Drillingto field real life

It's weeks before spring training, but some Nationals rookies are already putting in the time to learn how to handle being major-league players.

Date published: 1/19/2006

By TODD JACOBSON

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Jason Bergmann made the drive from New Jersey to Northern Virginia for the next step in his baseball education last weekend, bringing his glove and a pair of workout shorts.

They weren't necessary.

Bergmann and Nationals rookies Ryan Zimmerman and Brandon Watson were among approximately 90 big-league prospects who attended the league's Rookie Career Development program last weekend in Lansdowne, Md., and the instruction they received went far beyond bunting or base running.

Think money, groupies and gambling--among other topics.

And the only equipment needed was pen and paper.

"There is stuff you know already but they displayed and told you it in a way you didn't think about," Bergmann said. "They used examples that went beyond your belief.

"You think: 'This can't go that bad. Oh, maybe it can.'"

Some of the topics during the four-day event seemed far-fetched, such as criminals approaching ballplayers for gambling-related favors or the need to protect an identity.

Others hit closer to home, like the talks on steroid and recreational drug use. Some topics were more practical, like how to invest the hundreds of thousands of dollars players will start to make, and how to deal with the media.

"It gives you a heads-up," Watson said. "If you don't know, you can't be ready for what you don't know."

But the messages are grounded in truth. Exposing young players to potentially dangerous scenarios before they turn into the next Pete Rose, Steve Howe or Dwight Gooden has proved to be beneficial at the start of their careers.

Bergmann, 24, is expected to be a member of the Nationals' bullpen in 2006, 24-year-old Watson will compete for an outfield spot in spring training and 21-year-old Zimmerman--less than a year removed from the University of Virginia--is projected as the team's third baseman of the future.

"The waters get quite deep, and it's important they understand the pressures on them are going to be great across the board," said Kevin Hallinan, MLB's senior vice president for security. "If we can give them a bit of a primer on how to best deal with some of those challenges, without giving them a playbook with the answers, we can get them thinking about being proactive."

The way the information is dispensed helps, too.

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Date published: 1/19/2006