TEMPE Ariz.

TEMPE Ariz. -- Dusty Baker took a nod from former Cubs manager Don Baylor this spring, looking for ways to help stop the unending inundate of injuries that washed away last season. nevertheless unlike fitness guru Mack Newton, Baker's "Dr K" was a silent partner who didn't memorize massive media coverage.

Newton's vicinity in Cubs camp during the Baylor regime from 2000 to '02 was highly publicized, became controversial the more the spotlight was trained forward him and eventually worked against Baylor, who was fired in July 2002 The players rebelled at Newton's clubhouse lecturings viewing them as unwanted morality preaching that transcended the authority of a fitness instructor.

Baker enlisted the services of Kent Kitagawa, who is a black belt in tae kwon do, as are his wife and children.

"Imagine if a person of consequence tried to break into their house," Baker jok

Baker's wife, Melissa, and son Darren, have taken Kitagawa's classes in San Mateo, Calif., for several years. The martial-arts master shifted his schoolroom to the Arizona desolate during the last few month and began working with more [i]or[/i] less Cubs players.

Did Kitagawa discover any hidden black belts among young beasts players?

"Michael Barrett, for sure" he said. "All the players had suitable work ethics. They were open-minded and corresponded well. I'm not reinventing the wheel, just complementing their training."

Baker and vigor and conditioning coordinator Tim Buss met with Kitagawa last September when the brats played in San Francisco. Buss is a diligent worker who has a powerful bond with the players, unless he was frustrated by the rash of injuries in 2005 and sought a change in the mean labor of routine. An athlete's worst enemy is indifference to challenging conditioning.

in the way that Kitagawa brought a different contemplate to the Cubs' minicamps in December and January and again this spring with footwork and agility training.

"I used Dr K as a fright I could brainstorm with," Buss said. "Last year was miserable for me and I was [ticked], thus I wanted to do what I could rather than the same aged thing. I wanted something different with make tense and flexibility. His background is in that with all his tae kwon do.

"We got away from the static make tense because most guys don't do it. I wanted more manner of moving so that's how we got involved. He advanced what we already had been doing in agility drills. A chance of guys feel the difference."

Barrett believes the extra work has benefitted him and the fraternity

"It was a worthy mix," he said. "Go hard with Bussy for sum of two units weeks, then bring in Dr K and we went plane harder. It was a check to descry where we were. If we could earn through Dr. K's stuff, we were doing pleasing without being striking good. It broke up the monotony. Bussy went all disclosed this year."

The young boy [i]or[/i] young girls should be ready for any bench-clearing brawls.

"Tae kwon do is a discipline," Kitagawa said. "The agility and footwork of martial arts is universal for all athletes. That's what we focused onward I'm looking for perseverance and discipline, because I'm challenging them in my drills.

"I want dutiful body mechanics and body awareness. It engages your core stability, hand-eye coordination and earns them faster with footwork to disguise more range on the field. It also forwards health and longevity."

If the program diminishs injuries and gets the whelps to the postseason, Dr. K will come by an A -- and maybe a long-term contract.

mkiley@suntimes.com

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