| by
Scott Holter |
| Because
of the sports medicine degree Allen Wirtala earned from
Montana State University in 1992, Ichiro Suzuki is a better
baserunner, Edgar Martinez is a stronger hitter and the
Seattle Mariners are one of baseball's top clubs. And
Wirtala has gone from the remoteness of his Geyser (pop.
150) hometown to the brightest lights of the Pacific Northwest. |
| "I
still remember the first night I ever stayed in Seattle,"
says Wirtala, the Mariners strength and conditioning coach.
"I looked out from my hotel at all the tall buildings
and the traffic and the people and thought, 'What have
I done?'" |
| Wirtala,
33, is set to begin his 11th season with Seattle, one
of the elite organizations in Major League Baseball. As
the team's fitness caretaker, he creates individual weight-training
and cardiovascular programs for 25 players while ensuring
that each man follows through on proposed daily and weekly
regimens. |
| His
initiation in professional baseball came during Wirtala's
senior season at MSU when he scored the job of clubhouse
manager for the Great Falls Dodgers, the rookie league
affiliate for the storied Los Angeles franchise of the
National League. |
| "Nothing
glamorous," Wirtala remembers. "Washing uniforms. Keeping
the clubhouse clean. The players were 18 and 19. I was
21. It helped me get a job at a sports medicine clinic
in Great Falls (the next year)." |
| At
a rodeo there in early 1992, Wirtala met a pair of Mariners'
trainers who suggested he solicit an open position for
their Class A team in Appleton, Wis. The following summer
Wirtala was working with 18-year-olds in Appleton, including
a fresh-faced kid straight out of a Miami high school
named Alex Rodriguez. |
| By
1994, both Wirtala and Rodriguez (now a $252 million Texas
Rangers shortstop) had earned promotions to Seattle and
the big leagues where, in addition to his coaching duties,
Wirtala also has served as the team's bullpen catcher. |
| It
may be the summer game, but baseball as a job never rests
for Wirtala. His off-season workout books are gospel to
Mariners' players, some of whom live in Seattle year-round
and meet often with him at Safeco Field. During the season,
Wirtala spends 10-12 hours at the ballpark each day and
travels with the team on every road trip between April
and October. |
| "There
is a lot of time spent away from home," says Wirtala,
who lives north of Seattle with his wife and two cats.
"The travel can get old, but it's fun to see all the cities
and experience what they have to offer. |
|
"I'm a baseball fan. I get to see close to 200 baseball
games every year, and I still want to watch more. I love
what I do for a living, and I love baseball. How can it
get any better?" |
