Here's A Twist

February 28, 200521 yr

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll...3/1099/SPORTS05

HERE'S A TWIST:

By JASON SWANCEY

SARASOTA -- There's a dirty little secret spreading through major league camps among pitchers and it has nothing to do with steroids or juiced arms.

It started with Marlins pitcher Al Leiter who passed it on to Yankees starter Carl Pavano a few years ago, and now it has found its way into the Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse. It's yoga, and for two of the Reds' young hurlers it has helped them turn up the heat in the offseason.

Joe Valentine and Ben Koslowski both practice Bikram Yoga, which requires a hot studio coupled with a lot of straining and stretching. When Koslowski attends classes in the off-season, the studio stays at 110 degrees, while Valentine's class bumps it up another 10 degrees.

Both are quick to point out that it has not only increased their flexibility, it also helps them relax, breathe and even sleep better.

"I walked in for the first time a little skeptical, because you're thinking of the whole earth and Zen thing" said Valentine, a 25-year-old right-hander. "But when I walked out that first day, from then on my mind was clear, and I didn't have mood swings anymore and I slept better. No matter when I wake up now, I feel totally refreshed."

As much as both tout the positive powers of yoga, it's still kind of a secret society in baseball. Koslowski has been doing it for almost three years and has yet to talk to anyone in the clubhouse about it.

"You just have to get over the fact that you're doing yoga and realize how much you can get out of it," said Koslowski, a 24-year-old lefty. "It's like the first 15 minutes of a marathon. All you do is think about what you're doing. After that you just get in a zone and it comes naturally."

Pavano took a little teasing from the fellas a few years ago when word got out that he had practiced yoga. But after seeing how it helped him get over elbow problems, get 18 wins last season and land a lucrative four-year, $40 million deal with the Yankees, pitchers seem to be a little more willing to listen.

Valentine took it up in the off-season after a minor-league pitcher told him it could help him loosen up his lower body. He finally realized that lifting weights might help a position player hit a ball harder, but all lifting does for a pitcher is limit his range of motion.

"I had a lot of limitations with my midsection and in my hips, and a lot of that was because I spent too much time in the gym and it hurt my movement," Valentine explained.

ined. "But when I came back this year, the Triple-A strength coach couldn't believe how much more flexible I am now. It's just been one off-season of doing it and it's already a 100 percent improvement."

Learning to breathe sounds silly, but it's something most people forget to do when they're working out or in a stressful situation. Valentine often found himself working in stressful conditions late last season when he inherited the closer role after Danny Graves became ill. He earned three saves in his last six appearances, and whenever things got tight he fell back on his yoga.

"Sometimes I would just walk to the back of the mound, take a deep breath and clear my mind," Valentine said. "Learning to breath can help you relax in any situation."

Koslowski visits the yoga studio twice a week for 11/2 hours a session, and goes through all 26 poses, holding them for up to a minute each. And when he can't find time for that, he gets in a little power yoga at home. But since the Reds don't implement much yoga into their daily routine, he has been forced to drop his regimen until the season starts.

"It's tough to find time during spring training because of the workload. But once the season starts, I find time to get it in at least once between starts, especially on homestands," said Koslowski, who has used yoga to help him regain his form after two surgeries on his left elbow over the last two years.

Valentine still finds time to squeeze in a session after practice.

"This (yoga) is something I'm going to do for the rest of my life," Valentine said.

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