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For Young, Job Fight Least of His Battles
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That, too, is what Young would prefer to discuss. Spring training is less than three weeks old, and Young and Johnson have already joked about how many times they will be asked about their competition.
"I don't even like to talk about it," Young said, "because that takes away from what we should be celebrating, which is Nick being back out on the field."
Focusing on Johnson, too, steers the conversation from Young, from his condition. Tuesday, he was on an elliptical trainer before 9 a.m., and he underwent a series of stretching exercises while his teammates took batting practice. In 2007, when he hit .320 and resurrected his career, he had to shed perhaps 20 pounds during spring training. Thus, he refuses to offer a weight that might suit him better on March 30. He must take care of the diabetes first, he said, and his conditioning will follow.
"I'm not going to sit there and try and focus on a number, because that in itself is a whole other thing," Young said. "I just want to make sure that my health is right and to come out of here in good playing shape. The other stuff I'll worry about afterward. That's not even a concern."
The Nationals are trying to take it that way, too. "The good news is these problems are early in March and not late in March," Bowden said, "and we have plenty of time to get him ready for the season." Acta is unconcerned about seeing Young in games. "I know what he can do," he said.
When Young did play last week, in an exhibition against Georgetown, he chugged from first to third on a single. When he arrived at third, he bent at the waist. The season, at that moment, seemed a long way off.
"I'll know when I'm in playing shape," Young said. "That's being able to run and not get gassed, not cramping up. Being able to do everything -- get down on a ground ball, slide, doing everything that's baseball-related and not being fatigued afterwards. I know my body, and I've played this game long enough to know what I need to do."
