By SCOTT BROWN
Florida Today

VIERA, Fla. - When Frank Robinson sat down with his family during the offseason to talk about how long he would continue to manage, he proposed a couple of more years. Their counterproposal: another decade.

"Are you crazy?" Robinson said as if they'd asked if he liked losing during his playing days.

The two sides met somewhere in the middle - something Expos management and Robinson are trying to do, as well - and the Hall of Famer told reporters on the pristine field at Space Coast Stadium on Friday that he hopes to manage another three to five years.

Of course, there is one detail that must be worked out before the 68-year-old embarks on the rest of his managing career: agreeing to a contract.

Robinson has not signed one yet because he and the Expos have yet to agree on how much he'll be paid after leading the team to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in nearly a decade. Yet, Robinson hardly sounds like he is close to removing his name from the metal plate just outside the manager's office in Space Coast Stadium.

"Really, it's no big deal," he said. "It will be done."

There is much more to be done by Robinson, who leads the Expos in their first workout of the spring Saturday.

He must, in no particular order, settle on a leadoff hitter, figure out a way to compensate for the losses of Vladimir Guerrero and Javier Vazquez and get his team ready for another season in which it plays 22 of 81 home games in Puerto Rico.

One thing Robinson does know is spring training will resemble boot camp more than summer camp for his players.

Distressed by the team's road record the last two years - the Expos are 78-106 away from Olympic Stadium - Robinson has concluded that the team has not been in good enough shape.

That will translate into more running for the Expos during spring training, and physical conditioning will be emphasized as much as fundamentals such as hitting the cutoff man and turning the double play.

"He thinks we got a little bit tired last year," starting catcher Brian Schneider said, "any we probably did."

"He's not going to make us do anything he never did," relief pitcher Dan Smith said. "He knows what it's like to be a player and he hasn't forgotten that."

Robinson was unforgettable as a player, hitting 586 home runs during a 21-year career that saw him play in 12 All-Star games and five World Series and win an MVP Award in each league. He is the only player to accomplish the latter feat.

The players have changed since his days, Robinson said, and are not nearly as deferential to authority.

"Everybody wants to start, everybody wants to be in the starting (pitching) rotation, everyone wants the ball in the ninth inning," Robinson said. "They're impatient."

So why stay in the game?

For starters, the Expos have responded well to the veteran manager who has won 846 games but has never been to the postseason as a skipper. They have posted back-to-back 83-79 seasons, despite playing with handicaps that include a low payroll and a taxing travel schedule.

And just as the Marlins showed last year that there is still room in baseball's penthouse for bargain-basement teams, septuagenarian skipper Jack McKeon proved that age is hardly a hindrance when it comes to managing.

"I think it's good for the game," Robinson said of McKeon's success. "Just because you're a little older does not mean you're dumber or can't work with younger players. Health is good and I'm ready to go."