Conor Jackson, the first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, loves Dr. Pepper. "So good," he mused over the phone the other day.
He used to drink four or five a day, relishing the drink's many flavors. But during the offseason, he cut Dr. Pepper from his diet. He had always trained hard, took his preparation seriously, but this time around, he got
really serious, improving his diet by drinking less soda and eating more chicken and vegetables and taking supplements -- "The good ones," he said.
His work seems to have paid off. Scouts in Arizona say that Jackson looks much better this spring at the plate, much more sure of himself, prepared for something better than the .284-15-60 he mustered last season. Some within the organization believe that Jackson will become the kind of prolific doubles-and-walks hitter he has long been projected to be. The Diamondbacks committed to Jackson full-bore in the offseason, opting to not re-sign veteran
Tony Clark, and effectively turning the job over to Jackson. "I feel good," he said. "I feel comfortable. … This is the best I've looked and felt in a long time."
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Buster Olney
