MIAMI -- The realization struck David Wright as he stepped out of the Marlins Park batting cage on Tuesday, parking ball after ball to the far reaches of the playing field. By Wright's side was hitting coach Kevin Long, offering tips about Wright's stride length -- not another rehab specialist or a trainer "coming up for the millionth time and saying, 'Hey, how's your back?'"
"I'd rather be talked to like a baseball player, not a patient at a therapy clinic," Wright said afterward, before making the short trip north to continue his rehab in Port St.