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August 21, 2006

Under The Knife

Cascade Blues

by Will Carroll

Okay, so shoot me, but I was watching the Colts-Seahawks game tonight while the Sox and Yanks were in rain delay, and something in particular caught my eye. One of the things that NBC is doing to promote its new Sunday night game is a modified fantasy contest, with the winner getting a trip to New York to meet the studio team of Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, and AL-Kings leader Peter King. Costas immediately bemoaned this prize, sarcastically saying “my fantasy is to spend every week hanging out with some fantasy geek who'll badger us with questions about the next week.” Somebody should probably point out that he's got one of those so-called geeks in studio with him already, and King's not that much of a geek. The rest of us “geeks” are out here, watching the ads that pay your salary. I'd suggest that the least you can do is at least pretend to not loathe the people who watch you each week. Fantasy players and statheads have always been ghettoized by journalism geeks, and that despite the passionate interest and open wallet that they bring to sports. It's time that everyone realized it, got over whatever bias they have against fantasy players, and realized that they're the audience, not the enemy. There's a good reason that guys like Bill Simmons--who cultivates and feeds his audience--have gained ground. People like Bill, or myself I like to think, like our readers. More importantly, we respect them.

Powered by an opening day win by Chelsea, on to the injuries:

• Losing Tom Glavine could devastate the Mets coming down the stretch, even with the lead they have. Glavine is dealing with a difficult-to-diagnose vascular problem in his pitching shoulder. Reports have variously described it as a blood clot, a blocked artery, or as an aneurysm. According to team sources, only the latter has been ruled out, with additional tests hopefully providing guidance for a solid plan. The uncertainty makes it impossible to know what to expect in the meantime. A blood clot, while serious, could be handled with medication. If it's more serious than that, surgery could be in the offing, much along the lines of what Kip Wells had earlier this season. That would end Glavine's season, including the playoffs. Omar Minaya has internal options—including a suddenly resurgent Oliver Perez—but the Mets need Glavine back if they're to remain the best team in the National League.

• Watching the Yankees and Sox play, I wondered exactly where to place this report. If you've never noticed, I try to use the “descending pyramid” as I compile my reports, listing the most significant injuries at the top by default. Contenders tend to have those more significant injuries, making it tough for me to decide where to put a graf about the Red Sox. Trailing as I type this, the Sox have struggled with injuries all season long, creatively filling the gaps with available replacement players and a deep farm system. Nevertheless, there's a point where this strategy falls apart, and it's something we see repeatedly with teams that suffer multiple concurrent injuries. Jonathan Papelbon may have pitched well this season, but his mechanics show just how fatigued he is at this point of the year. His arm is flying out, leaving many of his pitches up and in to right-handed hitters. He still has good velocity, meaning he can get away with mistakes, but if he continues to lose efficiency, he'll only get more fatigued, a cycle that normally doesn't end well. I think he's going to be saved by the arm strength he built up as a starter, but tonight's entrance—bases loaded with no one out and the season on the line—shows just how different the workload is for relievers and starters. As if matters weren't complicated enough, the Red Sox are merely hopeful that rotation anchor Tim Wakefield will be back at some point in September; he's beginning to throw, but there's no timetable for a return.

• Mike Maroth had a good start in Triple-A, pushing the Tigers to make a decision. It had been expected that Maroth would be called up and inserted into the rotation. That would give the Tigers six starters, allowing them to rest Justin Verlander and the rest of the rotation an extra day. However, Jim Leyland has now decided against that idea, saying that if Maroth comes up, someone will get shifted out of the rotation. It's possible, though unlikely, that the someone could be Verlander. It would be hard to shift Verlander to the pen, so the DL is a possibility, though again, a remote one. Verlander hasn't been the same, mechanically or in terms of results, since crossing the 130-inning mark. It surprises me that he fatigued so much so fast, but he's still throwing in the mid 90s. Maroth has nothing left to prove on rehab, though its possible he'll get one more start with the Mudhens while the Tigers make a tough but important decision. Rumblings that Maroth was a bit sore after the start might be enough to keep him down for the time being.

• The A's took a big hit when Huston Street strained his right groin. This is the one in his push leg, so the adductor isn't quite as important as the abductor here. It's an uncomfortable injury, so his comeback will be more about pain management and pain tolerance than function. Once Street is able to pitch comfortably, he'll be able to come back quickly. The A's recent surge allows them something of a cushion to get Street back, meanwhile experimenting with various bullpen solutions in the interim. One option could be Rich Harden, who has begun throwing again, and as is, Harden could be called on to set up Street once both have returned.

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