B.U. Bridge is published by the Boston University Office of University Relations.

Contact Us

Staff

BU accepts the challenge of keeping an injured Nomar Garciaparra in shape

By Brian Fitzgerald

No, that wasn't a Nomar Garciaparra lookalike exercising on the Charles River Campus this summer. Fans who thought they saw the Red Sox shortstop jogging on the Nickerson Field track -- then rubbed their eyes and looked again -- quickly realized that it was a real Nomar sighting.

	New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro, a former hockey Terrier, does a set of bench presses at BU's strength and conditioning facility on Babcock Street. At left is former BU quarterback Walter Norton (SED'93). At right is BU hockey strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle. Photo by Vernon Doucette

Garciaparra, while recuperating from surgery on his wrist, was getting the rest of his body back in shape with the help of BU Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Boyle and Walter Norton (SED'93), director of strength and conditioning at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Winchester, Mass. "He was here two or three days a week, and each session lasted about two to three hours," says Boyle. "We weren't rehabilitating the injury. Our job was to help him get the rest of his body back in shape while his wrist healed."

To say that Boyle is good at his job is an understatement. His success with Terrier players over the years has contributed to a national reputation, and his work with professional athletes is legendary. The man who helped Eric Swan go from a semipro, little-known defensive end to a first-round draft pick and two-time pro-bowl selection with the Arizona Cardinals, Boyle knew that he and Norton had their work cut out for them in Garciaparra's case. "It definitely taxes your creativity -- exercising 75 percent of his body while he doesn't have full use of one of his extremities," he says.

Garciaparra, however, is a tireless worker, and "It wasn't as if Nomar was out of shape when he came to see us," says Norton, a former Terrier quarterback. "He takes care of himself." Anyone who saw the shirtless and pumped-up Garciaparra on the cover of the March 5 Sports Illustrated can attest to that.

In fact, it was that same photo that made the Red Sox Nation nervous. Supposedly, anyone who graces the magazine's cover is jinxed, and sure enough, the same day the edition was printed panic struck. Word filtered from media outlets that Garciaparra had hurt his right wrist. The injury actually originated in September of 1999, when Baltimore pitcher Al Reyes hit Garciaparra with an errant fastball, causing him to miss the final eight games of the season and a playoff game. Then on March 1, 2001, he reaggravated a small longitudinal split in the wrist's ECU tendon. After surgery on April 2, it was rehab time. Fortunately for the Red Sox, the team stayed in the pennant race during his absence.

Garciaparra made a triumphant return on July 29, hitting a home run and a game-winning two-run single against the White Sox, but the wrist swelled up on a flight to Oakland, forcing him to miss the series opener on August 7. He was given time off every few days, but continued to experience discomfort. On August 29, the Red Sox put him on the 15-day disabled list.

The 1997 American League Rookie of the Year and two-time batting champion has a reputation for being ultracompetitive, and he is understandably frustrated that he can't contribute more to a team that is fighting for either a division title or a wild-card playoff berth. But Boyle and Norton point out that in a sport full of egos, he is also known as one of baseball's "nice guys." "He's as down-to-earth as they come," says Norton. Boyle agrees. "To show his gratitude, Nomar bought a brand-new stereo system for our strength and conditioning facility," he says over the sound of loud music and clanking weights.

One of the athletes working out in the 6,800-square-foot room on Babcock Street August 30 is none other than New York Islanders goaltender and former BU Terrier Rick DiPietro, a Winthrop, Mass., native. "Mike Boyle is great at what he does," says the 1999-2000 NCAA Rookie of the Year. "He's helped me get in shape since I was in eighth grade at St. Sebastian's [Prep School], and it's nice to have him nearby when I work out during the off-season." Boyle, who has worked with the BU hockey team since 1983, is also the strength and conditioning director for Sports Acceleration North, a training center for athletes from junior high school through the professional level.

He may be a weight room guru, but Boyle tends to play down his contribution as far as the Garciaparra assignment is concerned. "Nomar was referred to us by B. J. Baker, the Red Sox strength and conditioning coach," he says. "I've known B. J. for about 10 years. And Walter Norton is really the guy you should talk to. He's the one who worked the most with Nomar."

Norton says Garciaparra's workout regimen included the stationary bicycles and plyometrics such as depth jumping -- leaping from an elevated platform, landing on both feet, and then immediately performing a vertical jump. "We did dynamic flexibility exercises," he says, which are controlled leg and arm swings that take an athlete to the limits of his range of motion, "and we worked with weights in the Case Center pool." Underwater weightlifting puts less stress on joints. "We also did some work on the slideboard," he adds.

Boyle offers to demonstrate the slideboard, which has a slick polished surface. Putting on slipper-like shoes, he "skates" from left to right without going forward, explaining that "this is a good position-specific exercise and it helps strengthen groin muscles."

At present, Garciaparra is scheduled to come off the 15-day disabled list on September 12, for the second of a three-game series in Tampa Bay. For the fans and the media, who say the team's fading playoff hopes are truly dead without Garciaparra, the Nomar watch goes on. "You're not going to get me to flinch," Red Sox manager Joe Kerrigan told the Boston Globe when he heard the news of his shortstop's latest setback. "I'm not going to flinch, and this team is not going to flinch."

Neither are Boyle and Norton, who helped Garciaparra maintain his shape during his summer layoff.

7 September 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations