodgers, Zeile - also a former University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , ballplayer - said the chance to play for his hometown team was a goal throughout his major league career. But over the years, he has grown accustomed to pulling up stakes. But since home is Southern California and work is in Texas, Zeile said he relishes the opportunities when the two can overlap. Like last Wednesday, as he and Garrett bonded over batting practice in the cages under The Ballpark, the Rangers' home stadium in Arlington. ``Right now, he's on his spring break, so he gets to come here for this first homestand,'' Zeile said. Over the recurring plinks of aluminum bats, keeping a watchful eye on his little boy, Zeile recapped his off-season training regimen: strength training with weights, running for physical conditioning, and some workouts with former Dodger teammate Billy Ashley, who lives near the Zeiles. Plus the occasional round of golf, including last November's HR Textron Scholarship Celebrity Classic at Valencia Country Club, of which he's honorary co-chairman. ``The older I get, the harder I have to work in the off-season to maintain the same fitness level,'' Zeile said. He bulked up a bit over the winter, boosting his weight to about 215. ``The last couple of years, I've gone to spring training about 211,'' Zeile said. The extra pounds this year are a hedge of sorts for the long baseball season. ``I have more trouble keeping (weight) on than keeping it off,'' he explained. Zeile also packed his winter full of quality time with his family - his daughter is now 16 months old and his son is 5 years old - to make up for his absence during the season. ``I spent a lot of time with them. I missed them more last season, because of my bouncing around and because Garrett was in school,'' he said. ``I got to take him to his karate classes and take him to school every morning.'' The exhibition season in Florida's Grapefruit League also went well. ``It was a good, productive spring,'' Zeile said. ``Johnny Oates, our manager, is pretty good about not overplaying the veterans. The quality of work, rather than the quantity of work, is stressed,'' he said. ``I came out of spring training feeling mentally and physically ready to go.'' He said his main objective for 1999 is consistency, rather than shooting for specific offensive or defensive benchmarks. ``I kind of learned a long time ago that I think I'm more productive not worrying about that kind of stuff,'' Zeile said. Besides, that playoff berth last year whetted his appetite for more of the same this year with the Rangers. ``More than anything now, team goals certainly outweigh personal goals at this point of my career,'' Zeile said. He's signed with Texas through the end of 1999, after which free agency beckons. ``I've never really worried myself about contract stuff during the season. I'm more concerned about going out and performing,'' Zeile said. After spending his first several big league seasons with the Cardinals, Zeile didn't envision the moving around that would follow. ``There was a time when I thought I would spend a great deal of my career with St. Louis,'' he said. ``That hardly happens with anyone anymore in this day and age.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Santa Clarita native Todd Zeile is hoping his stint as third baseman with the Texas Rangers can reach baseball's competitive heights. L.M. Otero/Associated Press |
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