Tuesday, March 27, 2001
Knee no problem for Boone
Third baseman recovers early after surgery
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BASEBALL CITY, Fla. — Aaron Boone doesn't use medical terms to describe how his knee is progressing. “Dude, it's unbelievable,” he said.
Unbelievable, as in unbelievably strong, unbelievably pain-free.
Boone, the Reds third baseman, was a major question mark entering this spring. Boone had surgery Aug. 8 to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The normal rehabilitation period for such surgery is six to eight months.
So, if Boone took his full recovery time, he would not have been ready until Opening Day.
Suffice it to say he will be ready and at 100 percent.
“It's really become a non-issue,” he said.
Boone has played in 15 games this spring. He has played nine innings twice. He has slid. He has stolen two bases. He has made diving plays. None of it has bothered his knee.
“I felt like, especially early on at least, I'd have to deal with some things,” Boone said. “But I haven't had to, and it keeps getting better.”
The plan is to have Boone play every day.
“The only reservation about Aaron is how will he react to a week of playing nine innings,” said Bob Boone, Aaron's father and the Reds' manager.
But, he like Aaron, has been pleasantly surprised.
“Absolutely,” Bob said. “All the work he did has paid off. It's a tribute to him and (physical therapist) Lonnie (Soloff) and the amount and quality of rehab they did. He was very diligent about it.”
Aaron says the knee is stronger as the result of all the work.
“I saw very early when I was doing things for the first time that it was stronger than ever,” he said. “That helped me get over some mental things. I have a strong knee and leg. That gave me a solid foundation, which is something I haven't had the last couple of years.”
Boone has gone from wearing a “functional” brace to a neoprene sleeve to, currently, nothing on the knee.
The injury and rehab dictated that hitting be the first baseball activity Boone was able to resume.
“It hasn't affected my hitting for a long time,” he said.
That's part of the reason Boone hasn't missed a beat at the plate. He's hitting .333 this spring with a home run and four RBI.
Boone, who will hit sixth this year, is a key to getting production out of the bottom half of the lineup. He was on his way to his best year in the majors last year — hitting .285 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI in 84 games — when he injured the knee July 5. He had 14 homers in all of 1999.
Boone showed how dan gerous he could be at the plate late in '99. In a 24-game stretch, he hit eight homers and drove in 31 runs.
At 28, Boone is entering his prime years. With the knee sound, he's been able to concentrate on making this year a big one.
“I'm working on getting my timing down,” he said, “getting my batter's eye back. That's what spring training is about.”
When the regular season opens, it will be all about playing.
“I don't feel limited at all,” he said. “I feel like I can go hard right out of the gate. I can be a little reckless.”
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Knee no problem for Boone
