Guerrero feeling 'much better'
It was good to see Vladimir Guerrero smiling again before Saturday night's game. The guy has one of the planet's brightest smiles, but it hasn't been visible much this season.
I was over in his locker area in a corner of the Angels' clubhouse, where he's generally alone, minding his own business. He asked me how I was doing. I told him everything was "tranquilo." We have conversations that are part-Spanish, part-English, meeting on fairly equal ground. When I asked him what was really important -- how he was doing -- he unfurled that wide smile that's been missing lately and said, "Much better."
He told me the past few days have been the best since he learned he had a tear in his right pectoral muscle. He laughed -- he also laughes freely and deeply in the good times -- when I mentioned that muscle tears aren't something I have to worry much about, one advantage to being so old.
He's been in the whirlpool, he said, and he's feeling more optimistic about getting back now than he was a few days ago. It's much too early for any talk about swinging a bat and timetables, but when I mentioned maybe he'll be back sooner than we think, he smiled. It was nice to see. I'm not sure I've ever been around a more sincerely humble superstar in the many years -- too many, some would say -- that I've done this work. Vlad is a pure pleasure, in every respect.
It is nice to hear about an athlete who is humble. I hope he is back on the field soon.
Julia
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Hey Lyle - Just wanted to leave a note about something I am doing to help MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) raise awareness and money to help STOP DRUNK DRIVING!!
Veteran "Ballhawk" John Witt has caught 4,885 baseballs at professional baseball games over the past 32 seasons. 3,763 of those are MLB baseballs (99 game HRs) & 1,122 MiLB baseballs.
On April 9, 2009 Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and friends Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson were killed by a drunk driver. Their friend Jon Wilhite was the only one to survive the crash and remains in the hospital. As a lifelong baseball fan who lost a friend as a kid to a drunk driver I felt that I had to do something. This season I will be catching "Baseballs 4 MADD" to help them raise awareness and money to continue their efforts to STOP DRUNK DRIVING!! You can help too by making a pledge for each baseball that I catch at Major League and Minor League games during the 2009 baseball season by going to http://mlballhawk.com/Baseballs_4_MADD.html
John
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He seems like a gentle hearted person with a big smile to go along with it. I've always appreciated his humbleness.
lol i just had to laugh when you mentioned how you communicate with him in "part spanish and part english meeting of fairly equal ground". That was quite funny :)
hope he comes back soon!
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