Stuart Depp joined the Greens organization in 1999 as strength and conditioning coach and trainer. Depp's athleticism enabled him to star for several years as center fielder of the Phoenix Suns of the North American Baseball League. "That was a long time ago, in a different place," remembers Depp. "I was never a star, not really. A starter, you understand. There's a difference. You tell Baseball America that, okay?"
Perhaps, but star or starter, Depp has maintained his toned form and supple agility over the decades through jump rope, fanatical bicycling, and lots of coffee. "Oh, yeah, joe, you gotta have that. It's no substitute for exercise, but it'll pep you up mighty fast. And coffee is always a good safe date with the ladies. Makes them think you're the serious, latte type." In the spring of 2003, Depp opened his own combo coffee shop and personal fitness center, Zeek's, in downtown Davenport in what used to be a hardware store. Right now, Zeek's is more coffee house than gym. "A few weight machines, jumpropes, workout pads, and some stationary bikes, that's about it right now," says Depp. But already Zeek's is enjoying a reputation for damn good coffee. "We serve the fancy drinks, sure, the lattes, cappuccinos, volcanoes, motorolas. You need those high-markup drinks to run a profitable business. But you come here and you can also get a cup of joe to go, you know?"
The tea bar at Zeek's is a bone thrown to softies. Depp is not antagonistic to tea, not quite. But he has his preferences. "[Team physician Nancy] O'Connor drinks tea, the green stuff. She says it's good for curing what ages you. And as a businessman, I know I need to give the people what they want. We even have some of those herbal blends with names that sound like colors in a J. Crew catalog. But we push the stuff with juice here. That's why folks drink coffee. As for me, if I'm going to go, I want to be wide awake when it happens. Bring it on, brother, bring it on."
As fitness coach for the Greens, Depp advocates flexibility exercises rather than lifting weights. "Those barbells will tighten you up, see, bind you. Then you can't swing the bat well. Remember what happened to Jose Canseco? There you go. Plus you get bound up, inside, and you need more coffee, maybe more coffee than you need. Well, heh, heh, if that's possible."