March  19, 1993, Metro Edition

SECTION: Sports; Pg. 3C
LENGTH:  660  words
HEADLINE: Erickson weighs in slimmer; Twin marches to own training plan
BYLINE: Jim Souhan; Staff Writer
DATELINE: St. Petersburg, Fla.

 BODY:
    Twins pitcher  Scott Erickson  still has sturdy legs, but something has happened to his upper body. Last year he looked like a linebacker who had stumbled accidentally into the Twins clubhouse. Now the Californian sports the wiry, slim-waisted look of a surfer.

This transformation is vintage Erickson. He did it without consulting the Twins, or caring what they thought. He did it because he is determined to improve on what he considered a mediocre '92 season. Last and least, he did it because it looks pretty cool.

    "I did it for personal reasons - it looks good at the beach," he said jokingly Thursday, after giving up three runs in five innings in the Twins' 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Al Lang Stadium.

    But seriously . . .

    "Last year I was coming off an injury, so my goal when I came into camp last year was to be bulked up and strong, to have my arm as strong as possible," he said. "It worked out, because my arm felt great all year round, but I just ended up having a not very good year. This year, my goal was to come in with a
different body.

    "I'm not any weaker. I just didn't bulk up as much."

    Erickson was listed at 224 pounds last year, and has lost at least 10 pounds. He also reduced his body fat percentage from "10-something to eight-something."

    A sportswriter who is, let's say, less wiry than Erickson, asked what he would recommend for a weight-loss program. Erickson looked at the writer and deadpanned: "Liposuction."

    But Erickson cut the fat by drinking skim milk, forgoing cheese, working out twice a day instead of once at the gym, and burning calories instead of adding bulk.  "It's simple - when you go to [T.G.I.] Friday's, you go for the lite menu instead of a cheeseburger," he said.

    As usual, he followed his instincts when choosing a workout program. He played basketball and threw against a brick wall when he wanted to work on his form. That is probably not what the Twins would advise, but Erickson did not seem bothered by this.

    "I don't care what they think, really," he said. "I do what I want and it usually works out. They give you the rubber bands to take home and work out with at the end of the year, and they pretty much go from my locker to the garbage."

    Erickson obviously has tried to retain his independence since joining the Twins, but pitching coach Dick Such makes him sound like anything but a rebel.

"He's probably in the best shape of any pitcher I've been around in a long time," Such said. "That's a tribute to him, that he cares as much about his profession as he does, and about his body. It definitely has got to help him on the field - and you'd like to see that effort rub off on Willie Banks and Pat Mahomes."

    There was a time when pitchers such as Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain and Gaylord Perry lugged their jiggling bellies to the mound while insisting that the extra weight helped their pitching. "I don't really believe that," Such said. "Gaylord just liked to eat. I like the guys who are in good shape and who work hard. With Scotty, we've almost got to hold him back."

    Erickson struggled early last season before "finding'' his slider and finishing strong, with five straight victories from Aug. 23 to Sept. 18. He was 13-12 with a 3.40 ERA and three shutouts, and 212 innings pitched.

    Yesterday, he threw well, but hurt himself with four walks. "That's frustrating," he said. "I feel good, but I'm just having lapses in concentration."

    The Twins do not sound worried. "He threw the ball well," manager Tom Kelly said. "He's right on schedule."

Andy MacPhail, the Twins general manager, was more effusive. "I know one and only one thing about  Scott Erickson  - that he's got guts," MacPhail said. "I learned that in Game 6 of the World Series, and that's about all I need to know. He's got the desire, and you just hope the rest will fall into place."