Baldelli dons a new look in encore

ST. PETERSBURG - He put on a little weight, about 10-12 pounds of muscle mostly in the chest, and took off a little hair, a couple inches mostly from the top, joking that it was the low-maintenance look.

He had lasik surgery to eliminate fussing with his troublesome contacts, relaxed his body and mind by hanging around the family home in Rhode Island, took one vacation to Italy and another with friends to the Bahamas, starstruck to run across Tara Reid, Michael Jordan, Pete Sampras and Wayne Gretzky.

Having put together one of the most impressive overall rookie seasons in history, especially for a 21-year-old who'd been at Class A much of the previous season, was just a good start.

Rocco Baldelli is eager for an encore.

"Ready to go," he said.

Baldelli figures the extra muscle might help him stay stronger, avoiding the second-half decline (a .257 average from Aug. 1 on) that marred his otherwise spectacular debut: .289, 11 homers, 78 RBIs, 27 steals, 14 outfield assists. If he runs just as fast and ends up hitting more home runs at 210 pounds than the 200 he started at last season, that would be okay too.

He was a nervous about having the lasik surgery, but figured the benefit of not having to deal with dry and/or foggy contacts was worth it. He says his vision is as good as ever.

With Year 1 of life in the big leagues behind him, Baldelli expects to be more comfortable the second time around: "Everything should be a little easier. There should be less situations to deal with. You know what you have to do instead of learning on the fly."

All things considered, Baldelli did great. But whenever he was asked to assess his rookie season, he would decline, saying he'd wait for the winter to reflect.

The verdict?

"I never really did that," he admitted. "I said I would, but I didn't really ever sit back and evaluate it. It went pretty well. I was pleased. I hope to get better."

RAYS RUMBLINGS: Spring training isn't just going to seem long - the Rays will be in camp a mind-numbing 20 days before playing their first game. ... Stuart Sternberg's purchase of 48 percent of the team is on track and could close in 2-4 weeks. ... The team should finally hear from MLB this week on whether outfielder Josh Hamilton will be allowed to participate in spring training. ... A new "major" sponsor will be announced by Friday. ... Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani are scheduled to throw out first pitches for the March 30 opener in Tokyo. ... Start time for the March 25 exhibition was moved up to 12:05 p.m. to accommodate the Rays' late afternoon departure for Japan. ...

In an ESPN.com poll that drew more than 110,000 responses, Aubrey Huff was ranked the fourth most desirable DH behind Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Frank Thomas. ... Baseball America's Jim Callis picks Delmon Young over Toronto future star Alexos Rios for "overall ceiling and power" and predicts Young will hit .300 with 40 homers a year. ... Colonial Bank's Manny Alvarez opened Tuesday's Tampa Chamber of Commerce luncheon by saying he hoped the Rays would soon move to Tampa. ... Give Lou Piniella credit for his sense of humor: After unexpectedly making front page news with his promise at Tuesday's luncheon the Rays wouldn't finish last, he said at Wednesday's session they could finish with a .500 record. So Thursday in Manatee County, he said: "If we have a few more of these luncheons, we're gonna win the division this year."

FISH TALES: The Marlins still should be basking in the glow of their World Series championship, but owner Jeffrey Loria came across pretty whiny in a rare interview with the Miami Herald.

He claimed the team lost $18-million last year and "there are limits" to how much more he'll lose. He said he remains "hopeful" about getting a new stadium (which team president David Samson said must have a roof) but must have an answer by March 15. He chided Ivan Rodriguez for signing with the Tigers, saying the guaranteed money from Detroit, minus state income tax and living expenses, wasn't much more than the Marlins offered him to stay home. And he claims he told agent Scott Boras, "For one time in your life do something that's good for the player instead of sending him to a last-place team like he did with Alex Rodriguez and Ivan."

MISCELLANY: Travis Lee is still looking for a job, possibly now with the Pirates. ... With Pat Gillick showing only tepid interest and Billy Beane unavailable, the Dodgers are talking to Oakland assistant Paul DePodesta. Ex-Reds GM Jim Bowden is pushing for an interview. ... Pete Rose Jr., 34, signed a minor-league deal with the Rockies. ... The Cardinals may try ex-Ray Marlon Anderson in leftfield if he doesn't beat out Bo Hart at second base. ... Frank Thomas has declined to return phone calls from new White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams. ... Reds manager Dave Miley plans to move Danny Graves back to the closer's role and consider Barry Larkin the starting shortstop.

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.