Tip of the cap to training staff

   Brian Anderson
   Special to the Republic
   The Arizona Republic
   Aug. 6, 1998
   
   Let it never be said that I am not an equal-opportunity columnist.
   
   Earlier in the season, I told you about the great job that Chris Guth
   and the equipment staff do for the Diamondbacks.
   
   Now it's time to give our head trainer, Paul Lessard, and his
   assistant, Dave Edwards, a pat on the back.
   
   The job that these guys have is pretty immense. Baseball is a grinding
   sport, day in and day out, and when you include the off-season
   workouts, their workload is incredible.
   
   Among other things, they get the pitchers' arms rubbed up, hamstrings
   iced, do a lot of wrapping and taping -- miles and miles of tape. They
   come in early in the morning and stay late. Their hours are basically
   the same as the equipment staff's.
   
   Their knowledge of how the body works has to be supreme. Paul worked
   with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons as an assistant trainer for two years
   and has worked in the minor leagues and in colleges for quite a while.
   Dave also has worked in the minor leagues, including time with the
   Diamondbacks organization its first two years, and in college at Grand
   Canyon University.
   
   Paul says that he treats shoulder injuries and soreness differently
   than in the NFL because the way the shoulders are used is not the
   same. Each position is different, and each injury is different.
   
   I owe a lot to Paul and Dave for helping me to get back on the mound
   after missing a start last week because of elbow stiffness.
   
   From the time that it happened, they were with me all the way, from
   when I would come in at 1:30 or 2 in the afternoon until I left -
   basically all day.
   
   They stuck me in the whirlpool, gave me heat, ultrasound, stem
   stimulation. They gave me different kinds of "cocktails."
   
   By that I mean, some trainers will have you do the same thing for the
   same amount of time to help you try to get back. Sometimes it works,
   sometimes it doesn't. Paul and Dave mix up the different ways, put
   them in a different order, to try to stimulate the affected area.
   
   Sometimes, the trainers can be like team psychologists.
   
   Sometimes, the mind needs more care than the body. They're honest with
   you about your injury and what is needed to get back to 100 percent,
   and it isn't always what you want to hear. But they're also very
   encouraging.
   
   Guys react differently to injuries. Some get really ticked off and air
   out their frustration in the training room, which isn't always fair to
   the trainers. Other guys come in just down in the dumps.
   
   When I had my elbow problem, I was in the latter category. I was kind
   of down in the dumps, and they helped me maintain my sanity.
   
   I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, in tune with my body, so
   I'm always asking all sorts of questions. Not to tell the guys how to
   do their jobs, just because I'm inquisitive and want to know. I think
   when I went back to pitching, they were happy to get me out of the
   training room so they could have a few quiet hours.
   
   The process with my elbow is still continuing. I know it isn't going
   to come back overnight. That's why the trainers are so important, with
   all the different injuries, because some take longer than others.
   
   Some people probably ask the trainers, "How can you stand to do this,
   work with these guys every day?" I think their answer would be:
   "Because we love our work." That's very important, to love your work.
   
   It's pretty obvious with Paul and Dave. They're probably the two best
   trainers I've worked with. I'm sure most of the other guys on the team
   would say the same thing.
   
   Diamondbacks left-hander Brian Anderson shares his comments each week
   in Baseball Extra.