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Long way back
Cancer survivor Galarraga already preparing for 2000
Posted: Saturday October 16, 1999 05:47 PM
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It's been a tough year, but Andres Galarraga is back to having fun with teammates and looking forward to his return. AP |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Andres Galarraga stood alongside the batting cage prior to Game 3 of the NL championship series, a glove dangling from his left hand, his eyes focused intently on Andruw Jones.
When Jones finished his swings, he stepped around the screen, found a spot next to Big Cat and listened to a few words of advice on the subtle points of hitting.
"I told Andres the other day that he's the highest-paid assistant in the history of the game," joked Don Baylor, hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves. "It's been a joy just having him around."
The feeling is mutual. Cured of cancer and looking forward to resuming his playing career next year, Galarraga is willing to settle for being close to his teammates during this postseason.
He's part cheerleader, part coach, part motivator for a team that was trying to reach another World Series without his potent bat in the lineup.
"As soon as I got to the team, everybody was happy to see me," said Galarraga, who rejoined the Braves for the final month of the regular season after seven months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. "It works both ways. To be with the guys is special for me."
And special to them as well.
"He's inspirational," said outfielder Brian Jordan. "That's just the type of guy he is. I can't wait to play with him next year."
Sure, Galarraga would prefer to be out on the field once the game begins. It's tough to look at someone else playing first base and someone else hitting in the cleanup spot where he produced a .305 average, 44 homers and 121 RBIs last season.
But he smiles constantly and is patient with his recovery, knowing it will be a couple of more months before he begins full-scale workouts. For now, he is content to shag flies in the outfield and hang around the batting cage prior to the game.
"I knew he was feeling better when he asked me which group he was hitting in," Baylor said. "I told him not yet."
It was only a few days ago that Galarraga was given clearance by his doctors to begin a light exercise program. A bone in his back, once stricken with cancer, is now sturdy enough to endure some weights, jogging and calisthenics.
"That made me very happy," he said. "This is another level for me to be ready next year."
He expects to begin his regular workout program in December, which would give him three months to prepare for spring training. But he is 38 years old, so there's no guarantee a comeback will be successful.
"I don't know," Baylor conceded. "(Golfer) Paul Azinger came back from a similar thing, but he was younger. Andres is going to be in a situation where he's got 60 feet, 6 inches to react to a 95 mph fastball. But I know he will work as hard as he can to do it."
Unable to work out until recently, Galarraga is about 25 pounds above his normal playing weight of 235. But his salt-and-pepper hair, which he shaved off during chemotherapy, has fully grown back.
"Before I started losing my hair, I went ahead and shaved it," he said. "I didn't want to see my hair coming out everywhere."
As with most cancer survivors, Galarraga has emerged with a new perspective on life.
"I want to enjoy every minute," he said. "When they told me I had cancer, I thought I was going to die the next day. Now, I have the opportunity to be healthy and enjoy a good, long life."
Doctors discovered the cancerous tumor in Galarraga just days before the start of spring training in February. He underwent four months of chemotherapy, followed by radiation.
"The chemo was bad," Galarraga recalled. "I was really sick, had a lot of nausea. But I couldn't complain about the medicine. That was helping me kill all the bad stuff in my body."
On a larger scale, he viewed his illness as a chance to help others in a similar predicament.
"I thought God sent the cancer to me to show other people they can be positive," Galarraga said. "It helps for people to be positive. That helps the medicine work better."
While Galarraga recovered, the Braves kept winning. They captured their eighth straight division title and led the majors with 103 victories, even while four other players suffered season-ending injuries.
"I'm really proud of them," Galarraga said. "They're doing great. Even with all the injuries, they found a way to win."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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