You're Entering A World of Pain (2009 Injuries)

[MFS62]

Newsday reports that Mets SP John Maine will seek a second opinion on the injury from Dr. James Andrews and that a source says he could miss the rest of the season.
[/quote:mjv1pme0]

Are "Doctor James Andrews" the scariest three words in baseball or what?[/quote:mjv1pme0]

Those three words follow the five scariest words: "He'll be day-to-day".

Later

[ashie62]

Again..Rotoworld from CBS that Reyes wants to return as soon as possible and realizes he may not be 100% this but will play at 80%

Fine by me, management? maybe..he can re-recover in October

[nymr83]

the Mets would be negligent to let anyone, particularly Reyes, rush back from an injury when they're ten games out. I'd be happy to shelve him for the year even just to make sure he's fine in 2010 when the Mets will next need him.

[metirish]

The Mets need to be concerned with their brand , Reyes on the field helps that. I don't like it but I would think it plays into a decision.

[nymr83]

Yeah I know they want him back for more than just Ws, but if he re-injures anything they'll really regret it.
I want Minaya's head, along with the heads of anyone on the medical staff who approves it, if Reyes comes back this yaer at less than 100% healthy.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The Mets need to be concerned with their brand , Reyes on the field helps that. I don't like it but I would think it plays into a decision.[/quote:24s3ivms]

A swift, public statement from above Minaya and Dave Howard-- to confirm O's job security, to assure stakeholders/fans that the organization isn't a monkey house-- would go a much longer way toward brand preservation than rushing a hobbled Reyes.

So why am I bet-my-left-testicle certain that they're going to do the latter?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Encouraging?

NEW YORK -- All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran shagged fly balls Monday for the first time since going on the disabled list with a bruised right knee, part of another encouraging day for the injury-riddled New York Mets. Billy Wagner, out all season following elbow ligament replacement surgery, worked another perfect inning in his second minor league rehab appearance and first baseman Carlos Delgado took batting practice on the field for the first time since hip surgery. Beltran said he fielded about 30 fly balls and the bone bruise on his knee bothered him twice, but with much less pain than before.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4375227

[Farmer Ted]

Not that I can claim to be Jose Reyes, but I tore both my calf muscle (grastroc) and hamstring many years ago. Bad. I was only jogging on both occasions and POW, the leg tightened up instantly like a cramp and POP. I went down hard. The recovery period was 12 weeks to get back to 70 percent just like the doctor said it would be. Once Jose went down, I really didn't expect him to be back.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Funny you should mention that, Ted: As per David Lennon tweets, Reyes is back in NYC-- due to discomfort in the leg-- being reexamined. (Were I a smarter brand of bear, I would probably do the same with my team loyalties.)

[ashie62]

Years from now people may ask who was the Mets SS in 2009. The answer will be Alex Cora

[MFS62]

With the Niese injury today, the Mets roster now has a higher turnover rate than Menudo.

Later

[RealityChuck]

Interesting contrast:

Neise gets injured covering first. The team asks him to throw a pitch, and he collapses. I'm willing to bet the muscle tear happened then and not when he was covering the bag.

Sheffield gets injured running to first. He doesn't go into any "let's test and find out" crap, but just walks off the field.

It may not have made a difference, but was throwing a warm-up pitch really a good idea in that situation?

[seawolf17]

You're right, it might not have mattered, but isn't a warmup toss or two SOP when the trainer comes out to check on the pitcher for just about any reason?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

You're right, it might not have mattered, but isn't a warmup toss or two SOP when the trainer comes out to check on the pitcher for just about any reason?[/quote:20vynti9]

How else-- apart from quasi-useful self report ("How do you feel, Johan Santana, about leaving a game in mid-inning?")-- do you determine whether the guy can continue? They weren't asking for a max-effort pitch.

[RealityChuck]

Maybe. But saying "I felt a pain in my hammy on my landing foot" should have raised a red flag. Even on an easy pitch, he's going to land there with all his weight. If there's a potential problem that's a good way to make it worse.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yay! Sheffield back (and semi-effective)!

HA!This is absurd, but it figures!

After speaking with (Dr. Struan) Coleman, Ricco said about the conversation: "The one thing he did say is the hip is feeling better."

[Guest Edgy DC]

Carlos Delgado's rehabilitation after hip surgery has been put on hold because of a strained right oblique muscle. The new injury occurred while the New York Mets first baseman was working out over the weekend at the team's facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

I mean, yeah, pack up the tents and all, but it would be nice just to field a team before the season ends, to remind me of what might have been and shit.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Wright is denying a knee and/or groin injury, btw.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Top young Nats pitcher Jordan Zimmerman? Reconstructive elbow surgery. I hear "reconstructive" and "surgery" I think New York Jets. That's going to be a long rehab road for that guy, perhaps to nowhere.

[Valadius]

I feel like someone at Port St. Lucie should be fired.

[metirish]

All going well with his surgery and recovery it will be 2011 when he is back , I iamgine one would need a strong will to get through all that.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

All going well with his surgery and recovery it will be 2011 when he is back , I iamgine one would need a strong will to get through all that.[/quote:1pl2gnuu]

Cincinnati's Edison Vasquez, too, no? (IIRC)

[metirish]

All going well with his surgery and recovery it will be 2011 when he is back , I iamgine one would need a strong will to get through all that.[/quote:2eke8nza]

Cincinnati's Edison Vasquez, too, no? (IIRC)[/quote:2eke8nza]

Yeah him too , liked watching him pitch.


Intresting link here to an article from 2008 wondering if Dusty was riding his young Reds pitchers too much

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Did-Dusty-Baker-learn-nothing-from-Mark-Prior-an?urn=mlb,81407

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

All going well with his surgery and recovery it will be 2011 when he is back , I iamgine one would need a strong will to get through all that.[/quote:168l0xx3]

Cincinnati's Edison Vasquez, too, no? (IIRC)[/quote:168l0xx3]

Yeah him too , liked watching him pitch.


Intresting link here to an article from 2008 wondering if Dusty was riding his young Reds pitchers too much

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Did-Dusty-Baker-learn-nothing-from-Mark-Prior-an?urn=mlb,81407[/quote:168l0xx3]

I'm not sure Dusty Baker's learned anything since he first heard about the infield-fly rule. Judging from his interviews, he appears constitutionally unable to do so.

[Guest Edgy DC]

There was a great interview with Dick Williams in San Diego. Among the things he railed against in the contemporary game was pitch counts.

But the argument shouldn't be between a pro-pitch counts camp and anti-camp, but rather about how to apply them. The more Dick talked, the lees trustworthy he seemed.

I mean congratulations on your two championships, you angry nut, but Jim Hunter won 184 games in his 20s and 35 in his 30s. Vida Blue won 155 in his 20s and 53 in his 30s. It's only natural that somebody curious might wonder about the best way to sustain a young pitcher's effectiveness.

[MFS62]

I'm not sure Dusty Baker's learned anything since he first heard about the infield-fly rule. Judging from his interviews, he appears constitutionally unable to do so.[/quote:1kqd7vvy]

Maybe he learned his baseball from Joe Morgan.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'm not sure Dusty Baker's learned anything since he first heard about the infield-fly rule. Judging from his interviews, he appears constitutionally unable to do so.[/quote:11wymrzb]

Maybe he learned his baseball from Joe Morgan.
[/quote:11wymrzb]

Cut from the same cloth, attitudinally. Only difference is, Baker's been put in charge of managing multimillion dollar assets indefinitely, and reports to about a half-dozen folk, all of whom should know better than to trust his stubborn-ass instincts. Morgan's only in charge of ruining one broadcast a week, and maybe supplying a little unintentional comedy.

It's always seemed batshit to me how much Morgan rails against the use of OBP as a batting-skill evaluator... since he had a crazy-high 16 percent career walk rate, and was on base like a crackhead (.392 lifetime, .466 in 1975!).

[Benjamin Grimm]

But the argument shouldn't be between a pro-pitch counts camp and anti-camp, but rather about how to apply them.

[metirish]

I'm sure you have all heard about Nolan Ryan trying to change attitudes down in Texas.......

Pitch counts or old school approach? Ryan Knows! Fi Aug 12, 2009 09:35 PM Team President Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers had a huge problem to deal with when he took over, that being the terrible starting pitching of the franchise. Everyone thought that even though the team had big league hitters in the lineup, that as usual, the starting pitching and bullpen, would be the demise of the Rangers once again this year. Not so, under the new mandate of Nolan Ryan set forth this spring, the focus has changed in a big way. The Rangers were growing tired of seeing many of their pitchers wind up with injuries from previous years past and without success in the win column. This season, Nolan Ryan has decided to break away from the established system in place......known as "pitch counts" and endorse the "old school" approach by pitching guru, Alan Jaeger. Jaeger's approach is highly criticized by many in the established system of "pitch counts" because his system is simply allowing players to play catch at long distances for a very long time. Pitchers are encouraged to "air it out" at distances of up to 350 feet without the use of a speed gun or toss-counts. The point being.........without constraints like the current system in place, the arm is able to grow, and only thru this method, can the coaches determine how healthy, strong, and durable a pitcher's arm can be. By using "pitch counts" you place limits on a pitchers true potential and total abilities, which is why you hardly see the 20 game winners these days. "No more babying of arms. It's time to stop pampering and start pushing!" said, Nolan Ryan who has given full support of Jaeger's "old school" approach during spring training 2009. So far, the pitching injuries throughout the entire Rangers major and minor league teams are down by a wide margin this year. With the success of the Rangers pitching staff this season, the team is in contention and, now other teams are wondering if they too should stay with the current status quo of "pitch counts." One of these teams is the Athletics, who are very much interested in keeping their young arms of Anderson, Mazzaro, and Cahill healthy for many years to come. Jaeger has just begun this season with the Texas Rangers system with his old school approach and, the results cannot be dismissed by anyone. Add the endorsement by HOF pitcher Nolan Ryan and you have a winning ball club this season. No one can deny the successful results of the Rangers this season and, I thank HOF pitcher and team president Nolan Ryan for breaking away from the established norm of "pitch counts" this season and, to the return of true winning baseball. Hopefully, other teams will soon be following in Nolan Ryan's footsteps as I've grown tired of watching many pitchers continue to get injured regardless of the philosophy that "pitch counts" are supposed to prevent such injuries.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/bearstate%20nursery/197191

[metirish]

This is better.....a Q&A with Ryan , first question is about pitch counts

http://www.bbtia.com/the-clubhouse/2009/7/20/the-nolan-ryan-live-chat-transcript.html