HE’S A PLAYER, NOT A PATIENT : Orioles’ Davis Looks Forward to Healthy Season

One of the few qualified to make a fashion statement in designer sweats, gold-studded athletic shoes and a T-shirt, Eric Davis climbed from the first-base dugout, his needle in midseason form. Locked onto his target, Davis announces, “Hey, old man, they’ll put a jersey on anybody.”

Baltimore Orioles first-year coach, future Hall of Famer and fellow Los Angelino Eddie Murray acknowledges the barb with a smile, a laugh and a hug. It is a sure sign the Orioles’ era of good feeling has arrived when Davis, the projected starting right fielder, can talk about what lies ahead of him as a baseball player. Still carrying less than 4% body fat, Davis officially toured the clubhouse Thursday as a former cancer patient.

Seven months after undergoing surgery to remove a fist-sized cancerous mass from his colon, Davis underwent his final chemotherapy treatment last Wednesday at the UCLA Medical Center. “It was a big weight lifted off my shoulder,” said Davis, reclining at his locker. “The hardest part was getting to that point. You have a countdown. You count down and count down and when you get to that point it’s a big relief.”

The relief was delayed eight weeks by an additional round of chemotherapy. Doctors had suggested in December--the original end point for chemotherapy--that Davis submit to six more treatments as a precaution.

“My physician put it to me like this,” recalled Davis. “ ‘You wouldn’t buy a new Mercedes without leaving the lot with insurance on it.’ It’s like an investment.”

Investing has earned him peace of mind. He didn’t greet coaches, teammates and trainers with a mere handshake. Without exception he pulled them into an embrace. While he admits the fatigue brought on by chemotherapy made working out more of a chore, Davis expects to participate in all drills when full-squad workouts begin. “I don’t have any limitations. Whatever I can do I’ll do,” he says.

However, following an off-season of banquets and awards, Davis, 35, also acknowledges he no longer will be seen merely as a ballplayer. Last year’s summer-long struggle against colon cancer represented the game’s most powerful story and his return represented a well-documented touchstone for thousands of people who confront similar circumstances.

“I think what it did was bring more attention to the organization. Everybody knows who the Orioles are now. That’s a positive. I think my situation brought more fans to the Orioles side,” he says. “As far as me [being associated with cancer], I’ll never get away from it. That’s a stamp. And I’ll always have to deal with it. I’ll always have to answer questions about that, and that doesn’t bother me.”

Davis will undergo a six-month follow-up examination in August. Otherwise, he considers himself past the ordeal.

For their part, the Orioles see no reason to force Davis’ return. Manager Ray Miller will afford him frequent days off during the exhibition schedule while projecting him as the primary, but hardly full-time, right fielder this season.

“In my mind, I’m starting him at a 100-game pace because I want to make sure he’s healthy. Obviously, if he’s better now he’s better now. But if I start him at a 100-game pace I’m not putting a big load on him at the beginning. He looks great. I just want Eric Davis to be himself,” insists Miller, mindful that Davis has played only 208 games the last four seasons because of a variety of reasons, including injuries, cancer and a one-year retirement. “The one thing about him is it’s almost a shame he had to get cancer for people to find out what kind of guy he is on a club. The fact that he had cancer makes people pay attention but he certainly impressed me long before the cancer became involved. He plays every down hard. He’s got no dimmer switch.”

Davis accepted Miller’s message but also maintains that he answered any lingering questions regarding his health by his Sept. 15 return, after which he hit .310 with one home run and four runs batted in in 29 at-bats. Davis followed by going four for 22 with a home run and three RBIs in the postseason.

“I finished the season just like the other 24 guys on this team,” cites Davis. “The only thing I can say I honestly took out of it was losing to Cleveland [in the American League Championship Series]. I think everybody has a bitter taste in their mouth.”

Outfield depth is one of this club’s strong points. Because of it, Miller will call upon Jeffrey Hammonds and Joe Carter to spell Davis. “I’d rather see him gnawing at the bit a little bit than going too hard and breaking down.”

Said Davis: “It really doesn’t make a difference. You have to respect him because he’s looking out for my best interest. Nobody’s going to beat Cal’s record.”

Still, the Orioles were concerned about Davis’ stamina at the end of last season as he played between chemotherapy treatments and a distracting barrage of interview requests. Without saying so, they will watch closely to see how closely he resembles the player who helped carry the club to its breakout start last April and May before experiencing the severe stomach pain that accompanied his cancer.

Davis wants no special consideration because he feels all questions about his ability to contribute already answered. Sums the player known to his teammates simply as E: “I don’t do ‘what if.’ I came back and I played.”