CORONADO – In the patio of a borrowed home on this cloistered island, baseball’s greatest hitter sat alone beside the swimming pool, appreciating the warmth and quiet of another morning.
A Black Gold Golf Club ballcap shaded his drowsy eyes after another rough night of restless sleep. A red T-shirt – Angels red, like his former team – and tan cargo pants hung loosely around his body thinned by 20 pounds.
Thick black socks with red toes covered his feet crossed at the ankles. His hands rested on the two bulky, life-sustaining-battery-packed pockets of the black vest that has become part of his daily wardrobe since October.