cubfan33
09-11-2002, 01:58 AM
Don't expect anything special tomorrow. I seldom listen to anything George Bush (Junior or Senior) say but about eleven months ago, Dubya was fond of saying the way that an ordinary American could fight terrorism was to live our lives, to travel, to fly on our airlines, and to go shopping. Something like that. Well, I'm living my life and I'm lucky to be living it. I'll fight terrorism by watching baseball, by writing UTK, and remembering how lucky I am to have friends who read it.
Don't be surprised that Tom Hicks is selling the Stars and don't be surprised to see the same thing happen to the Rangers in a few years. Don't ask me to explain it, but tax breaks are lost after the first five years. Something to do with how contracts acquired can be written down, I dunno. You'll never hear him admit it, but of all the things Hicks might or might not be, the one thing he assuredly is is a smart businessman.
I like to pretend that sometimes, people do things for the right reasons. I like to think that Bob Boone and Jim Bowden read about the doubled-starter concept somewhere, that they've seen the research on consistency of role for pitchers, that they simply got creative when faced with a chance to do something good or something bad and that they did the right thing for everyone. In all likelihood, it just happened without thought. Danny Graves conversion to a starter happened tonight and was successful. He pitched three innings, was replaced by Chris Reitsma for three innings, and then three relievers took it home. Result? A shutout win. One night is an awful small sample size, but I'll quote some baseball lore: don't mess with a streak.
I wish I could ignore this, but it's news, so the least I can do is link to it. For everyone's sake, let's hope its false.
I'm also REALLY hoping that an MLB report of Hideki Irabu having cancer is a typo. I'm following up on that and will let you know more when I do.
When a report includes "a titanium plate was inserted in his skull," it can't be good. Kazuhisa Ishii had surgery yesterday to remove bone chips from his sinus passages and a plate was inserted in order to keep the small skull fracture from travelling (cracking more and getting bigger.) All reports indicate that Ishii will be fine, but it is still very unclear if he will return to pitch before the end of the season. If there's any good that comes of this, it appears that baseball - or at least some teams - are addressing the issue of pitcher safety. I'm unsure if asking pitchers to wear a John Olerud type hat might help or if teams should be conscious of shadows or light, as appeared to be a significant issue in the Ishii injury, but something - anything - that can be done to help is a positive. Also positive is the resistance that Jim Tracy is showing to the idea of dropping Kevin Brown back in the rotation.
As Seattle flames out - the expected result of last year's amazing run - Kazuhiro Sasaki is trying to pitch through elbow pain. This is the same elbow that was surgically repaired in Japan, but I don't have many details on what was done. If someone has better data, please let me know. The M's will likely let Sasaki run out there while they still have a shot, but I trust that Bryan Price is watching closely. If you're wondering if the language barrier is a problem - don't. The M's have a Japanese native on their training staff, Kiyoshi Egawa. The Mariners called up one of the "closers of the future" types in Aaron Taylor, a big power righty who had been with the AA San Antonio Missions. It's a bit unusual in that the Missions are still in the Texas League playoffs, but the M's are in a wild card race. The M's may get Mark McLemore back this week, which is as stunning - if not more so - than Rich Aurilia's two week turnaround from similar surgery. John Conway, the Rangers team physician and the surgeon on McLemore's elbow, has cleared McLemore to begin baseball activities only a couple days after the surgery.
Mariano Rivera snuck up to Birmingham to see Dr. Jim Andrews, was pronounced relatively okay, and allowed to throw from a mound today. The reports are all as expected, but there's still no idea what type of effectiveness Rivera will have upon what is becoming an inevitable return to the closer slot in the Bronx. Rivera is due to throw again on Thursday and appears to be on a timetable to return around the 20th. That would give him two weeks to tune it up ... or blow it out.
Matt Morris returned to the mound for the Cards tonight, but was restricted to five innings. A guru watched his performance live and told me "he looked good. I don't see any big changes in what he's doing out there. He seemed in command of his pitches, quickly found his arm slot, and appeared to be able to drive [with his legs]. I question his ability to go much further than six, but that should be enough." Very good news, especially in a short series.
As Derek Lowe bumps up against 200 innings, the risk increases that he will become fatigued earlier and may increase his risk of injury. As I've said here many times, a pitchers changing roles or asked to increase their innings significantly from year to year tend to have increased likelihood of injury IN THAT SEASON. There are two schools of thought on how to deal with this as a manager or pitching coach: first, you can closely monitor the pitcher and remove him if he appears fatigued. Because this could happen with even the first pitch, an innings or pitch limit is not tremendously effective. The second would be that you accept the gain, allow the pitcher to rest for an offseason, and allow him to reset his innings threshhold in the following year. The second, of course, would require the Red Sox to shut down Lowe at some point in the near future. With he and Pedro Martinez not contributing to a pennant race at some point in the very near future, it's a perfect opportunity for the organization to look at pitchers for next year or determine if they have someone in the bullpen who could step up. Having an innings sponge like Tim Wakefield should make this decision easy, but the unease surrounding Grady Little and the interim tag hanging on Mike Port's door, it makes it tougher for anyone to make decisions that they may not be there to see.
It looked bad for the Braves early in the game as Marcus Giles was forced to leave the game after an awkward landing while attempting to catch an errant Henry Blanco throw. He landed with his full weight (plus the additional force of landing) on an awkwardly placed glove side arm. The way he immediately grabbed at his neckline and his motions as he stood led me and Dave Pursley to the same initial conclusion - collarbone fracture. Luckily, Giles' collarbone is not broken but is quite tender to touch and he has some reduced range of motion in his shoulder. Early estimates are that he will only miss a game or two, but with the division clinched and several backups, the Braves can be conservative. The worry now is that Giles is fast being tagged with the injury prone label.
Milton Bradley will miss some time with a strained oblique. We're getting to the point where, like Giles, Bradley may have to play 162 games to avoid the injury prone tag. In Bradley's case, it's more bad luck than bad health, but having that tag never helps a career. It does mean more at bats for the suddenly slugging Karim Garcia. Who knew?
David Coggin is headed for a second surgery on a torn labrum. Sample size is still small, but the number of pitchers that return from a recurrent labrum tear is so small as to be labeled as 'career killer.' He'll have surgery early next week and will likely miss a full year.
As Sean Casey heads for a scoped shoulder on Thursday and Brady Clark finds himself in the depths of the Mets clubhouse (Keith shouldn't have backed down), the Reds are facing their future. The moves all pivot around one Wily Mo Pena, who by all reports has every tool in the book, but is simply not ready to be in the major leagues. The Reds will likely try to see if Pena can be a serviceable member of the team since he's not the type of player who will be useful off the bench or even as a pinch runner. To reach his potential, the Reds will have to play him and hope that he stuns everyone. The Reds really have a tough call with this kid. In the little I've seen of him, he's truly full of potential, if not the next Sammy Sosa.
I'll be back tomorrow. I wish all of you peace tomorrow, as I do every day.
Don't be surprised that Tom Hicks is selling the Stars and don't be surprised to see the same thing happen to the Rangers in a few years. Don't ask me to explain it, but tax breaks are lost after the first five years. Something to do with how contracts acquired can be written down, I dunno. You'll never hear him admit it, but of all the things Hicks might or might not be, the one thing he assuredly is is a smart businessman.
I like to pretend that sometimes, people do things for the right reasons. I like to think that Bob Boone and Jim Bowden read about the doubled-starter concept somewhere, that they've seen the research on consistency of role for pitchers, that they simply got creative when faced with a chance to do something good or something bad and that they did the right thing for everyone. In all likelihood, it just happened without thought. Danny Graves conversion to a starter happened tonight and was successful. He pitched three innings, was replaced by Chris Reitsma for three innings, and then three relievers took it home. Result? A shutout win. One night is an awful small sample size, but I'll quote some baseball lore: don't mess with a streak.
I wish I could ignore this, but it's news, so the least I can do is link to it. For everyone's sake, let's hope its false.
I'm also REALLY hoping that an MLB report of Hideki Irabu having cancer is a typo. I'm following up on that and will let you know more when I do.
When a report includes "a titanium plate was inserted in his skull," it can't be good. Kazuhisa Ishii had surgery yesterday to remove bone chips from his sinus passages and a plate was inserted in order to keep the small skull fracture from travelling (cracking more and getting bigger.) All reports indicate that Ishii will be fine, but it is still very unclear if he will return to pitch before the end of the season. If there's any good that comes of this, it appears that baseball - or at least some teams - are addressing the issue of pitcher safety. I'm unsure if asking pitchers to wear a John Olerud type hat might help or if teams should be conscious of shadows or light, as appeared to be a significant issue in the Ishii injury, but something - anything - that can be done to help is a positive. Also positive is the resistance that Jim Tracy is showing to the idea of dropping Kevin Brown back in the rotation.
As Seattle flames out - the expected result of last year's amazing run - Kazuhiro Sasaki is trying to pitch through elbow pain. This is the same elbow that was surgically repaired in Japan, but I don't have many details on what was done. If someone has better data, please let me know. The M's will likely let Sasaki run out there while they still have a shot, but I trust that Bryan Price is watching closely. If you're wondering if the language barrier is a problem - don't. The M's have a Japanese native on their training staff, Kiyoshi Egawa. The Mariners called up one of the "closers of the future" types in Aaron Taylor, a big power righty who had been with the AA San Antonio Missions. It's a bit unusual in that the Missions are still in the Texas League playoffs, but the M's are in a wild card race. The M's may get Mark McLemore back this week, which is as stunning - if not more so - than Rich Aurilia's two week turnaround from similar surgery. John Conway, the Rangers team physician and the surgeon on McLemore's elbow, has cleared McLemore to begin baseball activities only a couple days after the surgery.
Mariano Rivera snuck up to Birmingham to see Dr. Jim Andrews, was pronounced relatively okay, and allowed to throw from a mound today. The reports are all as expected, but there's still no idea what type of effectiveness Rivera will have upon what is becoming an inevitable return to the closer slot in the Bronx. Rivera is due to throw again on Thursday and appears to be on a timetable to return around the 20th. That would give him two weeks to tune it up ... or blow it out.
Matt Morris returned to the mound for the Cards tonight, but was restricted to five innings. A guru watched his performance live and told me "he looked good. I don't see any big changes in what he's doing out there. He seemed in command of his pitches, quickly found his arm slot, and appeared to be able to drive [with his legs]. I question his ability to go much further than six, but that should be enough." Very good news, especially in a short series.
As Derek Lowe bumps up against 200 innings, the risk increases that he will become fatigued earlier and may increase his risk of injury. As I've said here many times, a pitchers changing roles or asked to increase their innings significantly from year to year tend to have increased likelihood of injury IN THAT SEASON. There are two schools of thought on how to deal with this as a manager or pitching coach: first, you can closely monitor the pitcher and remove him if he appears fatigued. Because this could happen with even the first pitch, an innings or pitch limit is not tremendously effective. The second would be that you accept the gain, allow the pitcher to rest for an offseason, and allow him to reset his innings threshhold in the following year. The second, of course, would require the Red Sox to shut down Lowe at some point in the near future. With he and Pedro Martinez not contributing to a pennant race at some point in the very near future, it's a perfect opportunity for the organization to look at pitchers for next year or determine if they have someone in the bullpen who could step up. Having an innings sponge like Tim Wakefield should make this decision easy, but the unease surrounding Grady Little and the interim tag hanging on Mike Port's door, it makes it tougher for anyone to make decisions that they may not be there to see.
It looked bad for the Braves early in the game as Marcus Giles was forced to leave the game after an awkward landing while attempting to catch an errant Henry Blanco throw. He landed with his full weight (plus the additional force of landing) on an awkwardly placed glove side arm. The way he immediately grabbed at his neckline and his motions as he stood led me and Dave Pursley to the same initial conclusion - collarbone fracture. Luckily, Giles' collarbone is not broken but is quite tender to touch and he has some reduced range of motion in his shoulder. Early estimates are that he will only miss a game or two, but with the division clinched and several backups, the Braves can be conservative. The worry now is that Giles is fast being tagged with the injury prone label.
Milton Bradley will miss some time with a strained oblique. We're getting to the point where, like Giles, Bradley may have to play 162 games to avoid the injury prone tag. In Bradley's case, it's more bad luck than bad health, but having that tag never helps a career. It does mean more at bats for the suddenly slugging Karim Garcia. Who knew?
David Coggin is headed for a second surgery on a torn labrum. Sample size is still small, but the number of pitchers that return from a recurrent labrum tear is so small as to be labeled as 'career killer.' He'll have surgery early next week and will likely miss a full year.
As Sean Casey heads for a scoped shoulder on Thursday and Brady Clark finds himself in the depths of the Mets clubhouse (Keith shouldn't have backed down), the Reds are facing their future. The moves all pivot around one Wily Mo Pena, who by all reports has every tool in the book, but is simply not ready to be in the major leagues. The Reds will likely try to see if Pena can be a serviceable member of the team since he's not the type of player who will be useful off the bench or even as a pinch runner. To reach his potential, the Reds will have to play him and hope that he stuns everyone. The Reds really have a tough call with this kid. In the little I've seen of him, he's truly full of potential, if not the next Sammy Sosa.
I'll be back tomorrow. I wish all of you peace tomorrow, as I do every day.