The Count 42 lbs lighter.

[shipps]

Jose was not fat, not even close. Why the weight loss?

 

He was by professional athlete standards. He will be far better off having less weight coming down on that leg that exploded.

[Dick Allen]

I'm not sure the weight loss is being determined by the amount he weighed when he went down. He does look trimmer than any time he has been with the White Sox but I heard yesterday he had gone up to 270 eating his mom's cooking in the offseason. The numbers are probably from there. He's probably 10-15 lbs lighter than when he last pitched.

[IamPabloOzuna]

Did anyone else see on CSN tonight that KW said contreras could be back in the rotation by opening day? he is apparently wayyy ahead of schedule and in really good shape.

[joejoesox]

Did anyone else see on CSN tonight that KW said contreras could be back in the rotation by opening day? he is apparently wayyy ahead of schedule and in really good shape.

 

An ultimate "X" factor becomes Contreras' ongoing recovery. The White Sox once hoped for his return, as a possible reliever, after the All-Star break. Now, Contreras possibly could break camp as a starter with the White Sox.

 

"It's in my mind right now, yes," Guillen said of Contreras being ready for the start of the 2009 season. "If Jose is ready to pitch, we should give him a shot to start. He earned that spot. He worked so hard to get to that spot."

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=cws

 

Poreda seems excited to show he's ready for the big-league club too

[bighurt4life]

The Count has always had a rep for being a hard worker so it's no surprise to me that he's taking his rehab seriously and getting into the best shape he can.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Sox Machine has an article on it. http://soxmachine.com/blogs/soxmachine/default.aspx

Edited February 18, 2009 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[harfman77]

Too bad he couldn't give some of that weight to the Missile.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

Too bad he couldn't give some of that weight to the Missile.

 

The Missile is just fine the way he is.

[Steve9347]

Too bad he couldn't give some of that weight to the Missile.

I presume he's more missilly because of his weight.

 

Leave him be.

[Heads22]

Contreras simply busts his ass.

[MurcieOne]

if he's ready to roll by opening day, and pitches decently... it also increases his trade value come the deadline win/win.

[GREEDY]

Jose wanna get paid one more time.

[scenario]

Nice article about Contreras in the SunTimes on Thursday.

 

Hell to heal to hill

Not expected back till after All-Star break, motivated Contreras could break camp in rotation

February 19, 2009

BY CHRIS DE LUCA

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Watching Jose Contreras walk limp-free down the long hallway to the White Sox' clubhouse at Camelback Ranch was worth a double take Wednesday. Contreras has no business being here, and he certainly has no business looking so, well, normal.

 

The last time we saw Contreras wearing a Sox uniform in 2008 was Aug. 9. He was sprawled near the first-base line, punching the turf after rupturing his left Achilles tendon. Manager Ozzie Guillen recalls racing to Contreras' side and hearing the veteran pitcher mumbling in Spanish.

 

''He said he couldn't feel his legs,'' Guillen said Wednesday. ''I thought his career was over.''

 

The original prognosis was nine months to a year for a pitcher suffering such an injury to return to the mound. Figure in Contreras' age -- he turned 37 on Dec. 6 -- and there was little hope he would be a viable option for the 2009 Sox.

 

Shortly after surgery to repair the tendon -- suffered while trying to cover first base on a grounder to the right side -- Contreras remembers his 8-year-old daughter, Naylenis, studying the balky cast on her father's leg.

 

''She started crying because she thought I wouldn't be able to play anymore,'' Contreras said through interpreter Omer Munoz, a Sox staffer. ''I thought: I want to make her proud and come back sooner.''

 

That was the first big piece of motivation. The next came a few weeks later. Contreras, who usually does his best work in September and is 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA in four postseason starts for the Sox, was sitting in the visitors' clubhouse at Tropicana Field before Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

His teammates streamed out of the clubhouse, and Contreras felt horribly alone.

 

''I felt like they were going to war, and I couldn't do anything to help,'' Contreras said. ''I wanted to help, but I couldn't. I was just sitting there. That was one of the worst feelings ever. And that was one of the big things that motivated me to work harder and come back sooner than people thought I could.''

 

The last chunk of motivation came in the last few days, when Guillen announced Contreras was a candidate for one of the two open spots in his rotation.

 

''It feels really good because Ozzie is giving me more of a reason to work harder,'' Contreras said. ''He's motivating me even more. He's giving me a vote of confidence that I can be one of the five guys breaking camp.''

 

Wait a minute.

 

The best-case scenario in the offseason suggested Contreras might be an option after the All-Star break. Now Guillen is talking about breaking camp with the veteran right-hander back in his rotation. Is this reality or lip service?

 

''He is in the mix, yes,'' Guillen insisted. ''We are not going to rush him to get back. He will dictate what move we're going to make. Of course he's in the mix, and that's good news.''

 

Should Contreras back up his big talk -- and after dropping 30 pounds, he certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt -- the Sox' rotation suddenly doesn't look so suspect. Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks have the top three spots nailed down. Say Contreras secures a spot. That leaves the fifth spot as a battle among veteran Bartolo Colon -- coming off surgery to remove bone chips in his throwing elbow -- and a crop of capable young prospects.

 

Guillen realizes this is all hard to believe.

 

''Not too many people come back from that injury that quick and that good,'' Guillen said. ''Another player proves me wrong. I never thought I was going to manage this kid again.''

Unbelievable work ethic

 

When reports started trickling in over the winter from bench coach Joey Cora, who was training with Contreras in Florida, Guillen refused to believe. So Cora used his cell phone to record Contreras running and sent the images to Guillen.

 

Guillen immediately called Cora and said: ''OK, tell him to stop. I don't want him hurting himself.''

 

Contreras was too far into his comeback at that point.

 

He recently bought a house in Fort Myers, Fla., and severed ties with his longtime personal trainer, Miguel Valdez, an old friend from Cuba who used to draw a $500,000 annual salary but is suing the star pitcher. Contreras began working with a physical therapist recommended by Sox trainer Herm Schneider.

 

Contreras also eliminated meat from his diet, switching to more fish. And the player who always was known for his tough training rituals stepped up everything a few notches.

 

''His work ethic? Off the charts,'' general manager Ken Williams said. ''You should have seen when he and 'El Duque' [Orlando Hernandez] were together. Oh, my God, it was crazy.''

 

Contreras knows he has a long road ahead. He expects to be pitching off a mound by March 1 and facing hitters by the middle of March. He's determined to break camp with the Sox. If he does, he'll be their biggest acquisition entering the season.

 

''I thought I was going to have problems even being able to walk again,'' Contreras said. ''When I saw the big scar and cast, I thought it was going to be difficult.''

 

Entering the final year of a three-year contract that calls for a $10million salary whether he plays or not, why not take it slow? The money is the same.

 

''Baseball is my life,'' Contreras said. ''I thank God and the White Sox that I have work for this year with the way the economy is right now. People don't have jobs, and I still have a job. I played 10 years in Cuba, and I was making $10 a month. The last five years there, I got a $5 raise to $15 a month.

 

''Money is not everything. It's the pride I have, and feeling so happy to be in the big leagues. Economically, my family and I are doing great. When I cross the line, it's with my heart that I pitch.''

 

Just before leaving for Arizona, Contreras had a visit in Florida with Naylenis, who hadn't seen much of her dad during his grueling offseason workout program.

 

''She saw I was walking and doing fine,'' Contreras said with a big smile. ''And she said, 'I'm even prouder that you are my dad.' That was incredible. I won't ever forget what she said to me.''

Edited February 19, 2009 by scenario