More Rowand write ups

[southsider2k5]

Aaron Rowand fits into Las Vegas as well as Jim McMahon did at Brigham Young. Or so it seems.

 

Rowand's idea of a late night is staying awake long enough to catch a movie's closing credits.

 

For that he can thank a grueling workout schedule that has him in the gym before 6 a.m. at least four days a week.

 

"Even when I don't have to get up [early], I can't stay up past 10," Rowand said. "My daughter's 2½, and I fall asleep before she does."

 

So why would the Southern California native choose to live in a 24-hour city synonymous with slot machines and showgirls? For one, there's the climate, which reminds him of the White Sox's spring-training home.

 

"This is Tucson weather," Rowand said between workouts on a crisp January morning. "I don't have to adjust to it. And [the spring-training complex] is only a six-hour drive away."

 

By the time Rowand, 26, arrives in Tucson next month as the Sox's starting center fielder, he'll hardly be in need of training.

 

His normal routine calls for 2½ hours of drills with his personal trainer, Tim Soder, whose gym is three miles west of the legendary Las Vegas strip. After a break for lunch, Rowand typically drills with the baseball team at nearby Community College of Southern Nevada. He'll take swings, run the bases, work on his fielding and offer tips to the players.

 

"There is no off-season for me," Rowand said. "I can't slack off all winter and play golf and then just go pick up a bat."

 

OK, but Rowand takes it to extremes. The morning after returning from six productive weeks of winter ball in Puerto Rico, he called Soder to set up a time for his first workout.

 

"Most guys would want to take some time off," Soder said. "Not Aaron."

 

Rowand explained it this way: "I feel lazy when I'm not doing it. And I enjoy coming in and trying to better myself. Maybe I don't have the God-given ability of Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee or Frank Thomas. I don't have the 6-5 frame. For me it's all about working harder than the next guy."

 

Of working out at 6 a.m., Rowand said: "It keeps me honest. I could stay out all night here because nothing ever closes."

 

Committing himself to the gym helps keep away the temptations—but not all of them.

 

Rowand nearly lost his life in a dirt-bike accident on Nov. 1, 2002. He broke his left shoulder blade and a rib on each side of his body after flipping over his handlebars and falling about 25 feet onto hardpan in California's Lucerne Valley, 100 miles from Las Vegas.

 

"If it was his throwing arm, he probably would have been done," Soder said. "It was a scary thing."

 

The injury kept Rowand out of the batting cages for nearly three months and doomed him to a slow start last year. He was batting .133 when the Sox sent him to the minors on May 1.

 

"My shoulder still hurt every day," he said. "Every time I went out, it ached. After an injury like that, it takes time for the ligaments and tendons to heal."

 

Rowand was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte six weeks later, and he hit .387 the rest of the season. But after the Sox acquired Carl Everett on July 1, Rowand made only 13 starts over the final three months.

 

"I thought it was his time last year, and if he had produced while he was out there we wouldn't have looked to do anything," Sox general manager Ken Williams said. "We also wouldn't have allowed him to play if he hadn't assured us he was healthy.

 

"But I love the guy's heart, always have. When I talk about guys who are gamers and go after it, I'm talking about Aaron."

 

Williams would be proud of Rowand's regimen, which has him at a rock-solid 218 pounds with about 9 percent body fat on his 6-foot-1-inch frame.

 

During one exercise, Rowand does abdominal crunches while Soder tosses a heavy ball to him. Rowand tosses it back from the seated position.

 

Rowand can run 60 yards in 6.6 seconds. He said the major-league average is 7.2.

 

"I might not have the top speed, but I will get to my top speed in two steps," he said

 

Rowand's workout is not for everyone. Several of his teammates have tried it, including reliever Kelly Wunsch, who was visiting over New Year's. Wunsch paid the price.

 

"I'm used to doing StairMaster and leg presses," Wunsch said. "This was all squats and jumps. I couldn't walk for three days."

 

The workout provides something of a thrill for Rowand, but not in the same way that off-road riding did.

 

"Do I miss it? Yeah," he said. "I miss the freedom, being out there with no constraints. But it's not as important as being able to support my family and my baseball career. I won't do anything off-road like that until I'm done with baseball."

 

Rowand's bike was in good condition after the accident because it landed on him. He sold it for $1,500 after having bought it for twice as much.

 

"I took a hit, but I just wanted to get rid of the thing," he said. "I didn't want to have to look at it in my garage."

 

These days, when Rowand's friends and family members flock to the desert with their bikes, he makes them promise one thing: "Don't ever tell me when you go. You'll break my heart."

 

Rowand, however, has plenty else to keep him busy. Although he hasn't spoken with new manager Ozzie Guillen, third-base coach Joey Cora did call him in November with this reminder: "Don't take this off-season for granted."

 

Rowand's response: "Joey, I don't take any off-season for granted."

[winninguglyin83]

wasn't this basically the same story that was on the Sox web site last week.

 

Trib needs to freshen up its material.

[Nokona]

Kelly Wunsch is seriously the coolest guy ever.

[upnorthsox]

wasn't this basically the same story that was on the Sox web site last week.

 

Trib needs to freshen up its material.

I believe the word is plagurism.

[UofIChiSox]

yeah, that was word for word with a few extra sentences added in. I hope it was by the same person or something.

[SuperSteve]

Oh yeah, I remember him saying that he won't risk his life again until after he is done with baseball because he has his family and baseball to look out for right now.

[upnorthsox]

yeah, that was word for word with a few extra sentences added in.  I hope it was by the same person or something.

Scott Merkin is who Teddy plagurized it from.

[southsider2k5]

Scott Merkin is who Teddy plagurized it from.

So the guy stalked Frank unsuccessfully around Vegas for a few days, and then ripped off another writer for a story, all within the span of about a week. What an easy life.

[SoxAce]

Kelly Wunsch is seriously the coolest guy ever.

Aint it?! He and Barry Zito are really down to earth dudes.

 

Rowand's workout is not for everyone. Several of his teammates have tried it, including reliever Kelly Wunsch, who was visiting over New Year's. Wunsch paid the price."I'm used to doing StairMaster and leg presses," Wunsch said. "This was all squats and jumps. I couldn't walk for three days."

Gotta love Kelly.

[southsider2k5]

Aint it?! He and Barry Zito are really down to earth dudes.

 

 

Gotta love Kelly.

For all of the Kelly fans, he is scheduled to play with Twist and Shout (the Beatles tribute band) Saturday at Soxfest. He preformed two years ago with them and played a killer guitar on "909".

[SoxAce]

Sweeeeet! I heard he is pretty good on the guitar. Hell, when I first heard Kelly Wunsch talk, I thought he could hold a note or two in singing.

[Ishmookie]

i like what i hear a-row is gonna be good second base is where the problem is.