Pierre pines for more playing time

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre was at the park early, in uniform, on the field.He was waiting for early batting practice, a chance to work on his bunting game -- and to track some flyballs off the bat.Some things never change -- until the game starts.Now, suddenly, for the first time in his baseball life, Pierre finds himself on the bench for the game's first pitch as often as he does in the lineup.And he doesn't understand it.He hears the reasons, but they don't compute.He doesn't hit with power. He doesn't walk a lot. He doesn't have a strong arm.But then, he never has hit with power, walked much or had a strong arm."This is the toughest thing I've ever dealt with on a baseball field, no doubt," Pierre said. "They brought me in here a year ago on a five-year deal, and a year later, there are drastic changes."Pierre played in all 162 games last season, and he produced at a level that was in line with his track record. He hit .293, his highest average in three years, stole 64 bases, his largest total in four years, and was caught stealing 15 times, his fewest in five years.Yet a month into the season, he's often the odd man out in the Dodgers outfield."I played hard and put up good numbers (last year)," he said. "I'm not a power guy. Everybody knows that. I don't have the strongest arm, but I get the ball quick and get rid of it. I played center field in Colorado and Florida, the two biggest outfields out there. I'm 30. I'm in the prime of my career. It's not like I hit .220 or stole 20 bases last year."The problem for Pierre is, he seemingly has become the poster boy for the failures of Dodgers management to put together a team that fits.Their major expenditure this offseason was another center fielder, Andruw Jones, for two years at $36.2 million.Pierre has gotten caught in the squeeze with Jones and the emerging outfield duo of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier."I never thought this would happen, where I would not be able to play because I was not called on to play," Pierre said. "I've always prided myself on being out there every day. I am a guy who plays every inning of every game. When I don't play, I feel helpless. I have never gone through this in my career, dating to T-ball. I have to stay positive and, hopefully, it will work out."Pierre has not played fewer than 152 games in a major league season since his first full year with the Rockies in 2001, but this year, he started only 14 of the Dodgers' first 27 games."No matter what I do, I don't make out the lineup, so I try not to read too much into it, but I don't think I'll ever deal with it well," he said. "It is not something I am going to accept. Not at this point of my career. I'm in the prime of my career, not at the end. If the year before I had a drop-off, that would be one thing. But I didn't."Pierre originally signed with the Colorado Rockies, a 13th-round draft choice out of South Alabama, in June 1998, and less than 24 months later, he was in the majors.After the 2002 season, the Rockies had to include Pierre in the deal to unload the contract of pitcher Mike Hampton. Florida was willing to trade for Hampton and, in turn, send him to Atlanta, but the Rockies had to part with Pierre and take the contracts of catcher Charles Johnson and center fielder Preston Wilson.There was an immediate payoff for Pierre when the Marlins won the World Series in 2003.Times aren't so good for Pierre right now. He is trying to make the best of them.But it isn't easy.(Tracy Ringolsby writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver)