More on his plate

About the only place you can see Paul Lo Duca these days is behind the plate. Which is exactly the point. In order to stay there, Lo Duca is among the first to arrive at Tradition Field every morning, usually around 7 a.m., but don't try looking for him at his locker.

Minutes later, Lo Duca is in the weight room, doing whatever possible to ward off the aches and pains that await a catcher every season. While most of his teammates can be spotted carrying a bat or glove, Lo Duca wields a dumbbell-looking device and a rubber disc with holes punched in a grid pattern. Continue