Finley Laughs Off Injury

Last February, on the third day of spring training, pitcher Chuck Finley developed back spasms that kept him out of workouts for several days. On the third day of spring training ‘97, Finley came down with a sore shoulder that will prevent him from throwing until Friday.

“It’s just my built-in way of getting a few extra days off--I do it every spring,” joked Finley, an 11-year veteran who did not miss a start last season. “As you get older, you learn these things. It’s my way of shortening spring training to five weeks.”

Finley said the soreness may stem from his decision to begin a weight-training program immediately after last season.

“I didn’t rest my arm enough,” he said. “It was real hard to get loose here, but now that I’m back on anti-inflammatory medication, it feels a lot better.”

Finley, who went 15-16 with a 4.16 earned-run average and a career-high 215 strikeouts in 1996 and is expected to anchor the rotation again in ‘97, said the soreness is nothing to be concerned about and expects to resume throwing Friday.