Bozied looks to regain prospect status

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Sunday, February 20, 2005 9:04 PM PST ∞

PEORIA, Ariz. ---- Spring training means different things to different people. For Tagg Bozied, it's the first step toward reclaiming his name as a baseball player and not just as the unfortunate victim of one of the more bizarre injuries in recent sports history.

Rarely are ecstasy and agony so closely intertwined as they were July 20 for Bozied, a first base prospect in the Padres' system. After hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning to help Triple-A Portland beat Tacoma 8-5, Bozied rounded the bases to greet his frenzied teammates at home. While coiling his body to jump on the plate, he freakishly ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee. He blacked out before crumpling to the ground and was later taken off the field in an ambulance.

"(Doctors) say that what I did was like tearing a phone book," Bozied said.

"It's hard to do, but if you know the right technique it's not as hard as you might think. So if I loaded my weight and there were the right elements ---- maybe I was a little fatigued, a little dehydrated ---- it is possible that, snap, it happens. I had a little bit of problem with my knee in college, so it wasn't like it came out of absolutely nowhere."

Bozied underwent surgery later that week that involved drilling five holes in his knee and suturing the tendon back together. The procedure left a nasty 6-inch scar and required six months of rehabilitation, which he only recently completed.

Throughout the process, he had to hear his name linked with athletes like Bill Gramatica, the former Arizona Cardinals kicker who once tore a knee ligament while celebrating a field goal, and Gus Frerotte, the ex-Washington Redskins quarterback who memorably followed a touchdown run by head-butting a padded concrete wall, resulting in a sprained neck.

"I'm not the type of person to say, 'Why did it happen?' " said Bozied, 25, a third-round pick from the 2002 draft. "Injuries happen. It's the nature of sport. I just wish it didn't happen so dramatically because then I wouldn't have to answer so many questions that come with it."

Bozied said he has no restrictions on his knee other than periodic rest and that he will be ready to play in Cactus League games next month. He doesn't view spring training as a chance to make the Padres so much as a time to return to being the player who hit .315 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs for the Beavers last season.

"In order for me to be a prospect, in order for me to have a major-league job, I have to hit," Bozied said. "And the injury is not going to affect that ability whatsoever."

Prospect watch

Second baseman Josh Barfield has been named the Padres' top prospect by Baseball America for the second year in a row. Barfield, who hit .248 with 18 homers and 90 RBIs at Double-A Mobile last year, was the magazine's choice in its annual review of each club's 10 most promising minor-leaguers.

Following Barfield on the list are Freddy Guzman, a center fielder who finished last season at Portland; George Kottaras, a catcher for Single-A Fort Wayne; Travis Chick, a right-hander for Fort Wayne; Tim Stauffer, a right-hander who was the team's first-round selection in 2003; Matt Bush, a shortstop who was the first overall pick last June; Justin Germano, a right-hander who saw big-league action in 2004; Sean Thompson, a left-hander for Fort Wayne; Brad Baker, a right-hander for Portland; and Paul McAnulty, an outfielder for Single-A Lake Elsinore.

Et cetera

After being limited by rain Saturday, the Padres hit the field Sunday for batting and fielding practice. Manager Bruce Bochy praised the work of a pair of pitchers coming off serious elbow injuries: LHP Rusty Tucker and RHP Miguel Asencio. ... C Ramon Hernandez reported to camp Sunday, and CF Dave Roberts joined the position players arriving early.

Basketball result incorrect

The result of an Elsinore girls basketball game was listed incorrectly in a scorebox in Sunday's edition. The scorebox should have read: La Palma Kennedy 56, Elsinore 46.