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August 11, 2004

Under The Knife

Luck

by Will Carroll

Steven Goldman opines on luck in his Pinstriped Bible column this week, but it's probably me that gets all the questions about luck. There are always going to be random events, and while you cannot prevent situations caused by bad luck, you can be prepared when they occur.

Does luck enter into injury analysis and management? Sure, but injuries are far from the inevitability some want you to believe they are. We're showing this now with pitching injuries, struggling against ignorance and resistance. Over at ESPN, Tim Keown examines one such resistant force. There are plenty of others. It's a process of education. Education is experience that takes years.

On to the injuries …

• The best news for the Mets was that Tom Glavine was not injured seriously in his auto accident. Any time something potentially deadly like this occurs, even minor injuries seem like nothing. The worst of it appears to be the loss of two front teeth, but that's nothing to a former hockey player. Reports have Glavine a bit battered and bruised, but with nothing that won't heal. The Mets expect him to miss one start.

• More serious were reports on two other injured Mets. Mike Piazza has swelling in his knee that may require draining. It's a problem Piazza has experienced before, but not in quite a while. The shift of positions is something I'm going to take a hard look at in the off-season. (If you're a bit hoppy, feel free to start in. Some of the best research I've seen lately is from my readers. You'll see the results soon.) Also, Kazuo Matsui found that while his back problem is not structural, the spasms are not responding to treatment. The shortstop might head to the DL while further treatment attempts to quiet the symptoms. I'm told Matsui is a bit disillusioned with New York, leaving a trade (to Seattle?) as a possibility in the off-season.

• The cushion that the Cardinals have built is starting to pay off. Chris Carpenter left Wednesday's game with back spasms as his catcher, Mike Matheny, saved him from further damage. Matheny saw that Carpenter's mechanics were changing and brought the trainer out. According to Matthew Leach at MLB.com, Carpenter doesn't have a history of back problems.

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