thedrifter
02-26-07, 06:56 AM
Swisher gets bigger with the basics
By Lee Jenkins, New York Times
Berkshire Eagle
Monday, February 26
PHOENIX — Parked in front of the Oakland Athletics' spring-training complex is a blue big rig that had underwater treadmills for sale.
Some major league player is sure to buy one and install it in his indoor pool, right next to his hyperbaric chamber and across from his yoga studio. That player will not be Oakland's Nick Swisher.
"I've tried yoga," said Swisher. "Not for me."
With hair down to his shoulders and scruff covering his face, he looks like a guy who has spent the past couple of months in the woods.
In a sense, he has.
While others have gone new age with their training, Swisher opted for the oldest program he could find.
He chopped trees. He leveled walls. He busted concrete. And after he was finished, he had gained 20 pounds.
Gone are the days when players could report to spring training with 20 extra pounds of upper-body muscle and arouse no suspicions. As Swisher packed on the weight, he braced for the conspiracy theories.
"In this clubhouse," he said, "no one holds anything back."
With Jose Canseco and Jason Giambi in the team's record books, Oakland has a history of steroid-linked sluggers. Swisher insisted that his bulk had nothing to do with science. His magic formula, he said, was as basic as manual labor.
While teammates flocked to name-brand gyms filled with modern equipment and zealous trainers this winter, Swisher drove to a barn in central Ohio. The barn and the surrounding 32 acres of farmland are known as the Edge Athletic and Fitness Center, a place where Marines prepare for boot camp.
When Swisher reported to spring training, he was a source of awe and ridicule. Teammates were impressed by his new physique, and amused by how he got it. Jokes about Swisher and farming techniques have not subsided.
"I think I'm going to go outside now and pull on a tractor," outfielder Bobby Kielty said. "Then maybe my body will look like Swish's."
Overhearing Kielty, and sensing the sarcasm in his voice, Swisher perked up. "You're just jealous," he said. "Wait until April 1. Then you'll see."
Ellie
By Lee Jenkins, New York Times
Berkshire Eagle
Monday, February 26
PHOENIX — Parked in front of the Oakland Athletics' spring-training complex is a blue big rig that had underwater treadmills for sale.
Some major league player is sure to buy one and install it in his indoor pool, right next to his hyperbaric chamber and across from his yoga studio. That player will not be Oakland's Nick Swisher.
"I've tried yoga," said Swisher. "Not for me."
With hair down to his shoulders and scruff covering his face, he looks like a guy who has spent the past couple of months in the woods.
In a sense, he has.
While others have gone new age with their training, Swisher opted for the oldest program he could find.
He chopped trees. He leveled walls. He busted concrete. And after he was finished, he had gained 20 pounds.
Gone are the days when players could report to spring training with 20 extra pounds of upper-body muscle and arouse no suspicions. As Swisher packed on the weight, he braced for the conspiracy theories.
"In this clubhouse," he said, "no one holds anything back."
With Jose Canseco and Jason Giambi in the team's record books, Oakland has a history of steroid-linked sluggers. Swisher insisted that his bulk had nothing to do with science. His magic formula, he said, was as basic as manual labor.
While teammates flocked to name-brand gyms filled with modern equipment and zealous trainers this winter, Swisher drove to a barn in central Ohio. The barn and the surrounding 32 acres of farmland are known as the Edge Athletic and Fitness Center, a place where Marines prepare for boot camp.
When Swisher reported to spring training, he was a source of awe and ridicule. Teammates were impressed by his new physique, and amused by how he got it. Jokes about Swisher and farming techniques have not subsided.
"I think I'm going to go outside now and pull on a tractor," outfielder Bobby Kielty said. "Then maybe my body will look like Swish's."
Overhearing Kielty, and sensing the sarcasm in his voice, Swisher perked up. "You're just jealous," he said. "Wait until April 1. Then you'll see."
Ellie