By Jason Kendall For The Tribune-Review Sunday, March 31, 2002 BRADENTON, Fla. This final week was a tough one for a lot of guys because they didn't know if they were going to be on the team. You feel for the guys in that situation, but this is a business. Baseball is a business first and foremost. People get sent out, and people get released. That's just part of the game. Everybody goes through it at some point in their career, and I'm sure there were guys who felt that scare going into the final week. There's nothing you can do but get through it to the best of your ability. The final week was an especially difficult one for a good friend of mine, Pat Meares. He will head to Pittsburgh and have his hand examined Tuesday, and I wish nothing but the best for him. There is not a more professional person in this game than Pat Meares. He has handled this whole ordeal with his hand with more professionalism than anyone can possibly imagine. He's a gamer, he wants to win, and he wants to play. It's upsetting to me when everybody and their mother buries the guy, and nobody sticks up for him. Not one time did anybody say, "The guy can barely squeeze a bat, but he's out there every day busting his butt and trying to do everything he can to help us win." Not many people know the inside things that have gone on with Pat. It's upsetting to me that not too many people in the organization stuck up for Pat over the past couple of years. It's not easy going out there on a daily basis when you're hurt. But Pat never whined or griped, he just went out and did his job. Hopefully, after seeing the doctor, he can get better. I know the percentages are low of his hand ever getting better, but he has a lot of guys on the team rooting for him. It's a shame that nobody really has gotten to see the real Pat Meares since he joined the Pirates. It's a shame nobody has ever really stuck up for him, either. A lot of people have been hard on him, the fans included. And I don't want to sound like I'm trying to protect him, even though he is one of my boys. I'm just frustrated by the way he has been treated. To not have anybody watch his back has bothered me. One thing about Pat is he's a great teammate. He has been unbelievable in the clubhouse, and he can play the game. I just feel bad about what happened to him and how it has slowed him down. I also feel for Pat because of the uncertainty he's going through right now. Whether or not he's a baseball player or a teammate, he's my friend. I hate to see him going through this. Take the baseball part away. It's tough to see that happen to any human being. Everyone sees the glamor and the glory and the dollar signs in baseball, but not many people get to see the inside part and get to know the people they see on TV or at the ballpark. All I can tell you is that Pat Meares is one of the best guys I've met in the game. Speaking of hand injuries, we received a scare this week when Aramis Ramirez bruised his left hand. You want to go into the season with everyone healthy, especially one of your best hitters like Rammy. Thankfully, he seems to be OK, and so are most of our other players who got banged up this week. Injuries are a part of baseball, but you don't like to see them. We're not the only team that is a little nicked up right now. We just hope we're healthy for Opening Day and it carries through the season. Aside from the injuries, we've gotten in our work during the final week and are itching to get started with the season. It will be good to get out of here today and fly to New York. You can tell we're ready because everybody turned it up a notch in the final week. The last week is the most important of the spring because you know the season is close, and you want to build some momentum that you can carry into the year. As for me, I've started hitting better, and I'm ready to. I'm ready to get on the plane and get out of here. It's time to get it on. Finally, I would like to thank the Trib for asking me to do a spring training column for the second consecutive year. I'm looking forward to going for the hat trick.