After avoiding arbitration, outfielder ready to start MILWAUKEE -- Brady Clark says he is not worried about being compared to Scott P odsednik. That's a good thing, because if Clark supplants Podsednik as the Brew ers' center fielder and leadoff man, comparisons are sure to come. "I don't care, because I'm not Scott," the 31-year-old Clark said. "I'm not her e to fill Scott's shoes. I have my own shoes." Clark will look to log more miles than ever in 2005. On Thursday he agreed to a one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Brewers, thus avoiding arbitration. Podsednik, meanwhile, will be lacing up on the south side of Chicago this seaso n. The Brewers traded their popular leadoff man to the White Sox along with rel iever Luis Vizcaino and a minor leaguer for outfielder Carlos Lee. Veteran Geof f Jenkins agreed to move to right field, vacating left for Lee, and Clark will have to fend off rookie Dave Krynzel to replace Podsednik in center. Clark, once a hot prospect with the Cincinnati Reds, is on the cusp of being a full-season starter for the first time in his four-plus Major League seasons. O nce he found out Podsednik had been dealt, Clark had a hunch that a starting no d was a possibility. When he saw manager Ned Yost at Miller Park last week, tha t hunch was confirmed. "He just asked if I had my center field glove ready," Clark said. "That was eno ugh for me." Still, the job will not be handed to Clark outright. He is the favorite because of his superior defensive skills and his high on-base percentage (.385 in 2004 ), but Krynzel is a former No. 1 draft pick, a talented defender, a left-hander to bat in front of No. 2 hitter Junior Spivey and a speed demon in the mold of Podsednik. "I'd say that Brady has the edge," assistant general manager Gord Ash said. Fighting for a job is nothing new for Clark, who turns 32 on April 18. "I've been trying to kick down the door for so long, and every time I kick down the door, there's another door," Clark said. "This is just another one to go t hrough, and I think I've got my foot through. I'm starting to push it open." Clark has been pushing ever since he graduated from the University of San Diego in 1996. Though he went undrafted out of college, he signed with the Reds and quickly distinguished himself in the minors. Clark earned an All-Star nod in Cl ass A in 1997 and won Most Valuable Player honors in the Double-A Southern Leag ue in 1999. Still, he never really broke through as an everyday Major Leaguer, despite a wo rk ethic that borders on insanity. After a brief stint with the New York Mets, the Brewers plucked Clark off waivers before the 2003 season. He got extended o pportunities to start games in both that season and in 2004, spending much of h is time in a right field platoon with left-handed hitters like John Vander Wal and Ben Grieve. Now, Clark could be two months away from a spot atop the Opening Day lineup and those inevitable comparisons to Podsednik, who was beloved by baseball fans fo r the way he looked between the white lines and by teenage girls for the way he looked on the sidelines. "I think [batting leadoff] fits my strengths," Clark said. "My job is to get on base and let those other guys drive me in. I'm not g oing to steal 70 bases. That's not the type of player I am." Clark had requested $1.3 million in arbitration while the Brewers' offer came i n at $1.05 million. The team did not release financial details, but the sides r eportedly settled just below the midpoint of those figures. With Clark in the fold, the Brewers have two players remaining in arbitration. Right-hander Ben Sheets filed for $6.5 million while the team offered $5.5 mill ion, and second baseman Spivey filed for $2.6 million while the team offered $2 million. Ash said he spoke with Sheets' agent, Casey Close, on Wednesday, and would touc h base again next week. General manager Doug Melvin is handling negotiations wi th Spivey's agent, former Brewers pitching coach Dave Stewart. Both cases could go all the way to arbitration hearings next month. "I don't think that has to be cloaked in negativity, though," Ash said. "The ar bitration process is there to come to a resolution on these matters. Either way , [Sheets] is going to be a happy man." --

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