New baby clears Conrad's head

Victor Decolongon/Getty ImagesJimmy Conrad has been out since March 26 after suffering a concussion, be he hopes to return soon.

Did his second daughter's arrival clear Jimmy Conrad's head? He thinks it might have, and so his celebration of her birth last week has been coupled with a return to the field.

The Chivas USA defender is merely running at this point, but after missing two months because of a concussion, it's a start -- and he credits his new baby.

"I think it helped that I just really focused on the baby and helping my wife and getting all that done and stopped thinking about my head," Conrad said Tuesday. "And I think when I did that, you know, 'I actually feel all right.' ... It's a hard one, because you want to be honest about what you're feeling, but then maybe you're overthinking your own brain. But I feel like I'm back to myself."

It coincided, he said, with the birth last Tuesday of Jane Mirabelle Conrad, who joined Jimmy, his wife, Lyndsey, and 4-year-old Julia Rose. The veteran center back, who starred at Temple City High School and UCLA before embarking on an MLS career now in its 13th season, says sleep deprivation has him "walking around like a zombie," but he circled the field at a decent pace during the Goats' training session Tuesday.

He was cleared to resume training last week and, officially, is available for selection, but his return to action remains, at least, a few weeks away.

"It's one thing to go run around the field and look good doing that, it's another going up and battling guys with headers ...," said Conrad, 34, who was hurt March 26 when punched in the back of the head in an aerial battle with Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens. "I'm itching [to get onto the field]. You never get used to watching a game, but I started to be OK with it a little bit, you know, just saying this is something that's a little bit out of my hands, out of my control, and I'm just trying to be smart at this point, especially with another daughter on the way.

"You want to make sure you do your due diligence, and all the protocol, cross the T's and dot the I's."