Ouch!

Tampa Bay “Devil” Rays pitcher Matt Garza was recently put on the DL with a nerve irritation in his pitching arm. Normally, this would probably not be on my radar, except for two things: Garza was part of one of the key trades made by the Minnesota Twins this off-season (along with Jason Bartlett, netting Delmon Young and Brendan Harris), and he’s on my fantasy baseball team. Garza said that the problem has been bothering him since last year. This surprised the Rays (would they have traded for him had they known?) and the Twins (they only problem they knew of was a bothersome neck in Spring Training last year). Frankly, I think some players just don’t ever learn.

In 2006, veteran pitcher Brad Radke (Bradke) pitched much of the season with a bad shoulder, culminating in August when it was realized he had a stress fracture in his pitching shoulder--no wonder it hurt so much. He pitched through a lot of pain, earning the continued respect from Twins fans. He came back to one miraculous start to end the season. His teammates were reportedly in awe of his ability to do what he did in the pain he was in.

That same year, rookie phenomenon Francisco Liriano started having arm problems in August. He rested some, and then came back, only to be injured again. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire expressed annoyance in the lack of communication. They asked Liriano repeatedly if he was okay, and he always said he was. He had Tommy John surgery in November 2006. That’s not okay.

There were two notable differences between Bradke and Liriano. First, Bradke was at the end of his career. Pretty much everyone knew Bradke was retiring at the end of 2006. He never came out and said it, but rather referenced the probability. There was no point in trying save his arm for the future. Liriano was at the beginning of his career. Would rest and rehab work prevented the need for surgery? I can’t say that for sure, but perhaps it could have. Second, everyone knew Bradke was in pain. It’s not something that was talked about all the time, but it was something people knew. He sat out a few games in July, had Cortisone shots, and so on. Liriano not only didn’t mention pain, but denied it.

The Twins expressed frustration with the Liriano situation. Garza was there, watching it unfold. You would think the next year, he may have mentioned some of his pain.

This spring, Twins pitcher Scott Baker mentioned some minor pain in his back. He was immediately shut down for rest. There was question if he could start the season on time, due to a slower than anticipated recovery (the back was fun, but he got the flu). However, the Twins worked a schedule to get him pitching time, Baker recovered, and started the season with the Twins. In his first game, pitcher Kevin Slowey noted a strain in his pitching arm. As he’s doing rehab, it seems he’s completely honest with how he’s feeling. He’ll definitely miss his next start (and possibly lose his spot in the rotation). On the other hand, by being honest, he may be saving his career.

I know there’s a competitive spirit, and the thought of not wanting to look like a wimp. Sometimes pride has to sit on the shelf.

Oh, and I’d be in favor of Alex Rodriguez playing shortstop while Derek Jeter is out injured, but that really doesn’t matter. I just mentioned it because Rachel wanted me to include this picture.

The Timberwolves are 19-59. The Sonics are 18-61, and the Heat are 14-64 (my favorite quote about fans of a poor-performing team towards the end of the season: “Haven’t we suffered enough? Can’t we just forfeit the rest of the season and go have pizza?”). In lacrosse, the Swarm won last weekend, so they have a 8-4 record. So far, they’re undefeated at home, and tied for first place in the East Division.