Punctual Stewart eager to begin

By ANDY KENT
Naples Daily News

FORT MYERS — Shannon Stewart prides himself on being prepared and ahead of the game whenever spring training rolls around.

But when he showed up in the Minnesota Twins clubhouse Friday morning the day before the first official full-squad workout, Stewart was made to feel behind the 8-ball for the second year in a row.

"When I was with Toronto I used to come the day of the first workout and everybody would come usually the day of, except for the young guys," Stewart said as he continued to his unpack his gear.

"But here, everybody comes a week or two ahead. When I get here I want to be fresh and get that feeling, that urge to get out there and get started."

The big question mark surrounding Stewart is the status of his right foot.

He missed nearly half of last season with various injuries, the most serious being planter fasciitis.

When he returned after missing the last two weeks of May, all of June and the first two weeks of July, Stewart regained his form.

But despite finishing the season with a .304 average, his health was a concern all the way into the postseason. On Friday, Stewart turned 31 and insisted his foot is fine.

"I did a lot of work this winter, a lot of different exercises on my foot and some rehab for a while," he said. "I did running drills and strengthening exercises and I really worked out really hard, which is good. I tell everybody the older you get you have to work harder, now that I'm 31. I was able to get after it this offseason and I feel good right now."

Stewart wasn't happy with not being able to make it through the entire season and has made it his goal to stay healthy in 2005.

MORNEAU FEELS RELAXED

First baseman Justin Morneau had a smile on his face Friday, his second day in town after flying in from Arizona.

At 23, the Canadian-born player wasn't quite sure how to handle his first spring training as a starter. His primary concern at the moment is to win his current bout with pneumonia so that he can practice normally, but he is enjoying not having to feel like he's fighting for a roster spot.

"I'm looking forward to having a full season to prove myself," said Morneau, who hit .274 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs in just 74 games last season for the Twins. "It was only a half season, and one good month doesn't carry you for six. I need to be consistent and prove to myself and everybody else that I can do it."

RAINY DAYS

Friday morning's workout was shortened due to inclement weather. Heavy rains confined the position players to the indoor batting cages and limited the pitchers to a short bullpen session.

"We need the rain anyway. The fields need the rain, it's been pretty dry down here," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We were able to get our pitchers out there running and throwing, but we'll have time to make those things up."

TWINS TIDBITS

There were no changes on the injury report. Shortstop Nick Punto (back) has been ordered not to do anything until he is 100 percent healthy. ... Morneau took some swings off the tee and felt fine. ... Right-handed relievers Terry Mulholland (illness) and Jesse Crain (hamstring) both threw pain-free out of the bullpen.