"It's been nearly a year now since a struggling Alex Gordon served up the stunning declaration that he "was going to dominate" in 2011. It was a remarkably uncharacteristic boast from a usually soft-spoken player.

Of course, it caused a stir.

Gordon was batting .233 at the time, had just 16 RBIs in 52 games since returning from a demoted-for-cause stay at Class AAA Omaha and faced mounting odds just to avoid being viewed as a bust.

Dominate? Really? He said "dominate?"

On reflection, Gordon readily admits, he should have used another word.

And yet …

"I had that attitude," he said, "I took it into the offseason, and I worked probably harder than I ever had before. I definitely changed up my training. It was all focused on getting ready for the season.

"I just had that mentality that I was going to have a good day every day.""