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Updated: June 28, 2:11 PM ET Backstage with Luis Gonzalez By Lisa Fenn Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||
Luis Gonzalez's stats through Tuesday read .362 average, 32 home runs and 75 RBI. Yet the number he is most proud of is three, for that is how old his triplets turned on Tuesday. "We're going to have a big birthday bash at Chucky Cheese," Luis said earlier in the week. "Baxter the Diamondbacks mascot will be there. The Gorilla from the Phoenix Suns is coming. It's gonna be great!"
"Daddy, come catch me on the slide!" "Daddy, watch me on the trampoline!" "Daddy, pitch to me!" And this is all before the influence of a sugar-coated breakfast cereal! Judging by the grin on Gonzo's face, you know he'd have it no other way. He'll be the first to admit he's the biggest kid in the family. His teammates nicknamed him "Mr. Gadget," in lieu of his passion for toys and trinkets. "I can't walk by The Sharper Image without buying something," he shyly admits. "If he can't repair it, can't fix it, or can't operate it, he's gotta have it," Christine said with a sigh. Undoubtedly, she's plotting a yard sale one day soon while her husband's on the road. Not all of his fancies are passing. Take his game room for instance, lined with arcade replicas and refurbished pinball machines. As Luis grabs a joystick and enters into a fierce intergalactic battle, he is quick to point out that he and Christine used to play Galaga and Centipede back in their dating days. After they were married, he purchased the games as a surprise for her. After all, isn't asteroid ammo a girl's best friend? "Yeah, I think she saw through it. They're more for me," he says. After a few hours of play, Mr. Gadget hops in his Hummer and heads to Gainey Village, a Scottsdale health club and spa frequented by Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Luis comes for a little one-on-one with Winki, a cherubic little woman who twists him into a pretzel three mornings a week. She stretches his hamstrings, man-handles his hip flexors and manipulates muscles he didn't know he had. His hope is that come July and August, when players' bodies typically feel dead, Winki will have given his new life. "A lot of my teammates make fun of me for coming to stretch all the time, but I can feel the difference when I'm at the plate, especially in my legs." he says. "Most of the stretching we do during BP is with our mouths." Luis has let his bat do the talking this season. Though overshadowed by Barry Bonds, he is not far off the pace in the chase for 70. "I still laugh when people say I'm a power hitter. Last year I just started to develop a small lift in my swing and balls started going out," he said. "But I still consider myself a gap hitter, a line-drive type of guy." Power hitter. Batting leader. Potential MVP. Call him whatever you want, but when greeted back home by the three shining faces that bear his reflection, he can think of no greater title than Daddy. Lisa Fenn is an Associate Producer for ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" and "Baseball 2Day." |
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