Edmonds will play through pain again

JUPITER, Fla. -- In mid-January, when Jim Edmonds mused about getting old and wondering whether any team would want him after his contract expires in 2007, it sounded like a joke.

After all, although his 2005 production was his worst in five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, he still had 29 homers and 89 RBIs, he won his eighth Gold Glove and started in the All-Star Game.

But when he appeared at the annual St. Louis baseball writers' dinner this winter, he said he was unable to pick up a glass of water because of persistent numbness in his right forearm and hand.

"I was scared at first," Edmonds said. "I thought, 'Oh, it'll go away,' and for two months it wouldn't. Shaking hands, stupid stuff like that, I was pretty sore."

An MRI exam last week showed that inflammation near a nerve was causing the problem. It's an injury the 35-year-old can play through, judging from his performance since seeing the doctor.

Last Thursday, the Cardinals' lone outfielder holdover had two hits and two RBIs, and robbed J.D. Drew of a home run at Vero Beach against the Dodgers.

"I'm sure he's got some soreness, but he's able to play and he needs to play," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.

On Friday, Edmonds hit his first home run of the spring off the Mets' Tom Glavine, even though he said he had experienced more forearm soreness than usual. On Saturday, he ran a streak to six consecutive hits, continuing to warm up for the April 3 opener at Philadelphia.

He was hitting .500 in 26 at-bats with a homer and four doubles. Earlier in spring training, he was sidelined by a foot injury.

Both he and the Cardinals think the injury to his glove side stems from a new offseason weightlifting program.

"There really wasn't one thing, it was just over time and trying to do some different workouts," Edmonds said. "They say it's kind of common to get tennis elbow, and when you're old like me. ..."

The pain has become manageable, the worst symptom tingling in his fingers. It does not affect his swing.

"It's getting a lot of attention because I had to get an MRI," Edmonds said. "It's not really that bad. I'm not really concerned baseball-wise, I just would like to have it feel normal or somewhat normal."

Of course, normal is a relative term for a player known for his wall-scaling and diving catches. Edmonds estimates he's undergone about 60 MRI exams in the last decade, most of them dealing with shoulders and knees.

This spring training alone, he's had two such procedures. Still, he'll play through the pain, trusting team doctors.

"I wouldn't want to sit in the training room all day and make those guys work when they've got 50 guys in there," Edmonds said. "If I can go out there and play with a little bit of pain, I can stay out of the training room."