BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Piazza Adjusts to Bigger Fan Demands

With success has come attention, and there is nobody at Dodgertown generating more fan interest than catcher Mike Piazza, who is learning to deal with it the best he can.

“I know that my job is to play baseball, and above that I try to accommodate everybody I can, but it’s difficult sometimes,” Piazza said Tuesday at Vero Beach, Fla.

“Undoubtedly people will say that you have changed, but you have to make some changes in order to get your job done. I would like to sign autographs for everybody, but I can only do the best that I can.”

When Piazza finishes his daily workouts, he usually goes back to his condominium on the beach, where he rooms with first baseman Eric Karros and pitcher Greg Hansell, and regroups.

“I try to take a walk on the beach and do something like feed the sea gulls,” Piazza said. “It helps to keep my mind simple. Because I know that someday all of the fanfare will end, and when it’s over, I want to be the same person that I was before.”

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Under the guidance of hitting coach Reggie Smith, outfielder Darryl Strawberry has altered his swing this spring. The wide loop at the start has been minimized and the follow-through elongated. The results in batting practice have been positive.

Smith said the loop, which has been part of Strawberry’s trademark swing, needed to be reduced because it put added stress on Strawberry’s surgically repaired back. “I think that’s what caused (his back problem) in the first place,” Smith said.

Executive Vice President Fred Claire said reports on the condition of Strawberry’s back are good. “(Team physical therapist) Pat Screnar said the Darryl we have known has never been stronger,” Claire said.