Money brings pressure.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

MIAMI _ Cliff Floyd took the pen, swallowed hard and signed his name to the first big contract of his baseball career, the one that would forever change his life and the lives of the entire Floyd family, past, present and future generations.

But the left fielder's first thoughts upon accepting that four-year, $19 million deal from the Marlins a little over two years ago weren't what you might expect.

Not, What a country! Not even, I'm going to Disney World!

Rather, Floyd softly said the four words he's probably muttered more than any others in his athletic life: Please don't get hurt. Which, of course, Floyd promptly went out and did that spring, missing most of the season's first month.

Such is the sort of twisted stuff that tends to run through an athlete's brain after he hits his first jackpot. Such are the destructive thoughts a number of Floyd's financially blessed teammates must chase away if this Marlins season, which opens today at Pro Player Stadium, is to blossom into the wild-card run some foresee.

"You want to do so well, and it comes from the heart," Floyd says, speaking for all those who sign huge contracts. "You want to justify the faith. You have to do this, you have to do that. `Have' becomes a big word after you sign a contract."

With the money comes a burden. With the money comes responsibility. With the money comes a fresh set of pressures.