W-OLF
03-16-2006, 01:56 PM
Astros' Biggio Still Going Strong at 40
Published: 3/16/06, 4:26 AM EDT
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) - Craig Biggio bounded out of the dugout with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Entering his 19th season, the Houston Astros second baseman still approaches the game with the youthful exuberance of someone half his age. But he was brought back to reality recently when he penciled in his age on a form and saw the number staring back at him.
"I was like, 'Oooh 40!'" he said with a laugh. "I was like, 'OK, I guess I'm an old man.' I need Rocket back here. He needs to take the old man tag off of me."
That won't be happening soon as 43-year-old Roger Clemens can't sign with the Astros until after May 1 since the team did not offer him salary arbitration.
Clemens' absence leaves Biggio as the oldest player on Houston's roster.
"I was safe here last year, but now I'm not safe anymore," Biggio said.
Biggio went 0-for-2 in Houston's 11-1 loss to the New York on Wednesday, but has six hits and three RBIs in eight spring games.
And although he's now the Astros' oldest player, he has a couple of incentives to stay young mentally.
"I got three kids at home, so I think chasing them around and being out there with them helps," he said. "And you look around your clubhouse and everybody is 25, 26, 27 years old. With those two issues right there, I think you have no choice to stay young because you've got a lot of young people around you."
Biggio said it has taken a lot of work to remain healthy and stay in the game for almost two decades.
"Obviously I don't feel like I was when I was 28," he said. "But I still feel pretty good and I work out hard in the offseason. As long as you continue to stay active and work hard and don't think about your age as much you are OK."
But perhaps as a nod to reaching his 40th birthday, Biggio refers to some of his teammates as "young kids."
Astros manager Phil Garner was impressed and perhaps a bit surprised at Biggio's condition when he reported this spring.
"He's played well and ironically he looks great this spring," Garner said. "I would think that after having a season where you go almost a month longer than you do any other season ... he would have come to spring training and be a little bit slow. But he's actually looked better this spring than he did last spring."
He even likened Biggio to the Energizer Bunny.
"He just keeps on going," he said. "You look up and there he goes. He's still got the pep in his walk and run."
The seven-time All-Star has been in the Astros' lineup on opening day for a team-record 17 straight seasons.
Biggio had a career-high 26 home runs, with 69 RBIs and a .264 batting average last season. Still, he said he's not concerned with individual accomplishments.
"I really don't look at it as numbers, whether I have a good year or bad year," he said. "I look at it as a team and it was such a special year because we went to the World Series."
He's still reveling in the trip to the World Series after working toward the goal for 18 years.
"It was something that you waited a long time to have happen," he said. "And then when it happens, it was everything that you thought it would be and some."
And while the Astros didn't win the World Series, Biggio said the offseason was made easier by the support he received from fans across Texas.
"There wasn't a place you could go all winter long where people wouldn't come up to you and just congratulate you and thank you," he said. "That's a very rewarding feeling."
credit BellSouth
Published: 3/16/06, 4:26 AM EDT
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) - Craig Biggio bounded out of the dugout with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Entering his 19th season, the Houston Astros second baseman still approaches the game with the youthful exuberance of someone half his age. But he was brought back to reality recently when he penciled in his age on a form and saw the number staring back at him.
"I was like, 'Oooh 40!'" he said with a laugh. "I was like, 'OK, I guess I'm an old man.' I need Rocket back here. He needs to take the old man tag off of me."
That won't be happening soon as 43-year-old Roger Clemens can't sign with the Astros until after May 1 since the team did not offer him salary arbitration.
Clemens' absence leaves Biggio as the oldest player on Houston's roster.
"I was safe here last year, but now I'm not safe anymore," Biggio said.
Biggio went 0-for-2 in Houston's 11-1 loss to the New York on Wednesday, but has six hits and three RBIs in eight spring games.
And although he's now the Astros' oldest player, he has a couple of incentives to stay young mentally.
"I got three kids at home, so I think chasing them around and being out there with them helps," he said. "And you look around your clubhouse and everybody is 25, 26, 27 years old. With those two issues right there, I think you have no choice to stay young because you've got a lot of young people around you."
Biggio said it has taken a lot of work to remain healthy and stay in the game for almost two decades.
"Obviously I don't feel like I was when I was 28," he said. "But I still feel pretty good and I work out hard in the offseason. As long as you continue to stay active and work hard and don't think about your age as much you are OK."
But perhaps as a nod to reaching his 40th birthday, Biggio refers to some of his teammates as "young kids."
Astros manager Phil Garner was impressed and perhaps a bit surprised at Biggio's condition when he reported this spring.
"He's played well and ironically he looks great this spring," Garner said. "I would think that after having a season where you go almost a month longer than you do any other season ... he would have come to spring training and be a little bit slow. But he's actually looked better this spring than he did last spring."
He even likened Biggio to the Energizer Bunny.
"He just keeps on going," he said. "You look up and there he goes. He's still got the pep in his walk and run."
The seven-time All-Star has been in the Astros' lineup on opening day for a team-record 17 straight seasons.
Biggio had a career-high 26 home runs, with 69 RBIs and a .264 batting average last season. Still, he said he's not concerned with individual accomplishments.
"I really don't look at it as numbers, whether I have a good year or bad year," he said. "I look at it as a team and it was such a special year because we went to the World Series."
He's still reveling in the trip to the World Series after working toward the goal for 18 years.
"It was something that you waited a long time to have happen," he said. "And then when it happens, it was everything that you thought it would be and some."
And while the Astros didn't win the World Series, Biggio said the offseason was made easier by the support he received from fans across Texas.
"There wasn't a place you could go all winter long where people wouldn't come up to you and just congratulate you and thank you," he said. "That's a very rewarding feeling."
credit BellSouth