DODGERS NOTEBOOK: ETHIER WANTS TO FLEX HIS MUSCLE.Byline: TONY JACKSON
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer VERO BEACH Vero Beach (vēr`o), city (1990 pop. 17,350), seat of Indian River co., E Fla., on Indian River (a lagoon and part of the Intracoastal Waterway); founded c.1888, inc. 1919. , Fla. -- Apparently, Andre Ethier
"It's just about reinventing yourself," the second-year outfielder said. "I hit .300 last year, and people said it wasn't good enough. So I'm just trying to go back to where I was in 2005, the year before I came over here, when I hit balls the other way with authority and at the same time took the inside pitch and tried to drive it out. "I think I can be a more valuable player if I get back to what I did that season." Clearly stung by what he repeatedly read and heard over the winter -- an especially popular notion was that he didn't hit for the kind of power a corner outfielder is supposed to -- Ethier says he is focused on hitting more than the 11 home runs he had last year. That figure notwithstanding, he was a solid National League Rookie of the Year Rookie of the Year may refer to:
But the problem with Ethier's new approach is that manager Grady Little William Grady Little (born March 30, 1950 in Abilene, Texas) is a manager in Major League Baseball. He guided the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003, and has been manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2006. isn't happy hearing that Ethier, who is expected to be the Dodgers' everyday right fielder right fielder n. Baseball The player who defends right field. Noun 1. right fielder - the person who plays right field outfielder - (baseball) a person who plays in the outfield this season, wants to reinvent himself. "That scares the (heck) out of me," Little said. Ethier went 3 for 4 with a double in Friday's Grapefruit League game -- an 8-7 victory over Minnesota at Holman Stadium There are at least two sports venues called Holman Stadium:
Ethier's first-inning double, which came against a non-roster shell of what used to be Sidney Ponson, is his only extra-base hit of the spring. "I'm not hitting home runs, so something isn't right," Ethier said. "They want somebody to hit home runs, and I can be that guy. Why not me, right?" Getting better: Utility man Marlon Anderson, who has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game because of a minor setback in his recovery from offseason surgery on his right elbow, might be ready to play as soon as next week. Shortstop Rafael Furcal (right shoulder) also is expected to return early next week. tony.jackson@dailynews.com (818) 713-3675 CAPTION(S): box Box: BEYOND THE BOX SCORE - Tony Jackson |
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