Hart's Eyes

Sorry....been away! I thought this was interesting. Remember those eye issues Hart had.....he quit wearing the lenses. Hat tip to JSOnline.

Hart eyeing the future after tumultuous season

Phoenix — Corey Hart revealed a somewhat startling secret, one that he had been keeping for nearly a year.

Remember those contact lenses the Milwaukee Brewers' rightfielder supposedly wore throughout the 2010 season to correct a slight vision problem?

"I threw them away after spring training," said Hart. "I never wore the contacts after the season started."

Hart shakes his head now when recalling the travesty that spring camp became for him last year after the requisite physical examination revealed he was slightly nearsighted. Because he had fallen off offensively during the 2009 season, the recommendation was that he improve his vision via glasses or contacts.

It didn't take long for Hart to feel like a laboratory rat. He tried glasses but didn't like wearing them in games. He waited for corrective goggles that apparently were lost in the mail. Hart eventually settled on contact lenses but never felt comfortable wearing them.

During that process, Hart struggled so badly at the plate that speculation arose that he might be released. He had won a salary arbitration hearing just before spring training, receiving a $4.8 million judgment despite going from 20 home runs and 91 runs batted in during the 2008 season to 12 and 48 in '09.

Arbitration salaries are not guaranteed until the season begins, allowing clubs to release players and pay only a fraction of their salary during the spring if so desired.

"It was a frustrating, very unsure feeling," recalled Hart. "It got to the point, where I said, 'I might not even be on the team.' I knew arbitration salaries aren't guaranteed.

"I had a lot of things going on. The whole eye thing was so blown up. They kept using that as an excuse for me having a bad spring. I never said that."

It got so bad that the Brewers contacted aging free-agent outfielder Jermaine Dye to see if he was interested in keeping his career going. They apparently didn't offer enough money to tempt Dye, who opted to remain unemployed.

Still, with veteran outfielder Jim Edmonds as an option in right field, Hart began the season on the bench. He had gone from all-star outfielder in 2008 to the bottom of the pecking order less than two years later and was understandably befuddled.

"The vision thing kind of got the best of me," said Hart, who will be 29 on March 24. "I tried the glasses, the contacts, everything. I went through two or three different kinds of contacts. I just felt like I was seeing the ball OK (without them).

"I'm sure I don't have perfect vision, but I see OK. It isn't a problem for me. I spent too much time trying to figure things out. It was terrible. I just decided to go back to doing what I was doing. If I was going to fail, I was going to fail as me."

Rather than pouting and complaining about his plight, Hart kept working with hitting coach Dale Sveum, who helped him rediscover his power stroke. When Edmonds began experiencing leg problems, the door opened for Hart to reclaim his right-field job.

He didn't blow the chance. Hart led the National League with 10 home runs and 22 RBI in May, and just like that he was a regular player again. He hit the break with a .288 average, 21 homers and 65 RBI, earning a vote by his peers to play for the NL all-star team.

"When Jim got hurt last year, if I don't take advantage of it, who knows what happens?" said Hart, who also made it to the second round of All-Star Home Run Derby. "April was a tough month. I didn't have many at-bats. That made it tough to get comfortable. I wasn't used to that."

Hart showed he had no hard feelings about temporarily losing his job by having his agent broach the idea of a contract extension with club officials. It didn't take long for a three-year, $26.5 million deal to come together, an agreement announced on Aug. 2 while the Brewers were in Chicago.

So, it was just your typical season. Player's vision becomes tempest in a teapot, player thinks he'll be released, player loses his starting job, player makes the all-star team, player gets multiyear contract.

Yawn.

"I went around in a full circle," said Hart, who finished with a .283 average and career highs of 31 RBI and 102 RBI. "I was four types of player in one year. I went from being almost released to a bench player to a part-time player to getting a long-term contract.

"I'm proud of the way I handled it. I think I showed a lot of character by coming around and proving my worth. At the same time, I'll never question this game. This game has been really good to me and my family.

"I'm able to do so much more than I ever thought I could. I'm not going to complain. I just think it shows if you work, things will turn out."

Understandably, Hart is looking forward to a more peaceful, upbeat spring. But he quickly cautioned against worries about his vision should he fare poorly when exhibition season begins.

"If I don't play good in spring training, it's just because I'm playing bad," he said. "It's not because I can't see.

"One of the things I learned is to put zero emphasis on spring training. I just want to make sure I'm ready for opening day. I'll just work hard and try to stay healthy. I think this can be a special team. I'm excited about getting going."

Trite as the phrase might be, what a difference a year makes.