Sweeney Behind the Dish?

Mike Sweeney, who is in the final year of his contract, is already thinking about ways that he can stay in Royal blue. He knows that Ryan Shealy is the first baseman of the future and that Billy Butler will probably end up backing up Shealy when he's not DH'ing full time. So, Sweeney is saying that he's willing to go back to playing catcher again if it means staying with the Royals. Of course, the way John Buck is swinging the bat right now, that position doesn't appear to be up for grabs either. But you've got to admire a guy who wants to finish with the Royals.

I'm not usually one who thinks that teams owe players favors late in their careers. But Mike Sweeney might be the exception. He stayed in Kansas City when he could have easily signed elsewhere. He's endured the sometimes awful personnel that Allard Baird placed around him. He remained faithful to some terrible managers (Tony Pena comes to mind). He's changed his off-season workout routines nearly every season since he started getting hurt--looking for anything that would help him stay healthy so he could contribute again. And he's suffered through the boos from fans who don't seem to have a clue.

Now he's even willing to become a catcher again if it means staying in a Royals uniform. I'm guessing that nobody can see him lasting more than five or six games behind the dish because of his history of injuries. And I have no idea what such a move would mean for John Buck. And frankly, the idea seems a little out there to me, but how can you not respect a player who is willing to go to such lengths just to stay with a team that has been as bad as we've been over the past decade?