Sweeney likely to make opening-day roster

Mike Sweeney

Former Royal has hit .455 (10-for-22) for the A's this spring and appears healthy for the first time in four seasons.PHOENIX -- Mike Sweeney fits in perfectly in Camp Something-To-Prove.

Just about everyone in A's camp is either a prospect trying to show he can play or a veteran trying to show he is healthy.

Sweeney is trying to do both. So far, he's succeeding.

"Mike has looked great," A's assistant general manager David Forst said. "He has been healthy, which obviously was the huge question. He's swinging the bat well. He's getting rave reviews from the coaching staff for the way he's been in the clubhouse with the younger guys."

With just over a week to go before the March 19 deadline for the A's to make a decision on Sweeney, who is on a minor-league deal, it is becoming apparent that he is probably going to start the regular season with the A's in Japan.

Sweeney is 10-for-22 (.455) and there has not been a hint of a setback related to last year's knee injury or the back trouble that plagued him throughout much of the past four years.

"I feel great," Sweeney said. "It's wonderful to play the game with a clean bill of health. It's probably been four or five years since I've felt this good."

Sweeney, 34, said he believes "100 percent, without a doubt" that he still can be the player who was selected to five All-Star teams, a player who consistently hit at least 20 homers a season in Kansas City.

The designated hitter/first baseman was productive as recently as 2005, when he hit .300 with 21 homers, but the past two years were ruined by injuries. In 2006 he played a career-low 60 games, missing most of the season because of back trouble that first cropped up in 2004.

He was the face of the franchise, the highest-paid player, the captain. The team was losing, as it did for most of his years with the Royals, and he was able to do little but watch from the sidelines.

"It was extremely tough because I felt a responsibility to the team, the ownership and the fans," he said. "I was basically the Eric Chavez of the Royals. When I was hurt and the team wasn't doing well, I took ownership in that, and it hurt. I was doing everything I thought I could to stay healthy. I was doing my back exercises, and those weren't working. I was getting epidural injections, and that wasn't working. I took Vioxx for three years straight, and that wasn't working. I was doing everything I could, but at the end of the day, it still hurt."

Sweeney's baseball life changed at a Christmas party in 2006, where he ran into a few major-leaguers, including current Giants outfielder Dave Roberts, who told him about their workout program.

Roberts was among a group of players who lived in the San Diego area practicing the Egoscue Method of exercise. Sweeney described it as a combination of yoga and Pilates and core muscle workouts, with some speed training, too.

Since starting the program, Sweeney said he has not had back trouble.

"I'm a believer," he said. "It's helped me out a lot."

Last year Sweeney had a knee injury that limited him to 74 games. The combination of his age and the recent injury history left him spending most of the winter without a job.

As the days passed and his phone didn't ring, Sweeney grew anxious. He worried that his career might be over. He said he relied on his faith to help him feel at peace with whatever might happen.

Then, just a few weeks before spring training, the A's called. They didn't have much to offer besides a minor-league deal, but that was enough for Sweeney.

"If you leave the door open an inch, I believe if I'm healthy and playing well, I'll kick the door wide open," Sweeney said.

Sweeney has done everything the A's could have expected. In the clubhouse, he has lived up his reputation for being one of the most positive role models in baseball.

As he sat for an interview the other day, he interrupted his answers to greet just about every player who walked by.

Bobby Crosby said he knew what kind of guy Sweeney was just from conversations they had while standing at first base as opponents.

Travis Buck, whose locker is next to Sweeney's, added: "Usually when you are that old, you might start winding down a little bit, but he has as much energy as we do. It's awesome. He treats everybody the same, with respect. That's something you love to be around."

You can reach Staff Writer Jeff Fletcher at 521-5489 or jeff.fletcher@pressdemocrat.com.