Among the Least Healthy Pregame Meals of the modern sports era, you now must add that of Lance Berkman Wednesday at Tony Roma's. Maybe it was that Berkman's second half hasn't been as white-hot as his first half, or maybe it's that he went 0-4 Tuesday against the Giants, but during our interview Wednesday afternoon, Berkman cut loose.

When our waitress came by, Lance ordered the fried chicken platter, a Coke, and a glass of water.

"Not too worried about pregame meals, are you?" I asked.

"Nah-uh," Lance said.

Moises Alou, Berkman's star teammate, is so conscious of his pregame eating that he has to eat a light breakfast every day, even if he goes back to sleep after eating it. Usually, most of his meals are rice and grilled chicken. Michael Jordan used to eat a steak and salad before every game, although it was reported that he only picked at both of them.

Not Lance. During our two-hour talk, with free refills on sodas, we combined to drink in the neighborhood of 20 Cokes.

But no one can say he doesn't care. Although he finished the fried chicken platter, he took the full two hours to do it. "I'm so worried about my game last night," he said. "See, my stomach's churning. I can't even eat."

As we stood up, the buzz form the sugar and caffeine hit.

"Man, those Cokes have gotten to me," he said as we left. "I don't know if I can walk straight."

Whatever it was, it worked. His line last night? Three for four in a 10-3 win.