At 38, Just Being Manly Ain't Cuttin' It Anymore

"I'm the quicker cleaner-upper! Unless Grady drops me to fifth in the lineup."

First came this gem from Steve Henson of the L.A. Times:

Kent holes up at his sprawling Austin, Texas, ranch during the off-season and normally doesn't put himself through rigid weight training or disciplined workouts, preferring to stay in shape through old-fashioned cowboy tasks such as chopping wood, mending fences and herding cattle. This year, however, he has gone to a more traditional workout, realizing that at age 38, he needs to report to spring training in top shape to play second base.

Today Henson reports:

Second baseman Jeff Kent, who sat out 47 games because of injury last season, informed the Dodgers that he wants to come to spring training in the best condition of his career. Now he's doing something about it.

Doug Jarrow, the team's strength and conditioning coach, is spending the next two days at Kent's Texas ranch, helping him implement a rigorous off-season training program.

"Kent doesn't like players who get injured," one Dodgers official said. "He doesn't want to continue being one of those guys."

We don't like players who get injured either, but it seems unlikely a two-day planning session can reverse Kent's physical fortunes.