By Jason Kendall For The Tribune-Review Sunday, February 24, 2002 BRADENTON, Fla. - First of all, I want to say I'm happy the Pittsburgh Trib renewed my contract and brought me back for a second spring as a columnist. I had fun doing it last year, and I hope the fans will enjoy reading it this year. The off-season for me was busy, and not just because I was rehabilitating my left thumb after my surgery in October. For starters, I bought a new place in Manhattan Beach close to where I used to live. That turned out to be an eye-opening experience. I always thought that when you bought a place, you moved in and were good to go. That wasn't the case with this place. I didn't realize how much work it is and how many things you have to do. The first day, it rained and there were leaks all over the place. It seemed like I had people over my house a 7 a.m. every morning to work on something. I had roof workers, cleaners, you name it. I didn't honestly realize how difficult it was. Everybody who is a homeowner can relate, at least that's what everybody has been telling me. They say, "Welcome to the real world." Another highlight of my winter was a Christmas present to my girl, April. We got two dachshunds. For some reason, and I can't explain why, I've always wanted two little weiner dogs. It's fun to watch them run because they are so long that their rear ends don't catch up with their heads. It's classic watching them bump into each other all the time. I also found out that, like my house, dogs are work, too. I had dogs when I was growing up, but my mom and dad always took care of them. One thing about puppies, they poop everywhere. And they did, all over my new house. But leaving the dogs when I came to spring training was tough. I can only imagine what it's like for the guys who leave their kids behind when they come down here. I miss my two dogs more than anything right now. I didn't have much time to enjoy the rest of my off-season because I was going to therapy every day and working on my thumb. It wasn't as bad as two years ago when I was rehabbing my ankle, but it was hard work. It wasn't like I was going once a week, I was there four times a week. Going to the clinic was more of a pain in the butt than anything. But I got my work done, got that part out of the way, and the thumb feels good. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when the first of the year rolled around because I wanted to put last year behind me and look forward to a fresh start this year for me and the team. Because of the thumb, I didn't get into the cages and hit until late January, but that wasn't a big deal. I usually don't start hitting until that time anyway, and I think that's kind of the program Brian Giles does in the winter, too. I was ready to go when spring training started. So, what did I do? I hurt my back on the first day of workouts. When we were tested in the mile run, I felt a twinge in my back, but I didn't think anything of it. That night it stiffened up on me, but I still didn't give it much thought. The next morning I woke up and could barely move or breathe. That was scary because I never had any type of back spasms before. I'm the guy who usually walks into the trainer's room and teases the guys who are in their with sore backs. I will never do that again. I found out that back spasms are no joke. It kept me off the field for two days, and that was no fun. I wanted to be out there, hitting and throwing so I could break up the scar tissue in my thumb. To be on the shelf for two days isn't good. But I guess if it's going to happen, you might as well have it happen now than later in camp. It's better that it happens this time of the year. Pirates catcher Jason Kendall will write a column every Sunday this spring exclusively for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.