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August 12, 2004

Under The Knife

The Final Tear?

by Will Carroll

I try not to get too personal in this column, but tomorrow is a big day in this neck of the woods. Not only is it my father's birthday, but my mother is having surgery.

So where will I be? Headed to New York. It probably makes me some sort of cad, but I've learned that life goes on. My father knows that much of what he taught me shows up in each column I write. My mother has probably never read a column of mine--she doesn't even like baseball--but she gave me the sense of freedom that let me dream this improbable life. I'll wish them both the best, hope that you will as well, and I'll do what I do best, hoping it makes them proud.

On to the injuries …

• Ken Griffey, Jr. is once again done for the season. It seems that no matter the number of times that he attempts to come back, his legs will never again be the ones that glided across the Kingdome floor. While in the lineup this year, Griffey showed that he still possesses talent for the game, but his body continually betrays him. It's a sad turn for a player who was once considered every bit the equal of Barry Bonds--and may well have been.

  This time, the injury is one of the most serious he has suffered. Griffey was diagnosed with a complete rupture of his hamstring, necessitating surgery to reattach the muscle to the bone. That surgery is scheduled for Monday and is the second such surgery this month for a Red, following Jason Romano going under the knife. According to the team, Griffey tore the muscle while rehabbing; the Reds stated that the muscle strain earlier this season was not the gross tear he has now. I'm beginning to wonder at what point baseball and the work of rehab stops being worth it to Junior. His best days well behind him, he's made every effort to be the player the Reds expected and he simply isn't going to get there. The trade will forever be held up as a bust and the time in Cincinnati will taint the memories of his once-great play. Who would have thought that Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey, Jr. would be leaving the game at the same time, both felled by bad hamstrings?

  If the Griffey injury isn't enough, the Reds might also lose Austin Kearns and John Vander Wal, leaving plenty of openings in a once-crowded outfield. Kearns had a setback in Triple-A and has returned to Cincy for an exam. He developed a blood clot over the area of his thumb that was recently surgically repaired. None of the doctors or trainers I spoke with could give me much guidance on this, so hopefully we'll have more info next week. Vander Wal is having soreness and swelling in his repaired left knee, a normal setback that the Reds will have to allow for by resting him.

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